>Part 3:  All's Well That Ends Well
>
>
>       I couldn't see Torres or Paris from where I sat.  It was driving
>me crazy.  Samantha Irish was chattering about something that even 
Vorik
>could not follow. Unfortunately, since we could not shut her up 
politely,
>I just said my "Yes, I agree"s and "I know"s and "Really?"s.  I craned 
my
>neck, trying to see over Samantha's copper hair.  I could just barely 
see
>the tops of their heads-
>  "What are you doing, Shelly?  That looks painful," commented 
Samantha.
>  "I was just...stretching my neck," I said hopelessly.
>  "Oh," said Samantha, and went on again.
>
>  I wanted to talk to *them*, not mile-a-minute Sam.  I wanted to see 
how
>they were doing....I was fairly *itching* with curiosity.
>  "I dunno..." came Sam's voice.  "Am I boring you?"
>  "You're erratic talent to change subjects in an illogical sequence 
does
>make it difficult to follow, therefore lowering our interest in your
>speaking."
>  "In other words, yes," I said.  I grabbed Vorik's arm and high-tailed
>it to the Paris/Torres table.
>  "Am I ever glad that's over," I sighed.
>  "I too, express relief that we no longer have to remain in her
>company," said Vorik, carefully peeling my hand off his arm.
>  "Um, do you want something?" asked Tom, not looking up.  Him and
>B'Elanna had been having a deep conversation about Klingon romance
>novels.
>  "I was just wondering if you two were going to the luau tonight."
>  "Mm-hm," said B'Elanna, staring at Tom.
>  "See you there," I said.  "Duty shift starts in an hour, I gotta go. 
>See you at the luau, Vorik."
>
>
>  This duty shift I had the bridge.  I could hear Captian Janeway 
arguing
>with a Pandora representative on screen.  I did my best to ignore it 
and
>pay attention to the console.
>
>
>  At the luau Janeway called Vorik, B'Elanna, Tom, and me over to her
>table where she sat with Chakotay.  She was obviously in a good mood.
>  "I thought you all might want to know what that incident at Pandora 
was
>all about," she said.  We all nodded and murmured our compliance.  "The
>Pandora are really a very warlike species.  To them, fighting a war is
>like having a party on the holodeck.  Unfortunately for them, in this
>area of space there are few neighbors and not many people to war with, 
so
>they devised that box to start a war with any new aliens."
>  "How exactly would the box do that?" asked Torres.
>  "The constant criticisms was suppose to attack the alien's
>self-esteem," answered Chakotay, "so much that it would cause
>self-destructive behavior.  When the aliens found out some of their own
>were dead, it would start a war."
>  Janeway continued, "Lucky for us they had no such pleasure.  I am 
very
>proud of all of you for your outstanding performance on that mission. 
>You were the first aliens ever to outwit the Pandora's box."
>  "No kidding?" said Paris.
>  "And even though just the attempt at killing you could have started a
>war, I decided it would be better that we leave.  I wasn't about to 
give
>them just what they wanted."
>  We all murmured our agreements and enjoyed the party.  I was 
attempting
>to teach Vorik how to play volleyball when B'Elanna and Tom approached
>us, Kim and Kes in tow.
>  "Hey, I just wanted to thank you two for saving my life," said Tom,
>grinning.  "Care for a game of volleyball?"
>  "What do you think?" I asked Vorik.  He was good- in a Vulcan way.
>  "I think that a game of volleyball would be...most enjoyable."
>
>  Harry and Kes split up, with Kes on their team and Harry on ours.  In
>the end of our riotous game we tied- fifteen to fifteen.
>
>  In the end we all fanned out, each pair going separate ways.  Vorik 
and
>I got into a long, interesting conversation about the relation of war 
and
>sports, with the Doctor.  At the end of the conversation, which must 
have
>taken two hours at the least, I wanted to go home.  Vorik admitted his
>fatigue, and we left.  On the way out we noticed Tom and B'Elanna
>kissing.
>  "The results of this mission have been most...interesting," commented
>Vorik as we stepped into the turbolift.
>  "Well," I said noticing his hand on my shoulder.  "As they say, all's
>well that ends well."
>
>FINIS
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