The Returning Saga: Part Four
November 2000
Rating: PG
Star Trek belongs to
Entanglement
By Sängerin
‘You
need a swift kick up the rear end.’
The
voice startled Chakotay, causing him to drop the padd he had been holding as he
turned around. ‘Mac? What the hell are you doing
here?’
‘Guess,’
she said, lifting a foot threateningly.
He
looked warily at the heavy hiking boot she wore. ‘I’d rather not,’ he said.
‘How did you find me?’
‘A certain cousin of yours.’
‘I’ll
kill him,’ said Chakotay grimly, ‘But Gorya wouldn’t talk to you - he hates
Starfleet almost as much as I did.’
‘You
forget, ‘Kotay, that to Gorya I’m not Starfleet. To him I’m still your ex.’ She sat down beside him. ‘It might be coming up to thirty
years ago, but Gorya’s got a good memory.’
Chakotay
smiled. ‘Not too good, if you ask me. I told him not to tell anyone where I
was.’
‘So,
what are you doing up here?’ asked Mac, picking up the fallen padd from beside
Chakotay’s feet.
‘What
sort of answer do you want to hear? That I’m escaping? That’s certainly true.’
‘What
from?’
‘Stop
it, Mac. You know exactly what I’m ‘escaping’ from. Kathryn
and Starfleet, in no particular order. And if you’re not careful, I’ll
add you to the list as well.’
‘Why
here?’ persisted Mac. ‘I’ll admit that it’s lovely, but….’
Chakotay
looked around him. Above him, the sky was a beautiful deep blue, and the valley
stretched out in front of him before dropping away sharply. To his right was a
bubbling little stream that wound down the valley, and
to his left were masses of squat, spidery eucalypts, their trunks as white as
the snow that covered these plains in winter. Opposite where he stood rose another mountain, and behind that he could glimpse the
cleared farmland that surrounded these heritage areas. A few low-flying clouds
had gathered between the two mountains, but apart from them the sky was clear
and the surrounding hills deserted. ‘It’s wilderness, Mac. There’s no one else
around - or at least there wasn’t until you showed up. Isolated and alone -
that’s how I work best.’
‘Grow
up, Chakotay.’
‘What?!’
‘You
heard me. At the moment you’re acting like a first year cadet. I’ve already
seen you as a first year cadet - I don’t need a repeat performance.’
‘You’re
starting to sound like…’ he trailed off.
‘Like
Kathryn? There’s a reason for that.’ Mac looked at him sternly. ‘Look, you’ve
been up here for a week. I know Owen gave you all a month off, but that doesn’t
mean you can run away without telling anyone where you are. How is anyone
supposed to tell you what’s happening in the real world?’
‘You
found me.’
‘I
know the way your mind works. And with Kathryn in the state she’s in, I’m the
only one who does. You’re scared - you’re scared of Kathryn, and you’re scared
of Starfleet.’
‘Why
are you here, Mac?’ asked Chakotay, refusing to confirm her statement.
‘You
need to get back to
‘So
you thought you’d come and sort me out, huh? Thanks, Mac, but I don’t need your
help.’
‘Are
we going to go back to the beginning of this conversation? You might not need
my help, but you need someone to tell you just how stupidly you’re acting. Why
the hell did you walk out on the victory party? That party was being held
especially for you.’
‘It
was a sham,’ he said bitterly. ‘A roomful of Starfleet Admirals congratulating
and cajoling B’Elanna and me, and everyone else, when an hour before they’d
wanted to lock us up and throw away the key.’
‘It
was a roomful of your families and friends, wanting to congratulate you and
B’Elanna, and Kit and Kathryn, for winning the case.’
‘We
shouldn’t have been on trial in the first place. Isn’t that what the trial
proved?’
‘Maybe,’
Mac was non-committal, ‘but you ran out on your own celebration. It was noticed
by a lot of people.’
‘Tell
them to mind their own damn business.’
‘These
are the people who are going to give you a job, Chakotay. You don’t tell
Starfleet to mind its own business.’
‘I’m
back in Starfleet by default, Mac. They don’t owe me any favours.’
‘Have
it your own way,’ said Mac. They both fell silent. Mac began to read the padd
she had picked up. When Chakotay noticed, he reached for the padd, but she held
it out of the way and kept reading. ‘Who wrote this?’ she asked.
‘It’s
an old book,’ he replied, giving up his attempts to get the padd away from her.
‘Early 21st Century.’
‘The "High Country"? That’s what
they call this place? Hadn’t she ever been to the
‘Compare
it to the rest of the continent, Mac.’
‘That’s
true - but still…hang on,’ Mac stopped reading. ‘It’s here, isn’t it? She camped
right here.’
Chakotay
nodded. ‘I only got to that part of the story this afternoon. I thought the
descriptions sounded familiar. Of course, the hut was newer, then,’ he said,
gesturing to the wooden hut behind them.
‘Don’t
be ridiculous, Chakotay - it was a different hut back then. Same place, though.
What’s the book about?’
‘I
think you’d call it unrequited love. It’s one of Kath’s favourites - I took it
with me when Starfleet arrested me.’
‘Unrequited
love - how sweet,’ said Mac. ‘Ah, I see what you mean. It is possible to be
friends, and just friends, with someone you love. It hurts like hell, but it
can be done. I know - I’ve done it,’ Mac read. ‘I can see why you like this
book. How does it end?’
‘I
haven’t finished it yet.’
‘But Kathryn
told you, didn’t she?’
‘The
main character realises that the romance was all in her head, and felt much
better as a result.’
‘Classic
anti-romance of the early 21st Century,’ said Mac. ‘Those stories
were typical then - especially from women trying to deal with society’s
expectations of marriage and family.’
‘You’ve
studied 21st Century Literature? But you’re a lawyer!’
‘Is
there any rule that says lawyers can’t read books?’
‘I
suppose not. Finished?’
‘I
want to read it. You can cook dinner.’
‘Dinner?’
‘Sun’s
almost set. I’d say that means it’s time to eat.’
‘You’re
staying?’
‘Mm-huh,’
Mac replied, already immersed in the book. Without raising her eyes she
gestured back to the hut. ‘I brought my camping gear. I figured I’d have to
give you one last night out here. There’s a transport out of
‘What’s
the hurry?’
Now
Mac looked up. ‘Don’t get angry again, Chakotay. We’ve had enough of that this
afternoon. Like I said. You need to get back to
‘Fine,’
he said, less than enthused. ‘You enjoy my book. I’ll make dinner.’
‘Kath’s
book,’ said Mac.
* * *
In
spite of Chakotay’s protests, he found himself sitting next to Mac on the 1500
hours atmosphere shuttle between
‘Anne
and Irving have gone back to
Chakotay
leaned back against the headrest and shut his eyes. ‘Please don’t tell me I’m
going to have to work with her this week?’
‘Of
course you are. She’s still the Captain, you’re the first officer. You have to
be able to work together.’
‘This
is what she was worried about,’ he said softly. Mac didn’t answer. Instead she
jumped in with a totally different question.
‘What
are you going to tell Owen Paris?’
‘You’ve
got to give me more than 24 hours!’
‘You’ve
had a week,’ said Mac in frustration. Then she calmed down. ‘Owen will
understand,’ she admitted.
‘Owen
Paris? Admiral Paris will "understand" that I can’t make up my mind
about Starfleet?’
‘He’s
not the boogeyman, Chakotay.’
‘No?
His testimony almost sent me to prison. He does not like me.’
‘Fine,’
said Mac. ‘Don’t go to see him until after Tom and B’Elanna get back from their
honeymoon. Between Roberta, Maddie, and Tom and B’Elanna themselves, they’ll
manage Owen.’
‘B’Elanna
and Tom are on their honeymoon? Where did they go?’
‘So
you are interested in gossip after all?’
‘Mildly,’
said Chakotay, smiling for the first time in at least twelve hours. When he’d
woken up that morning, Mac had already packed up her tent, eaten breakfast, and
was looking at the map, planning their route back to the transport site,
partway down the mountain.’
‘We’ve
got a long way to go, Chakotay,’ she said. Then she held out the padd with
Kathryn’s book on it. ‘Here. I finished it this morning. It’s good - you ought
to finish it.’
‘Thanks
- I intend to.’ He ran a hand through his hair and then stretched. ‘What’s the
rush, Mac?’
‘Like
I said - we’ve got a long way to go, and it’s getting late.’ She looked up from
the map and snapped at him. ‘Wake up, Chakotay. It’s almost 0800.’
Now
he was awake, and he snapped back. ‘Wake up? This goes with "grow
up", does it? Since when did you start giving me orders?’
‘Since
the first day I met you, ‘Kotay - the Quad senior in charge of four raw young
cadets, and three upperclassmen. And one of those cadets was an obstinate,
pig-headed kid from Trebus, determined to outshine everyone at the Academy. Including me. Well, I didn’t let you get the better of me
then, and I don’t intend to now.’
‘I never
bested you?’ asked Chakotay, with an attempt to lighten the mood.
‘Maybe
once or twice,’ said Mac, with a ghost of a smile. ‘But that’s not the point.
Now, look here,’ she returned to the map, ‘we’ve got to get down to the
township by 1400. We’ll go out the way I came in - past Nelse and down Heathy
Spur.’
‘Fine,’
he said, pulling his pack onto the grass and beginning to dismantle his tent.
The
walk out wasn’t as hard as Mac made it sound. He’d walked in along an aqueduct,
past a number of other huts. It had taken him a number of days, but he had
moved slowly. Mac forced the pace, and most of the time, he forced the
conversation away from Starfleet and Kathryn. Unfortunately, until her comment
about Tom and B’Elanna once they were on the shuttle, Starfleet and Kathryn
were the only topics Mac seemed to want to talk about.
‘So,
where did they go?’
‘You
think Tom and B’Elanna were going to tell me?’ Mac laughed. ‘I heard whispers
about Risa, but I honestly have no idea.’
‘They
get back at the end of the week?’
‘Right. Give Owen a couple more days after that…I’ll let
Pete Kelson know that you’re still considering your options.’
‘And
then you’ll lay off me?’
‘I’ll
do my best. Now - the memorial service is set for late next week. Kit will be
coming back from
‘The what?’
‘That’s
what it’s being called - a Starfleet and civilian reception to celebrate the
return of Voyager’s crew from the other side of the Galaxy.’
‘An official function?’
‘Yes.’
‘Dress
uniforms?’
‘I
hope not! I’m looking forward to a chance to get dressed up.’
‘Then
I’m looking forward to it, too.’
‘I
hope you’re looking forward to seeing Kathryn dressed up, not me. I’m your ex,
Chakotay. She’s the one you love now.’
‘I’m
fully aware of that, Mac. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate other
beautiful women.’
‘Okay,
now, that’s getting to be just a little too much. What happened between you
two, anyway?’
‘I
was stupid. That’s all there is to it.’
‘No
it’s not - you gave her a letter at the party, didn’t you?’
He
turned towards her, stunned. Then he recovered. ‘I should have known. You and
Kit and Libby were watching us.’
Mac nodded.
‘Why a letter, why not just talk to her? It’s the best way.’
‘Says the woman who left a note on my console.’
Mac
shrugged in resignation. ‘I’ve learnt since.’
‘It
was hard enough to write it down, Mac. It would have been ten times harder to
say.’
‘Let
me guess - something along the lines of I can’t live without you, freedom won’t
be the same without you by my side?’
Chakotay
grimaced. ‘Saying it like that, it sounds pretty dumb.’
‘And
damn close to emotional blackmail.’
‘Look,
I know I was stupid. Do you have to keep rubbing it in?’
‘Yes.
In my experience men never get anything into their thick heads unless you point
it out to them numerous times. And you are one of the worst I know. Which is proven by the fact that you waited almost ten years for Kathryn.’
‘Well…’
‘Okay,
so "waited" might be a bit strong,’ said Mac, with a glint in her
eye. Seeing Chakotay’s expression, she continued, ‘Ship’s gossip, Chakotay. You
think a certain Bio-med Tech and her friend the Chief Engineer didn’t know what
was going on for ten years? Not to mention Paris and the EMH? He’s quite
knowledgeable, in fact.’
‘
‘No, the EMH. Kit’s got me working on the brass to
get him released as a fellow member of the Voyager crew. I wasn’t sure
until Kit convinced me to ‘visit’ him and have a talk. He’s sentient, all
right. I’m going to get Phillipa on the case.’
‘Nothing like going to the top?’
‘You
got it. If she isn’t careful, Kit will end up as some Admiral’s aide - between
her legal training and her grasp of Fleet politics…well, most of the time,
anyway.’
‘You’ve
lost me now.’
‘Nothing.’
‘Mac,’
he said, warningly. ‘I’ve just poured my heart out to you about Kathryn - the
least you could do is explain your cryptic comments.’
‘I
didn’t want to get into this yet.’
‘Tough.’
‘There
was something wrong with the trial, Chakotay. I don’t know what it was, but it
just didn’t feel right.’
‘You’re
not saying we shouldn’t have won?’
‘Of course not. I meant that it shouldn’t have
happened in the first place. Think about it. We’d been in contact with you for
four years. Why go all legalistic now?’
‘Because we were back. They couldn’t do anything while we
were in the Delta Quadrant.’
‘They
couldn’t do anything then because you had Kathryn Janeway backing you to the
hilt. You still do - that didn’t change when Voyager pulled into
spacedock. And four years is a long time to hold a grudge.’
‘Have
you talked to Kit about this? Or Kathryn?’
‘Kathryn, yes. Not Kit - she’s liable to…well, she’s
still young.’
‘Go
"off her rocker" - to use one of
‘You
couldn’t expect much more from a group of people who’ve been together for ten
years. Kathryn’s nervous. She doesn’t want to push things until everyone is
settled in their new postings.’
‘She
doesn’t want to risk reprisals.’
‘Exactly. Kit isn’t quite as experienced in the politics
and will want to rush right in. Besides, she’s back at home right now. I don’t
want to disturb her.’
‘Fair enough.’ But Chakotay was unsettled by the
possibility that the trial wasn’t quite what it had seemed. Both he and Mac
lapsed into silence for the rest of the trip. It was a pleasant silence,
however, in comparison to some of the silences over the past day.
Chakotay
had changed back into his uniform before boarding the shuttle, in case
Starfleet grabbed him for debriefs as soon as they arrived. He looked down at
the uniform, representing an organisation he had loved, then detested, then
grown to respect. But now he doubted Starfleet, and himself. Did he really want
to stay in Starfleet? Commit himself to an
organisation he didn’t think he could trust? That didn’t trust him?
‘By
the way, Chakotay,’ said Mac as they were about to disembark in
* * *
No
one seemed to be all that certain of just what a Commodore was supposed to do.
Captains, it was clear, commanded ships. Tuvok was slated to command the newest
Enterprise-class Starship. Commanders were first officers, or commanded
non-essential Starbases. B’Elanna was to become Associate Chief Engineer of
Deep Space Nine, with a view to taking the post over entirely from Miles
O’Brien once she had accustomed herself to the work. Kit, also now a full
Commander, was waiting for her appointment to JAG headquarters to be confirmed.
Admirals sat behind desks and decided what everyone else would do, unless they
were Kathryn Janeway, who had been promoted to Admiral anyway. But there didn’t
seem to be a defined role for a Commodore.
It
didn’t help that he hadn’t yet made up his mind about Starfleet. Admiral Kelson
was impatient, but true to Mac’s advice, Owen Paris had loosened up, and
insisted that Chakotay be left alone and given a good chance to think about his
future. Except no one told Gretchen Janeway.
Gretchen
had become a fixture at Headquarters. Even Admiral Kelson’s young aide
recognised her. Chakotay had brought a report in for Admiral Kelson, and was
trying to explain to his aide that no, he did not want to see the Admiral.
‘Is
Pete Kelson giving you a rough time, Chakotay?’ said Gretchen from behind him,
nodding to the aide.
‘No,
Gretchen,’ Chakotay said as he turned around and bent to kiss Gretchen’s cheek.
‘I was just bringing over the last of the crew evaluations. We finally finished
them this morning.’
‘Yes,
I know,’ said Gretchen. ‘My daughter is trying to catch up on her sleep.’
‘So
you knew I’d be here…I’m assuming that’s why you’re here.’
‘I
haven’t seen you since you ran out on your own party.’
‘Not you as well, Gretchen!’
‘What?! I just wanted to catch up with you. Do you have
time for an early lunch?’
‘For you, Gretchen? Of course.’
‘How
did you two go with those evaluations? Kathryn was too tired to tell me.’
‘But
you’re worried about her, aren’t you?’ asked Chakotay as they made their way
out of the building into the beautifully kept grounds.
‘I’m
her mother.’
‘Well,
I know she’s exhausted, but you don’t need to worry about her mental state. We
managed to work together after New Earth, after Kashyk, after Riley. We managed
to work together this last week.’
‘Kashyk?’
asked Gretchen.
‘Hers,’
Chakotay replied shortly. ‘If she hasn’t told you, I’m not going to.’ Gretchen
raised her eyebrows and Chakotay caught the expression. ‘Hey, you do a pretty
good Tuvok.’
Gretchen
shook her head. ‘I like you, Chakotay. You are a fine young man.’
‘I’m
not young.’
‘Don’t
be ridiculous. People live past 120 now - so being in your 50s isn’t even
middle aged.’
‘Whatever you say, Gretchen. I won’t argue with you.’
‘Is
that your approach with Kathryn?’
‘When she’s my Captain, yes. I argue with her plenty the
rest of the time. It’s for her own good, of course.’
‘Of
course,’ said Gretchen. ‘I know what you’re saying. My daughter is stubborn -
but I have the feeling you can be, too.’
‘Once
I make up my mind I stick with it, you mean? I guess that’s fairly true. But I
have to make up my mind, first.’
‘Is
this about whether or not you stay in Starfleet?’
Chakotay
nodded.
‘Do
you want my advice?’
‘If
you’re willing to give it,’ he replied.
Gretchen
grinned. ‘I’m always willing to give advice. But you’ve got to be willing to
share with me.’ They had reached a small café, nestled in the corner of one of
the Headquarters buildings. Here, too, Gretchen was well known, and they were
shown immediately to a vacant table. Gretchen ordered for both of them, and
then they were left in peace. ‘Now, tell me,’ she said, ‘other than your
longstanding problems with Starfleet, what else is influencing your decision?
What’s keeping you here?’
‘Circumstances
have changed in the past ten years. There’s no more Maquis and the Cardassians
have supposedly changed their tune. There’s no one to fight against now.’
‘Do
you have to fight?’
‘I’d
rather not. I’ve always thought of myself as a man of peace.’
‘Then
why not just resign, build yourself a cabin in the wilderness, build a boat and
explore the river.’
Chakotay
studied Gretchen’s face and saw the twinkle in her eye. ‘I tried that once. I
loved that life - but that isn’t possible now.’
Gretchen
smiled by managed to look stern at the same time. ‘Don’t stay in Starfleet
because of Kathryn. It’s not a good idea.’
‘I
won’t deny it’s at the back of my mind,’ he replied, ‘but it’s not why I can’t
just cut my losses and leave. I’ve invested ten years of my life in Starfleet,
even though for six years they didn’t know it. I want to make this work, Gretchen,
but I’m not sure I can trust Starfleet to have the same commitment.’
‘The trial?’
‘You’ve
been talking to Mac, too, haven’t you?’
‘Mac’s
been talking to my daughter, she’s been talking to me.’
‘It’s
all the same thing.’
‘Well,
I can tell you this - you talking to me is not the
same thing as you talking to Kathryn. What do you think?’
‘Oh,
about Mac’s suspicions - I’m scared that she might be right. And that’s why I’m
not sure I can trust Starfleet.’
‘Look
at it this way, Chakotay - and this is all I’m going to say about this today -
if there was something wrong, it’s not with Starfleet as a whole. You were
acquitted by a jury of fellow officers. They wouldn’t have acquitted you, and
surely not as quickly as they did, if this was an all-pervasive conspiracy. If
you feel like giving Starfleet a chance, then do it. There’s nothing to say
you’re locked in for the next five years if you accept whatever assignment Pete
Kelson has got up his sleeve.’
Chakotay
didn’t answer, and soon after the waiter arrived with their lunch.
‘Oh,
good!’ exclaimed Gretchen. ‘I’m hungry. By the way,’ she said, as Chakotay took
a forkful of salad, ‘where would you like to be assigned? If you stay, that
is.’
The
fork stopped halfway to his mouth. ‘Would you believe I haven’t really thought
about it?’
‘Well
- do you want your own ship? A starbase command?
You’re a Commodore now - you’re not going to be a first officer any more.’
‘Do
they let Commodores command ships?’
‘In some circumstances - with special ships, and special people. Jean-Luc
Picard kept the
‘Voyager’s
headed for the scrapheap, I’m sure.’
‘There
are ships other than Voyager.’
‘I
don’t know about that,’ said Chakotay, ‘And I’m not
sure I’m cut out for command. Short term, while the Captain’s on an away
mission or off duty, that’s fine. But full time? That I’m not sure about. And commanding a starbase? I don’t
think so - too much administration and not enough contact with people.’
‘Would
you mind a planetside assignment?’ asked Gretchen. Again Chakotay studied her
expression carefully, but all he could see was innocent curiosity.
‘I
don’t know,’ he said, slowly. ‘I’ve thought about teaching at the Academy
again, if they’ll accept me, but I can’t imagine staying on Earth long-term.
Gorya - that’s my cousin - has his own life, and my friends from Voyager
will soon be scattered all over the quadrant. But if I could be away from
Earth, somewhere interesting, maybe working planetside could be enjoyable.’
Gretchen
nodded slowly. ‘I’m sure it could be.’
‘What’s
Kathryn going to do?’ he asked, hoping to be given some time to eat without
endlessly having to answer Gretchen’s questions.
‘Well,
they’ve made her an Admiral - you knew that, didn’t you?’ Chakotay nodded. ‘I
don’t think she quite knows what she wants to do, and Pete Kelson doesn’t know
what to do with her. She won’t accept an assignment until the rest of the crew
are fixed - and that includes you, Chakotay - and she isn’t your typical
desk-jockey Admiral. She’s not going to be content unless they give her a ship
and let her roam about the quadrant.’ Gretchen stopped to take a bite. ‘And if
she leaves this quadrant by any more than a millimetre, I’ll come chasing after
her this time!’
‘I’m
sure you would,’ said Chakotay. ‘Do you think she might?’
‘I
think the Delta Quadrant suited my girl,’ said Gretchen. ‘She tells me she
works quite well in the midst of bureaucracy, but I think she thrived out there
on her own.’
‘I
think you may be right,’ said Chakotay. ‘In fact, I think that’s true of the
entire crew. We had ten years of being on our own, more or less - now we’ve got
to re-adjust to living under Starfleet’s thumb.’
Gretchen
nodded. ‘I think you’ve hit the nail on the head - but if you realise it,
you’ve got a better hope of dealing with it.’
‘Well,’
Chakotay shrugged, ‘I’ll do my best.’
‘Does
that mean you’ll be telling Owen you’ll stay?’
‘For
now,’ Chakotay said, looking out the window over the expanse of the
Headquarters grounds. ‘For now.’
* * *
In
the week after the Galaxy Ball, with the debriefs over and the month-long
‘leave’ complete, Chakotay reported to Headquarters to help the team analysing
the mountains of data brought back by Voyager. Admiral Paris had
received Chakotay’s decision in the spirit in which it was made, accepting that
it was not final. Admiral Kelson was not quite so accepting, and had initially
offered Chakotay a long-term assignment. The whispers around Headquarters were
that Gretchen Janeway had stormed into Kelson’s office and told the Admiral off
roundly. The assignment had been withdrawn the next day, whether Gretchen had
been involved or not. Kelson’s aide had caught up with Chakotay after the
Memorial, and told him to join the analysis team while Kelson tried to come up
with a suitable assignment. Chakotay knew from speaking to others that Seven, accepted by Starfleet as Lieutenant Seven Hansen,
would be a long-term part of the team. Her knowledge would be invaluable to
Starfleet, and Seven herself was possibly glad to have
a break from her new family.
The
team had been given a full floor of the Sulu building in which to work, and
Chakotay grinned as he saw the large holo-image of his sponsor’s grandfather in
the foyer. It really was quite bad, compared to the smaller images Hiromi had
shown him years ago. How dreadful to be immortalised in a bad holo-image, he
thought, though Chakotay supposed it had happened many times before.
The
third floor, home to the analysis team, was a flurry of activity. This was the
first day the Voyager personnel were supposed to be present, but the
rest of the team had been working for more than two months, ever since the ship
had arrived in space dock. As soon as Chakotay stepped out of the lift, he was
approached by a young ensign.
‘Commodore
- we’re glad you’re here. I’m Ensign Louda. I’ll be acting as your aide while
you’re here.’
‘Nice to meet you, Ensign Louda. Now - do you
know what I’m supposed to be doing?’
‘We’ll
be working with the Systems analysis team for now, sir. But Captain Tuvok asked
if you would go and see him as soon as you arrived.’
‘Is
that all right with you?’ asked Chakotay.
‘You’re
the Commodore, sir,’ said Louda, with a cheeky smile.
‘Then
where would I find Captain Tuvok?’
‘He’s
working with Tactical,’ said Louda, leading Chakotay down a corridor. ‘Just in
here, sir.’
Chakotay
entered the large lab, Louda waiting outside in the corridor, nodding and
chatting to those passing through. Chakotay had the uncomfortable sensation
that Louda was basking in the reflected glory of her celebrity charge - him.
‘Commodore.’ Tuvok was walking towards him from
the other end of the lab.
‘Tuvok
- I really didn’t expect you to be here.’
‘I was
originally told I would be teaching at the Academy until my new ship is
completed, but apparently I can be of help here.’
‘I’m
sure you can. My enthusiastic aide said you wanted to speak to me.’
‘I
merely wished to let you know that I was here. I heard that your assignment was
held up and that you would be on the analysis team.’
‘You
aren’t able to get used to being away from Voyager either, are you?’
‘I
have naturally been gratified to be back with my family, but yes, I will admit
that, even though at times it was less than comfortable for me, I do miss that
closeness.’
‘Not
as many late-night Kal Toh games with Harry Kim, huh?’
‘That
is regrettable,’ replied Tuvok. ‘He had improved significantly, too.’
Chakotay
noticed that Louda was looking into the lab impatiently. ‘It looks like I’d
better get moving, Tuvok.’
‘There
is something you ought to be aware of, Commodore.’
‘Yes?’
Chakotay turned as he had been on his way out the door.
‘The
Captain will be working with the team from time to time.’
‘Thank you for letting me know, Tuvok,’ he said without a
pause. ‘I appreciate it.’ He nodded at Tuvok, who returned the gesture, then
joined Louda in the corridor. ‘Well, where to now?’ he asked, with a
lightheartedness he did not feel.
‘Systems analysis. This way, sir.’
‘Tell
me, Louda, how did you get this assignment?’
‘Luck,
I guess.’
‘Luck? Following an out-of-touch Commodore around trying
to knock some sense into him?’
Louda
laughed. ‘Look at it this way, Commodore. This may be my only chance to order a
superior officer around.’
Chakotay
grinned back at her. ‘Well, order away, Ensign Louda.’
As
Louda led him around a corner, Chakotay looked back towards Tuvok’s lab. A
large group of officers was entering, but Chakotay thought he saw a short woman
with dull red hair at the heart of the group.
This
was not going to be easy.
‘Commodore
- I haven’t seen you for a while,’ said a voice from the doorway of Chakotay’s
new office. Chakotay didn’t even need to look up to know who stood there. Even
if he hadn’t recognised the voice immediately, Ensign Louda’s reaction - she
had stopped in the middle of the room and only just held on to the pile of
padds she had been bringing him - would have been a good indication. After a
pause, she suddenly collected her thoughts and snapped to attention.
‘At
ease, Ensign,’ said the newcomer
Chakotay
stood up. ‘Ensign,’ he said to Louda, ‘I’m sure you recognise Admiral Kathryn
Janeway. Admiral, this is Ensign Beci Louda, my new aide.’
‘You
must be pleased to have someone to hand the admin off to,’ said Kathryn,
smiling at the Ensign.
‘After
ten years of doing all your unwanted administration work, I think I’m entitled
to an aide of my own.’
‘You’re
probably right. Well, Ensign, what do you think of working for the Commodore?’
Louda
seemed to have lost all ability to speak.
‘It’s
possibly too soon to say, Admiral,’ said Chakotay. ‘We’ve only been working for
about four hours.’
‘In
that case, could you use a break, Chakotay? I’m heading out for a coffee and
I’d like to have a word with you.’
‘That’s
fine with me. Take a break, Louda. Go and catch up with your friends - tell
them you’ve met the great Admiral Janeway.’
‘Aye,
sir,’ said Louda, beginning to regain her composure. She put the padds down on
a table and left the room, looking at Janeway in amazement as she edged past
her.
‘I
think she’s got a crush on you, Kathryn,’ Chakotay said.
‘Impossible,’
she replied. ‘It’s more likely she has one on you. Young Ensign, handsome
senior officer.’
‘I
don’t think so. Her favourite name for me appears to be Commodore Daffy.’
‘Daffiness
is all the more appealing to some women.’
‘What
did you want to see me about, Kathryn? Or did you really just want to check out
my aide?’
‘We
don’t talk business until I have my coffee. There’s a nice café just around the
corner.’
‘The one in the Janeway building? How appropriate.’
Kathryn
laughed. ‘It’s named for my father. I had no idea it was even there - it’s
fairly new.’
‘But
I’m guessing it was your mother who decided there ought to be a café in it.’
‘Ask
her, not me.’
Chakotay
was trying hard to keep the conversation light, but he found it more demanding
than any of the work Louda had found for him during the morning. After his last
encounter with Kathryn at the Ball, he really didn’t know how to approach this
‘talk’ she wanted to have. He decided it would be better to wait for her to
start.
When
they sat down at an outdoor table to enjoy the mild weather, Kathryn had the
largest mug of coffee the little café could find, while Chakotay had a more
moderate serving.
‘Almost
three months and I still can’t get used to having coffee whenever I want it,’
said Kathryn, relishing the first sip. ‘Okay - now we can talk. I know you
haven’t been assigned yet. I know I’ve told Pete Kelson that I won’t formally
accept assignment until everyone else is settled, but I haven’t had the
slightest inkling of an assignment. Kit’s having trouble, Tom’s finally been
sorted out, and Tuvok has been reassigned three
times.’
‘Three times? He didn’t tell me that! All he said
was that his new ship wasn’t ready yet.’
‘That’s
because they keep changing which ship he’s going to get. Then there’s all the
trouble with the Doc. I don’t like this, Chakotay.’
‘Well,
you’re not the only one. Oh, I have no problem with working on the analysis
team, but I don’t want to be here forever. Do you think Admiral Kelson is
behind this?’
‘No,
I don’t - because Kit’s trouble has nothing to do with him. Owen Paris was able
to weigh in for Tom, and if it was just a matter of Pete Kelson, he could have
done that for all of us.’
‘True,’
said Chakotay. ‘Owen’s already pulled a few strings for me.’
‘I
have the feeling that someone is pulling even harder from the other side.’
‘That’s
the same sort of thing Mac told me.’
‘Yes,
she said she’d had to drag you back from
‘Well,
I wasn’t planning to stay there indefinitely. But yes, I suppose I came back
earlier because she forced me into
‘So
what is your history with Mac? How come you never told me about her?’
‘I
don’t know - it was years ago, and after I left Starfleet I never expected to
see her again. Then she turns up as the officer in command of JAG and I almost
fell through the floor.’
‘That’s
the why, Chakotay, but not the what. Come on.’
‘When
she turned up at my campsite in the High Country, she called herself my ‘ex’.
We were pretty serious there for a while. She was my Quad senior my first year
at the Academy.’
‘What
is it with Quad seniors?’ Kathryn interrupted. ‘Mac was yours, Kit was
Harry’s…’
‘Well,
‘It
wasn’t a question in my case,’ said Kathryn. ‘I was too busy studying.’
‘Besides,’
said Chakotay, as Kathryn trailed off, ‘there was Cheb, wasn’t there?’
‘You’ve
got a good memory,’ said Kathryn, surprised. ‘But go on about you and Mac.’
‘Well,
nothing happened while we were in the same Quad. Protocol, you know,’ said
Chakotay lightly. ‘Later, after Sveta had left the Academy, well, things grew
from there. For a few years we were almost inseparable. Gorya, my cousin, still
remembers her and considers her part of the family.’ Chakotay shook his head.
‘He told Mac where I’d gone, after I’d told him not to tell anyone.’
‘It
sounds to me like your cousin Gorya would get along well with my mother.’
‘No,
don’t inflict your mother on poor Gorya. She bailed me up a week or so ago -
I’m still recovering.’
Kathryn
shared his smile. ‘You can see where I got my tenacity, then.’
‘Certainly. But, Kathryn,’ he said, careful not to call her
"Kath" when the balance was so delicate, ‘what are we going to do
about these suspicions?’
‘Nothing yet. We can’t - not until we know more.’
‘How
are we going to do that?’
‘I
honestly have no idea. You and I and Tuvok and Seven are all here, but most of
the others are in all parts of the Quadrant, or will be soon enough. I’ll keep
in touch - maybe we’ll come up with something.’
‘I
hope so. Kathryn - I really want to trust Starfleet enough to stay on. But it’s
not looking good at the moment.’
‘I
know, Chakotay.’
* * *
‘Permission to speak freely, sir?’
‘We’ve
been working together for almost two weeks now, Beci. You ought to know by now
- if I’m in a good mood, you can assume you have permission.’
‘Thank
you sir - are you in a good mood, sir?’
‘Beci,
you are incorrigible.’ Particularly as he always had the
feeling that she wanted to say ‘Chief’ instead of ‘sir.’ And he had the
feeling he wouldn’t mind as much if that name came from her rather than from a
certain irritating omnipotent.
Beci
smiled at the backhanded compliment, as he had known she would. ‘You two should
never have broken up.’
He
wasn’t expecting that. Kathryn had just left the Systems lab after he’d called
her in to confirm some data he was less than familiar with. It turned out to be
some early data collected while he had been on the ex-Borg colony with Riley.
While neither of them had particularly wanted to remember that, he had been
able to see that Kathryn was finding it very hard to rein in her temper - whether
against the long-gone Riley or against him, he wasn’t sure. He hadn’t thought
that she would hold a grudge this long, but possibly in the wake of the trial
and his stupidity, she was finding it easier to drag up old transgressions to
fume over.
In
the end Kathryn had completely frozen up, talking to Louda instead of to
Chakotay, and then rushed out of the lab without any of the usual pleasantries
for which she was known throughout the analysis team. Leaving the analysts to
complete their work, Chakotay and Louda had gone back to the office to continue
sorting though old reports and write new ones. They were barely inside the door
when Louda had made her comment.
‘Is
that so, Ensign?’ said Chakotay.
‘I
overstepped the mark, didn’t I, Commodore?’
Louda’s
sudden formality pulled Chakotay up short. ‘Sorry, Louda,’ he said. ‘I guess
that wasn’t quite what I was expecting you to say. Go on.’
‘It
was your fault, wasn’t it, sir?’
‘Where
did you get that from?’
‘Rumour
around HQ, sir, is that you broke it off with her when you were arrested.
Rumour also is, in doing so, you broke her heart.’
‘And
what do you think, Louda?’
‘Well,
I guess I can see why you did it - but if you did that to me, I’d never forgive
you.’
‘Thanks
for your candour, Ensign. I hope she doesn’t feel the same way.’
‘She’d
be dumb to stay mad at you for too long.’
‘Well,
what would you do in her position?’
‘I
don’t know.’ Louda leaned against the window, looking out of it. ‘I think I’d be wanting a bit of space first, to let me get over it. Then
later, once I was almost ready to forgive you, then I’d want the romantic
gestures - flowers, chocolates, chocolate covered coffee beans. But I’d keep it
gentle, sir.’
‘I’ll
keep that in mind. You do realise the Admiral thinks you have a crush on me,
don’t you?’
‘There,
that proves it, sir!’
‘Proves
what?’
‘She
wouldn’t think that I could have a crush on you if she didn’t like you herself.
It’s classic jealousy.’
‘Were
you a psychology major, Ensign?’
‘No
sir. My major was navigation and systems. Psychology was my minor.’
‘Well,
I told the Admiral that you had a crush on her. What does that say about me?’
‘That
you are relatively perceptive, sir,’ said Louda politely. ‘But it’s not so much
of a crush as simply hero-worship. I had just begun at the Academy when word
came out that the Pathfinder project had finally made contact with you. The
Admiral had always been a hero of mine, but then we started getting bi-monthly
reports of what was happening. No one could quite believe it.’
‘You
did a field placement with Pathfinder, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, sir. You’ve been reading my file.’
‘All
good commanding officers should, Ensign.’
‘My
second year field placement was with the Pathfinder project. It was cut short
when the project was taken over, but I loved every minute of it.’
‘And
now you lose your voice every time Admiral Janeway enters the room.’
‘I’m
getting better, sir. It comes back after five minutes, now.’
‘Another
few weeks, and you’ll be able to have a real conversation with her. Now, Ensign
Psychology Minor…,’ Louda giggled at that, ‘…do you have any idea how long the
Admiral will want to be given space?’
‘No
idea at all,’ said Louda. ‘But if you want to, I’ll keep an eye on her and let
you know.’
For a
moment her offer was tempting. But slowly he shook his head. ‘I can’t ask you
to do that, Louda.’
She
regarded him thoughtfully. ‘No, I didn’t think you could.’ She smiled. ‘Now,
sir, let’s get back to those reports. Admiral Novap will come looking for them
if they aren’t filed by the end of the day.’
‘Spirits
forbid!’ replied Chakotay. ‘All right, lead on, Louda.’
In
the back of his mind was the fact that she had never actually denied that she
had a crush on him.
* * *
After
three weeks in the analysis team, even with the mischievous influence of Beci
Louda, Chakotay was almost desperate to get away from Earth. Between Admiral
Kelson, Admiral Novap and the ever-present Admiral Janeway, Chakotay was
suffering from having too many superior officers. Janeway he could tolerate -
he was used to her and how she worked. And he knew how to stand up to her where
work was concerned. But Kelson and Novap were entirely different. Beci Louda,
showing a protective side along with her mischief, had taken to running
interference for him, delivering reports and screening messages for him.
Admiral Novap, who was in overall charge of the analysis team, was a hands-on
supervisor. He roamed the halls of Sulu, poking his nose into the various labs
and chasing after team leaders for incomplete reports. The gossip was, Louda
had informed Chakotay, that Novap was hoping to be
promoted to the Executive ranks of Starfleet on the strength of his work with
the analysis team. Louda had also said, derisively, that Novap had the same
chance of promotion as a Breen had of surviving the Bajoran firecaves. But that
didn’t prevent Novap from keeping a chokingly tight hand on the reins.
So
when Kelson called Chakotay into his office on the Friday afternoon, Chakotay
was hoping that a suitable assignment had finally come through.
‘Chakotay!’
said Kelson, heartily, as Chakotay was shown into his office. ‘Take a seat.
How’s life treating you?’
‘Well,
thank you, Admiral,’ replied Chakotay, inwardly uneasy and surprised by
Kelson’s friendliness.
‘Adjusting
all right to being back in Starfleet?’
‘I
believe so, sir.’
‘Nothing
in the question, Chakotay,’ said Kelson. ‘Novap has given me some outstanding
reports on you…ten years in the Delta Quadrant has done you a world of good, if
you don’t mind my saying so.’
Chakotay
gritted his teeth. ‘Not at all, Admiral.’
‘Well,
it seems we may just have something for you, Chakotay. Tell me, what do you
know about the Inged System? By the way, would you like some tea?’
‘Thank
you,’ said Chakotay. ‘The Inged System? It was one of
the disputed territories before the signing of the treaty of Tukon. Two M-class
planets, less Maquis influence than a lot of the DMZ colonies, mostly because
of a strongly pro-Federation government. After the treaty was signed, a party of Cardassian colonists were fought off by the
existing colonists, who had refused aid offered by the Maquis. The colonists
reached an agreement with the Cardassians whereby the Federation colonists
retained Inged II, where they had all been living, and the Cardassians
colonised the other m-class planet in the system, Inged IV, which had been
visited but not populated. Generally the communities on each planet ignored the
other, and to a certain extent, ignored their ‘home’ governments as well. The
ex-Federation colony, in any case, was declared utterly independent when the
treaty was signed. We always assumed that something similar happened with
Cardassia Prime, as there was never any real trouble.’
Kelson
nodded. ‘Yes, that’s about where things were when you left the quadrant. But
it’s been ten years since then, and Inged has changed quite a bit.’
‘Were
there problems with the Cardassian homeworld?’ asked Chakotay.
‘Not
as such,’ said Kelson. ‘Inged was one of those places the Federation and
Starfleet held up as an anti-Maquis example; they managed to live in peace with
the Cardassians so why couldn’t everyone else? What we didn’t realise at the
time was that the Cardassians on Inged IV were not your typical Cardassians,
which was probably the only reason the planet-sharing concept worked. But not
being typical Cardassians, their ties to the homeworld were tenuous, and they
resisted the Cardassian-Dominion alliance.’
‘So
when the Dominion came in to wipe out Inged II, they wiped out Inged IV as
well,’ said Chakotay.
‘Exactly,’
said Kelson. ‘The few survivors fled, and the Dominion found that while the
extra territory was nice, they didn’t really need Inged for anything. So it was
pretty well abandoned. Since the overthrow of the Dominion, all our work has
been put into the homeworld and the major colonies. Now we want to revitalise
Inged.’
‘Have
the border disputes been resolved, sir?’ asked Chakotay.
‘To
some extent they have,’ replied Kelson, ‘and as far as Inged is concerned, yes.
Relations between Cardassia Prime and the Federation have improved
significantly since the end of the Dominion War. That’s why Alynna insisted
your trial go ahead - the relations might be good, but they’re not what you
could call solid yet. But what we have been able to agree is that Inged will
operate as a joint colony. The Federation command team will be stationed on
Inged II, with a significant liaison group from the Cardassian team. And
naturally there will be a liaison group on Inged VI with their command team.
Once the planets are ready for the colonists to return, we are hoping that the
two planets will have mixed populations.’
‘It
all sounds a bit ambitious to me, sir.’
‘Ambitious,
yes, but we think it’s doable. Neither team will have a military focus - you’ll
have the science vessel Marajone at your disposal, and a team of
anthropologists as well as agriculturalists and infrastructure specialists.’
‘Me, sir?’
‘Yes,’
said Kelson. ‘You’ll be commanding the team on Inged II.’ Kelson spoke as
thought that had been obvious all along. When Chakotay thought about it, maybe
it had been. But still…
‘I’m
sorry to question you, sir, but you’re assigning me to a post where I’ll have
to liase with the Cardassian Central Command? Sir, I thought I was a war
criminal to them.’
‘The
Central Command no longer exists, Chakotay. I know this is not the sort of
assignment you were expecting. But we’ve thought about this, and we think it
would suit you. Here,’ said Kelson, handing him a padd. ‘Read up on Inged and
the changes on Cardassia. The mission briefing is there, too. Talk to Owen Paris and Gretchen Janeway. You don’t have to
decide today,’ he finished.
‘But
you’d like my answer by the end of the weekend, right?’ asked Chakotay. ‘What
does Gretchen Janeway have to do with this?’
‘She’s
one of the people who suggested you for this assignment.’
‘I
should have known.’ Chakotay sat staring at the deactivated padd in his hands.
‘All right, Admiral. I’ll take this under advisement,’ Both men grinned at the
bureaucratic phrase, ‘And I’ll get back to you in the
next day or so.’ He stood up.
‘All we
ask is that you give this your full consideration,’ said Kelson.
Chakotay
nodded and left the room. Outside the sun was shining, and it was a beautifully
mild day. But Chakotay wasn’t in the mood to take much notice. He activated his
commbadge. ‘Chakotay to Louda?’
‘Louda here, sir.’
‘All
right if I take the rest of the day off, Ensign?’ he asked, keeping his tone
light.
‘Nothing
I can’t handle. What did Admiral Kelson have to say?’
‘I’ll
fill you in later. Work hard,’ he finished, trying to sound paternal.
‘I’ll
have to do twice as much now,’ Louda joked back.
‘See
that you do. Chakotay out,’ he laughed.
He
activated the padd Kelson had given him and began to scroll though the contents
slowly as he wandered through the grounds of Headquarters. In a large square
outside the Administration building, bordered on one side by the monorail
station and on the other by Starfleet Medical’s
Chakotay
wasn’t yet at the point of wandering into the fountain, never to be seen again,
but as he was reading the material Kelson had given him, he purposely avoided
the explanation of Cardassian governance, in case it provoked him into
something similarly foolish. Instead, he studied the written mission briefing.
He…the mission commander, Chakotay corrected himself… would have, in addition
to the Marajone and a skeleton crew for her, teams of civilian and
Starfleet land rehabilitation specialists and a number of anthropologists and
archaeologists. Chakotay was puzzled by this until he read the explanation.
…while
the witnesses to the Dominion action on Inged are mostly dead or reluctant to
speak, Starfleet is committed to discovering how the original settlement on
Inged II functioned, and how the settlement was taken over by the Dominion. To
this end, the three mission goals, 1) to rebuild the infrastructure and quality
of the land, with a view to recolonising along the lines of the Inged
Agreement; 2) through the Inged Agreement, to further Federation/Cardassian
Reconciliation, and 3) the ongoing investigation, are all equal and should
not be re-prioritiesed.
Reconciliation
- interesting word, mused Chakotay. Was it possible to ‘reconcile’ with
Cardassians? The people whom you held responsible for the death of your family,
the people you’d given up your career to fight? The brief went on to talk about
the Cardassian liaison. It was as extensive a liaison program as Kelson had
said. The goal of the Inged project was to have two fully-integrated, fully
active colonies. Models of what Starfleet were calling ‘reconciliation’. Cardassians and Federation members living side by side, without
killing each other.
If it
worked, an achievement like that had to be worth something, right?
He
flipped the padd display to the Cardassian governance file. The first section
listed the projected Cardassian liaison team to Inged II. Most of the names
were followed by a list of positions in the civil service section of the
Cardassian government - they were relatively young, and seemed to have risen
through the government in the five years or so since the overthrow of the
Dominion. The rest of the document explained, or rather tried to explain, the
new system in place in Cardassia. The old system had been complicated enough,
thought Chakotay, but this one was even more confusing. The replacement for the
Cardassian Military was an organisation military enough to satisfy the
Federation, but civilian enough to placate the Cardassian public, who, between
two invasions and a previous government that had been little short of a
dictatorship, wanted peace, and were willing to have a less than militaristic
defence force in order to be more certain of peace. But Starfleet was obviously
having trouble coping with the concept.
Chakotay,
on the other hand, was beginning to feel more accepting of the assignment.
Reading between the lines, he guessed that the new Cardassian Civil Defence Force
was formed mostly from members of the resistance movement that grew up during
the Dominion Occupation. They had worked closely with members of the old
Bajoran resistance. His kind of people.
Chakotay
stared across the water. He listened to the splash of water from the fountain
on the surface of the pond. He closed his eyes and just listened. And thought. Could he do it?
And
then he remembered a saying Tuvok had told him. It was an old Vulcan saying,
but Chakotay had the feeling that it had been more to do with Earth history
than Vulcan history, which had confused him even more. Something
about the most unlikely emissaries being exactly right for the job. Prejudices being preferable to absolute objectivity, maybe.
Someone who is so adamantly opposed to what is happening that they won’t let a
defect in the process occur. If that was so - wasn’t he the best possible
person for the job?
Chakotay
did something he didn’t tend to do all that often. He made a list. He opened a
new text file on the padd, and listed the pros and cons of taking the Inged
mission command. He looked at it for a long time.
And
then he made up his mind.
‘You
look about as bad as I feel, Commodore,’ said a voice from the door of the
nearby Starfleet Medical building.
‘Kit!
How are you? Obviously not too good.’
‘Oh,
I’m all right,’ she said. ‘At least, I’ll manage. How about
you?’
‘I
survived the Delta Quadrant, didn’t I?’
‘That bad?’ Kit sat down beside him.
‘Not
really. I was given my assignment today - making nice with Cardassians.’
‘Ouch.
That explains the expression on your face.’ She gave him a sidelong glance. ‘I
don’t mean to pressure you, but are there any plans to make nice with the
Captain?’
‘Captain
Tuvok?’
Kit
grimaced, then chuckled. ‘All right, I meant the
Admiral. Janeway, Kathryn M.’
‘Oh, her.’ Chakotay stared at the fountain.
‘Well?’
asked Kit.
‘What
was the question?’
Kit
laughed and punched Chakotay lightly on the arm. ‘You do know how to cheer
someone up, don’t you?’
‘I do
my best, Lieutenant - sorry, Commander.’
Kit
smiled. ‘So are you going to answer my question?’
‘Have
you met Ensign Beci Louda?’
‘I
don’t think so,’ said Kit.
‘She’s
my new aide. Cheeky brat. Kathryn thinks she has a
crush on me. Ensign Louda thinks that Kathryn is jealous.’
‘Oh,
does she?’ said Kit, beginning to grin.
‘She
says that Kathryn needs space from me. Eventually, I can start sending her
flowers and chocolate covered coffee beans again.’
Kit
was nodding. ‘This Ensign Louda might be a cheeky brat, but she sounds like a
smart cheeky brat.’
‘Maybe
I should see if she has a sister on the
Kit’s
smile immediately disappeared.
‘Oh,
I’m sorry, Kit. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.’
‘Don’t
worry.’ She sighed heavily, then smiled as though her
life depended on it. ‘It was partially my fault anyway.’
‘With
all the stress you’ve been under? Who could blame you?’
‘And
you didn’t blame Kathryn? Come on, Chakotay. Let’s both admit it. Neither of
our lives are going all that well at the moment.
Cardassians, doctors…’
‘Well,
let’s look on the bright side, then, Kit. You may just have a chance to get one
particular doctor out of prison, which sounds like lawyering to me.’
‘And
you have a chance to make peace with your greatest enemy - which sounds pretty
good to me.’
‘How
did you know I was going to take that assignment?’
‘I
know you pretty well after ten years, Chakotay. Not as well as Kathryn, maybe
not as well as Mac, but I know you pretty well. Besides, there’s a Klingon
saying ‘Lana once told me - only Kirk could extend peace to the Klingons. Maybe
it’s the same here.’
Chakotay
was puzzled. ‘Tuvok told me something similar once - but it was an old Vulcan
saying, about Earth.’
‘"Only
Nixon could go to
Chakotay
nodded.
‘Same
sort of thing,’ said Kit. ‘Well, if you’ve made your decision, I’m sure Pete
Kelson wants to know.’
‘I
guess I’d better go tell him, then.’
Kit
stood up. ‘I’d better get back. To my "lawyering".’
She went back up the steps of the Starfleet Medical building. Just before she
went through the doors, Chakotay called out.
‘Good
luck, Kit.’
‘You
too,’ she replied. ‘Oh, and the chocolate covered coffee beans are a great
idea.’
He
watched her, then instead of heading back into the Admin building, walked
purposefully towards the Sulu building. He knew that Louda would have taken
over his office for the afternoon, so he went straight there rather than
looking around Sulu for her.
‘Two
questions, Beci,’ he said, as soon as he walked in the door. Louda barely had
time to look up from Chakotay’s desk before he plowed on. ‘Firstly - this ‘give
Kathryn space’ idea. Would accepting an assignment to the old DMZ be giving her
too much space?’
Louda
considered. ‘Is there a decent comm system between here and there?’
‘Yes,
and part of the mission is to improve it.’
‘How
long would you be committed for?’
‘Minimum
of six months,’ said Chakotay. ‘After that, as long or as short a time as I
want.’
‘What’s
the travel time?’
‘One
week. And Risa is pretty much smack in the middle of Earth and Inged.’
‘Inged?’
asked Louda, then shook her head. ‘Never
mind. Well, I think it sounds all right. But I expect you to keep in
touch.’
‘Don’t
worry, I intend to write to Kathryn while I’m gone. We
are still friends after all.’
‘What
about me?’ asked Louda, looking hurt.
‘That’s
my second question,’ said Chakotay. ‘How do you feel about becoming the
second-string navigator on the Marajone, and counsellor and commanding
officer’s aide on Inged II?’
‘Who’s
the commanding officer?’ asked Louda, deadpan.
‘I
am,’ said Chakotay, in much the same manner of surprise Admiral Kelson had used
earlier. Except he knew Louda was joking.
‘How
much time do I have to pack?’ asked Louda.
* * *
There
was a substantial crowd at the transporter site, especially considering the
short notice of the Marajone’s departure. Chakotay and Louda, the last
two members of the team to be added, had been given four days to prepare. As
well as packing belongings and informing friends and family, their preparation
had also involved a day-long briefing. In the end, most of the farewells had to
be done either by comm or in the last few minutes before the beamed up.
‘All
the best, Mr Chakotay!’ said Neelix, giving Chakotay a crushing handshake.
‘You too, Neelix. Let me know how you’re doing.’
‘Don’t
worry about me,’ said Neelix. ‘Things are much better now.’
‘Good.
I hope they stay that way.’
‘Tom
and B’Elanna send you all their love,’ said Owen Paris.
‘They
also expect you to drop in for a visit within the month,’ added Roberta.
‘I’ll
do that,’ said Chakotay. ‘I don’t dare risk B’Elanna’s anger.’
‘Good
idea,’ said Owen.
‘Poor
thing,’ said Gretchen, patting Owen on the back. ‘He’s obviously had some
experience. Now, you,’ she turned to Chakotay. ‘Look after yourself.’
She
hugged him, and he whispered to her, ‘Take care of her.’
‘I
will,’ she replied. Letting him go, Gretchen summoned Louda. ‘Ensign!’
She took Louda aside. Watching them warily, Chakotay noticed both their faces
light up with mischief. He didn’t want to know what they were planning.
‘Take
care of yourself, Chakotay,’ said Kit, turning his
attention away from the conspirators.
‘Don’t
let ‘em get you down, Kit. You’re strong - make sure
everyone knows it.’ He leaned down to hug her. ‘Keep in touch.’
‘I
will. I may just need your advice one of these days.’
‘Between
you and Beci Louda, you’ll turn me into a wise old sage handing out fatherly
advice.’
‘I’ve
got news for you, Chakotay,’ said Kit, kissing him on the cheek. ‘You already
are. Blessings go with you,’ she finished simply, and moved aside for Tuvok.
‘And the Spirits with you, Kit.’
‘Commodore,’
Tuvok began, then stopped. ‘Chakotay.
I find that over these many years I have come to regard you as a close friend,
and although it is somewhat illogical, I deeply regret this parting.’
Chakotay
became similarly solemn. ‘I honestly found it hard to understand Kathryn’s
friendship with you for a long time. But, as you know, I now value your counsel
highly, friend. I hope that it will still be available to me at the other end
of a subspace transmission.’
‘I
will do my best. Live long, and prosper, Chakotay.’
Chakotay
returned the salute, and then was astonished to see Tuvok reach out and clasp
his shoulder. Chakotay reached up and covered the Vulcan’s hand with his own.
‘Thank you, Tuvok.’
Tuvok
nodded slowly, then stepped away.
‘You’ve
made the right decision, Chakotay,’ said Mac, putting a hand on his other
shoulder. ‘Are you glad I came and dragged you out of the wilderness?’
‘Partially,’
said Chakotay. ‘But the High Country is still on the list for my next leave. I
didn’t get to see anywhere near as much of it as I would have liked to.’
‘I
have a feeling you’ll be going somewhere far more interesting on your next
leave,’ said Mac. ‘Somewhere where hiking is not the main form of
transportation and bathtubs actually exist.’
Chakotay
grinned. He couldn’t help it. He hugged Mac and then realised there was only
one person left to speak to him.
‘Kathryn,’
he said. He honestly didn’t know how to do this.
She
was smiling. ‘You’ll love it, Chakotay,’ she said. ‘You’ll be back in command
again, after ten years of having to buckle under to me. You’ll love it.’
‘Who
are you trying to convince?’ he asked.
‘Maybe
both of us,’ she said, her reply as soft as his question had been.
‘Commodore!’
called Ensign Louda. ‘We’ve got to beam up, now.’
‘All
right, Chief,’ he called back to her.
He
hugged Kathryn, a hug no different than the one he had given her mother. She
kissed him on the cheek, a kiss no different than the one he had received from
Kit. As he pulled away, they clasped hands. ‘Goodbye, Kathryn.’
She
nodded.
It
might have been wishful thinking, but he was sure he saw a single tear slip
down her cheek as the transporter effect took hold.
‘All
of a sudden, Beci,’ he said to his aide when they materialised on the Marajone,
‘I’m not so sure that giving Kathryn space is what I ought to be doing.’
‘Trust
me, sir,’ Louda replied. ‘Trust me.’
The Returning Saga continues in Alienation
This
was written long before TPTB threw us a curve ball (in Friendship One, I think)
and created a sister for Chakotay. Until then, it was well known that the ONLY
relative Chakotay had was "a cousin in
There
are a lot of people/organisations who have no idea they have a part in this
story but who ought to be thanked. Some of them are:- Fr Andrew M Greeley, for
the writing style and approach; the athletes of the 2000 Olympic Games for many
of the proper nouns; and Hudson's Coffeehouse (Collins Street Branch), where
some of the best scenes were written in my lunch hours.