The Other Torres | A Star Trek Fanfiction *Book 1*

Ex Post Facto-Chapter 23

Tom Paris is experiencing a memory, that doesn't belong to him, it is the memory of the person he's accused of murdering, Tolen Ren, the memory is in black and white " What do you see, Mister Paris?" asked a Doctor. "Shoes. Muddy shoes. (through a door) The dog." said Tom. There are alien symbols at the bottom. A thunderstorm rages outside. "Good. That's exactly what you should see." said the Doctor. We go through in to the conservatory to see Paris passionately kissing an alien woman, they are at the same height.

"But that isn't possible." said Tom as the scene changes to being in a room. "I'm sure it's disorienting to see yourself through another man's eyes." replied the Doctor. "No, I-" Tom couldn't finish his sentence as he was thrown back into the memory. "Tolen!" exclaimed, the woman, Lidell. "Now I understand." said Tolen. "I'd better be on my way." said Tom. "You don't have to go, Tom. He's got no right." said Lidell. "No right? This is my home. You come into my home and steal my wife, and I have no right?" exclaimed Tolen. "That's not the way it happened." Tom protested, 

His thoughts for some reason wandered to Amanda Torres, one of his best friends, she was half Klingon and the most stubborn person Tom's ever met, even Amanda's sister B'Elanna isn't as stubborn as Amanda is, Amanda was the woman Tom was in love with but would never tell her, he didn't have the guts to tell her. Tom first met Amanda when they were at DS9, she's Harry Kim's best friend, when Harry became Tom's by default, Amanda became Tom's friend too, but she didn't mind in fact she loved the time they spent together.

"This isn't the way it happened." said Tom. "The trial's over, Mister Paris. There's no point to further denials." said the Doctor.

Once again Tom is thrown back into the memory. "I know about you, Paris. I know you were in prison." said Tolen. "That has nothing to do with-" Tolen interrupted him. " We'll see what your captain has to say about this. When I'm finished with you, you'll never wear that uniform again." Tolen said. "I can't let you do that." said Tom. "No, Tom, don't! Stop! No!" begged Lidell.

Back in the room, Tom is adamant that he didn't kill Doctor Ren. "No, I didn't-" Tom said before entering the memory again. Tom sees himself attacking the person whose eyes he is looking through, then looks down at the knife handle sticking out of his chest before falling. "Tom! Don't, Tom!" Lidell begged once again.

Tom came out of the memory. "Let the record show that the sentence of the court has been carried out. For the rest of his natural life, once every fourteen hours, Thomas Eugene Paris will relive the last moments of his victim's life. May the fates have mercy on you, sir." said the Doctor.

In Amanda's quarters the Klingon/Human Second Officer of Voyager was pacing in her room, she had no idea where her best friends were, Harry Kim and Tom Paris, Amanda had met Harry at the Academy, he was the year above her, Harry accepted her for being Klingon/Human, as did his parents when she met them at his graduation from Starfleet Academy, you see Harry was a year older than Amanda.

And then there's Tom Paris, (the disgraced son of a Starfleet Admiral), who killed his friends due to a pilot error and then covered it up, Amanda being the daughter of an Admiral herself (John Torres) watched as Tom was kicked out of Starfleet, she was fifteen, he was twenty, John had warned Amanda to never ever associate herself with Tom, it would just end in disaster and for awhile, Amanda believed him until that fateful day on DS9, when 21 year old Amanda Torres had laid eyes on Tom, he was different to what she'd heard from her father, so ignoring his advice Amanda introduced herself.

Amanda had sadly fallen victim to feelings, those feelings she had were for Tom Paris, even in her Academy years, she was never in love with anyone as if fate was waiting for her to meet the right person.

In the Doctor's office, he and and Kes are seated opposite each other at his desk, using computers. "If the hydroxy-proline level is elevated this high, you'd probably call for a pancreatic scan." Kes said. "That's exactly what I'd call for. All right then, let's run through the osteographic series again. Just enter the responses you're sure about." said the Doctor. "So, have you given any more thought to a name?" Kes asked. "I asked the Captain for one." replied the Doctor. "Why don't you choose one yourself?" asked Kes confused. "Choose one myself? Me? Well, that just isn't. Holograms are programmed, Kes. They don't choose anything for themselves." said the Doctor confused. "Why not?" asked Kes. "Because we're not capable of choosing." said the Doctor. "Well, you choose what medical treatment to give someone." said Kes. "I'm programmed with over five million possible treatments, with contingency programs and adaptive programs. But it's all programs upon programs upon programs. There's no independent decision making." the Doctor argued. "I don't see the difference." said Kes. "The difference is-" Kes stopped the Doctor mid-sentence. "I base decisions on information stored inside my brain. How's that so different from the way you access your programs?" asked Kes. "Well, if you put it that way." agreed the Doctor. "Do your programs have any names in them?" asked Kes. "Certainly. I have the names of Starfleet doctors, their patients, medical personnel in historical and literary contexts." said the Doctor. "So pick a name." said Kes. "Just pick one?" asked the Doctor. "Pick a name you like, perhaps from someone who inspires you." said Kes. "Doctor, Doctor Galen. Doctor Salk. Doctor-" Kes interrupted him. "Those are good." said Kes. "Spock." finished the Doctor. "Can you see yourself with any of those names?" asked Kes. "Not exactly." said the Doctor. "Take your time. After all, you will be that name for the rest of your life." said Kes. "I never even considered that I had a life." said the Doctor. "Janeway to Sickbay. Activate Emergency Medical Holographic Programme." said Janeway, over the emergency medical holographic channel. "I'm already on, Captain." said the Doctor.