"The Helmsman's Logs - 2375" - Part 1
"THE HELMSMAN'S LOGS - 2375"
RATING: [PG-13]
SUMMARY: The fifth in a collection of Tom Paris' personal logs during Voyager's journey in the Delta Quadrant.
DISCLAIMER: Tom Paris and all other characters related to Star Trek
Voyager belong to Paramount, Viacom, Rick Berman, the Roddenberry
family and other Trek producers.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This covers the episode "Night".
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"THE HELMSMAN'S LOGS - 2375"
PART 1
STARDATE 52000.98
Last night was truly the worst New Year's party I have ever attended. The worst. Not even that New Year celebration of two years ago, during our final conflict with the Kazon, was this bad. (Pauses) Then again, perhaps it was.
At least last night's party lasted longer than ten minutes past midnight. But with B'Elanna sitting around in a deep funk, I found myself wishing it had ended a lot sooner. B'Elanna, on the other hand, left twenty minutes after midnight. Without bothering to say good-bye or anything. (Sighs) Come to think of it, this was the worst New Year's party. End of personal log.
STARDATE 52026.68
God, I can't stand this place anymore! This damn void is getting to me. To the entire crew. Janeway has been holed up in her quarters for nearly two weeks. Harry has begun playing his clarinet, while on the Bridge. And get this - not even Mr. "By-the-Book" Tuvok didn't bother to stop him. Since Seven haven't been able to detect anything but empty space in the Astrometrics Lab, she has become a holodeck addict. Only I have no idea what program she's using.
With nothing else to do, I've decided to crate my own holoprogram. Something unique. Original. I was going through the database on Earth's 20th century culture and came across these old vids of movies from the 1930s called adventure serials. They're rather hammy science-fiction stories about costumed heroes who fight galactic evil. They've given me an idea and I cannot wait to try it out. End personal log.
STARDATE 52044.84:
(Sighs) I can't ignore the fact any longer. Something is definitely wrong with B'Elanna. When she's not in her quarters, she is either hanging around the Mess Hall brooding, or she's inside one of the Holodecks. And I have a pretty good idea what programs she is using. Orbital skydiving. Klingon martial arts. I think one involves a battle she had fought, when she was a Maquis. And dammit, I don't what to do! I tried bringing up the subject once and she verbally stomped all over me like I was an insect. She still has this habit of walking out on me when the mood hits her. And I don't even want to bring up what happens when we have sex. I can only think of two words - pain sticks. I don't mind a little rough sex every now and then. But I'll be damned if I'm going to let her use pain sticks on me every time we have sex. Even worse, I have this feeling that I've now become her personal stud.
I know what's wrong with B'Elanna. She's falling into a depression. Just as I nearly did, last year. Only I doubt that an alien DNA thief will snap her out of it. End personal log.
STARDATE 52067.63
My new holoprogram is almost finished. I can't wait to show it to Harry. Even Seven has expressed interest in it. Boy! She really must be bored.
The Captain still hasn't left her quarters. B'Elanna and I are still fighting, but we haven't had sex in about a week. I don't know whether to be sad or relieved. And we're still stuck in this damn void. End personal log.
STARDATE 52078.85
At last! I've completed my new holonovel. It's called "The Adventures of Captain Proton". The program is basically a series of 1930s science-fiction adventures set in black-and-white monochrome, bulky sets and cliched characters. In other words, the same format used in those old movie vids that I've been watching. Harry and I made a test run on the first chapter - "Captain Proton versus the Cosmic Creature". Unfortunately, the Doctor interrupted, reminding us that we had cut into his three minutes of Holodeck time for his lousy opera. (Sighs) Needless to say, Holodeck One went on the blink for a few minutes because of our little . . . tiff. I'm not going to get into this. End personal log.
STARDATE 52082.66
Neelix ended up in Sick Bay following a mild anxiety attack. I guess B'Elanna and I were to blame after our latest fight over a game of Dureta. Hell, I didn't start it. She was the one who had decided to make some comment over one of my moves. (Sighs) But that's not the point. The problem is . . . us. We're going no where. No, I take that back. We're breaking up, that's the problem. I've tried to be patient about her dark moods, dangerous forays in the Holodeck and occasional lack of sex; but my patience is wearing thin. Now I know what she went through after I had sunk into a depression, last year. But I can't hide the fact that I know the cause behind those bruises on her body forever. End personal log.
LOG SUPPLEMENTAL
Thanks to the aliens who turned out to be residents of the void, Voyager was finally able to leave it. For good. Thank God! Which means we managed to cut short our trip through the void by at least twenty-two to twenty-three months. It turns out another race called the Malon were using this vortex to dump their theta-radiation, endangering the lives of the void's residents. I heard that B'Elanna and Chakotay offered the Malon a means to recycle their radiation, but he rejected the offer. Apparently, recycling the radiation would cut into his species' profits from their waste operations. So the Captain had no choice but to destroy the vortex - with the other aliens' permission, of course.
At least this whole incident finally got the Captain out of her quarters and back into action. I don't know if she is completely out of her depression. She tried to be the martyr by suggesting she personally close the vortex from a shuttle after Voyager passes through. But the crew refused to accept this and threatened to mutiny if she had tried to go ahead with her plan. So we went through the vortex - all of us - and destroyed the entrance with photon torpedoes. And it worked. We're out of the void and that relentless blackness. So, is the Captain's depression over? Maybe. It's too early to tell. As for B'Elanna . . . (sighs) I don't know. But she has invited me to her quarters to celebrate. End personal log.
END OF PART 1