"It's a long story and to be honest I'm tired of telling it. Harry can fill you in."

He looks a bit conflicted, but stands up, nods to Harry, and walks off to recycle his plate, then leaves the mess hall.

Laurence looks at Ensign Kim, concerned. "I meant no offense."

"It's not your fault."

"Long story short, Tom was kicked out of Starfleet after covering up a piloting error that led to the death of 3 crew members. He confessed shortly after out of guilt, but obviously Starfleet didn't find that convincing. He joined the Maquis, got caught basically immediately, and was sent to prison. The captain offered him his freedom in return for helping track down the Maquis."

"After Voyager was abducted, he acted heroically to save myself and two other members of the crew. The captain restored his commission."

"Tom has had to tell this story many many times, and I think he just couldn't stand to tell it another time."

"I see."

Laurence thinks there might be some other reasons Paris doesn't want to tell the story, but he'll keep that to himself. Confessing a crime shortly after committing it improves the man's standing somewhat in Laurence's eyes; joining a rebel force immediately after, less so. Laurence does not think well of traitors to their country.

"Have you known him long?"

"No, we met on DS9 just before shipping out. Tom kept me from getting scammed into buying some jewelry for who knows how much more than it was worth."

More approvingly this time, "I see."

Then, he finally notices that he's confused. "Buying? With what?"

"Gold pressed latinum, why?"

"Ah, I had thought... In my time precious metals used for trade would be considered money. The meaning is perhaps different in this century."

"Oh, right, right."

"We get a stipend in local currency when we're stationed outside Federation territory. DS9 is technically Bajoran, so we get some latinum to spend."

"Ah."

He asks a few more questions about money (can replicators make gold? Latinum?) and Starfleet (what do the uniform colors mean? Are later promotions based on academic performance?). He does not ask Ensign Kim any personal questions, because that would of course be incredibly rude.

He also asks, "Do you know Lieutenant Tuvok well?"

"No, I've barely talked to him, actually. I'm told the captain trusts him more than anybody else on the ship, so that has to count for something."

"Oh speaking of which, he said he could meet you in his quarters at 1600 hours, if you're still interested in joining security."

"Yes, I am grateful for your inquiry on my behalf. I shall meet him there."

"Of course!"

He takes a quick look at his PADD.

"Hmm, I've got to get back to work. Thanks for getting lunch with me!"

Laurence takes the next couple of hours to wander around the ship and familiarize himself with the layout, still looking around to see what people are doing and where they're going. He's curious to see if there's any pattern to whether people are wearing uniforms, which uniforms seem to go to which places, and things like that. And of course, if he actually catches sight of anyone working, what they are doing.

There isn't too much information to be gleaned without going into rooms.

There seem to be slightly more red uniforms near the higher decks (lower numbers, confusingly). Yellow is the most common color by a long shot.

He doesn't see anybody out of uniform (except for the guy in the gym).

He's getting fewer and fewer perplexed glances as time goes on: word seems to be spreading.

(Laurence is obscurely glad that people are paying less attention to him as time goes on.)

And at the appointed hour, he arrives at Lieutenant Tuvok's door and knocks.

"You may enter."

The door opens at his words. Tuvok is sitting at a small table, glancing up from a PADD.

Okay! He was just starting to get used to seeing black people in officers' uniforms and now one of them also has a strange facial and ear deformity! And it's his prospective superior officer! This is fine!

Laurence will of course say absolutely nothing about the lieutenant's strange physical appearance, ever.

This is fine.

"Lieutenant Tuvok?" He tries his best to pitch this to sound no more questioning than it would meeting any stranger from 500 years in the future. Unclear whether he succeeds.

"Indeed. Please, have a seat, Mr. Laurence."

Laurence has a seat. "Sir."

Despite his apprehension at the lieutenant's strange appearance, he is somewhat relieved by the familiar situation of being in the presence of a superior officer.

As a captain he was more often on the other side of it, of course, but not always, and the protocol of it still calms him.

"The captain has briefed me on your situation"

A pause.

"Ensign Kim informs me that you wish to join the security team. Can you explain to me why?"

"It seems that I am to be living on this vessel for some time and trespassing on your hospitality. As this is the case, I would prefer to make myself useful however I can. I have little knowledge of the workings of a ship such as this one, yet I do have some experience of combat action, and Ensign Kim tells me that the security team is where such duties lie. Thus it is here where it seems I can be of most assistance."

"That is logical."

"My first concern is that you may be disappointed by the opportunities for advancement available to you on Voyager. I understand that, in your memories of pre-warp Earth, you were a captain. Ordinarily, I would not dissuade a young officer from pursuing such an ambition. But under our present circumstances, you would frankly be fortunate to advance past ensign. There will be no slots opened up by the construction of new ships, and retirement is unlikely as well."

"Is this acceptable to you?"

"The captain tells me that Voyager is not expected to reach its destination for 70 years, and there are unlikely to be ports of call where I might desire to stay.

"What I mean to say is, it is not as though I am more likely to advance while lying about the ship in idleness. Sir."