Disclaimer: Paramount/CBS owns all things Star Trek Voyager. I just take them out to play with them.

Author's notes: This story was inspired by a beautiful photo manipulation created by kathiegotagun. It depicted Captain Janeway as a Knight. Thank you so much for letting me borrow it.

Thanks to QS who despite her crazy schedule still managed to beta for me!

This story takes place after the 7th season episode Repression and makes the rest of that season slightly AU. We don't meet Q2 in this story, but we hear about him and his antics now instead of during the episode Q2.

Captain's Crusade by Cheshire

"Kathy! Wake up!"

Janeway shot up to a sitting position throwing her covers off and reaching for the phaser she kept in her bedside table drawer. "Janeway to Security!"

"Oh, please, Kathy. When will you learn? Now come on, I need you awake."

In a flash of light, Kathryn Janeway found herself sitting on her couch, wearing her uniform, and holding a cup of coffee.

"Q!" She slammed the mug down on the table. "What the hell do you want?"

"Oh do pipe down, Kathy." Q paced in front of her. "I need your help, and your posturing isn't helping the situation."

Clenching her fist, Kathryn took a deep breath to try and regain some semblance of her equilibrium "Q. Why are you here?"

"He's done it again, and if I don't correct the situation before the Continuum finds out, well, it won't be pretty. And since you're his godmother, I assumed you'd be interested in helping me out." Q threw his hands up in the air. "Now are you going to help me or not?"

"What the hell are you talking about Q? Who's done what?" Janeway asked.

"Your godson, of course. Have you forgotten him already? And, what does it matter what he's done? I have to undo it, but I'm going to need your help. You and a few of your people." Q stopped his pacing and glanced around her quarters. "Where are your people?"

Before Janeway could even begin to form an answer, Q snapped his fingers, and the entire senior staff appeared in her quarters. B'Elanna squawked in alarm and disappeared into Kathryn's bedroom before anyone else realized what had happened. Both wearing only boxers, Tom and Chakotay exchanged awkward glances at each other. Janeway put her hand to her forehead. Chakotay had probably been sleeping in his boxers, but considering the brief glimpse she'd caught of B'Elanna's bare backside, the captain assumed the newlyweds had been about to engage in other activities. Tuvok looked unperturbed in his meditation robes, and Harry considered himself lucky that he'd been on duty. Seven wore her customary attire and a look of interest having never before dealt with Q directly.

"Oh, it's you again," the Doctor's acerbic voice expressed everyone's opinions clearly.

"Q!" Janeway snapped in the most authoritative voice she could muster.

His head came up to look around at the gathered crew. His lip curled up, "Eww, look at all that flesh."

He snapped his fingers again, and everyone reappeared in uniform. A snarl could be heard coming from the bedroom, and Janeway shot a look at Tom.

"On it, Captain," he said and braced himself to catch B'Elanna as she came storming out of the bedroom. She was so mad the Klingon curses coming out of her mouth were out of Janeway's vocabulary range, and she had once been told by a Klingon commander that she cursed as good as Picard, who cursed well for a human. Harry and Neelix moved over to help restrain B'Elanna before Q could turn her into a puppy or something.

Chakotay moved to Kathryn's side. "Are you all right?"

"Of course she's okay," Q snapped. "I would never harm Kathy, especially when I need her to help me."

"I'm fine. Q," Kathryn sighed, wanting nothing more than to get this over with, "explain yourself."

"Junior has not become the bringer of peace that we had hoped for, and quite frankly I blame you for this, Kathy. I should've just made you want me, and then Junior could've been our offspring."

"Q," Janeway said in a tone of voice that was clearly a warning. The very idea that Q could've easily made her desire him caused her to shudder.

"You would've enjoyed it, Kathy. I am omnipotent after all. I could have pleased you like no mere biped."

"Q!" Janeway and Chakotay shouted at the same time.

"You want explanations. Fine."

Q snapped his fingers again, and the senior staff disappeared into white light.

Kathryn Janeway reappeared on a hill overlooking an expansive field of green grass. She felt incredibly heavy, and she looked down to find she was wearing some sort of chain mail armor. Her hands were covered with thick brown gloves, and she wore a bi-colored light brown and reddish brown tunic with an eight point symbol on it. A sword hung from a scabbard at her side, and a ring of sandstone and gold was prominent on her left hand.

"Kathryn?"

She spun around at the sound of her name and heard the spurs on her boots jingle. She stared dumbfounded at her senior staff, all similarly garbed. If that sight alone wasn't enough to alarm her, she realized some of her people were missing. "Where are Harry and Seven?"

"The Doctor and Mr. Neelix are also missing," Tuvok commented, adding to her growing list of concerns.

"Where's Q?" Tom asked.

"Where the hell are we?" B'Elanna added, while swinging a spiked mace back and forth in her right hand.

As concerned as Janeway was for her missing crew, she had to concur that the questions concerning their predicament made more sense than hers did at the moment.

Chakotay stepped closer to her side, a double edged axe resting against his shoulder. "Kathryn, I hate to state the obvious, but we look like some sort of medieval knights."

"Oh, goody. Chuckles saves the day again." Q appeared in his usual flash of light, along with five horses saddled with armor and sporting shields adorned with the same eight point design.

"Q! Take us back to our ship. Now!" Janeway said, moving her hand towards her hip and resting it on the hilt of the sword that hung there.

"Relax, the Borg and the boy are taking care of your precious little ship with your Doctor and pet Talaxian in tow. I need the five of you here to handle things while I find the real queen of Tenal."

"Who is the queen of Tenal?" Janeway asked, feeling slightly relieved that Voyager wasn't without its entire senior staff.

"For all intents and purposes, my dear Kathy," he sidled up to her side. "You are."

"What?!"

"At least until I find Junior." Q began pacing again. "It's not his fault, really. He just found her very intriguing. So he took her away somewhere to get to know her better. I'm sure he's going to bring her back. But until he does, I need you to fill in for her. After all, there is a war going on and her troops need an experienced leader."

"A war?" Tuvok spoke up, and Kathryn did a double take noticing his monk's robes for the first time. Her attention was diverted from the sight by Chakotay's forceful voice.

"Explain, Q. And start at the beginning."

"I don't have time to explain everything, and you wouldn't be able to comprehend it even if I did. Suffice it to say, Junior has found himself in a bit of trouble on more than one occasion with the Continuum."

"Sounds like he takes after his old man," Tom quipped, earning a glare from Q.

"Yes, well I've managed to fix almost all of the holes he's poked in the fabric of space-time."

"Almost?" B'Elanna asked incredulously.

"And I've reset all the primordial gene pools that he's tampered with back to their original states," he stopped pacing to stand in front of Janeway. "This time he's taken the queen away for a conversation, but she was in the middle of a pivotal war for her people. Until I can find her and bring her back, I need you to take her place."

"No. Q. Send us back to our ship. Now." Kathryn told him, cutting off any further protests. "We cannot get involved in this. Not to mention, we know absolutely nothing about this world or its history. We couldn't possibly be expected to win a war. And especially not on horseback!"

"Why can't you just put the world on hold while you look for this queen?" Chakotay asked. "You are omnipotent aren't you?"

"Of course I'm omnipotent, you small little man. But so is the rest of the Continuum. Don't you think they'd notice if an entire world simply stopped?" He turned back to Janeway. "And besides, I just need you to win a battle or two. No one expects you to actually win the war."

"What do you mean?"

"This war is pivotal because the queen's side wins only after she's martyred. It provides inspiration to her people, and they begin a new era of peace."

"Martyred?!" Chakotay practically choked. The axe was starting to feel pretty good in his hands, and he felt like planting it in Q's head. It might not hurt Q, but it would make Chakotay feel better.

"Well, not right away. There's still plenty of time before that happens. I'll be back as soon as I find Junior." He snapped his fingers and disappeared, only to reappear seconds later. "Almost forgot."

He snapped his fingers again and then disappeared again. As soon as Janeway heard his fingers snap, she felt the heavy weight of the armor lighten. She rolled her shoulders and realized the weight hadn't changed at all. She had. She felt at home in the armor and could remember having put it on that morning. The handle of her sword felt comfortable in her hand, and she knew about the knife she kept concealed in her boot. Even her demeanor felt slightly changed. She felt more reckless - or was that enthusiastic?

"What exactly did he forget?" Tom asked.

Wanting to test her theory, Janeway pulled her sword free from its scabbard, testing its weight in her hand. She could remember all the battles she'd fought with this sword. She leveled a look at Tom and swung the sword in a high arc. He jumped back, pulling his own sword free and blocked her attack with ease. He parried with a low cut at her legs. Janeway blocked and locked her blade against his, sliding it up into his guard. They stared hard into each other's eyes and then released.

Tom swallowed, breathing heavily and nodded. "Oh. Right."

"It would seem that while we retain our true memories, we have now been endowed with the memories and skills of people from this time frame." Tuvok commented.

Chakotay ran his hand through his hair and could have sworn it felt longer in the back. "I think we may have more than just their memories."

"And these are our horses and our shields," B'Elanna said, her tone almost reverent as she patted one of the brown animals on the neck. She easily hefted the shield from its saddle mooring and gasped.

"What is it, B'Elanna?" Janeway asked, mentally shaking her head against the thought of calling her engineer by a different name.

B'Elanna turned the shield around where they could see the backside of it. The surface was a shiny reflective metal. As Janeway got closer, she understood why B'Elanna had been surprised. The reflection that stared out at her was definitely not her own.

Kathryn stared into the pale face of a young woman of about twenty years. She had long, dark hair that swirled in the breeze. It was hard to tell in the blurred features of the shield what color her eyes were, but she imagined they appeared even more blue than usual. She understood now why the armor felt more comfortable. It was made for the body she now inhabited. She stepped back so the men could look at themselves. She could only guess that to others they appeared as their reflections, but to each other they looked as they always did.

Attempting to get a handle on the situation, she walked a few steps away until she was standing on the edge of the hill looking over the field. Damn Q for getting them into yet another fine mess. She felt Chakotay join her, and she looked up at his profile. She could still see the lines of his tattoo and the warmth of his brown eyes, but she could also see a hardness there that didn't belong to her Chakotay. She also felt a longing down in the pit of her stomach that she hadn't acknowledged in quite a while, and she had to wonder if that last bit was coming from her or the queen she now posed as.

Kathryn also felt the same inclination as she had when B'Elanna had gasped. Instinctively, she wanted to call Chakotay by a different name. Curious to see his reaction, she quietly spoke the name that so easily came to her lips. "Dagen."

Chakotay's head snapped towards her, his dark eyes narrowing. "Why did you call me that?"

She smiled faintly, and looked up at him, almost seeing his dark hair curl near the nape of his neck. "It feels like your name? Is it?"

He nodded slowly. "But how did you know?"

She shrugged. "Do you know mine?"

Chakotay studied her face. The eyes were the crystal blue they always were, but for a moment her hair seemed darker and longer. "You're the Lady Caitlin."

Kathryn smiled as the sound of him saying that name felt right. He was still staring at her when she turned to look back out over the expanse. Her heart stilled. "We've got company."

Chakotay swore as he saw a group of riders heading for them from across the field. Janeway turned towards her officers. "Let's mount up, people."

The group of nearly thirty riders slowed with six men breaking rank and closing the distance between the two groups. Kathryn sat astride the only white horse of the group and slightly in front of the others. She'd been impressed with how easily they'd all taken to horseback, considering each of them was wearing several kilos of armor. Tom and Chakotay flanked her sides while B'Elanna and Tuvok stayed further back. The memories and instincts that were not theirs helped them considerably to understand what was expected of them.

B'Elanna was the queen's lady in waiting, but she was no helpless damsel as ancient earth scholars would portray her. This society was centered on a matriarch, and afforded its women equal roles as warriors if they could prove their prowess. Kathryn's alter ego had befriended the daughter of a knight at a young age. Edana, as B'Elanna was known on this world, had remained loyal for all her years and become very protective of her queen and friend. She wore her role of lady in waiting well, but she was also a formidable last line of defense for the queen. Janeway couldn't think of a better person suited for the role.

Chakotay and Tom, or Dagen and Conlan as she had to keep reminding herself, were her sworn body guards. They were knights that the Lady Caitlin had anointed upon accepting the throne. Palace intrigue and a constant desire for the crown among the royal families made trust a difficult concept. The Lady Caitlin had sworn in her older brother's two best friends, knowing they had sworn an oath to her brother on his death bed that they would protect her. On a more personal level, Kathryn was having a difficult time sorting out which were her feelings for Chakotay and which were the Lady Caitlin's feelings for Dagen. On this planet, a queen was not supposed to have love for one of her knights the same as a captain could not love her first officer.

Kathryn had never felt the need for a religious confession in all her life, but Caitlin's reverence for Liam, her priest, was quite strong. She could only imagine Tuvok's response if she began confessing to him all of her impure thoughts concerning Chakotay. That was going to be one behavior of Caitlin's that the captain was going to have to repress. But she couldn't help blushing slightly when Tuvok caught her studying him, and he simply raised an eyebrow in her direction. If he had all of the priest's memories, he already knew full well what she had or had not confessed to previously.

Needing to focus on something else, Janeway studied the six men approaching her position. The banner they carried had the same eight point symbol, but their colors were blue and white as opposed to the browns she and her entourage wore. As the oldest man of the six broke into a grin at the sight of her, she felt a warm sensation spread through her chest and knew Caitlin considered these men to be allies. She glanced at Chakotay and gave him a quick nod, which he acknowledged, but she could tell he wasn't about to drop his guard no matter how Caitlin or Kathryn felt.

When the old man dismounted she did the same, but she was surprised when he took her in a hearty embrace.

"My Queen, we were so worried. We expected you last night." Chakotay's horse nipped at the old man when he didn't immediately release Kathryn. She suppressed a grin as the old man scowled up at him. "Dagen, you barbarian, control your mount."

"Alec, it's good to see you, old friend." Kathryn greeted him as though she'd known him for years.

"Ha, as if you're old enough to have old friends." He took her hand between his. "Now tell me, child. What happened? Why were you held up?"

Kathryn's mind flashed through the arrival of Q in her quarters in the middle of the night. She thought that explanation might get her burned at the stake. "Something unexpected happened."

Alec looked over the small group. "Well, you all seem to be fine, so I guess it wasn't anything too surprising."

Tom snorted, but Chakotay spoke up. "Nothing we couldn't handle."

Alec gave Chakotay a good glare to let him know what he thought of that boast, but ignored him, favoring B'Elanna instead. "Edana, I hope you're keeping these brutes in line around our Caity."

B'Elanna looked mildly surprised at being addressed, but covered it well. "It's a full time job, Alec."

The old man grinned at her and gestured to the contingent of men he'd brought with him. "Let's get you back to the encampment. I'll feel safer once we aren't on such open ground."

"I agree," Kathryn said, and for the first time she thought she'd faltered when Alec gave her a quizzical look, but he just shook his head and muttered something about her having grown up.

Janeway swung up into her saddle and felt a pang of annoyance that she wasn't taking the lead, and again she didn't know if it was her own feelings or Caitlin's. Since she wasn't entirely sure where she was going though, she settled for letting Alec's group point the direction.

As their mounts began to move forward, she could hear Tom mutter, "So far, so good."

"Indeed," Tuvok commented.

B'Elanna was the first to smell the encampment, and her exclamation caught the Voyager staff by surprise, but it was only moments later when they too smelled the stench of a military encampment. Unaccustomed to that many bodies living together without plumbing, the senior staff all had to hide their reactions as they rode into a tent city that stretched as far as they could see.

All the soldiers they passed stopped what they were doing and placed a fist over their chest as their queen rode by. Unsure how much she should acknowledge this show of fidelity, Kathryn simply nodded as she passed and tried to make eye contact with as many as she could. Tom and Chakotay crowded her horse's hind flanks, but she couldn't blame them for their protectiveness. This wasn't exactly a standard away mission.

They passed hundreds of small tents that were all close to the ground, housing no more than two people in each. Soldiers were everywhere, sharpening weapons, sitting around small fires cooking rations, or taking the time to rest between battles. The sound of swords striking could be heard causing the Voyagers to tense, but they soon saw a small clearing where dozens of fighters were sparring with each other. The small riding party finally stopped in front of two rather large tents situated in the middle of the encampment. As soon as they'd dismounted, three young boys rushed forward and took the horses away.

Displaying more confidence than she felt, Kathryn pushed aside the flap on the first tent and entered with her people right behind her.

"Really, Dagen," Alec complained. "She's safe inside her own tent. She hardly needs you barging your way in here."

Chakotay turned to look at the old man. "Where she goes, so do we."

Kathryn waved her hand. "It's fine, Alec."

She could feel an impatience growing inside her at the lack of knowledge she had about her current situation. She could happily cleave Q in two for the headache that was building behind her eyes. She sat down heavily in one of the only chairs provided in the tent. "Tell me our current situation."

"With everyone here?" The old man eyed the occupants of the room suspiciously, and Janeway had to refrain from demanding that he report.

"We are the queen's council. It would save time for you to inform us all at the same time of our current status," Tuvok stated, causing Kathryn to look up. "The queen needs her rest, and I'm sure you do not wish to inconvenience her."

Alec huffed and crossed his arms. "Since when does her spiritual advisor need to know about troop movements? Shouldn't you be giving blessings to those in need?"

Tuvok started to answer, but Kathryn cut him off. "I will decide who needs to know what, Alec. Unless, of course, you are challenging my authority."

"No, of course not," Alec stammered, clearly caught off guard by her temper.

"Then, please, just…report."

An hour later, Kathryn was sure her headache couldn't get any worse. Alec had just left after giving them the casualty report, status of their forces, status of the enemy, and his predictions for the next battle. Several times, he dropped hints that he thought she was acting strangely, and even questioned if she was alright. She tried to put it off as exhaustion from their journey, but she still wasn't entirely clear why they had been traveling away from the forces to begin with.

B'Elanna was the first one to break the silence. "This is insane. Q expects us to fight in this battle with only swords and shields, and we don't even know what's going on."

"You are not entirely accurate, Lieutenant." Tuvok gestured to the map. "We at least know what is expected of us now. The situation is unfortunate, but not completely untenable."

"I've never shot a bow and arrow in my life. Today was the first time I've ridden a horse for more than five minutes. And the closest I've come to a swordfight is using a bat'leth, which is an entirely different weapon." B'Elanna got to her feet and pointed at the map. "Not to mention, we are going to be fighting in the middle of a field with no cover. Do not try to tell me that we have a tactical advantage."

"You may never have done those things, but Edana has. Unless I'm mistaken, you are aware of her skills, are you not?" Tuvok countered.

"Yeah, what is that anyway?" Tom joined the conversation. "Half the time, I can barely tell if what I'm thinking is me or this guy Conlan."

"And I thought you'd appreciate a little help." Q appeared in the middle of the tent, and Janeway groaned, knowing her headache was about to get worse. "If you'd prefer, I can take away the traces of your alter egos, but good luck surviving the next few hours…much less the upcoming battle."

That caught Kathryn's attention. "Q, what happens in the next few hours?"

"Oh, just a little attempt on the Queen's life." He shrugged. "Nothing to worry about."

"That's it!" Kathryn got to her feet. "Q, this is ridiculous. This is worse than anything you've done before. I demand you return us to our ship."

"But Kathy, you haven't even fought a single battle yet. Aren't you the least bit curious as to how you'll do?"

"Now!! Q."

"Or what? You'll slap me in irons?" He chuckled at his own comment. "Will you have me drawn and quartered?"

"No," Janeway said quietly, circling closer to Q. "I will order this army to sit here and do nothing. I'm sure the enemy forces will come riding over the hill in the morning, at which time I will surrender. If there is no battle, this will be a very shortened war that will no doubt have very little impact on the history of this world."

Q's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't."

"Try me."

Q looked around the tent to see all the humans looking very smug. He glanced back to Kathryn. "We need to talk."

He snapped his fingers, and Kathryn found herself at the top of a mountain looking down on the darkened camp that was lit only by small fires between some of the tents. She whirled around to see Q standing next to her.

"Kathy…Kathryn, if you sit here and surrender, every single person in that camp will be slaughtered. Including you, Chuckles, your pet Klingon, the Vulcan, and your helmboy." Q pointed out her tent to her as he spoke. "Do you have any idea what that would do to your timeline? Do you really think Harry Kim can get Voyager back to the Alpha Quadrant?"

"Then get us out of here."

"I can't. Without the real queen, if I remove you now this entire civilization will fall, and you have no idea how that will affect humanity."

"What?"

"I can't get into specifics, Kathy, but humanity will find itself engaged in a war centuries from now with a species they cannot defeat. The civilization from this planet will be its only hope of rescue."

"You've got to be joking."

Q's jaw dropped. "I would never joke about a matter as serious as this!"

Kathryn glared at him.

"Okay, I would," he recanted. "But I'm not this time. If the Tenalians fail to achieve peace on their planet, humanity will be wiped out of existence six centuries from now."

Janeway fumed silently.

"Come on Kathy, would you rather bring peace to an entire planet or be the destroyer of all humanity?"

Kathryn pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. She sighed. She really and truly had no choice. She lifted her head prepared to tell Q just that, but she found herself back in her tent looking at the confused expressions on her officers' faces. "Looks like we're staying for a bit longer."

Kathryn lay on a pallet of furs staring up at the top of her tent and listening to B'Elanna's soft snores. Chakotay, Tom, and Tuvok had all bedded down in the front of the tent. B'Elanna and herself took the small area towards the back that was partitioned off with a portion of cloth. It had taken close to an hour for her and B'Elanna to help each other get all the armor and chain mail off. She literally felt thirty kilos lighter.

They were all taking a turn at standing watch, accepting Q's comment about an attempt on her life very seriously. She'd already stood her turn, but she still couldn't get to sleep. She was having an increasingly difficult time accepting the idea that she was supposed to lead this entire regiment into hand to hand combat tomorrow morning. The other presence in her mind was optimistically excited, making Kathryn realize just how young the Lady Caitlin truly was. And yet she knew that the presence in her mind would be crucial if she was going to win tomorrow.

After Q had deposited her back in the tent, the five of them had poured over the map of the valley, using their combined knowledge to come up with a sound battle plan. Caitlin had already planned for most of the battle, and Kathryn was able to recall the details, but Tuvok and Chakotay had thrown in several suggestions that would strengthen them tactically. Despite her misgivings, the idea of a direct fight worked in their favor. She had the details continually scrolling through her mind when she heard whispering on the other side of the tent wall.

Her mouth went dry as she recognized the voice of Alec and several others. She quietly took hold of her sword and glanced to her side to see B'Elanna awake and reaching for a weapon as well. They both quietly moved into the front chamber of the tent, rousing Tuvok and Tom. Chakotay was already on his feet, questioning Kathryn with his eyes. She held a finger up to her mouth, indicating he should stay silent. As they listened, they heard the sound of cross bows being locked into place. The next moment the silence was shattered as half a dozen bolts tore through the fabric of the tent and impacted the area where Kathryn had been lying.

Chakotay, Tom, and Tuvok silently slipped out of the front of the tent while Kathryn quickly crept back and lay down on the pallet as best she could. One of the holes in the fabric was being torn further open, and she could hear whispering.

"We got her."

"Can you see her?"

"Too dark. I can barely see her."

"We need to make sure."

"Go around through the front and check."

Janeway held her breath, listening with every fiber of her being. She knew B'Elanna was concealed in the dark corner, waiting to fire, and the others should be surrounded by now. She heard a man's grunt outside the tent at the same time that she heard two sets of booted feet in the front area of the tent.

"Clear." Tom's whispered voice reached her, and she quietly scrambled to her feet to help B'Elanna. Janeway watched as a torch traveled along the outside of the tent and she heard the two men in the front of the tent stop moving. Chakotay walked in through the flap with his sword drawn and the torch held high, illuminating Alec and one of the other men from the day's greeting party.

Alec laughed and said, "You're too late, Dagen."

"Actually," Kathryn's voice cut through the night, startling the two men as she emerged from the back chamber, "it's you who are too late."

Alec turned on her preparing to hurl a dagger at her, but B'Elanna was quicker, and the dirk was knocked from his hand. The other man threw his sword at Chakotay's feet. Kathryn could tell from across the tent that Chakotay was barely restraining himself, and she had to wonder how much of that was Dagen. But she had to agree either way. This was entirely too close of a call. The small part of her that was Caitlin was more distraught at the betrayal than the actual danger.

Moving several steps closer to Alec, Kathryn asked, "Why?"

The kindly old man from earlier in the day was gone. Alec spit at her feet and scoffed. "What makes you a queen? You are nothing but a child. A child that's waged a war for three years, causing countless deaths and accomplishing nothing."

"I want the best for my people." Kathryn could hear her own voice, but she felt the emotional resonance of the young queen. "This war has always been about bringing ever-lasting peace to our lands."

"You were raised to be a warrior, Caitlin. I was there. Just as I've always been there, and I've seen you kill hundreds on the battlefield." Alec's voice was practically a hiss. "This war may have started out in the name of peace, but you've lost your way."

"And so you try to kill me in my sleep?" Kathryn's voice was hard, and she could feel B'Elanna and Chakotay's eyes on her as well as Alec's. "What would have been gained by my death?"

Alec remained silent.

Kathryn moved closer to him. "Tell me."

"Why should I?"

"Because I just might choose to believe you."

Alec regarded her closely. "If you're dead, this regiment will not go into battle tomorrow without its queen."

"Go on."

"As long as the regiment surrenders its weapons, Lord Buchanan will not harm anyone. Peace will be achieved without bloodshed."

Realization flared in the pit of Kathryn's stomach at the enemy commander's name. She remembered now why she and her small entourage had been away from the encampment. Lady Caitlin had arranged a meeting with Lord Buchanan to work out an alliance that would've ended the war. Kathryn glanced up at Chakotay and remembered that it was only because of Dagen she'd managed to escape the meeting with her life. Buchanan had been less interested in peace and more interested in stripping her of her virtue. That, too, had been a close call.

Caitlin was shaken, but Kathryn was furious on her behalf. "You are a fool, Alec."

She jerked her chin towards the door, and Chakotay and B'Elanna immediately pulled the two men to their feet, herding them out of the tent. As soon as the tent emptied, Kathryn sat tiredly at the small table that served as a desk. She closed her eyes and began to examine all of Caitlin's memories of different battles. There were too many to count, but she could find no truth in Alec's words. In every instance, Caitlin had met with the leaders beforehand and tried to initiate peace. Most demanded all of her land in return, and when she refused they simply tried to take it. Some of them demanded her body as the price for peace, but she'd known it would never have stopped at just her body.

"Captain?" B'Elanna's voice broke her out of Caitlin's memory. "Are you all right?"

Kathryn smiled tiredly. "The past several years have been long and hard, haven't they?"

"Are you asking your chief engineer, or are you asking Edana?"

"I'm asking my friend."

"Well, in that case, I can tell you that although there have been some rough times, I've always had complete faith that we were trying to do the right thing."

Kathryn nodded her thanks and leaned her head against the back of the chair, closing her eyes. "So who answered me? My chief engineer or Edana?"

"Your friend."

I'll update daily until it's all posted. Thanks for reading. :)