DISCLAIMER: Star Trek: Voyager and all its characters belong to Paramount Pictures; no infringement of copyright is intended. The story however belongs to me.

Many thanks once again to Eydie Munroe for the beta. All remaining mistakes are my own.

Author's note: This story takes place in an alternate universe which is somewhat different from both the canon TV series universe and the pseudo-canon universe described in the Voyager novels (particularly Mosaic). Therefore, events described or hinted at here which sound similar to "actual" events are not necessarily so.

Tangled Lives
by Hester (hester4418)

- Part 1: Kelvaris -

The auditorium was packed. Kathryn had never seen so many red-clad officers in one place, and she felt very self-conscious in her science-blue uniform. She chose a seat in the back row and as soon as she had settled down, the lights dimmed and Admiral Zapheri, a portly Tellarite, mounted the podium to begin his presentation.

The lecture was titled 'Disasters in Diplomacy', and gave a somewhat humorous overview of the diplomatic encounters of Federation personnel in general – and Starfleet officers in particular – and the many challenges they had weathered during interspecies interactions. Kathryn soon found herself chuckling along with everyone else as the admiral detailed the consequences of failing universal translators or misinterpreted hand gestures.

"So when the Orion punched the Caitian in the nose, everyone expected the negotiations to be over at once," Admiral Zapheri was explaining events that had transpired at a trade conference twelve years previously. "But the Starfleet liaison officer, Captain Edward Janeway, intervened and convinced them to have one last meeting, which he would moderate. He knew that the Orions would only grant mining rights to the Caitians if they were first allowed to inspect the Xenolian crystals the Caitians were allegedly willing to trade, but refused to bring to the table." He paused, moving from one side of the stage to the other and studying his audience. "So the night before the final talks, Janeway took the Caitian ambassador aside and threatened to blow up the secret stash of Romulan Ale her aide had just acquired on the Orion black market, which was actually the only reason she had agreed to attend the negotiations in the first place. The ambassador never intended to reach an agreement with the Orions. However, those mining rights were very important to the Federation as a whole, and for Edward Janeway, failure was not an option." Zapheri took up position center-stage and spread his arms wide for effect. "Due to his intervention, the negotiations proceeded successfully, and this was probably the event that convinced the admiralty that Edward Janeway would be of more use to the Federation as one of their own than on the bridge of a starship. Rumor has it that he even acquired one of those ale bottles as payment for his services, but of course that was never officially confirmed."

A few people chuckled, but Kathryn laughed out loud. Several heads turned in her direction, and the officer to her left leaned over and asked in a low voice, "You knew Admiral Janeway?"

"Indeed I did," she said brightly, turning to look into deep brown eyes in a handsome male face. "He's my father."

The man was startled but recovered quickly. "I see," was all he said before giving her a quick smile and facing forward again.

Admiral Zapheri had moved on to his next anecdote, detailing one of the USS Excelsior's missions under the command of Captain Sulu.

At one point, Kathryn heard the officer to her left mutter softly, "That's not quite how Sulu used to tell the story."

She leaned over, adopting the same tone he had used earlier, and asked, "You knew Captain Sulu?"

When the man turned and flashed her a broad grin, she noted the three pips on his collar, two gold and one black. "He sponsored me at the Academy," he said casually, and Kathryn couldn't help her eyebrows lifting in surprise.

"I see," she returned his grin with one of her own, and he chuckled in reply.

The lecture went on, touching on events and people Kathryn had heard of but didn't know any details about. Then another familiar name came up and she sat up straighter, listening intently. "Now this ought to be good," she mused to herself and only realized that she'd spoken aloud when she once again felt eyes on her and looked to her left.

Sure enough, the dark-haired officer was regarding her with a twinkle in his eyes. "Don't tell me – you know him, too?"

"Captain Paris is my commanding officer," she shrugged with a smile. "I'm Chief Science Officer on the Al-Batani."

Just then, the room erupted into laughter at something the admiral had said, saving her neighbor from the need to reply. Kathryn returned her eyes to the front of the room, but for rest of the lecture, her attention kept wandering to the man by her side.

Soon after, Admiral Zapheri ended his speech. Kathryn collected her padds and stood, and the man to her left rose as well. "Where are you headed next?" he asked.

She checked her schedule. "Lunch," she said. "And then Captain Henderson's seminar on the races of the Romulan Star Empire."

"That's the next thing on my agenda as well," he smiled. "Would you care to join me for lunch? I'm Chakotay, by the way."

"Kathryn Janeway." They shook hands and she bit back her question whether Chakotay was a first or a last name. Either way, she thought it suited his obvious Native American background. He was taller than her, broad-shouldered and muscular, but with a definite air of gentleness about him. She had noted his lieutenant commander's rank earlier, and knew that he'd no doubt noticed her own two full pips, but his relaxed manner completely put her at ease and they were soon chatting amicably while moving to the conference restaurant.

"So," Chakotay said after they'd gotten plates of food from the buffet and found a table for two. "What's a science officer like you doing at this diplomatic shindig? Not that I mind you being here," he grinned.

Kathryn chuckled. "It was Captain Paris' idea. He's been trying to convince me to switch to the command track and thought that this conference would help push me in the right direction."

"By listening to stories about your father and his buddies?"

"I guess." She shrugged and took another bite of her grilled fish that was surprisingly spicy. Chakotay had chosen a vegetable dish which also smelled delicious.

"Is it working?"

Kathryn shrugged again. "It's not that I haven't thought about it myself. Actually, everyone always assumed that I would follow in my father's footsteps and apply for command school. He was quite surprised when I told him that I had chosen the science track instead."

Chakotay nodded. "You wanted to find your own way, instead of following the path that had been laid out for you by someone else."

Surprised, Kathryn looked up. "Yes, exactly, even though I couldn't have explained it that succinctly at the time." She studied him closely and noted the wistful and slightly absent expression on Chakotay's face. "You've had a similar experience, haven't you?"

"I joined Starfleet against my parent's wishes." At her questioning look he went on to explain between eating bites of his food. "I grew up on Dorvan V, close to the Federation-Cardassian border. My people lead a very traditional life, honoring the rituals and beliefs that the tribe brought with them on their migration from Earth many years ago. They have very little contact with the rest of the galaxy."

Those words confirmed Kathryn's suspicions regarding Chakotay's Native American origins. She'd also heard about the colonies along the border, and how some of them shunned any contact with the rest of the Federation.

Chakotay went on. "From the time I was six or seven, I felt that I didn't really fit in. My father was the head of our tribe, and as his only son I was expected to follow in his footsteps. But all I could think was that our way of life way so incredibly backwater. I wanted to explore other worlds and meet other species. At the earliest opportunity, I left."

"Is that where Captain Sulu came in?"

"Yes. His ship was on an extended mission along the border and in need of a safe shore leave location. My father reluctantly allowed them access to our world. And although it seems unlikely, the two of them struck up a kind of friendship, spending long hours in discussion about their different beliefs and ways of living. One day, my father asked me to join them, because he hoped that talking with this outsider would awaken my sense of tribal pride. Instead, the opposite happened." He smiled ruefully. "Perceiving my interest in Starfleet, Captain Sulu offered to take me under his wing. By tribal law, I was of age, so my father had no grounds to keep me from following Sulu to the stars. To this day, he hasn't forgiven me for abandoning my people."

"I'm sorry," Kathryn said sincerely. "Have you visited your family recently?"

He shook his head. "I haven't been back since I left. My sister writes sometimes, but it's difficult for her to use the comm station unnoticed since there's only one in the whole village. Once, I met a childhood friend who'd come to Earth to follow up on some anthropological research regarding the origins of our tribe, but other than that..." He trailed off.

Kathryn wasn't sure how to respond. She was surprised at how easily he was talking to her, especially considering that they'd just met.

"But enough about me." He refocused on her face, and her stomach did a small backflip at the dimpled smile he gave her. "Where did you grow up?"

They chatted through the rest of lunch, with Kathryn telling Chakotay about her family's home in Indiana, and both of them comparing impressions of places they'd visited on Earth. Then they again sat side by side during the following seminar and frequently whispered to each other with comments and observations.

Afterwards, they parted to attend different workshops, but Chakotay had only taken a few steps away from her when he turned and called out, "Will I see you at the reception tonight?"

Kathryn hadn't planned on attending, certain that she would feel out of place, but now she nodded. "I'll be there."

Chakotay flashed her another brilliant smile, and then was swallowed up by the crowd.

-==/\==-