Tom stood slowly and turned around, the ship on auto pilot, alien vessels approaching quickly.
"Mr. Paris!" Janeway screamed. Chakotay stood as well and carefully walked to the pilot. "Chakotay! Tom!" The captain screamed again, raising from her chair and taking a step toward them.
"Computer," Tom said quietly "activate program Paris-Chakotay-zero-one." The computer beeped in response and a forcefield errected around the con. Janeway ran to the field and pounded on it.
"Mr. Paris! Take the con!" she screamed frantically, eyes locked on the hostile vessles on a collision course with the much smaller Star Fleet vessel.
"Ma'am! The forcefield is draining energy from the weapons. Weapons at twenty-seven percent and falling quickly." Harry announced anxiously.
"Shields are losing power as well, Captain." Tuvok informed her.
"Computer! Override program Paris-Chakotay-zero-one, authorization Janeway Alpha three!" The computer made an odd sound.
"Unable to comply. Under program specifications no security overrides are acceptable. No events during the activation of program Paris-Chakotay-zero-one will be recorded." The captian immediatly set B'elanna to trying to crack the program.
"Tom, Chakotay, please! Why are you doing this?!" She pleaded. Tom and Chakotay were both just looking at her sadly. Finally Chakotay turned back to Tom.
"You really are leaving me, aren't you?" He whispered. Tom nodded and tears gathered in the Commander's eyes. Tom stepped into Chakotay's arms, ignoring the captain as she pleaded for him to retake the con.
"We're losing all weapondry!"
"Sheilds are down."
"Warp is down and Impulse engines are at 10 percent and falling."
"Tom!"
Tom sighed as Chakotay's arms came around him, tears running down both of their faces.
"Hold me..." he pleaded "Hold me while I die." Maybe it was because of the verbal admission, or maybe it was the choked sound Chakotay made as he tightened his hold on his lover, but Tom started to cry harder. The pilot turned his face toward the view screen, the alien hostiles were almost within range now. He felt dispair welling up in him as he watched, knowing what he was about to do. Chakotay took Tom's face in his hands and turned it until he was looking up into his lover's tear stained eyes.
"Don't think about it Tom. Focus on me. On my eyes. On my lips." He whispered, cupping the pilot's face and pulling him up for a kiss. One last kiss.
"Impulse engines at zero percent."
/Focus on me, Tom/
"Weapondry at zero point one percent."
/On my eyes/
"Alien vessel charing weapons."
/On my lips/
"Direct hit eminent."
"I love you, Tom." Chakotay whispered as the ship was rocked with the force of a direct hit. At the same instant, Tom threw his head back, clutching Chakotay desperatly and screamed out his agony, blue eyes open wide in pain. All Chakotay could do was hold him and cry; he could feel the life draining from his lover's body.
"I love you, Tom." He repeated over and over again.
"Ma'am...Voyager is returning fire!"
"Weapon status!" Janeway barked.
"Weapons are at zero percent...?"
"Direct hit..." before Tuvok had even finished the sentance, the three ships exploded with a deafening roar.
"Brace for impact!" Janeway screamed seeing the shock wave being sent at them. Tom was still screaming.
The shock wave rolled off of them as if it were nothing. Voyager remained unmoved.
Silence.
Abruptly the ship came back to life.
"Shields are at one hundred-fifty percent."
"Weapons are at one hundred-ten percent."
"Warp drive is at one hundred-twenty percent. We're moving again, warp nine."
Janeway looked to the con in shock. Still within the safty of the forcefield, Chakotay held a much too still Tomas Eugene Paris in his arms, tears streaming down his face.
"I love you..." He breathed, kissing the pilot furiously. When Tom made no response, he sank to his knees crying in anguish, rocking back and forth.
"Chakotay, lower the forcefield and we'll get Tom to sickbay." Janeway pleaded gently, but the distraught Commander heard none of it.
"Wait for me, Tom. I won't be long." He whispered, then pulled out a knife from under the pilot's seat. It really was a beautiful piece of work; he'd fashioned it himself, the entire blade was black and slathered liberally with a deadly posion. He was vaguely aware that the captian was screaming and trying desperatly to override despite the computer's unchanging response.
Chakotay admired the blade for a moment longer, before smoothly embedding it in his chest. He winced as the blade slid through his ribcage and pierced his heart.
"Captain we're entering a worm hole...bound for...the Alpha quadrant..." Chakotay took a stuttering breath and smiled as he collapsed over his lover, last breath exhaling slowly.
//Focus//
//Focus on me//
//On my eyes//
//On my lips.//
"I love you."