SYMBOLS

CHAPTER 23

B'Elanna took one glance at Tom and made him feel even smaller.

"You look absolutely ridiculous," she said.

His pride wounded, Paris' cheeks glowed red as he defended his new appearance and explained it was all in the name of duty.

"It's just going to take some getting used to," B'Elanna said. She stared at Tom's pale face and the crop of bright red hair on his head before hiding a burst of laughter under a forced cough.

Paris had been surprised when the Doctor summoned him back to sickbay for one final change. He hadn't expected any further alterations after receiving the Alum bird symbol and the Anawin facial markings. Blindly, he accepted the Doctor's wish to perform one more simple transformation and sat down in the designated chair, while the Doctor ran something over the top of his head.

"Finished yet, Doc?" he asked.

"Perfect," the Doctor said and held up a mirror for the lieutenant to see his reflection.

"My hair! What have you done?" Tom gasped in horror, as he frantically clutched at the bright red strands of hair that now protruded from his scalp.

"All citizens of the Anawin City have red hair," the Doctor said. "Seeing as neither you nor the captain will be wearing headgear as part of your attire, you have to look the part in order to blend in. It's necessary for your survival."

"It's embarrassing!" Tom replied. He felt his stomach knot at the thought of having to return to the conn and cope with everyone making fun of him. "Can't you tone it down just a bit?" he begged, desperate for a more natural look, but the Doctor simply shook his head and commented the color would fade with time.

Tom soon grew weary of the endless taunts the engineering crew seemed to delight in, giving the excuse he had to return to the helm.

He stepped into the turbolift. For once, he was glad not to have company. The fewer crewmen who saw his crimson red hair, the better, as far as he was concerned. Suddenly the lift stopped and the Delaney sisters entered. They didn't say anything. They didn't have to. The tears of laughter streaming down their cheeks let Tom know the whole of Voyager was about to learn of his predicament.

Finally he walked onto the bridge and waited for the laughter to begin. But to his surprise, nobody reacted. Maybe the bridge crew had been forewarned. Still he expected someone would comment on his new, completely unsubtle, hair color.

Tom took his chair at the helm. Everyone around him seemed busy; nobody appeared to be staring at him. It made him wonder whether B'Elanna's response, and that of the engineering crew, as well as the Delaney twins, had been an over-reaction. Somehow it seemed unlikely.

Tom chased the lights on his panel for a few minutes. The bridge was so quiet. Unusually quiet. Swiveling in his chair, he saw all eyes rapidly look away from staring at him.

"Go on. Make fun. Have a good laugh at my expense." Tom's annoyed face blushed in embarrassment, turning his cheeks almost the same color as his hair.

Janeway covered an emerging grin with her hand, while Chakotay coughed in an attempt to disguise his chuckles. Then Harry snorted as he held his breath to try and stop laughing. Tears were rolling down his cheeks and he was almost at the stage of doubling over. Only then did the crew give in. Harry's laughter was infectious and his amusement over Tom's situation quickly spread.

If nothing else, Paris' bright red hair was a great diversion and allowed for a bit of levity. In laughing together, the crew collectively released some of the tension they'd built up over the last few days.

"So glad to have provided you all with a bit of entertainment," Tom said in response to the continuing chuckles. "But there was one thing I did forget to mention. Chakotay, the Doctor said to tell you - it's your turn next!"

***

Chakotay stood up to leave.

"I'm reading three Anawin ships approaching," Paris stated.

At once Chakotay reclaimed his chair. He looked at the viewscreen and saw the little bronze triad rapidly approaching Voyager.

"Here we go again," he commented to the captain.

"Load torpedo bays and stand-by for my command," Janeway ordered.

Zeron's guards had mercilessly killed Kylani. Zeron had then absconded with Tuvok. Chakotay knew the three approaching ships would be shown no mercy, if they so much as took a single shot at Voyager. Captain Janeway would not allow her crew to be blindly led into another Anawin trap.

"Open a channel on wide-band subspace. Voice only. This is Captain Janeway. Anawin ships, powering your weapons is seen as an act of aggression. Stand down and break formation."

They all reeled forward as the nearest bronze ship emitted an energy burst that impacted the hull.

"Fire at will." There was annoyance in Janeway's voice.

A photon torpedo hurtled toward the nearest ship and impacted within seconds, shattering its hull. The two remaining ships seemed undeterred by the sight and continued their advance, firing intermittently.

"Let's end this," Janeway resolved.

Voyager swooped down and fired on the remaining vessels.

Chakotay watched the bronze ships swerve through various evasive patterns. If nothing else, they were fast and highly maneuverable.

Finally, a second torpedo blazed away from Voyager. It was targeted at the nearest vessel, but to Chakotay's amazement, the two Anawin ships attempted a crossover maneuver in their effort to steer clear of it. The ship that entered the formation from the right suddenly ploughed its triangular bow directly into the undercarriage of its sister ship passing overhead. The two ships became interlocked and lost flight control. They were still attached together when the photon torpedo struck and turned the two ships into a myriad of mangled metal and floating debris.

The battle was over, for the moment.

Paris slowly steered Voyager through the debris field.