The Doctor's voice rang over the intercom, interrupting the quiet moment Tom was enjoying as he watched the off duty Starfleet crew shoot pool and enjoy the atmosphere of Sandrine's. He had been here for some time, nursing a drink while the ship moved on through the Delta Quadrant.

taking a deep breath he tapped his badge, "Paris here, how did the operation go?"

There was a pause on the other side of the line. That can't be good.

"Captain, I think you'd better come down here."

No, Not good at all.

Tom almost cursed until the curious looks on the crewman in the area reminded him that the conversation wasn't private. "On my way. Paris out."

Getting to sickbay took little time, getting in was a bit more difficult. A crowd had begun forming around the area. As he got closer he could hear yelling coming from inside Sickbay.

"Make Way! Captain on Deck!"

Paris threw a grateful glance at the crewman who had announced his arrival and had begun clearing the road. It was one of the Starfleet crewmen from Tuvok's security team.

Entering sickbay, Paris looked around for the Doctor.

"Doc, what's up?"

For a hologram the Doctor looked remarkably depressed, Tom's spirits quickly fell as he guessed at the situation.

"Doc, the Captain's not-"

"No. She's... better."

Tom's eyes narrowed, the Doc wasn't being terribly comforting. "What's wrong?"
As the Doctor began to answer Tom heard a yell from Captain Janeway's 'room'.

"Dammit Tuvok! I don't care-"
A sudden crash brought Tom up like a shot, crossing the room before the Doctor could stop him.

"What is going on in here?!"

Tom's tone had been one of command, a tone he was used to using. Even he, however, was shocked at its result.

Janeway spun around in her medical robe, her shoulders thrown back, coming to stiff attention. "Captain Paris, Sir, Ensign Janeway reporting for duty!"

Tom's face must have shown his shock, because Janeway goggled for a moment herself before speaking again, "You're not Owen Paris!"

From a long way off Tom could have sworn he heard Q's voice, sniffing, Fairy Godmother indeed.

Tom Paris sighed as the computer beeped its compliance. It was going to be a long trip home. Thumbing a command on the terminal in front of him he activated a comm channel.

"Paris to Janeway."

"Yes, Captain?" The response came back fast, but there was no way he was going to get used to that voice calling him captain.

"Could you please report to my ready room?"

"Aye Sir."

Her words were Academy perfect, the inflections crisp and concise. Any experienced officer who heard them could tell immediately that the speaker was a raw academy graduate. To Tom it was downright eerie hearing that from a woman he knew to have earned the right of command a dozen times over.

He didn't have long to wait. Kathryn Janeway wasn't one to keep officers waiting, in less then three minutes his door chimed.

"Enter."

She walked in with trepidation, her steps tentative, as if she was being called on the carpet for some infraction. "You called for me, Sir?"

"Yes... Captain Janeway, please, have a seat."

She sat down in the proffered chair stiffly, as though still expecting the hammer to drop. Tom watched her with a sense of mourning. He hadn't really known this woman, but he had seen enough of her to know she wasn't a timid creature. At the prison she had handled the other inmates leers and catcalls admirably, somehow managing to send a message of disdain and aloofness without dignifying them with so much as a glance. This could take a lot of work.

"Captain Janeway," He softened when he noticed a flinch, "Kathryn. Considering the Doctor's report I find myself in an unenviable situation. You are the captain of this ship."

Janeway flinched again, "Captain, I... I don't think that it would be best for the crew for me to resume command."

"I agree. In addition, the Doctor has certified that you would be unable to act in such a role under the current circumstances. That leaves me with the problem of finding you a place within the ship's current command structure."

Janeway leaned forward, "I would be prepared to resume my duties within the science department. I wouldn't mind wearing blue... again."

Tom shook his head. "No, that's not an acceptable solution I'm afraid."

Janeway sank a little, "You feel that my science background is out of date?"

"No, that's not it," Paris paused, this was going to be a tough one, "I want to you to take over as First Officer of Voyager."

She was shocked, "What!? I can't do that! I'm only an Ensign!"

"You. Are. Not.," Tom carefully enunciated each word, his tone brooking no argument, "You are a command line officer and a full captain."

"But I don't remember any of that!"

Tom shook his head, "You will. I'm betting on that. Your a tough woman Cap-... Kathryn. Your memory will return."

Janeway was mimicking his motion, her head shaking from side to side, "Then when it does I will resume my position accordingly."

"Not acceptable. Kathryn, How have you been walking since you woke up?"

Janeway blinked at the sudden change in topic, "o- ok i guess. I'm still a little weak... My muscles don't respond right."

"Precisely. Despite the Doctor's intervention your muscle mass has atrophied slightly, if he hadn't countered the worst of it, you wouldn't have been able to walk to this meeting."

"I don't understand."

"Your command of this crew depends on your ability to maintain a command Presence and the respect of those you lead. If I permit you to crawl back into one of the science labs for the duration of your... infirmity, both of those vital factors will suffer the same effect as your muscles did. And there is no doctor to intervene. If you don't recover your memory for an extended time you could find yourself trying to command a crew that thinks of you as 'that timid little ensign from the science labs.' rather then the capable commander you have worked all your life to become."

Janeway didn't answer. It was too much for her.

Tom tried again, softer, "Kathryn, you'd never forgive yourself when your memory returned. You have to do this."

It was then that Tom saw the first glimpse of the old Captain, the steel beneath the soft exterior. Janeway visibly took control of herself, straightening her back and firming her jaw. "Aye Sir."

It took her a moment to think on the situation, "Captain, what about Lt. Rawlins?"

Tom smiled, it did her credit to consider her fellow officer, "He was... grateful when I suggested it. He's a good man, but he needs to complete his training before he'll be up to this level of responsibility."

"Dismissed... Number One."

She nodded, rose from her chair, and left.

"Made her First Officer."

"So? What's wrong with that?"

"You heard about the tantrum she threw in Sickbay. She's not well."

"I heard that there was neural degradation from the Caretaker's treatment of her."

"That's a load of crap. It's just amnesia."

"You don't think that's bad enough? She thinks she's an Ensign!"

"Hey, what's wrong with ensigns?"

Chuckles floated around the table. "Nothing, Jetal, but I don't think one should be our first officer. At least Rawlins is a lieutenant."

"She's not an ensign, she just thinks she is."

The crewman smirked, "The difference being?"

Neelix's overloud voice quieted him, "Ahh Captain Janeway, welcome to the mess hall. May I get you something?"

Janeway had entered the mess hall tentatively, but when Neelix called attention to her presence she straightened before anyone else turned. Walking calmly and as outwardly confidant as she could, she moved up to the counter separating the mess hall from Neelix's kitchen.

"The Doctor ordered me up here to get something to eat, what's on the menu?"

Neelix glanced down at a PADD the Doctor had sent up earlier, "I have a lovely casserole here that should serve your dietary needs perfectly, but," Neelix spoke hesitantly, "You have plenty of replicator rations available. How about we order you something tasty?"

Then her eyes refocused on the phantasmal reflection she cast in the transparent aluminum bulkheads and she was forced to admit that it was true. She didn't really recognize her own reflection now. It wasn't that she looked old, just not as young anymore, experienced. Except for the eyes. They tell the truth, or do they lie?

Movement by the door distracted Voyager's new First Officer from her reverie.

"Mr. Vulcan! You don't visit nearly enough, come, I have a lovely new vegetarian casserole I put together just for you!"

She watched quietly as Tuvok got his tray and took a seat with a few of the crew she had been told were Maquis. More complications.

Her only link between past and present and he was undercover. The Captain and Tuvok had taken a lot of time to explain the situation, but that didn't mean she liked it. Tuvok was her only friend on this ship and she couldn't talk to him in public unless it was on ship's business.

This is going to be a long seventy thousand light years

Due to the games Q elected to play with me over the past few day's Voyager's crew felt they had no choice but to break off pursuit of the federation warp trail we had stumbled upon. For some of the ship this is a serious blow to morale, they desperately wanted to feel like they weren't alone in this voyager. Despite avid scanning at long range and a standard search pattern at warp 9.995 we have not been able to reacquire the trail. I've order our speed back down to warp 7 until further notice. With some luck we might find news at some of the planets along our path. In other ship's news Lt.. Torres has informed my that a design program she and Ensign Kim began a couple months ago is ready for the preliminary testing phase.

"So this is the top secret project you two have been working on?"

Harry and B'Elanna knew Tom was joking, he had approved the specs and added several thoughts and designs of his own to the mix.

"This is it, Tom. We took the base frame from a Mark III mid-range shuttle craft and tweaked the system as much as we could. Torres," Harry tipped his head in her direction with a wry grin, "Added some sensor stealthing techniques she says she picked up in the Maquis.

"She says?"

Harry turned slightly pink, "Sorry, I just never imagined the Maquis as having much in the way of resources that all."

"We didn't Starfleet," Torres' smiled belied her dangerous tone, "Which is why we learned every trick in and out of the book to protect what we had."

Tom laughed, but he acknowledged the truth to the statement, "Well let's see this little prize you're so proud of."

Torres took over the tour, "Overall efficiency is up in this model, plus we overpowered the shuttle by integrating a parallel core. Top speed is increased to Warp 8.3, unfortunately with those modifications and the stealth shielding, we had to apply around the power conduits to mask the energy signature, we've lost almost all the shuttle's cargo space. It's a recon craft, plain and simple. High speed, high firepower, low visibility."

Tom smiled, his kind of ship. "What's with the paint job?"

The sleek little craft was painted with standard Starfleet lines, but dark grey and black.

Harry looked a little abashed, "After B'Elanna redesigned the power conduits with her stealth masking we started calling the ship a 'Shadowcraft' instead of shuttle craft... Maybe we took it too far?"

"Oh I don't know, ensign, looks just far enough to me."

After the tour was over Tom had to admit that he was impressed. "It looks good, nice work. When are you scheduling the shakedown flight?"

"Two days form now. We want to finish up the systems check first."

"Good. Who's on the roster for this one?"

Harry and B'Elanna looked at each other before Harry spoke hesitantly, "We had two volunteers. Baytart, and Chakotay, however we've since been informed that Chakotay removed Baytart from consideration as a punishment..."

Tom listened as they trailed off, it didn't take much to figure out what happened, "And then he removed himself because he didn't want to look like he was using his position to further his personal goals."
Harry and B'Elanna just nodded.

"Anyone interested?"

"No one qualified as a test pilot."

Tom nodded. "Ok. I'll clear my schedule and run your 'Shadowcraft' through its paces."

The two smiled, and glanced at each other. Tom wasn't certain he liked the look they passed back and forth, this smelled like a setup. Torres had an annoying habit of finding ways to make him take breaks from his duties and since, unlike him, she couldn't order him to relax she had gotten sneaky about it.

Back on Voyager the bridge crew watched the Shadowcrafts movements with awe as Paris flipped it around an asteroid and then through the debris field they had decide to use as a testing ground.

Janeway's face showed her tension as her Captain seemed intent on killing himself. Chakotay was overseeing Baytart at the conn and both men were simply staring at the screen in awe. Harry and B'Elanna stole another glance at each other, pleasure evident in their eyes and faces, they were happy for their friend.

"Paris to Voyager"

"Voyager here. Go ahead Captain."

"I've completed the maneuvering portion of the test, moving onto acceleration potentials and the endurance trials."

"Confirmed."

With that the so-called Shadowcraft flickered into high warp.

"Engage a pursuit course, Mr. Baytart, match his velocity."

"Aye Ma'am."

Tom was five minutes ahead of Voyager, and keeping the lead. That alone was impressive. Voyager had a higher top end, but the acceleration potential in this little craft was amazing. Tom veered toward another debris field had been charting from long range for the past few days, nothing too thick but good enough to test high warp maneuvers.

He was in the middle of the field when the shuttle's sensors first informed him that something was wrong. A collision alarm sounded and the sensors reported that several of the objects in the field were now moving under their own power. A quick scan confirmed Tom's worst fears.

"Kazon!"

"Captain! Were reading a massive energy release coming from the Shadowcraft's last coordinates."

"Increase speed, maximum warp!"

Kathryn didn't notice but her discomfort was gone, as was that of the crew around her. They were comforted. Her voice held no tremble, it held no uncertainty. It reminded them of Captain Paris.

Minutes later Voyager slowed and coasted into the debris field that was the last known position of the Shadowcraft. Her scanners and crew straining to find any sign of their wayward Captain.

Kim's voice was exited, but with a vein of tension running through it, "I've found something! Looks like debris from the shuttle!"

"Beam it aboard Mr. Kim!"

"Got it! It's in cargo bay 2."

"Kim, Torres, you're with me. Tuvok, you have the bridge."

Tuvok raised an eyebrow, but complied as Janeway hurried off the bridge with her two specialists.

In the cargo bay Torres and Kim barely had to glance at the debris to recognise it. It was a piece of dark grey duranium with the letters NX-10- on the top piece of the shattered plate and the stylized letters Shado- on the bottom.

"It's the Shadowcraft."

"We don't know for sure that he's-"

Torres didn't finish the statement, her words were interupted by the sudden violent rocking of Voyager.

"Janeway to the bridge! What's going on?"

"We are under attack Captain, a Kazon vessel has penetrated our shields and breached the hull on Decks 7 and 6."

Kim and Torres sent each other a shocked look before following Captain Janeway at a dead run out of the cargo bay.

They had barely reached the end of the hall when the ship jumped hard enough to throw them all to the ground. Tuvok's voice sounded over the comm system.

"Intruder alert! Intruder alert! We have been boarded by Kazon Nistrum soldiers."

It didn't really sink in until they watched Voyager flying away, finally disappear into the distance. The planet was stark, volcanic, and had little vegetation anywhere in sight. Janeway stared at the sky in distress. What do I do now?

She blinked twice before looking around, "We need to find shelter, nightfall could get cold here."

With Chakotay and Tuvok's help they began to establish a head count and some control of the group. It took a while before they were ready to move, but by then Chakotay had returned with disturbing news.

"Captain, we've accounted for everyone except two." His expression was mournful, "B'Elanna and Ensign Kim aren't here."

Tom Paris shielded his face as sparks flew from the conduit he was repairing. The Kazon ambush had left the Shadowcraft in a real mess. The last thing he needed were unshielded conduits this close to the warp core.

Two more connections and he had returned power to the computer, something he was grateful for. That meant he had navigation, helm control, and life support back online.

It was the subspace transceiver that truly caught his attention. The Kazon were flooding subspace with the news of their great victory against Voyager. They had captured Voyager.

A second, more vicious curse sounded through the shuttle as Tom flew into repairing the remaining systems.

Unfourtunatly for Lt. Torres the Kazon, were rough in their interrogation methods. And getting rougher. She was unconscious this time, which both simplified and complicated the Doctor's treatment. Simplified because she wasn't in a Klingon rage, and complicated because he now had to worry about potential head trauma.

"Lt. Torres? Can you hear me?" Three fractured ribs, dislocated shoulder, multiple abrasions to the face. Easy enough to deal with. Two broken toes? a fractured ankle? That's a new twist... what's this? Kazon blood on her boot. What a surprise.

"Wake up Lieutenant." The Doctor tried harder, if she didn't wake up it might be indicative of a coma.

"Ahhhhhmmm awaaakeh." Torres words were badly slurred and her pupils remained unfocused even as she rolled them, searching for the Doctor.

"Ensign, hand me the neural scanner please. No no, the conical device, second tray."

Kim rushed forward with the scanner, dropping it into the Doctor's palm.

"Remain still Lt. Torres. Focus on my voice." Her neural readings were spiking, but that he could handle. It was the swelling around the base of her cerebral cortex that the Doctor was becoming concerned with.

"Doc, I'm glad to see you!"

The Doctor actually did a double take, Captain Paris had been reported dead weeks ago, "Captain! We thought you were-"

"I know Doc, I was ambushed. I got the ship's that did it but my shuttle was badly damaged. Took me this long to make repairs and find Voyager. I need a status report, Doc."

The Doctor straightened, he didn't recognize which routines in his system caused it but he suddenly felt like a Starfleet officer again. "Seska and the Kazon have taken the ship. To the best of my knowledge the crew were marooned on a world approximately three lightyears from here. That's a guess because I don't have reliable access to the navigation subsystems."

"How many Kazon are on board?"

"Uncertain, they haven't all checked in with me. Before I was locked out of internal sensors, I read eighty-four plus Seska. Captain, they've deleted all Starfleet access codes and are working on cracking the command level directives now."

Tom nodded, "That's about what I expected. I'm getting closer, the codes I implemented during Seska's mutiny should still be good, so I should be able to transport aboard in about thirty minutes."

"Aye, Captain," The Doctor paused, "Lt. Torres and Ensign Kim are still on board. They've been interrogating Torres almost daily for some time now."

"Report." The order was delivered tersely.

The Doctor had never really considered Captain Paris an overly emotional individual. But if he had ever assumed that to mean that Paris simply didn't have emotions, that belief would have been eradicated after seeing the Captain's reactions to his report. The Doctor had never seen that look in the eyes of any human before, and it took a search through his database to identify it. Murderous.

"Make that twenty minutes, Doctor. Paris out."

Bringing the shuttle in on thrusters was child's play, evading the Kazon sensors even more so. It was finding a position to blind side Voyager's sensors that was making Tom sweat, even manned by Kazon they were formidable. A substantial portion of the ten minutes he had allowed himself for the approach was taken up less then three meters from Voyager's hull positioning the shuttle for a rather unorthodox docking procedure.

Positioned directly between the warp nacelles Tom hoped the shuttle would be hidden by the subspace radiation and warp fields that constantly covered the area. With crossed fingers he activate the docking clamps and bonded the shuttle to Voyager's hull.

Finally in position there was only one thing left to do. "Computer, tie into Voyager's main computer and initiate an emergency transport directly to Sickbay. Authorisation Paris, Cloak and Dagger."

A blue-white sheen and an electrical humm later the shuttle was empty.

The Doctor's contentment, however, wasn't to last. He had just finished looking over his patient when five Kazon hatchet-men strode into his sickbay like they owned the place.

"Are you done?"

The Doctor stiffened at the tone, but knew better then to antagonize the speaker. He may only be a hologram but the Doctor knew that the Captain, Kim, and Torres had a better chance if he remained active. "The procedure is finished, yes. But she not in any condition-"

The Kazon cut him off, "I'll judge that for myself."

The Doctor moved to bar the man from approaching, but one of his compatriots directed a phaser at the holoemitters and the Doctor backed off. Can't do either of them any good if I'm deactivated.

Kim positioned himself between the slumbering Torres and the Kazon, "Back off!"

The Kazon soldier just laughed, and continued to advance on the Ensign menacingly. Kim stepped forward to take a swing at the Kazon but a stun beam from the phaser in the Kazon's hand dropped him in his tracks.

The first soldier kicked Kim aside and leaned over Torres unconscious form, staring closely at the sleeping woman's face. Finally he straightened and flung a backhand across Torres face. "Wake Up!"

Torres fist came up even before he had time to finish his command, catching the unsuspecting Kazon under his left arm hard enough for the sound of crunching bones to echo through sickbay. Her bestial growl was the last thing that soldier heard before a second swing connected with his head, snapping it around and knocking him cold.

She swung off the bio-bed and shifted into a combat stance with an easy fluid grace. The remaining four Kazon scrambled for their weapons. One of them managed to draw a Starfleet issue phaser before she could reach them and stunned her. They had too much experience with her fighting prowess already.

The Doctor watched in horror as the four of them strode forward and proceeded to beat into the unconscious woman. One of them grabbed her by the arm and roughly pulled her up, holding her while a second punched her with a closed fist.

Three Kazon soldiers were scattered about the room, obvious victims of a fight, but it was the two that were still standing that caught Tom's attention. They were crouched over a body on the floor, a body so badly bruised that it took Tom a few seconds to recognize. Torres.

His growl was subsonic, it didn't even reach his own ears, but he could feel it vibrate through every cell in his body as he rose from his crouch and silently charged into Sickbay.

The first Kazon literally never knew what hit him. Tom came in low with a sharp blow to the mans lower back. The punch would have killed a human within moments, to the Kazon it merely caused debilitating pain. When the man was able to think clearly enough to reach for a weapon, Tom snapped his neck with a simple motion, dropping him cold to the ground.

The second Kazon had barely reacted to the red whirlwind in his midst when Tom finally remembered his own phaser and quickly trained it on the man. For a long moment the two just stared at each other, then Tom's eyes flickered down to the unconscious form on the floor. When his eyes came back to the Kazon there was nothing in them, just a piercing ice blue glare. The Kazon read his death in the blue of those eyes and made a grab for his weapon.

Paris thumbed the firing stud and turned back to B'Elanna before the soldier had hit the floor.

"Computer, activate EMH."

"Unable to comply. Sickbay holo-emitters have been compromised."

Paris knelt down, looking over the bruised body lying on the floor. B'Elanna's uniform was basically gone, what was left of it was in tatters around her arms and legs. Identify the injuries.

Paris looked around for a medical tricorder, spotting one lying on the ground a short distance away. A quick scan of Kim revealed that he had been stunned, no danger. Tom's subsequent scan of Torres didn't reveal much that could understand, his last refresher course in battlefield medicine was out of date. Back to basics then.

Looking into her face her gently tried to wake her up, "Torres, wake up. I need your help here."

He got a slight moan but no real response afterwards. A quick scout found him an emergency medical kit and he hauled it over quickly. A quick glance at the contents gave him what he needed.

Torres felt a hiss against her throat that brought the light back into her world. Unfourtunatly it also brought pain along for the ride. Above her was a shadow she couldn't focus on. Kazon bastard.

When her fist flew up at him Paris just knocked it out of the way, she was weak and the blow had little force and no direction. "Cut that out, Torres. Hitting a superior officer is a court martial offence, not that you'd care."

Torres blinked, she knew the voice and it wasn't Kazon. Paris? He's dead. They must have finally killed me.

"Tom? I didn't think it was supposed to hurt so much being dead."

"Dead? Your not dead Torres. And I'm sorry about the pain but I need you awake and lucid for a few moments."

"Not dead?" Her voice was fairly clear, causing Tom to relax slightly.

"Not dead," Tom agreed, "Now listen, I need you to tell me when it hurts, ok?"

She nodded and felt Tom's firm grip on her right arm, slowly applying pressure along the length. When he reached the shoulder she hissed in pain.

"Shoulders dislocated. I can handle that now, but it's going to hurt."

B'Elanna nodded and Tom suddenly pushed and twisted her arm until he felt, rather then heard, the should pop into place. Briskly he continued along her body, identifying broken ribs and a fractured ankle. When he reached her abdomen she hissed once again in pain at the slightest pressure, a glance at the rapid discoloration told him more then he needed to know. Internal bleeding. Once he had assured himself that she hadn't suffered spinal or head trauma he administered a painkiller.

Tom pulled off his uniform top and draped it over Torres body, "Rest easy B'Elanna, you'll be ok."

After she slipped off Tom looked around, the damage to the holo-emitters was obvious enough, and he was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to fix it.

"Computer, are there any people in the Holodecks?"

"Negative. Holodeck 1 is empty, Holodeck 2 has been damaged."

"Computer, Transfer the EMH program to Holodeck 1"

"Transfer complete."

Tom pulled out the hypo again and injected Harry with the stimulant. "Wake up Harry, time to go to work."

Harry shifted, finally blinking his eyes and looking around. "Tom? Your alive?"

"Yep, now come on Har, we've got a date on the holodeck."

"Holodeck?" Harry shook his head, looked at Torres on the ground and Tom standing above him, "ok... holodeck."

Good. Tom started ripping though sickbay, in addition to the medkit he had found he tossed the trays containing the Doctor's portable tools and scanners into a bag he pulled form the closet. Flipping the bag's strap over his head he gently shifted Torres and picked her up, cradling her in his arms.

"Grab the medkit, Harry."

As soon as Harry had picked up the kit, Tom stepped close to the Ensign and called out to the computer,

"Computer, Two to transport directly to holodeck 1. Authorization Paris, Cloak and Dagger."

"Ah, a friendly face at last, and how are you tonight sir?"

The Doctor turned, somewhat confused by the welcome. "I'm very well... I think. Where am I?"

"Welcome to Sandrine's my friend, I am Sandrine."

"Sandrine's? I'm on the holodeck!"

"Mais oui, and you are?"

The Doctor shook his head, it didn't help him clear it at all but he had seen others do it so he decided to give it a try, "I'm the ship's EMH program."

"Ah, le Docteur! Thomas has mentioned you, come come, have a seat I'll get you a drink."

Stunned the Doctor allowed the odd character to lead him to a table, "The Captain talks about me?"

Sandrine laughed. "But of course!"

The Doctor was about to inquire further when the hum of a transporter beam distracted him.

"Captain!"

"Thomas!"

It was difficult to tell what shocked the two holograms more, the sudden appearance of Tom Paris and Harry Kim, or the motionless form in Tom's arms. Sandrine was actually the first to recover.

"Over here, Thomas. Put her on the table." A sweep of her arms cleared the table just as Tom laid his burden gently down onto its holographic surface.

The Doctor moved into action soon after, pulling the medkit from Tom's arms and snapping open the medical tricorder.

"What have you given her?"

Tom replied quickly, while watching the Doctor work, "A mild stimulant at first, followed by a painkiller when I had assessed the injuries. She passed out shortly after."

"What injuries?"

Tom quickly detailed what he had found, leaving the worst for last. "I'm more worried about the internal bleeding though Doc, it seemed pretty severe when I checked her."

The Doctor nodded, still scanning his patient.

Paris watched the Doctor for a moment, then he turned away from B'Elanna's still form. "Computer, initiate a security field around the holodeck. Authorization, Paris, Cloak and Dagger."

Tom sank onto a chair for a moment, taking a deep breath.

The Doctor looked at him for an instant, a bemused expression on his face, "Cloak and Dagger, Captain?"

Tom smiled wearily, "It's the access codes I created when Seska was planning her mutiny. Anything I order using this authorization isn't recorded in the ship's logs. Internal sensors won't pick up the results of the commands either."

"Computer, list Holodeck One as out of order."

"Confirmed."

Tom smiled again, "That should keep any bored Kazon from popping in for a drink. but we don't have a lot of time before they find the mess I left of Sickbay."

"Really, Captain! I don't make a shambles of your bridge do I?"

Tom laughed before he could stop himself. Sometimes, though it happened rarely, he felt the Doc's sense of humor mirroring his own. "Sorry, Doc. I'll be sure to let you shoot up the bridge sometime."

They were both surprised to hear a third voice enter the banter, "Ove... over my dead body you w-... will..." Torres' voice was weak, but there was some humor behind it.

Tom and the Doc smiled at each other, sometimes humor was the best medicine. When Torres had again closed her eyes Tom turned to the Doc with some worry.

"How bad is she, Doc?"

"Bad. Her jaw was fractured, I think she's going to lose several teeth, but I can fix that. No serious damage to the skull, numerous fractures, abrasions, bruises, and the like. The internal injuries, however, are serious. I think I can keep her stable though. A little bit longer, or just a touch more punishment and there would have been nothing to do. Was her uniform like this when you got there?"

"Yeah Doc, what's left of it is mostly scattered across Sickbay. Did they-?"

"No. You got there first."

Paris collapsed back into the chair. "Thank God for that."

His peripheral eyesight went first, fading into blackness. He could feel his extremities slipping similarly away into the void he had opened up. Eighty, Seventy Nine, Seventy Eight...

Sandrine's seemed far away, his vision having tunneled, as if through an old fashioned telescope. He closed his eyes. His heartbeat was deafening, obliterating all other sounds. Fifty Four, Fifty Three, Fifty Two...

A great vibration was shaking him, every cell in his body seemed to be keyed up. He could feel an energy focusing within him, charging him, body and soul. Thirty Nine, Thirty Eight, Thirty Seven, Thirty Six...

From within the darkness now obscuring his vision, on a level that superseded the thunderous beating of his heart, an old, familiar, voice was calling him down. By the time he reached twenty he could no longer hear the numbers, the beating of his heart, or anything but that old voice. And yet, somewhere in the background he knew the numbers were rolling on. Twelve, Eleven, Ten, Nine...

Reaching out he drew the voice to himself, finally identifying it with certainty. It was an echo from the past, it was his old voice, his true self. Three, Two, One.

Tom opened his eyes.

The Doctor turned to look at Harry, "She'll live, Ensign, although she'll be extremely sore for a couple weeks. The kind of damage she's sustained over the past couple weeks will take time to heal... The regenerators can only do so much."

Harry accepted that in silence, he didn't know what to say. For a long time the silence stretched on until Harry turned back to Tom.

"Tom, what are we going to do?"

No response.

"Tom?" Harry looked at his friend, starting to worry, "Tom!?"

Harry's concern had attracted the Doctor's attention who swung his tricorder to examine the Captain. Harry's concern was soon joined by the Doctor's as he read Tom's vitals. heart rate is plummeting, neural levels dropping, he's dropping into a coma...

As the Doctor rushed forward to help him, Tom's eyes suddenly opened and he rose to his feet, a blank expression on his face.

"Your going to die Tom." The voice came from Tom but it wasn't his, not quite.

The whisper was so quiet that Harry could barely make it out, the content of it so shocking that even the Doctor did a double take.

"I know that, Tom. It is a good day." This was unmistakably Tom's voice, though just as quiet.

"Tom?" Harry's voice was tentative.

"You know what you have to do then, right Tom?" That strange voice again.

Tom's face hardened, his features becoming feral. "I'm going to kill as many of them as I can."

Harry's shock was echoed instantly through the holodeck, as both the Doctor and Sandrine watched on in shock as Tom drew his phaser from its place on his hip and strode off.

"Arch!"

Tom strode through the holodeck arch, opening the security field for just a moment before reactivating it behind him, leaving Harry Kim, two holograms, and an unconscious B'Elanna Torres behind him.

That didn't mean he had to be stupid about things though, he flattened to the wall when he heard a small group of Kazon soldiers moving near him. When the sound had passed he broke into a quiet jog, heading for the turbo-lift.

"Deck Eight."

The turbo-lift whirred away, whisking him to his destination. Tom stood immobile until the lift doors opened then, after a quick glance, he broke into the same jog and headed for his quarters. Once inside he moved directly to the bedroom, falling to one knee and pulling a silver case from under the bed.

The twin locks snicked open and he took in a quick inventory of the contents. Discarding his comm-badge he pulled one from the case and fixed it to his chest. A quick double tap activated the badge, while Tom laid out the rest of the contents.

"Computer, List occupants of Holodeck One."

"Holodeck One is currently occupied by Ensign Harry Kim, Lt.. B'Elanna Torres, and the ship's EMH program."

Tom nodded, cool smile of satisfaction touching his lips, "Now list occupants of this room."

"Captain Paris' quarters are empty."

"Beautiful." Tom's voice was quiet, barely vocal. He looked down at the items on his bed, trying to decide if he needed any of them. Dropping his phaser to the bed he replaced with one from the case that had a full charge. A last glance at the modified tricorders, comm badges, and phasers left over from his old mutiny cache was all he took before he strode out of the room.

He was two corridors down from the turbo-lift when he ran into the first large group of Kazon. There were eight of them moving casually down the corridors, but they spotted him before he could duck back. A brief glance was all it took for Tom to decide on a course of action. He charged.

When they spotted Tom they grabbed for their weapons trying to gun down the charging human. Tom's phaser whined twice, dropping two of the closest before he was in the center of the group. His phaser lost to the sudden shock of ramming head first into the Kazon soldiers Tom relied on hands, feet, knees, and elbows. Six on one, the Kazon soldiers never had a chance.

The first one dropped to his knees clutching his throat after a stiff chop from Tom's hand crushed his trachea, the second followed suit after a kick from Paris' left foot broke three ribs and punctured a lung. In the middle of the fray Tom's hands clutched a Kazon disrupter and yanked it clear of the unfortunate soldiers holster. Three shots later only three Kazon remained.

The three of them were backing slowly away, their hands well clear of their weapons as they tried to fathom want they were facing. Tom just stalked toward them at the same rate the backpedaled, some inner voice preventing him from doing what every cell in his mind and body were screaming to do. Pull the trigger.

When their backs struck the end of the corridor the Kazon looked at each other, then back at their former prey. In unison they grabbed for their weapons.

Tom smiled, the voice was silent and his hands were fast. The Kazon disrupter in his hand whined three times and Tom continued on to the turbolift.

"Bridge."

The lift whirred and Tom headed up.

"What just happened here?"

The Doctor was still at a loss, it was Sandrine who spoke, "I think my Thomas has gotten very, very, angry. God help anyone between him and his goal."

Kim didn't know what to say, he just started after his departed friend, wondering exactly how much he actually knew about the man. He abruptly came to a decision, he couldn't let Paris take all the risks alone.

"Computer, arch!"

"Invalid access."

Harry groaned, with Tom giving commands so simply he had forgotten that his Starfleet codes had been deleted. Quickly he started looking around the room, the emergency access port must be somewhere nearby.

A squad of Kazon were waiting when the doors opened, their disrupters firing even before the doors finished opening. After the smoke cleared they moved in to secure the small room.

"Empty!"

The lead two searched the turbolift, their guns sweeping the small room and finally pointing straight up at the open hatch in the ceiling. The two soldiers looked at each other, then back up at the long, empty, shaft above them.

No thoughts passed through Tom's mind, the calculations he did make were entirely completed within the range of what most people termed instincts. If he had been able to vocalize what those calculations revealed the words would have been simple. Piece of cake.

"There he is!"

"I see him! Fire!"

"Too fast!"

"Shut up and keep firing!"

The disrupter blasts were taking chunks out of the duranium walls as Tom ducked under the first barrage and closed on his prey. It took less then five seconds to be among them, too close for their rifles to be of any use. A few seconds more and the fight was finished, three Kazon down and Tom was once again armed.

The damage, unfortunately, was already done. The last Kazon soldier had managed to signal the situation to the bridge. Reinforcements were on their way.

He had just turned the next corridor, heading for a central Jeffries junction when they caught up with him. The first few bolts were high, narrowly missing him as he once again charged into the midst of the squad. He felt a blast hit his leg, dropping him to one knee before he regained his balance and kept moving. His own rifle returning the fire in spades as the shots kriss-crossed the corridors.

"Nothing! How can he be shielded from us?"

Seska snorted, "How many times do I have to tell you, it has to be Torres. No one else could be causing this much damage!"

"No woman could do that to my men. It must be the other one."

"Harry Kim? Please. The man's a pushover. Just a Starfleet brat. He's good at his job, but hand to hand combat is NOT what he does. Only a Klingon could pull this off."

The internal sensors were of little help, even the visual records showed only an odd blurring as they reviewed the attacks they knew to have taken place. A squad of Kazon would be moving into containment positions then, moments later, the squad would be screaming for emergency medical attention. Or they would be silent.

"We do know that he's heading for the bridge. He has to come through the turbolift corridor. I'll post guards there to catch him in a cross fire."

Seska nodded, it would seem the only course of action now.

Long moments passed, reports from the squads searching the lower decks had ceased to have anything new to report. The Intruder had slipped past them, or rather, blown through them as if through tissue paper.

Afterward Cullah tried to piece the events that took place together but could never seem to capture them correctly. The first thing was when the turbolift opened, empty.

"I ordered that lift locked down! You!" Cullah yelled at one of his soldiers, "Check it out!"

The man moved cautiously as he approached the, apparently, empty lift. There was no motion, but the events had begun to spook him and his comrades. He had been a Nistrum soldier for years and had never before encountered a force capable of walking through his fellow soldiers like this.

The lift was empty, the ceiling hatch locked down from the inside. The soldier signaled two of his fellows in to help him investigate the hatch. The second they were in the lift the doors closed, and the lift dropped away from the bridge level.

A panel flew off the wall and a man in a tattered and bloody Starfleet uniform rolled out into the corridor.

Seska gasped in recognition. "Paris!"

"Paris! Your supposed to be dead, I saw your ship explode!"

Tom didn't say anything, indeed he didn't even give the impression that he had understood a word that was spoken. He merely raised a Kazon disrupter in one hand and a Starfleet phaser in the other and stalked forward onto the bridge.

"Paris, what are you doing?" Seska was nervous, she didn't like being faced with an unknown.

No answer was forthcoming, Tom merely kept walking onto the bridge. His bridge. Inside him a familiar battle was raging. Fire. no. Fire. Enemy. Fire. Fire. Enemy. no.

Step by step he stalked into the room his eyes fixated, not on his opponents, but on the helm. A soldier moved for his weapon, his hands flashing in a practiced move.

Tom's eyes didn't waver. Fire. yes. His disrupter flashed once and the Kazon fell. Good. Fire. no. FIRE. no. no. No.

"Don't move an inch! No one reach for a weapon!"

Seska's order startled the Kazon remaining on the bridge.

"Don't presume to give me orders, woman!" Cullah's tone made it obvious that he wouldn't lose face in front of his men.

Seska didn't care, she merely snarled back, "Look into his eyes, Cullah! He's itching to shoot us all, the only thing keeping him in check is that mindless Starfleet honor! Go for your weapon and he'll gun you down without remorse."

Cullah followed Seska's eyes to the Human Captain's, the icy blue glare he found piercing the air were devoid of any emotions he recognized. No hate, anger, or malice. No warmth, compassion, or weakness. They just existed. Boring a hole through the air between Paris and his goal. Cullah's eyes drifted downward, taking in the man he was facing. He was shocked, the thin human was bleeding from multiple wounds, his uniform was scorched and burnt from phaser and disrupter hits, and he could see several slices where Kazon knives had entered. No man should still be standing after that kind of punishment.

Finally conceding that discretion was the better part of valor Cullah nodded to one of his remaining men. "Transport us to engineering."

Tom didn't blink when they beamed out. It didn't even register as an event on many levels, the past no longer existed for him and so once out of sight it was as if they had never been. He moved quickly to the helm, and began tapping commands into the system, his fingers guided by need rather then knowledge.

"Computer," His voice was scratchy, as if he was uncertain how to use it, "Reduce life support on all decks to ten percent."

"Warning, that is not recommended. Minimum life support is set at 23 percent."

"Override. Paris, Cloak and Dagger."

"Adjustments complete."

"Maintain full life support to holodeck one, and the bridge."

"Confirmed."

Tom tapped commands into the helm, calling up the computers logs of the past couple weeks. It took him a few moments to discover the information he needed.

"Alter course heading to Two Three Oh mark Nine. Maximum warp."

"Course set. Engage?"

"Engage."

With that Tom leaned back, a deepening stain forming on his chair and the slow dripping noise of his blood pattering to the deck echoing in the empty Bridge.

"What does that mean!?"

Seska snarled. "It means that Paris has killed us after all."

"Do something!"

"I'm trying!" Seska was accessing the computer terminal, "Damn! I couldn't beam him off the bridge even if I could find him on sensors. The security fields *we* put up are still covering the Bridge."

Cullah was having trouble breathing, "Get us off this ship."

Seska hit the side of the control panel. "All right."

Accessing the transporter controls Seska beamed herself and all the Kazon still alive off of Voyager, just as Voyager flickered into high warp.

The excited yells and noises made by both Voyager's crew and their new friends brought Janeway out of her reverie. Through the clouds, traveling in a halo of mist and sunlight, was Voyager. The group watched as the landing gear retracted and the ship slowed to a gentle glide as the pilot brought Voyager into a landing near their area.

For long moments they waited for someone to beam over to them, or for them to be beamed aboard but as time drew on nothing happened. Voyager just sat there, an immobile statue on a barren world.

It took Janeway a moment to consider the situation, but only an instant to make her decision, "Let's go. Pass the word back, we're going home."

"God damn it!"

"Really, Ensign, is that necessary?"

"Computer, what's the status of life support?"

"Invalid Access."

Harry groaned, a stubborn computer he didn't need. He cast about for a moment, getting his bearings before running for the nearest lab space. Inside he found a small environmental mask, grabbed it and headed for the turbolift.

"Bridge."

"Invalid Access."

"Listen to me you stupid piece of-"

"Invalid Access."

Frustrated Harry ripped a panel off the wall and entered the destination manually. The computer was blessedly silent as the lift hummed its way up the shaft.

On the bridge, Harry searched the area for any sign of Tom. He missed him until he was almost on top of the conn. Tom's body was slumped over the con, blood coating the panel, the chair, and pooling around the base of the Helm.

"Tom!"

There was no response, so Harry grabbed his friend by the shoulder and shook him slightly.

"Tom, Wake up! You've got to wake up!"

Tom shuddered slightly, his eyes flickering, slowly climbing back to consciousness. His eyes opened, and cast about unfocused as they slowly took in the bridge.

"Com- Computer. Reboot main computer from protected archives. Authorization, P- Paris, Cloak and Dagger."

As one, the Bridge systems and Tom's eyes dimmed. When, however, the bridge systems returned they came back alone.

Harry looked up hesitantly, "Computer, ship's status."

"Voyager is currently is Blue Alert mode."

Harry sighed in relief, Starfleet command codes were back. He nudged his friend, trying to wake him again but received no response. Worried he felt for a pulse, but found none.

"Computer! Emergency Transport of Captain Paris to Holodeck One!"

Tom's motionless form shimmered and vanished as Harry rushed to the Ops console, trusting the Doctor to do his part.

"What happened here?"

"I don't know, Commander, but I'm sure we'll find out."

Entering the turbolift, Commander Chakotay called out, "Bridge!"

On the bridge Harry was completing the transportation of the remaining crew to Voyager when Janeway and Chakotay stepped into the room.

"Report."

Harry looked over at Janeway, trying to decide what to say. "After the Kazon captured Voyager they kept Torres and I... to interrogate."

Chakotay and Janeway looked away for a moment while Harry regained his composure.

Taking a deep breath Harry continued, "It took a couple weeks, but somehow Tom found us. He got us to the Holodeck somehow, the Doctor as well. Torres was hurt bad when he got there. Then he- he, well he just zoned out and stalked out of the Holodeck. I've never seen anything like it. He locked us in, when I finally got out we were here, and the corridors were full of Kazon bodies."

Chakotay stared at Kim while Janeway asked, "What happened to Captain Paris?"

"I beamed him to the holodeck. I- I think he was dead."

Janeway turned to Chakotay. "Commander, please take over here. Ensign Kim, you're with me."

With that she and Harry rushed off the Bridge, into the turbolift.

"Holodeck One."

"Before you ask, I don't know. He's in critical condition, his systems are shutting down one by one and I can't find the cause. Everytime I repair a damaged system two unrelated systems shut down. I *need* to get him to sickbay as soon as possible."

Harry nodded, "I'm heading down now. I'll get your emitters online as quickly as I can."

When Harry left the room Janeway turned back to the Doctor. "What about Torres?"

"I'm all right, Captain." Torres winced as she tried to sit up. "Just real sore."

Torres looked over at the chalk white face of Tom Paris on the table adjacent to her, "What happened to Tom?"

Janeway looked helplessly between the two.

The Doctor sighed as he worked, "I don't think we'll ever know Lieutenant, The last I saw of the Captain he was talking to himself. He said something about dying, and accepted that as a fact. Then he stalked out of here saying he'd kill as many of them as he could."

Janeway stared at the Doctor, unsure what to say.

Torres on the other hand was shocked. Enough so that she tried to slide off the table despite the pain. When the Doctor tried to push her back down she grabbed his holographic uniform and used him as leverage to pull herself up to his level.

"Exactly what did he say!? Word for word, Doctor!"

The Doctor almost stammered as he told her word for word what his audio sensors had recorded.

Torres pushed him away and staggered over to the motionless body lying in front of her, "Paris! Paris, wake up!"

When her hand rocketed out and cracked across his face the Doctor moved to grab her. Janeway pulled him back, quieting his objections.

The Holodeck doors hissed open quietly, distracting Janeway and the Doctor for a moment. commander Chakotay stepped in carefully, his eyes darting around the room, and took a deep breath when he saw Torres up and moving.

"Captain Janeway, I left Tuvok in charge. I wanted-"

Janeway nodded, she understood. Before sho could respond further a shout from Torres distracted them all.

"Paris, you son of a targ do you hear me?!?," Another hand cracked across his face.

Chakotay's eyes widened, and he moved forward involuntarily as if to stop the half Klingon. Janeway took a half step towards him before a rasping sound from Tom on the bed checked both their movements.

His eyes flickered slightly, "hearrrr you... to-resss"

"Listen to me then," her voice slipped into a cadence the Doctor recognized as the same Paris had used earlier. "Fight with honor and all days are good days to die, Live with honor and all days are better days to live."

Tom's eyes rolled back into his head as he body relaxed again onto the tabletop. His breathing had become easier though, and his face seemed more alive to the observers.

The Doctor was staring at his tricorder, an unbelieving expression on his face, "His systems are coming back."

Janeway turned to him, "Will he be all right?"

"I don't know Captain, but I can start fixing the--" Janeway was amused despite the circumstances to detect a slightly distasteful expression on the Doctor's face, "--battle damage."

Janeway turned her expression to B'Elanna, whom Sandrine had persuaded to return to her tabletop. "What was that all about?"

Torres looked back at her, a guarded expression on her face, "I'm not sure I should tell you. It's... private."

Janeway looked away from the engineer, she didn't know what to say. A nagging doubt told her that though she could make her request an order, it was entirely possible that Torres would choose to disobey any such command. And who would blame her? He has earned her loyalty. I'm just an echo from the past to her, an echo of the woman sent to hunt her down.

The Doctor, however, wasn't willing to let it drop, "Lieutenant, if you know anything at all that will help me treat the Captain I suggest you let me know about it right now."

B'Elanna hesitated for a moment before speaking, her voice was quiet when she finally responded. "Do you know of the Klingon saying, 'Today is a good day to die?'"

The three people of her audience nodded, but Torres was really only looking at Chakotay.

"Most people don't know the source of that saying anymore, not even the majority of Klingons." B'Elanna paused for a moment, reflecting on her story, "My mother used to tell me the old stories, her House has it's roots almost as far back as Kahless himself."

Chakotay and Janeway looked confused, they were silent but obviously unable to understand the point of what she was saying. The Doctor, however, was beginning to look annoyed.

"The phrase has it's roots in an almost legendary class of Klingon warriors, they were akin to what Terrans call berserkers. It comes from the mnemonic phrases they used to focus their will on the battle to come." B'Elanna took a deep breath and repeated the words the Doctor had told her, noticing a stoic look come over Chakotay's face as she did. "Over the years the warriors and their battles became so well known that warriors all over the empire adopted their ideals. You see these warriors were completely one tracked in battle, accomplishing a goal without even a passing thought to the cost. They were great forces for good... and evil."

"Really Lt. Torres, this history lesson is all very interesting but-"

Janeway cut the Doctor off, "Quiet Doctor, I don't think this is a simple history lesson."

B'Elanna nodded her thanks to Janeway, "About one and a half thousand years ago, Klingon standard, the first effective long range projectile weapons were developed. That was the end of the Klingon berserkers, no matter how skilled and powerful you are it does you no good if your enemy can pick you off at a thousand paces."

Chakotay nodded, mostly to himself, as a thought came to him"On an open battlefield the technique would be of limited use... but in the corridors of a starship.. "

Harry eyed him with concern, "Are you sure you should be out of sickbay? you don't look so good."

Tom grinned, "Gee, thanks Harry. Remind me to come by your quarters and insult you some time."

Harry shot Tom a dirty look, "I'm serious Tom."

"So am I Harry." Tom's grin easily belied his words.

Sawra look him over, noticing how he winced with even the slightest move, "What the hell is wrong anyway Paris? You were in Sickbay for fifteen days for cryin out loud."

Tom's smile lost some of it's humor, B'Elanna had told him in sickbay what she had told the Doctor and the others. It hadn't been an easy decision but he had given her permission to tell Harry and Kevin in order to forestall the inevitable questions. I'm probably going to have to explain it to Tuvok too, preferably before Janeway decides she needs to confide in someone.

"Downsides are a bitch Kevin. I pulled damn near every muscle I have and a couple I forgot about. The human body is built for long term operation within a *very* specific range of motion, and even though it can do a helluva lot more its just not a recommended procedure."

Sawra looked at his captain with a skeptical eye, "Can't the Doc fix that?"

"He did, but the kind of damage I inflicted on myself takes time to heal. Even deep tissue regenerators can only do so much. When you've ripped muscle tissue the regenerators can knit it back together but it needs to heal on its own or you can lose some coordination."

Sawra shook his head, "It just doesn't seem right. With all the medical technology we have, you shouldn't be limping around like this."

Tom looked intently at Kevin for a moment, as if searching for something, "Actually I think I prefer it this way. Tricks like what I used should never come easy. Without a price to pay they become far too tempting, to powerful, and in the end, to much to control."

Kevin nodded, he supposed that sounded right, "Fine. It's you body Tom, but where in the hell do you learn something like that anyway?"

Tom didn't respond, his face tightened slightly though the calm smile he had effected remained solidly in place, "You'd be surprised what you can learn in prison."

The answer might have satisfied Sawra and Kim, but B'Elanna snorted in amusement. "Try that one on someone else, Paris. The legends tell that the Dahar Masters are pledged to teach it only to the most honorable warriors of a generation."

Tom shrugged, a deceptively casual motion that hid a tension beneath. "You said it yourself, those are just legends, Torres."

After a long silence had filled the room Kim leaned forward, "Tom, what I want to know is how in the galaxy did you know that Torres knew how to snap you out of that trance you were in?"