SYMBOLS

CHAPTER 11

With the advent of morning, Voyager began to circumnavigate the border of Anawin space.

Captain Janeway took a few minutes to publicly introduce the two Anawin passengers to the officers in the mess hall. Her conversation with Kylani the previous day had allowed her to see the circumstances that surrounded the woman's charge of murder. As far as she was concerned, the young woman posed no security threat. So she extended an invitation to Kylani and Tayna to make themselves at home for the remainder of their time on board Voyager.

The Anawin passengers had already proven themselves to be sociable, popular and amenable to forming friendships. In all, they seemed to have adapted well to their unfamiliar surroundings. Although it didn't go unnoticed, not long after the captain's introduction, Harry Kim intertwined his fingers in Kylani's and walked her away from the welcoming party that had built up around her and Tayna.

"Okay if we join you?" Harry asked and added a couple of seats to the table where B'Elanna and Tom were sitting.

"Of course," B'Elanna replied.

"So Kylani, what do you think of Voyager so far?" Tom asked, as the young woman sat down.

"Oh, it's just lovely. Fast. Sturdy. An efficient design."

"It sounds like you've been talking to Seven," B'Elanna said.

Kylani fell quiet. She felt Harry run his thumb over the top of her fingers to signal she hadn't said anything wrong. It was true, Kylani had spent a couple of hours in astrometrics studying the parameters of her homeworld with Seven of Nine, but also having never been on a starship before, she had nothing to which she could make a comparison.

The three officers talked about their latest duty roster, while Kylani quietly kept watch over Tayna from afar. The little girl was jumping between a series of chairs, landing on each one with a giggle, as Neelix held her hand and helped her to leap.

"So has anyone heard the latest rumor?" Tom whispered, drawing Kylani back into their conversation. "It's about a young bridge officer and a certain female passenger..."

"I happen to have heard a rumor myself," Kylani interrupted. "I thought Commander Chakotay was the one who rescued us. I've now heard it was actually you, Tom, who did the rescuing." Kylani's cheeky smile caught Tom by surprise.

"Well if you must know..." Paris began to outline his role in the rescue. Often he'd embellish for the sake of maintaining everyone's interest, but this time he didn't need to. Any way the story was told, at some point, Paris emerged as the central hero.

"So it was you," Kylani said. "Thank you. You were very brave to do that."

Although Tom Paris had rescued her from the disposal unit, Kylani had become instantly attracted to and felt far deeper feelings for the dark-haired Harry Kim.

In sickbay, she had caught Harry looking at her. She'd tried to fathom his thoughts, as their similarly dark eyes met and held. She had felt his hands reach out to steady her, as she struggled to maintain her balance. His hands were strong, but gentle. Harry stayed behind when the others returned to duty, and then he came back to visit her and Tayna several times while they recovered in sickbay. There was care in his voice and concern for her and Tayna's future. It seemed like he was always there to help and comfort her. In only a few short days, Kylani was sure she loved him and soon discovered Harry was happy to reciprocate.

Tayna's mother had once told her that when Kylani met the right person, she would just know. But she'd always thought the older woman's words were simply an excuse that served only to justify Tayna's existence. Now she knew better. For the first time in her life, Kylani began to comprehend how Tayna's mother could sacrifice her future and freedom to fall in love with someone who was not of her own race.