Unworthy - Kirsten Beyer [41]
“I never meant to hurt you or anyone,” Tom said honestly. “I only hope that you can understand why it was necessary and that in time you will be willing to forgive me.”
“Oh, you’ll have plenty of time to make it up to me,” the Doctor smirked.
Tom paused, confusion flashing in his eyes. Turning to B’Elanna he asked, “What’s he talking about?”
B’Elanna felt a smile spreading across her face.
“There’s been a slight change of plans,” she replied.
CHAPTER NINE
Chakotay found Seven in Voyager’s astrometrics lab, which she had helped design. Control panels embedded in the walls were linked to an interface station in the center of the room. Beyond a railing that bordered the station, a wide platform gave way to a large screen. Linked into Voyager’s sensors, it displayed detailed scans of surrounding space in minute detail.
Seven appeared to be engaged in a sector by sector scan of the ship’s immediate area. He didn’t have to ask what she was looking for.
“How did your session with Counselor Cambridge go this morning?” he asked cheerily as he stepped to her side at the central station.
Without tearing her eyes from the screen she replied evenly, “The counselor is a difficult individual.”
“He grows on you,” Chakotay assured her. “So does fungus,” Seven replied without missing a beat. “Is your combadge malfunctioning?” Chakotay asked gently.
“Not to my knowledge.”
“We’ve been asked to join the senior staff in the conference room. Didn’t you get the call?”
Seven’s hands froze over the panel and her breath quickened. She tapped her combadge and it chirped as she opened a connection. She quickly tapped it again to close it.
“I’ve been so focused on this task that I didn’t realize …”
“It’s all right,” Chakotay said patiently. “I understand that you’re anxious to begin your search for the Caeliar. Perhaps your neural inhibitor is malfunctioning.”
Seven nodded warily.
“We’ll have the Doctor take a look at it again as soon as the meeting is over,” Chakotay suggested. “We shouldn’t keep Captain Eden waiting.”
“No.”
As they headed for the doors Seven asked, “Do you know what this meeting is about?”
“I don’t,” Chakotay replied, though he was understandably curious. It would be the first senior staff meeting he had ever attended on board without any specific role to play.
Get used to it, his better angels advised as they hurried through the halls toward the conference room.
Paris stood alone in Eden’s ready room, shifting his weight from one leg to the other nervously. After his brief reunion with B’Elanna and Miral he had returned to his quarters and awaited further instructions from the captain. He’d been surprised and relieved when they came only a few hours later. He was summoned to meet privately with her and his gut was winding its way into ever-tightening knots as he waited for her to arrive.
The moment she did, he snapped to attention.
“Lieutenant Commander Paris reporting as ordered, Captain.”
Eden nodded briskly as she stood before him. He wondered if he might have just said those words for the last time in his career. Now that he knew B’Elanna had agreed to remain on Voyager for the foreseeable future, he realized he didn’t want to do so as an observer or a crewman. It was hard to imagine another fate, however, so he resolved himself to accept whatever was coming.
“It appears that you and your family are going to remain on board,” Eden said briskly.
“Yes, Captain, and I’d like to thank you for allowing it,” he said sincerely.
“You’re welcome.”
After a tense pause, Paris said, “I accept that you are going to reduce me in rank.”
“You do?”
“Yes, Captain,” Paris replied forcefully. “I realize that my actions were unbecoming of your first officer.”
“Unbecoming …?”
Tom swallowed hard.
“Permission to speak freely?” he asked.
Eden nodded. “Granted.”
“For better or for worse, Voyager gave me back my life. I became a good Starfleet officer and a better man serving her and her captain. I wanted to stay aboard but I couldn’t imagine a way to do that and keep my