Redemptions of the Heart

By Oprelia

Rating: PG-13

Code: P, J/P

Category: VOYAGER

Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance

Beta: H. Louise

Spoilers: Ex-Post Facto, Scorpion: Part Two, Day of Honor, Unimatrix Zero, Human Error, Endgame

Disclaimer: STAR TREK: VOYAGER and all its characters contained within this story are owned by Paramount Pictures Corporation. Star Trek Armada II belongs to Activision, Inc. No copyright infringements are intended.

Author's Note: Tom's relationship with the Admiralty is borrowed with permission from The Undead Begonia's 'Assumptions' story which can be found on JuPiter Station. I highly recommend that story.

Thanks again to Raven Sage and winjan for your reviews. It is very much appreciated.

Chapter Thirteen

Explanations and Revelations

*****

# ADVANCED PROBE TWO-EIGHT-THREE-FOUR-SEVEN-ONE HAS ARRIVED IN UNIMATRIX TWO-FIVE-NINE, GRID SEVEN-FOUR-NINE #

# TACTICAL INTERCEPTOR NINE-SIX-SEVEN-ONE HAS ENCOUNTERED AN UNASSIMILATED VESSEL #

# THREE OF THIRTEEN, SECONDARY PROCESSOR OF BIMATRIX SIX-THREE-ONE MUST NOW ENTER CHAMBER THREE-ONE-SEVEN #

# ONE OF TEN, PRIMARY PROCESSOR OF TRIMATRIX ONE-NINE-SIX-FIVE COMMENCING PROCEDURE ZERO-SIX-D-E-TWO-SEVEN-NINE-FIVE #

# TACTICAL CUBE ONE-SIX-SEVEN-EIGHT-NINE-FOUR-ONE HAS BEEN DESIGNATED FOR DISASSEMBLY #

# SCOUT VESSEL SEVEN-ONE-SIX HAS ENCOUNTERED SPATIAL ANOMALY ONE-FIVE-NINE IN BIMATRIX NINE-ONE-FIVE, GRID TWO-ZERO-ONE #

# ACTIVATING TRANSWARP COILS #

# HARBINGER TWO-TWO-FOUR-NINE-FIVE HAS BEEN DESIGNATED FOR DISASSEMBLY #

# DETECTOR NINE-FIVE-ZERO HAS COMPLETED ALL DIRECTIVES #

# SPHERE FOUR-NINE-SEVEN-EIGHT HAS COMPLETED DISASSEMBLY CYCLE#

# FOUR OF TWELVE, SUBJUNCTION OF TRIMATRIX ONE-SIX-EIGHT REQUIRES REGENERATION #

# CONSTRUCTION COMPLETE #

# TARGETING TRANSWARP GATE TO UNIMATRIX FOUR-THREE-ONE, GRID FIVE-SIX-NINE, SECTOR TWO-FOUR-EIGHT #

# NINE OF NINE, AUXILIARY ADJUNCT OF UNIMATRIX FIVE-NINE-ONE PROCEEDING TOWARDS DECK EIGHT SECTION SIX-ONE SUBJUNCTION FIVE #

# SPECIES TWO-FOUR-SIX-ONE HAS COMPLETED PROCEDURE ONE-FIVE-D-E-TWO-FOUR-SIX-ONE #

# DETECTION ARRAY FIVE-THREE-SEVEN-TWO-EIGHT-SIX-THREE-ONE HAS DETECTED SPECIES THREE-ONE-ONE-FIVE #

# UNASSIMILATED SPECIES THREE-ONE-ONE-FIVE VESSEL HAS DESTROYED SPECIES FIVE-SIX-ONE-EIGHT VESSEL IN TRIMATRIX ZERO-ZERO-FIVE, GRID ONE-SIX-NINE, SECTOR ZERO-ONE-NINE #

# LIEUTENANT COMMANDER THOMAS EUGENE PARIS HAS ENTERED CARGO BAY TWO #

"Excellent."

* * * * *

Tom Paris walked apprehensively towards the doors of Cargo Bay Two, the Alpha-Prime's sanctuary aboard the Starfleet vessel. Even though he had felt no previous hostilities from the Borg Sovereign, he was unsure as to the full motives of the Collective. Experience had taught him to be extremely careful in unknown or volatile situations. His orders from Starfleet Command required him to question the Alpha-Prime on his motives but Tom knew that he needed to find a way to ask as inoffensively as possible. He could easily offend the powerful being with a wrong word and he would have to 'kiss' his individuality goodbye. The Sovereign claimed that he had peaceful intentions but they could have been lies. He knew of the Borg Queen's use of seductive words and the Alpha-Prime could have been employing the same methods. He remembered the last few encounters they had with the Borg and their duplicitous nature.

He hesitated at the doors before he chided himself. He had been taught intelligence-gathering techniques and espionage at the insistence of his relatives and one of the first things they taught was to be confident. He had to be strong and confident so that the target would not classify him as insignificant nor inferior. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards the entrance and the double doors slid open to reveal the Alpha-Prime's lair. The changes in the atmosphere in the room were very apparent as he walked in. The temperature was 39.1ºC with 92% humidity and he could feel the changes immediately as he stood just behind the entrance, letting the sensors close the doors.

The room was still bathed in the ever present green lighting, making the room look dark and uninviting. Only a few drones were actively maintaining and monitoring the Borg systems. The remaining drones were in their regeneration alcoves. He slowly walked a couple of steps past the entrance of the Cargo Bay and he was pleased to discover that he did not encounter a force field. A drone suddenly looked at him and Tom immediately halted all movement. His heart rate accelerated as he waited for the Borg to do something but the drone went back to its task, virtually ignoring him.

Tom let out a huge but silent breath when he realised that the drones were ignoring him. He did not know whether it was a sign that he was welcome or that he was not yet classified as a threat. He hoped it was the former rather than the latter as he slowly resumed his trek towards the Central Alcove where the Alpha-Prime resided. As he walked around the complex Borg machinery, he slowly saw more of the room and he noticed much more detail that he missed the last time he was here.

He was in too much pain when he woke up from sedation to notice them and he was too busy hugging his fiancée when he came out of the reconstruction chamber, but now that he was in the room, he was absorbing every bit of detail. The Borg had constructed a secondary level that extended the Cargo Bay's original layout. It was obvious to him that the number of alcoves necessary for the drones to function precipitated the need to build the upper level or else there would not have been enough space to place the alcoves for regeneration.

The whole room hummed with the sound of the operating alcoves. The other sounds in the room originated from the various components the Borg had constructed to facilitate their needs. He stepped towards the Central Alcove of the lair and he noticed that his resequencing chamber had been dismantled. In its place were two new chambers of unknown design. They were designed vertically instead of his own genetic reconstruction chamber, which had a horizontal layout. He decided that his chamber would have been more comfortable to him because he disliked standing for long periods of time.

On the walls near the Central Alcove, he could see numerous active view-screens. Four of them showed the regions of space that surrounded the ship. Each display revealed a quadrant of the surrounding area. A fifth view-screen presented a star map of their current location in the galaxy. The views were from Voyager's sensors but the map was far more detailed than the ones in Astrometrics. It then occurred to him that the Borg wanted to know what was in the sector. Was it to protect the ship or was there another motive that the Borg had? He had to find out whether they were a threat and if so, he had to neutralise the Borg to ensure his survival and to guarantee a future with Kathryn and the crew. Grateful as he was for the Alpha-Prime to heal him, he would do just about anything to ensure the well-being of his Voyager family. With his resolve strengthened, he stepped up onto the blue platform.

"Ben, are you there?" he asked as he called out towards the upper portion of the lair.

"I am here Tom. I have been aware of your presence for quite some time. I saw the troubled look on your face so I decided to allow you some time to gather your thoughts."

The round circle inside the green pattern on the top of the alcove suddenly came to life as the central column came down and the Alpha-Prime was revealed. Three robotic arms came up from the blue platform to assemble Ben's synthetic body. Once the construction was complete, the head and spinal column of the Alpha-Prime moved towards the mechanical body and entered via the top. The body clamps then latched onto the organic flesh. He breathed deeply when he was joined and he moved his arms to ensure they were fully operational.

"You have been sent to me by your superiors to question me?" Ben asked the human. Tom was startled because he didn't realise that he was so obvious in his motives.

"That is correct. How did you know?" Voyager's pilot enquired. He hoped that his skills had not deteriorated too much from disuse.

"I surmised that you would be here to question me. If not from Starfleet, then your Captain would have sent you. You have had the most contact with me so you would be the most obvious choice," Ben explained. "I did not know and I have not been monitoring your messages through the Pathfinder Project."

"How did you know that we have been in contact with Starfleet?" Tom asked. It sounded quite suspicious that he knew they were communicating with Starfleet without monitoring the transmission.

"I have full control over your ship's primary systems and most of your secondary systems. I do not monitor them though. I have been aware that messages have been sent and received via the Pathfinder Project but I have allowed them to go through. I have no wish to isolate your crew from your home or your loved ones. I have even ceased my monitoring of the comm. system aboard this vessel since I have released you from your resequencing chamber. Besides, the Collective has been aware for a long time that this vessel has been in contact with the Federation, since the debacle that was Unimatrix Zero to be exact," Ben explained to the disbelieving pilot.

"Then why are you here? Why did you assimilate our database and why did you seize control of Voyager?" Tom demanded.

"We are here because our vessel was destroyed while protecting you from Species 6874. We saw the failure of your vessel's defences and so I ordered our sphere to intercept the hostile forces. Our vessel had been severely damaged when we encountered spatial turbulence classification zero-four-three. You would call that a class seven ion storm. Six hundred and seventy-two drones perished when our systems underwent a catastrophic failure. Eighty-one drones were damaged beyond repair when we engaged Species 6874 and our vessel was experiencing a catastrophic failure. I transported my drones over to this vessel, a vessel that we helped to protect, to ensure the well-being of my Collective," informed Ben.

"You still haven't answered my question. Why did you assimilate our database and take control over our systems?" Tom asked less forcefully. He was clearly receiving the answers to his questions so his interrogation was actually going quite well.

"I assimilated your database to gain information on our hosts. I wanted to ensure that we would be able to interact with your crew. I know that it seemed hostile but I was only trying to minimise any further conflicts. When I assimilated your database, I noticed the poor conditions Voyager's systems were in after the battle so I seized control over the ship's functions. I must confess that there was another reason to gaining control over your vessel's primary systems. I have prior knowledge of your disposal of Borg drones. According to the ship's logs, the person who gave the order was Commander Chakotay and he ordered the venting of Cargo Bay Two during our alliance against Species 8472. I would not risk the chance that my drones would experience the same procedure. Prudence meant that I had to ensure the survival of my drones and, true to form an attempt to vent the Cargo Bay was initiated," Ben explained.

"How can I trust you?" Tom asked. He wanted to believe that the Alpha-Prime was good but he needed confirmation.

"How about I reveal to you what I have done the last five years since I became the Collective?" Ben asked. He could see that the human was having trouble accepting that Ben meant no harm.

"How would I know that you would be telling me the truth?" the pilot persisted. He still needed hard evidence.

"You could always read our data nodes. I have loaded them onto this ship's database. You should have no trouble learning the Borg Alphanumeric code with your increased intelligence."

Paris actually had the ability to understand many new things since he had acquired his enhancements but he didn't know it just yet.

"Data records could be falsified," Tom retorted. He dismissed the claim about his learning capabilities.

"Then I don't know how you can believe me short of actually seeing the evidence of my actions. I will not do that though because that would require a procedure that you would not be comfortable with." He could see Tom's frown so he explained his comment. "For you to actually see, I would have required my drones to attach a neural transceiver or even a neural processing adjunct to the base of your head so that you could see directly into my mind. You would know my thoughts and I would know yours."

He saw Tom blanch at the idea. "That is why I have not suggested the procedure. You value your individuality, as you should. I will instead ask you to read the data nodes and hope that you will realise the truth in my words," Ben said. Relief could be clearly seen on Tom's face when he realised that he wasn't going to receive a neural transceiver.

"Okay then. I'll read the data nodes after you have explained your actions, but I'll reserve my decision until I have finished the examination lf your records," Tom informed him.

"I understand. As I have said before, it shouldn't take you too long to understand the alphanumeric code," Ben said as he directed the Lieutenant Commander towards a Borg access terminal. "I have reserved a console for you to operate in anticipation of your needs. You know over twenty languages already Tom, which language you prefer to have calibrated in the conversion matrix?"

Tom frowned at the Borg. 'How did he know that I could speak that many languages?' Tom thought to himself. Ben was correct in saying that Tom knew over twenty languages. His first languages that he had learnt were Federation Standard and Vulcan. However, being a Paris, his grandparents had encouraged him to learn as many languages as possible. Believing that his father had suggested the idea to his grandparents, he had begun learning the diverse languages of the Federation.

* *

"Tom, why are you concentrating on those languages?" his paternal grandmother asked him as she gestured towards the active PADDs that were neatly placed on his desk. The loaded languages were Klingon, Bolian and Ktarian. A month had passed since they had suggested that he studies some languages and he had already learnt Andorian and Betazoid. Tom's grandparents had decided to see him during their lunch break at Starfleet Headquarters.

"You told me to learn some new languages so I picked some to begin with," said the eight-year old boy. He was confused by the question.

"We didn't mean just those, Tom. Why didn't you choose some of Earth's historical languages? For example, French, Latin and English?" his grandfather asked as he stood next to his wife.

"But why? How are they going to help me?" Blue eyes looked at them questioningly. His initial desire was to read those languages but he thought that he was restricted to the languages of the Federation.

"To help you understand our planet's history, silly boy," his grandmother said with affection as she smoothed down his hair. It had been sticking up in all different directions while he had been studying.

"Think about it, Tommy. Why would we encourage you to learn some new languages?" Grandpa John asked.

"You encouraged me to learn some languages because father wanted me to understand our fellow Federation colleagues and to aid me in my future career in Starfleet," Thomas sarcastically replied to his grandfather's question.

John and Susan both frowned and glanced at each other. Susan then gently relieved Tom of the PADD he was holding while John sat down on the couch in the unused office. The room was unofficially designated "Tom's Office' by those in the Admiralty and he usually used this room to study when he was at Starfleet Headquarters. Tom's grandfather beckoned for his favourite grandson to sit next to him on the couch.

"Tom, I'm sorry that you feel that way about your father. We will not interfere with the relationship you have with him because it is not really our place. However, your grandmother and I both want you to realise that the suggestions your grandma and I give you are from ourselves and not from your father. We want what is best for you but if you don't want to heed our suggestion, then just tell us. We will never force you to do something you dislike and we will not love you less if you do decide to ignore our suggestions," his grandfather explained.

"You really mean that?" Tom asked plaintively as his eyes brimmed with tears. He had honestly thought that his father asked Tom's grandparent to get him to study. He had resented the fact that they would obey his father.

"Yes Tom, we love you to bits and we want you to be happy," his grandmother said. She accepted the strong hug from her grandson as he cried silent tears. After a while, he slowly released her and hugged his grandfather with equal fervour. He finally composed himself and pulled away from his grandfather.

"I love you too, grandma, grandpa." *sniff* "Then why did you tell me to learn some languages then?" he asked as he wiped his eyes.

"We wanted to encourage you to learn about the history of humanity. We know how much you enjoy history, especially the twentieth century of our planet. We also know how much you enjoy reading," his grandmother said.

"Yes Tom," his grandfather continued. "Since most of the best works of the period are best read in their original formats, we thought you might benefit from learning the historical languages. Some of the nuances are lost in the translation."

"That's it? That was the reason you had asked me to learn some languages?" the young boy asked in disbelief.

"Yes Tom, it was that simple," Grandma Susan replied.

"How silly of me. I guess the same can be said about the current languages though. I guess the time I spent learning Andorian and Betazoid was not wasted," Tom said matter-of-factly.

"You've already learnt Andorian and Betazoid?" his grandpa asked incredulously.

"Yep, I finished learning that already. It took me a bit longer than expected because I wanted to have a complete grasp of the language. I've nearly finished Klingon though," Tom said with pride.

"Did you enjoy learning those languages?" his grandmother asked quietly. She didn't realise how easily he was able to grasp the complex alien languages. She knew that he was quite intelligent but this was unexpected.

"It was all right. At least I can surprise Uncle Bluey the next time I see him!" Tom said mischievously.

His grandparents laughed with him as they pictured Admiral Matar's antennas twitching in shock the next time Tom pulled his antics on the blue skinned Andorian.

"If you enjoy learning languages Tom, I suggest you keep at it. If you are serious about joining Starfleet, learning some extra languages can help," John said.

"I guess you're right. I just hope that dad will be pleased that I'm learning them," Tom said dejectedly

"Tom, your father is proud of you and he does love you very much. I know that he doesn't show it but deep down he does," Susan said as she hugged her grandson again.

He frowned at her after she released him. "You're not going to tell father that I cried are you? Father said that crying was a weakness," he revealed.

"No Tom. Your secret's safe with us," she whispered as she gave him another hug.

* *

"Don't look so surprised, Tom. You state the number yourself during one of your numerous logs," the Borg Sovereign said, interrupting Tom's thoughts.

"It's still a bit disconcerting to know that you have assimilated our logs. I trust that you will use your discretion to keep the contents of the crew's personal logs confidential?" Tom asked.

"That is correct. I have no desire to reveal the contents of those logs, although some of the thoughts the crew have might surprise you," Ben replied.

"I better steer well clear of that, Ben. Program the conversion matrix to 'Federation Standard'. How long will it take me to learn Borg?" the gifted pilot asked as he found a place to sit.

"The alphanumerical symbols are complex, but with the enhancements I have given you, the language should not be too difficult for you to learn. I estimate a maximum of one 'Federation month' and you should have a complete understanding of our language."

What Ben did not say was that the timeframe he gave was a conservative estimate. With Tom's increased analytical abilities, he should be able to read and understand Borg within a week.

"So what have you been doing these past few years that would prove to me that you don't have any hostile intentions?" Tom asked.

The Alpha-Prime paused for a moment before began his tale.

"It all began on Stardate 54991.7 when Voyager was entering the transwarp hub..."

* * * * *

Several Hours Later

Chakotay was sitting on the floor, attempting to contact his spirit guide so that he could obtain advice on the revelations he had heard in Astrometrics. However, his mind was too restless so he failed in his meditation attempt. Sighing in frustration, he stood up and stored his akoonah in a safe place. He then walked towards the window to view the vast expanse of unknown space.

Many things had been revealed during the discussion inside the Astrometrics Lab. The Senior Staff had been patiently waiting for the EMH to arrive before they could contact Starfleet for their report. He was talking to Seven when Harry Kim asked the Captain a question just as the doctor entered the Lab.

He sighed as he directed his memory towards the meeting.

* *

"Captain, Tom said that the person receiving this report would be Admiral Masterson. Why would the Vice-Commander in Chief of Starfleet personally request a report on the incident concerning our jovial pilot?"

"The answer to that question is simple, Harry. Admiral William Masterson is Tom's uncle," she replied. Hearing his splutters of shock, she quickly added, "He is not related by blood. When I was on the Al-Batani with Admiral Paris, he would seldom talk about his family since he was a very private person. There was this one time though, when he opened up about his only son. Imagine our surprise when he started talking about his family and his regrets with the way his son was raised. He had then proudly informed us about his son's babysitters and how they became his honorary relatives. Surprise turned to shock when my colleague asked who those babysitters were," she explained with a grin. She cherished that memory because it was one of the few times that her mentor had opened up about his private life.

"Who were they?" Chakotay asked,

"They were the 'cream' of the Admiralty, which included Vice-Commander in Chief Admiral Masterson, Commanding Officer of Starfleet Personnel Admiral Matar... and Commander in Chief Admiral Hayes," she said with a smile.

"A-Admiral Hayes!!!" Harry choked out in surprise. The two Vulcans and the ex-Borg raised their eyebrows sharply while Chakotay had a dazed look.

The EMH was the only person not surprised by the Captain's revelation. The Doctor was not surprised because his medic had told him during one of their many friendly conversations during the last few years. Tom had inadvertently revealed that aspect of his past and the hologram managed to persuade Tom to finish the story. The Doctor had respected Tom's wishes and had never repeated the story to anyone.

"That is correct, Mr Kim," the Doctor said before the Captain had a chance to respond to Harry's exclamation. "The current Starfleet Commander in Chief has been a good friend to Mr Paris for a very long time."

"Are their any other notable individuals that we should know of?" Seven asked after her shock had receded.

"General Michael Davies would be the other important individual," Kathryn added after a moment's thought. "He is the Commanding Officer of the Starfleet Marines Corps."

* *

Chakotay nearly groaned as he remembered that last statement. Tom Paris was very well connected but he never flaunted his relationship with the heads of Starfleet Command. With this new knowledge of the pilot's history, he wondered why the ex-convict never said anything about it during their long stay in the Delta Quadrant.

Mentally shaking himself, he turned away from the window because he knew the answer to that question. Tom didn't say anything because he didn't want any reminders of his failures as an officer or a person. He suspected that the man in his thoughts had believed that he had let down his relatives by the Caldik Prime Incident. Chakotay could imagine the disappointment he would see in the faces of those powerful officers if he were in Tom's place. He would have been devastated by the looks, real or imagined.

Chakotay finally made it to the couch and he fell heavily onto it. Dropping his head onto his hands, he scrunched up his face as his view on the enigmatic pilot shifted again. He had to admit honestly to himself that he had kept a very close eye on the traitor...

'No, not a traitor but a victim of unfortunate timing'. he thought. He mentally went through his recollections on the young man from the beginning of the journey and he could now fully understand the manner that Tom conducted himself towards the crew.

There had been two separate crews, none of which he had belonged to but he held his head up high like he would have been taught as a young boy. He now knew that the pilot had spent his developing years among the most powerful Flag Rank Officers in the Federation and that would have shaped the man's behaviour. What he had classified as irreverent and cocky behaviour was actually the self-confident and sure-footed mannerisms that were common within the Admiralty.

Tom would have adopted that from the times he had spent with them and that could have led him to his own downfall. He would have been so confident and sure of himself that when the big accident occurred, he panicked. This would have been unfamiliar territory to him and so he tried to cover it up. Chakotay also realised that the young man's lies were also motivated by the desire to be flawless in front of  the people that he cared the most about.

The First Officer of Voyager had now finally realised the true reasons why the person he used to classify as a spoilt brat had acted the way he had during the most troubling period of the man's life. He finally resolved to speak to Tom in the morning so that he could fully apologise for not understanding the man during the times that they had shared as a crew and friend. He would also have to ask for Tom's forgiveness for his own ignorant actions.

With that resolved, his inner turmoil calmed down and he heard a whisper of congratulations from his spirit guide.

* * * * *

Tuvok rose from his seated position and picked up the Kal-Toh pieces from the table. After taking the Vulcan puzzle to its storage case, he returned to the table and lit his meditation lamp. Once again taking a seat on his cushion, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, concentrating on the flame of the lamp.

Mediation had been quite difficult during the last few years. With the collapse of the Borg transwarp network, he had lost any possible opportunity to initiate a fal-tor-voh with a compatible relative to heal his degenerative neurological disease. For the past five years his condition had been slowly deteriorating. Soon he would have to inform the Captain of his intentions to resign from his position as Second Officer and Chief Tactical Officer on Voyager.

He had been grooming Lieutenant Ayala, his deputy in the Security Department and the ship's Third Officer, Lieutenant-Commander Paris to be his successors ever since the conduit collapsed. He did not regret his decision that fateful day to support his Captain in undergoing the risky endeavour. He had said 'The Needs of the Many Outweigh the Needs of the Few' and he still stood by his choice. They had dealt a crippling blow to the Borg and their actions had been partially vindicated.

The neurolytic virus had terminated the Borg Queen and the Alpha Prime, Sovereign of the Borg Collective, had succeeded her. He was still withholding his judgement on the true nature of the Alpha Prime, however if he was truly benevolent, then their actions in destroying the transwarp network were now fully justified. He would have to wait until Voyager's pilot had submitted his report on the questioning of the Borg for him to decide whether their actions from five years ago were reasonable.

As he thought about the pilot, memories of the earlier meeting came unbidden into his mind. The Senior Staff were discussing Mr Paris' relatives when he commented on the fact that he had met the grandmother of the talented human.

 * *

"Not only did Tom know the current Commander in Chief, Tom also has relations by blood and marriage that are also members of the Starfleet Admiralty. His paternal grandparents were actually very high in the hierarchy. His grandfather, Admiral John Paris was the Commanding Officer of Starfleet Intelligence and his grandmother Susan Paris was the Commanding Officer of Starfleet Operations. As you can see, Tom would have been exposed to many admirals when he grew up. The fact that they all lived in the Paris Mansion was also a large factor in Tom's familiarity with the Admiralty and its hallowed halls," Kathryn explained.

She had been to the Paris household on one previous occasion and she could still remember the sheer size of the property. Tom had an extremely large and well-connected family that was probably the most influential in Starfleet. Owen's sisters were Admirals as well as their husbands. That did not include Owen's cousins that were also a part of the Paris Dynasty.

"Tom's grandparents were C-Ops and C-SFI? That was very high indeed. He never told me that!" Harry exclaimed and Chakotay agreed. Vorik and Seven just raised an eyebrow in surprise while Tuvok and the Doctor were expressionless.

Tom had spoken about his past many times during the past five years after their friendship grew. As the Doctor was aiding Tom in his recovery from the death of his beloved wife and newly born daughter, the pilot and medic had confided in him the sorrow he had as he grew up without the love of his father. He had revealed to the holographic doctor his influential family tree and had recounted many acts of mischief during the happy times. The EMH had vowed never to reveal those heart-to-heart conversations because he had been given Tom's complete trust.

"I have met the elder Paris's before," Tuvok suddenly revealed.

"Really? I didn't know that?" Janeway commented after she heard her oldest friend's statement. She was clearly intrigued by this new information. "What were they like?" she asked. The other officers were also interested in Tuvok's opinion of Tom's grandparents.

"I met them separately during my career in Starfleet. To say that both meetings were disconcerting would be accurate," Tuvok confessed.

"Really, why did you have to meet them?" the Doctor asked.

"I am not at liberty to reveal the details to those meetings, Doctor. Suffice it to say that I met Admiral John Paris during my debriefing after my third Starfleet posting. The meeting with Admiral Susan Paris occurred a few years later," Tuvok explained.

"How did they go?" Chakotay asked. Judging by the minute expression on Tuvok's otherwise expressionless face, the Vulcan did not enjoy the experience.

"The meetings did not go well. They had perfected a stare that both conveyed disapproval and disappointment towards the person the gaze was directed towards. The stare was able to elicit an emotional response from me. I do not wish to experience those sensations again," Tuvok revealed to his senior colleagues.

"Really? That would not have been good, A Vulcan experiencing emotions," Harry teased. He still relentlessly teased Tuvok as often as he could now that Tom had stopped. Tom had said that it would be an insult to the Vulcan by teasing him after Tuvok had helped him so much during the worst period of his life. Harry had gained a new partner however in the form of the ship's First Officer.

"That's right. I thought that you had control over your emotions. I guess you haven't always been so controlled. They must have been really scary to breach that Vulcan façade of yours Tuvok," Chakotay said as he joined in the ribbing.

"The meeting with Admiral Susan Paris was actually the first time that I met Mr Paris," Tuvok said, ignoring the immature behaviour of the Commander and Lieutenant.

This revelation certainly stopped the smirks.

"When was that?" Kathryn asked, interrupting the Security Officer. All eyes were totally focused on Tuvok, willing him to continue his story. Seeing as he had their undivided attention, he continued his story.

"I had concluded my meeting with Admiral Paris when I was walking out of the office. Her office was very large and had a waiting room that was larger than your Ready Room, Captain. I was quite disconcerted after my meeting and I failed to notice a young Mr Paris playing on the floor with his toys. He was approximately five years of age. I stumbled over one of his toys as I was walking out of the waiting room and I nearly fell on him. Mr Paris had quick reflexes though and he was able to move as I lost my balance. I fell onto Mr Paris' toys instead, crushing them and scattering the rest. I had expected Mr Paris to behave like any typical young human and begin crying. However he surprised me by his behaviour," Tuvok said and he paused to remember the incident.

"What did he do?" the Doctor urged. So did everyone else.

"He calmly walked up to me and enquired about my safety. What also surprised me was his speech, his question was not delivered in 'Federation Standard', instead the question was asked in perfectly accented Vulcan," Tuvok revealed. Never had he seen them listen to his words with this amount of attentiveness.

"What was your reaction? His response was obviously not one you had expected," Seven observed.

"That is correct Seven. I was surprised by the apparent maturity he displayed. When I questioned him about his behaviour, he simply shrugged and replied, again in the Vulcan language, that since I broke his toys, I was going to have to replace them. He said that crying would not accomplish anything. I was impressed with his reply that I immediately replaced his toys and I gave him a Vulcan learning puzzle to test his mental skills. The puzzle was designed to test the logical skill of the user and Mr Paris mastered it in less than a minute. When I asked him how he finished it so easily, he said that his Vulcan tutor Vatir had already given him this particular toy months ago and that it was very simple. He then told me that he had finished the puzzle in the same amount of time during both attempts," Tuvok stated.

"Tom could complete a Vulcan puzzle of logic?" Harry asked. He was clearly impressed with the intelligence of his friend. He knew his best buddy was smart but he didn't know he was that intelligent.

Seven was also staring in disbelief. If Tom could complete Vulcan puzzles, then she had seriously misjudged the pilot. She recalled a holodeck program she had created in her study of relationships. She had programmed Chakotay as her love interest in those scenarios and one of the settings was a baby shower for Tom and B'Elanna's unborn child. She suppressed a pang of discomfit that she knew was sorrow as she recalled that specific program. Tom had failed miserably in his attempt in reassembling Tuvok's gift. Tuvok interrupted her musings.

"That is correct Mr Kim. Mr Paris is the only crewmember on board this vessel that has consistently defeated me in the logic game Kal-Toh. Icheb has defeated me on several occasions but he has not been consistently challenging me," Tuvok replied to the lieutenant. Harry's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he remembered his abysmal record in the game. "Even with my decreased concentration due to my condition, Mr Kim has failed to defeat me even once," Tuvok said to the rest of the senior staff. If possible, Harry was even more embarrassed by Tuvok's comment.

"I didn't know he played with you," Chakotay suddenly said after everyone else besides the Vulcans laughed. Even Seven was laughing at Harry.

Vorik was impressed that Tom could beat Tuvok in the Vulcan game while Seven smiled in approval at both Tom's and Icheb's success with the game. Kathryn and the Doctor were the only ones who were not surprised. They both knew that Tom was always playing with Tuvok and Tom's protégé usually tagged along when he played against the Vulcan.

"I would be surprised if you did Commander. He did not intend for that information to be widely known and I have noticed that when Mr Paris desires anonymity or non-disclosure of certain facts, he is always successful in concealing them from the rumour-mill," Tuvok said.

"So you already knew Tom before he came aboard?" Harry asked. He did not understand why Tom didn't tell him or why he kept on teasing Tuvok if he already knew the Vulcan.

"That is not entirely correct Mr Kim. I had neglected to ask for his name, as I had to leave for an important engagement. Mr Paris did not reveal the incident until one of our meditation sessions...

* *

Tuvok suppressed a sigh as he realised that the memories were not consciously controlled by his mind.

Mr Paris was a man of many gifts. He was truly multi-talented and the crew was lucky to have Mr Paris aboard, not that the Chief Security Officer believed in luck. His capacity to help others constantly astounded him. Icheb, Tom's protégé was also developing into a young man with many gifts. Under the careful tutelage of the pilot, the Brunali would achieve many things in his life.

'I will need to speak with the Captain soon,' Tuvok thought as his mind was brought back to the present. His control over his mind was worsening.

Clearing his mind of all thoughts, he was finally able to enter a meditative state.

* * * * *

Seven exited Sickbay after finishing her regeneration cycle. With the Borg taking temporary residence inside Cargo Bay Two, her usual regeneration alcoves were not available for her use. They were able to utilise the portable regeneration units under the supervision of the EMH, however they were very inefficient. The units only held a charge for three cycles before the need to replenish the internal power supply. They also left her a bit disoriented after use

The situation with the Collective would have to be solved soon so that the regeneration alcoves would be accessible to Icheb and herself. Although, she required the alcoves more than her former protégé did as the young Brunali had his own quarters now since he only required regeneration every second day. Since he was a neo-natal drone, his body was less dependent on the cybernetic components, coupled with his continued growth, had allowed his body to adjust to the presence of the Borg components.

Thinking of her former protégé, she decided to check his progress in his studies. As a student of the Distant Learner's Programme of Starfleet Academy, he was required to spend a portion of his day studying the course work. The young man had drifted from her guidance ever since she had begun a relationship with Chakotay. With her spare time spent with the First Officer, Icheb had naturally drifted towards the gifted pilot.

She was awed as always when she thought about the man who was the first to befriend her after she had been severed from the Collective. She distinctively remembered that day. The Caatati had been blaming her for the loss of his family. Tom Paris had apologised to her for the incident and asked if he could help her adjust to the crew. She hadn't understood his reference when he said: 'We all have a past. What matters is now' until she had heard about the incident at Caldik Prime.

She reached the nearest turbolift and hailed a lift. When the doors opened, she entered the empty lift and waited for the doors to close.

"Deck 8," she ordered and the computer gave the customary beeps.

The lift reached its destination and she promptly strode out towards the Astrometrics Lab. Upon entering the Lab, she realised that he was not there. Silently berating herself for not determining his whereabouts, she realised that the need for her regeneration alcove was much greater than she thought.

"Computer, what is the location of Cadet Icheb?" she asked the computer

::: Cadet Icheb is in the Mess Hall :::

'He must be ingesting nutritional supplements,' she thought.

Little did she know that he wasn't eating anything that was very nutritional at all. He was sharing a replicated pizza with Naomi Wildman. The Terran dish was one of his favourite foods ever since Tom Paris had introduced him to the classic Earth cuisine. He was happily conversing with the half-Ktarian, half-human daughter of Samantha Wildman while they ate their late dinner. With her Ktarian genes giving her a fast growth rate, she resembled a lovely young woman, even though she was only twelve Earth years of age.

Seven decided to complete the rest of the diagnostics on the sensor array before she would go to Main Engineering to help Lieutenant Vorik. The Alpha-Prime had commented on the fact that Voyager's systems were deteriorating so she knew that the Chief Engineer would be in Main Engineering running his own diagnostics with his engineering team to ensure that the Borg added components did not disrupt the ship's systems. She knew that he would also assign a team to determine the extent of the deterioration to the existing systems. This ship had been operating well past the standard mission length without any refits and the systems were beginning to show their wear.

As she initiated the system diagnostics, her mind wandered and she thought of the helmsman and the Borg. From what the Captain had told the Senior Staff, he was supposed to be interrogating the Borg Sovereign on his true motives. That, she determined was a risky endeavour. Should the Alpha-Prime become offended, the entire crew would soon have the own cortical nodes.

The pilot was an enigma she realised. Even with her Borg enhanced analytical abilities, she never realised how intelligent he was. She had only realised the full extent of his skills when they were talking about his past during the meeting.

Before she could ponder the nature of their mysterious pilot, the entrance behind her opened. Turning around, she saw Harry Kim entering with a handful of PADDs.

"I've been working on some diagnostics from my OPS station and I thought that you might like a copy of my results," Harry said as he gave her two of the PADDs in his hands.

"Thank you Harry," she said as she received the reports. "I have nearly completed my own diagnostics on the sensor array."

"That's good. Now that we have regained control over the secondary systems, we can see what the Borg have done to our systems," Harry said as he glanced at the Astrometrics Lab's primary display.

"We will also need to substantiate the Alpha-Prime's claims of ship-wide systems deterioration," she added absently as she began reading the first report.

"Do you need any help?" Harry asked.

"No," she immediately replied. She was Borg and so she was able to complete diagnostic protocols without aid.

"Okay..." Harry said  but before he could continue, Seven interrupted him.

"However you can help me clarify some questions I have from the meeting earlier," Seven hastily added.

"Sure, what do you want to know?" Harry asked as he continued studying the readout.

Seven took a moment to think of her first question. Tom had so many façades that it was most irritating as she had to continuously reclassify him.

"How much of Tom's past did he tell you?" she asked as she placed the PADDs on a terminal. "You have been Tom's best friend ever since he joined the Voyager crew."

"He did tell me some things, but not everything. Many of the revelations we heard today surprised me. Tom is a very private person and he didn't reveal every aspect of his troubled past to me. He would have told B'Elanna everything and I suspect that he has told the Captain everything as well," Harry answered. "He didn't tell me that his grandparents were the heads of Intelligence and Operations. I knew that they were Paris's but I had never connected Tom to them."

"What about the Tactical Courses that Tom took. From what I understand of Starfleet protocols, those courses are reserved for the Admiralty," she observed.

"That is correct but Tom was a potential target since he knew so many people within the Admiralty. Most people will never walk through the halls of the Admiralty but Tom grew up in there. He could have heard sensitive information that could jeopardise the safety of the Federation, so it is understandable that he had underwent those courses.

"But at his age? Are they not difficult?" Seven asked, perplexed by this conundrum.

"They are probably the hardest courses a person will take while in Starfleet," Harry explained. "Tom must have been trained at an early age by his extended family in preparation for those tests."

As he was explaining to Seven, he recalled the discussion they had before they reported to the Admiralty.

* *

"That is not entirely correct Mr Kim. I had neglected to ask for his name, as I had to leave for an important engagement. Mr Paris did not reveal the incident until one of our meditation sessions. Do you recall the conflict on the Banean homeworld? The incident in question involved Mr Paris and the death of the engineering physicist Tolen Ren. I was required to initiate a mind-meld with Mr Paris to prove his innocence of the murder. The meld did not reveal our previous acquaintance as it should have done. I must confess that I find it quite troubling," Tuvok said as he revealed a puzzle he had contemplated for quite some time.

"I think I can answer that for you Tuvok," Kathryn said after a short silence. Tom had told her something important during one of their discussions. She still felt honoured that he had decided to confide in her about this secret. He hadn't even told B'Elanna but he did give her permission to reveal it should the need arise.

"That would be most helpful, Captain," Tuvok replied to her offer.

"Since you all know that Tom's grandparents were high-ranking admirals in Starfleet and he had numerous relatives that were also flag ranking officers, you have to realise that Tom would have been exposed to confidential information that was vital to the security of Starfleet. He would have been extremely vulnerable and a potential target for a kidnapping since his family was so influential. Tom had undergone the Admiralty Tactical Courses before he began studying at Starfleet Academy so that he was less likely to divulge any sensitive information to his captors, or any other potential security risks" she revealed to her colleagues. She was referring to spies that could have been posing as friends or acquaintances.

Their eyes widened in surprise when they heard her reveal the answer to Tuvok's problem.

"He told me that he had passed those tests extremely well when he was quite young. The courses they taught him included techniques on how to evade telepathic attacks. He would have been able to section off large portions of his mind from you when you melded with him, probably on a sub-conscious level," Kathryn continued.

"Did you pass those tests?" Harry asked. He was referring to the fact that her father was a high-ranking Admiral.

"No, Harry. I never underwent those courses. Even though my father was a Vice-Admiral, I did not spend a lot of time at Starfleet. Tom was different because he had spent his childhood being supervised at Headquarters. He was there nearly every day when he was a small child, since his father was a senior lecturer at Starfleet Academy. It was only after his father had organised a tutor for his son that he spent less time at the Admiralty," she revealed. "He still spent a large portion of his time with the Admirals since his tutor only taught him in the mornings."

* *

"He must have been groomed by his extended family to follow in his family's legacy. What do you know of Tom's paternal grandparent's?" Seven inquired, giving Harry her undivided attention, even though she was supposed to be working.

"If I remember correctly, Tom told me that he was very close to his grandparents. Since they were the members of the uppermost echelon of Starfleet, they were very influential. I suppose Tom would have learned a lot from them since he spent a lot of time with them. From what I've seen, Tom has been trained by each and every one of his relatives, blood or otherwise. That is why Tom is so multi-talented," Harry answered as the Astrometrics Lab's doors closed. Vorik had just entered, holding a stack of PADDs.

"I have come to ascertain your progress in your assigned diagnostics of the vessel's secondary systems. Have you completed your tasks?" Vorik asked.

"I have commenced the final set of diagnostics," Seven replied.

"I have finished mine," Harry answered as he handed Vorik his reports.

"Very well, once you have finished, report to my office and we will review the data together. Once we have compiled a detailed analysis of this vessel's systems, we will forward the report to the Captain for her perusal. We must commence repair as soon possible," Vorik ordered.

"Understood," Harry and Seven replied in unison.

They turned back towards the computer terminals and began analysing the output from the diagnostic when they realised that Vorik had not left the room. Sharing a glance at Seven, Harry turned around to look at the Chief Engineer. His brow was furrowed as he contemplated a problem.

"Is there anything else, Vorik?" Harry asked. He had seldom seen the Vulcan look so hesitant.

"I must apologise for eavesdropping, however my sensitive ears could not prevent me from hearing your conversation. After the meeting with Starfleet, I have been in Main Engineering with the entire engineering crew, diagnosing our vessel's systems and I have not had time to assimilate all the revelations of the earlier discussion. The discussion you have shared has answered a problem that I have been trying to solve for a few months now. I had not realised the answer earlier today as I was focused on some engineering reports," Vorik explained.

"What problem did you have? I am more than happy to help you," Harry said. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Seven was busy at her terminal but he knew that she was listening to every word that was spoken.

"During the development of the Type IXa shuttlecraft, Mr Paris showed an extraordinary understanding of a shuttle's systems," Vorik answered.

"That might not be so surprising since he is a pilot. He would need to know how the ship works to understand its limits," Seven answered, giving up any pretence that she was studying the output of the diagnostic. "Should the vessel be inoperable, he would need an understanding of the systems to repair them. A pilot is guaranteed to be on a vessel while an engineer is not. If the shuttle crashed, he might be the only person who would be able to repair the craft,"

"That is logical, however his understanding of engineering concepts rival dedicated engineering personnel. While his knowledge of Warp Mechanics might not be rudimentary, I have found that his knowledge rivals my own. When we were programming the regulator for the new structural integrity field, he was able to code the entire program by himself in a short span of time," Vorik said. If a person was listening carefully to Vorik's tone, they might have sensed that he was getting flustered.

"I can answer that for you, Vorik. Tom had been talking to me when I commented on his quick learning ability. He has always been like that. We are talking about a human that was able to grasp the Vulcan language by the age of six. Most people classify him as a flyboy and his only role on a ship is to fly. I know it irks him sometimes when they underestimate him but he hasn't really done anything to dispel that reputation," Harry observed.

'If Tom only tried harder, he would have easily convinced everyone that he was not dumb' Harry thought. 'But he didn't want the attention!"

"I had studied the crew's records in my attempt to understand them and I noticed on Tom's Academy record that he had received very high scores in most of his subjects. He had also been on the Dean's List every year," Seven observed.

"Tom told me that," Harry added. "We have a tendency to forget about his academic records because of the incident at Caldik Prime. He made a critical mistake that cost his friends their lives."

"I think I understand what you are saying. He is a very gifted pilot and he must be aware of many of the ship's systems for him to be an able pilot."

* *

"Most people also don't realise how many things a pilot must understand for him or her to become the Chief of Conn. They must have an understanding of the engineering systems since they have to be aware of the capabilities of the vessel. They also need to be aware of the tactical capabilities of the vessel so that they can synchronise the ship's movements with the attack procedures. Tom himself has studied practically the same units as an Operations Major plus the extra units his family advised him to study," Kathryn said

"And then there is his job as Chief Field Medic and my assistant. He has a lot to do on this vessel but most people don't realise it," the EMH added.

"Don't forget his role as holoprogrammer," Harry chimed in. He was referring to Tom's skills in making programmes for the crew to relax.

"Tom is very skilled in computer programming. He has occasionally aided me on some difficult tasks that I have been unable to accomplish without his assistance. I have even tested him to see how good he is with computers and he has repeatedly surprised me. I had encrypted some files using complex Borg algorithms and he was able to decrypt them without assistance," Seven revealed.

"Does that mean that nothing is safe from him?" Chakotay asked, astonished by the pilot's skills.

"Yes, Commander but I believe that Mr Paris' sense of honour would prevent him from accessing confidential information," Tuvok replied.

"I agree with Tuvok. Tom wouldn't do that," Kathryn agreed with affirmations from Harry and the Doctor.

* *

"If you remember from our discussion, the Captain told us that Tom had to do some extra units under the advisement of his relatives. Every year he had a unit overload since he was doing the extra units. Even I was having some difficulty with my full load whereas Tom would have had a larger workload. He wouldn't have been able to complete those units and make the Dean's List without fully understanding the coursework," Harry insisted.

"I understand now. Thank you for your assistance." Then with a nod of his head that seem to be a slight courteous bow, "report to my office once you have completed the diagnostics," Vorik said before he exited the lab.

* * * * *

Kathryn was sitting on the sofa by the window of her Ready Room. Tom had not come back yet. She hoped that he was alright. She had been worried about his safety since he was alone in the Borg lair without any backup. She had to mentally restrain herself from contacting him again. The only thing stopping her from storming into Cargo Bay Two was the fact that she had asked the Doctor to continuously monitor Tom's biosigns. The EMH had orders to contact her at the slightest indication that something was wrong.

Tom.

Her fiancé.

The love her of life.

She wasn't sure whether it was her place to reveal Tom's past during the impromptu discussion of their helmsman. Her fiancé was a very private person but the crew had spent a long time together. They had shared many things that most Starfleet crew would never experience. The crew was like a close-knit family and her Senior Staff was no exception. She felt that her the man should have told his senior colleagues about his past himself but his habits were so ingrained that it was sometimes quite infuriating.

With this new knowledge of the enigmatic heir to one of Starfleet's most prestigious families, she hoped that they would further understand the torment the gifted pilot and medic had endured in his troubled life. She knew that he would be quite upset with her when he found out about the conversation but she held firm in her belief that his past should be brought out one last time. Finally their friends would understand all the pieces of the puzzle that was Tom's past.

They had asked why Tom's past troubled him so much. The answer was quite simple.

Tom idolised his father. He wanted his father to be proud of him and for a large portion of his life, he felt that he had failed his father, and therefore he had failed himself.

* *

"Then if he was so smart before, why did his father continuously disapprove of him?" Chakotay asked.

"His father didn't understand him. Admiral Paris was a senior lecturer when Tom was growing up. He was one of the most demanding lecturers at the Academy with the highest standards. I suppose he expected the same from Tom because he couldn't see his son's real persona. All he saw was an intelligent boy that should be perfect. What he did not see was an insecure young man trying his best to please his hero. Admiral Paris was trying to mould Tom into a perfect Starfleet officer that would achieve the Flag Rank of Admiral younger than anyone else in the history of Starfleet. He was trying so hard to insure the success of Tom's future that he failed to realise that his son already had the potential to surpass his designs," the Captain said before pausing slightly.

"Had Admiral Paris realised that he didn't need to push his son so hard, he would have seen Tom flourish from the love and attention his son desperately sought. He always saw some tiny imperfection because he wanted his son to be flawless. Tom eventually grew tired and resentful of his father's manipulation like anyone would. A tutor had been teaching him since he was three years old and his mind had been nurtured under the care of the Vulcan. He made Tom grow without being controlling and when 'The Admiral' tried to exert discipline, Tom began to resent him," Kathryn explained. All eyes were focused on her as they listened to he words.

"Another problem was that Tom also idolised his father because he grew up listening to his father telling him stories of all the wonderful things he had done. Therefore Tom had this love and hate relationship with his father. One part of him really loved his father and he tried to comply with his father's demands while another part of him was resentful that his father couldn't appreciate him for who he was," Kathryn continued.

"I think I see what went wrong," Chakotay whispered to himself as he heard his Captain and friend explain the circumstances of the infamous incident.

"It all came crashing down when the pressure to succeed caused him to make a catastrophic error that caused the death of his friends. When he thought about his father, he lied to prevent 'The Admiral' from being disappointed in him. However, Tom is a kind-hearted person and he couldn't live with the knowledge that he tainted his friend's memory so he confessed. You all know what happened after that," Kathryn Janeway explained.

"He was cashiered out of Starfleet and his father was definitely disappointed in him," Harry said quietly.

"Yes. His fears came true and he had lost everything he had most desired. That was not the only problem. Tom thought that he had severely disappointed his other relatives, the ones that took care of him when he was young. What he didn't know was that they weren't as disappointed in him as he thought. Distraught from the prospect of a life without his career; the only thing he believed he had in common with his father, he left and went to ‘Sandrines’ where a person’s past was drowned out with alcohol. I believe you know the rest, Chakotay," Kathryn said with a smirk.

"I recruited him into the Maquis," Chakotay absently replied, digesting the knowledge his friend had imparted.

* *

Her fiancé had so many aspects to him at the start of their long journey that the crew didn't know the real person. Ever so slowly, they had chipped away at the façade to reveal the inner person. The real Tom without any defensive masks or walls was the one that had captured her heart. She hoped that he was safe because she knew that it would be hard to live without him and his joyful nature.

A comm. signal interrupted her morose thoughts

::: Paris to Janeway :::

"Janeway here," she answered.

::: Have you finished work for today? :::

"Nothing that can't be put off until tomorrow," she replied to his query.

::: Good. I'm heading to our quarters now :::

"Understood. I'm on my way. Janeway Out"

*****

A/N:

Sorry for taking so long. I had decided to merge chapters thirteen and fourteen together, using a different format to see how it went. What do you think? Did I do okay? Tell me in your reviews!!

Can anyone guess what the Borg have been doing during the past five years? I will let whoever guesses correctly the next chapter a couple of days earlier than everyone else!!

    Next: Chapter Fourteen  (coming soon)