Beth6787

24 March y

Peldor

Neelix & Tal Celes are busy organising the annual Bajoran Gratitude Festival aboard Voyager and come across some enlightening scrolls...

Holodeck Two was almost ready. The festival would begin at 0800 hours and run for the traditional three Bajoran days, or seventy eight Earth hours, as she still had to remind the human contingent aboard ship. She and Neelix had spent the last two nights, after their duty shifts ended, setting the scene. Celes had to admit to herself that this, their third Peldor away from home, was looking to be their best yet. For a start they were travelling at low warp through an empty region of space that had been entirely uneventful for the last five weeks. She knew from her friends of higher rank that those who served on the Bridge were becoming a little stir crazy, particularly Tom - so Harry had whispered to her - and the Captain. She had tried, and failed, not to burst into laughter at this latter revelation. She could just imagine Janeway having to attempt to be patient, sit there for hours on end being... " Captain-ly" if that was even a word in Earth language, with no orders to give, no excuse to stand with hands on hips staring down some hostile alien...

She was woken from her daydream by Neelix prodding her hard and she turned around to see the Captain had just entered the holodeck. As it was just gone 0200 hours Celes was stunned that she was up and about and immediately started to feel nervous. Perhaps the Captain was annoyed at how long they had taken to get things set up. After all, the festival started in less than six hours. She smiled nervously at the Captain who glanced at her then turned her attention to Neelix. Janeway congratulated him on a superb job and asked where she could find the renewal scrolls. Apparently she intended to hand them out to the Alpha shift Bridge crew at 0700 hours. Everyone would then have two days to fill theirs in before they were all collected into the latticed receptacle for incineration. As they had no Vedek on board to give the traditional recital and set the furnace alight, Celes had assumed that one of the few Bajoran aboard would be asked. But no, apparently Janeway intended to do the deed herself. Celes could not help feeling a little put out as the Captain turned abruptly on her heels and left with no more than a brief nod in her direction. It must have shown on her face because Neelix came and patted her on the back and told her he couldn't have done any of this without her input and it was hugely appreciated by everyone. The Captain was just enormously busy and seldom interacted much with anyone outside the senior staff. Celes knew that was probably true but still...though, thinking about it, whenever she did get noticed she was usually in trouble so perhaps being 'invisible' was no bad thing...

After a final good look around to ensure that they had not missed anything important, she wished Neelix good night and headed back to her shared quarters to try and catch a few hours sleep. She just hoped that Lindsay would not be snoring again as she didn't want to face Lieutenant Torres at 0700 completely sleep deprived. It was hard enough understanding what she was supposed to do when she had her full wits about her. Half asleep she ran the risk of being relieved of duty and...if she let that train of thought continue she would never relax enough to sleep.

—

Chakotay sighed as he watched the doors to her Ready Room whoosh closed. He was in the proverbial 'dog house' : again. And this time, just for doing what he considered to be, his job. Actually it WAS his job. As First Officer he was directly responsible for all the personnel aboard ship and, by extension, liaising with Neelix to organise the smooth running of ship wide social events. How was he to know that the Captain would take it upon herself, at 2am no less, to go collect a set of renewal scrolls to hand out to the senior staff at the start of Alpha shift? So, of course, she had been none too pleased when Mr. Paris took it upon himself to inform her that their First Officer had already handed them out the day before. Everyone else had had the good grace to keep their mouths shut and just smile and thank her, but not Paris. He just had to open his big mouth and put his least favourite commanding officer right in the 'proverbial'... Chakotay had a few ideas already about what he would add to that second scroll !

So now he was in a bit of a conundrum. Neelix had told him earlier that the Captain was planning to officiate at the formal scroll burning ceremony but he hoped that the Commander might persuade her to let a Bajoran member of the crew carry out the ceremonial chant and drop the first scroll into the flames. Neelix had suggested Tal Celes for the role perhaps partnered by one of the Bajoran former Maquis to symbolise the renewal of the unified crew? Chakotay thought it was an excellent idea and was well aware of the amount of work that both Tal Celes and Gerron had done to assist Neelix these last three years. He had been planning to suggest it to her this morning, before Paris's untimely intervention. Now Janeway's nose was already out of joint he was very reluctant to usurp her once again.

No, he would wait an hour or so, then stroll casually into the Ready Room and suggest that the Captain thank them both in person and award them additional holodeck and replicator rations for the next week. After all, as B'Elanna had so helpfully informed him only last night, Mr. Paris had been very successful with his betting pools recently and would have plenty to spare. He glanced up to see Paris smirking in his general direction before he hastily switched his attention back to the helm. Chakotay made a point of smiling benignly in the cocky pilot's direction as he reallocated half of Tom's holodeck and replicator rations to each of Neelix's Peldor assistants. Standing as casually as he could he handed the Bridge to Lieutenant Tuvok as he made his way to the Ready Room.

—

Ensign Vorik sat in his quarters with the empty paper scroll in his hand. It really was illogical to indulge in all these numerous festivals. With eleven different species serving on Voyager - and each having numerous antiquated religious observances of one sort or another - there was an excuse for Mr. Neelix to indulge his role as Morale Officer almost weekly! At least he and Lieutenant Tuvok had the discipline to observe Vulcan rituals in the privacy of their own quarters without the knowledge or participation of their fellow crew mates. Sometimes he wished there were more Vulcans serving aboard Voyager. Unfortunately, he seldom had the opportunity to work with Tuvok, his being assigned to Engineering whilst his senior officer was responsible for heading the Tactical and Security departments - predominantly from the Bridge. He would have preferred to avoid Peldor altogether, but it had been made clear to him that the Captain expected everyone on board to submit at least one Renewal Scroll for the closing ceremony in two days time. So here he sat with the parchment unrolled before him and the ancient writing instrument in his other hand. He thought about his predicament. Forced not only to work almost entirely with non-Vulcans, but far worse, serving under a chief engineer who was a volatile Klingon female, no less! He had heard a rumour that Lieutenant Tuvok had been tasked with instructing Lieutenant Torres in the disciplines of Vulcan meditation. He need only observe her interactions with her staff immediately after these sessions to conclude that, if anything, they were worsening her general demeanour and reducing any hint of self control yet further. On the other hand, he did admire the Lieutenant's physical prowess, her technical skills and creativity and her obviously superior intellect to anyone else on the Engineering team. His Pon Farr was only a matter of weeks away and he would have to choose a mate amongst the females on board. In the absence of a member of his own species there was scant choice. Of all the females on board she was the most promising so far. If only she could gain control of her emotions...Vorik flattened the scroll and started to write.

—

2100 hours and he had finally exhausted himself, physically at least, thumping out all his frustrations on his punchbag in the corner of his quarters. He would have preferred to use his holodeck boxing simulation but had used up all his allocated time for the month already. Not that it had achieved much. Every time he looked up the scroll was still sitting on his desk, waiting to be written. He knew what he wanted to be rid of and he doubted there would be room on the scroll to fit it all in. Besides, he could hardly be that honest. Suppose the scroll somehow ended up in the wrong hands or came undone before it went up in smoke?

Chakotay decided to indulge in a proper hot water shower with the last of his replicator rations for the month. Somehow he felt that would be more cleansing to both body and soul than the renewal scroll that he was obliged to fill in.

An hour later and he was sitting at his desk in his boxer shorts and a clean T-shirt. What to write? Some platitude or the truth? ... He respected his Bajoran crew, nearly all of them former Maquis, so quite literally HIS crew. At least they were, before that fateful day almost three years ago now. Since then, everything had changed. For the better as far as he was concerned, and all because of one person. Their Captain. He doubted that anything could persuade her to relax just a few of those barely below the surface parameters and protocols that she lived by. He understood her need for them, he did : at least at first. But since New Earth and their having spent four months getting to know each other, just Kathryn and Chakotay, was it really necessary to carry on just as before? As though that time had never existed and those events, that changed them both forever, had not happened?

Apparently it would seem so. Although he did not believe in the Prophets his people were also spiritual and he had attended Peldor before on Bajor itself, soon after their liberation from the Cardassians and before he had resigned his commission to join the Maquis. He remembered meeting the - now infamous - resistance fighter Kira Nerys, and being struck by her absolute belief in the ability of said prophets to rid her people of all troubles contained in the scrolls. She swore that it was what eventually caused them to prevail against the Cardassians. Personally he thought it had much more to do with invoking the wrath of the Federation and Cardassia not wanting to engage in another expensive war with Starfleet. But since then he had had time to reflect. After all, she had been right. Once Bajor was liberated the Cardassians turned their aggressive instincts towards the former colonies and hence his joining the Maquis. If the Peldor ritual had assisted Kira in transforming from a terrorist to First Officer of Deep Space Nine then perhaps it could assist him also. After all, they had trodden remarkably similar paths to date...

Chakotay unrolled the parchment and began to write without censoring himself at all.

—-

0300 hours Captain's quarters.

Kathryn Janeway gave up on trying to sleep and headed for her replicator. She had spent the last forty five minutes staring at the ceiling panels ever since returning from her habitual late night stroll around her ship. Try as she might she could not sleep. Ever since she had decided to leave the scroll until she woke in the morning. Refreshed and in control of her emotions. She would write something :-

appropriate...predictable...unremarkable...safe...UNTRUE.

And therein lay the problem and the reason she could not sleep. Her guilty conscience was plaguing her again. Of course, Peldor, along with all the other species religious festivals, was just superstitious nonsense. The rituals merely indulged to give crew morale a boost. Perhaps the renewal scrolls really did bear some significance to the ten Bajoran personnel on board, but she was human. A scientist and a Starfleet Captain no less. Her filling in a scroll was merely symbolic, a show of solidarity with the hundred and forty odd souls also on board. So why hadn't she just scribbled a couple of platitudes then fallen asleep?

Perhaps because - since returning from New Earth - she had gained a new respect for the spiritual beliefs and inner lives of others. And that was thanks to one person : her ever faithful First Officer. Chakotay. Rationally, she knew that the Bajoran prophets could not magically turn all their problems to ash, but it would be doing a disservice to the spirit of the festival not to write something honest and heartfelt on her scroll. After all, she would ensure it was well tied with ceremonial ribbon before it was added to the incineration crucible and after that it would go up in smoke. No one would be privy to her innermost thoughts bar herself but perhaps it would be therapeutic to watch just a few of her troubles - symbolically at least - go up in smoke.

Kathryn collected her fresh coffee and sat at her desk unrolling the scroll. Picking up the ancient fountain pen and dipping the nib in the ink well she started to write.

—-

2100 hours Day Three of Peldor. Holodeck 2...

Only an hour to go and the Captain would stand on the podium and recite the ancient incantations to close the festival. Then she would, one by one, drop the renewal scrolls into the crucible over the fire and everyone gathered would watch their troubles go up in smoke. Tal Celes and Neelix were behind the curtain busy counting the scrolls and ensuring that they were all secured with the ceremonial ribbon. As Neelix went to replicate a few additional ribbons Celes offered to make them some tea. As she was about to make her way back out of sight she spotted the Captain in full dress uniform coming through the holodeck doors. She was early and they weren't yet ready for her! Celes did not want to be caught a second time running late so she dived behind the curtain, catching her left boot in the hem, on the way. As she tripped she lost her hold on the tea and watched in dismay as it splashed over the small pile of scrolls remaining to be tied with the ceremonial ribbon. Neelix was there almost instantaneously, handing her a pile of paper towels to soak up the tea, then making his way out to deal with whatever the Captain wanted.

Celes forced herself to pluck up the courage to peep out from behind the curtain. With a sigh of relief she saw that Neelix and Janeway were happily running over the ceremonial script together and the Captain seemed oblivious to her presence or her latest catastrophe! She knelt down on the floor and soaked up as much of the tea as possible. Fortunately only three scrolls had gotten significantly wet. The others were just splattered with a few droplets of tea that would soon dry. Those could just be wrapped in the ribbon along with the ones already done. These three, however, would need to be dried out fast and then re-written. After all, the parchment would be so distorted that there was no way the originals would roll up properly in the ribbon. Celes hit her Comm badge and asked Harry Kim to carry out a site to site transport of her hairdryer from her quarters to as close to her bio-signature as possible. To his credit he did not ask why but she could tell from his acknowledgment that the story would be forced out of her later. A LOT later she fervently hoped!

Ten minutes later and the three scrolls were dry but the writing was very smudged. Still she would do her best. Grabbing a fresh scroll and the spare fountain pen she began to write.

"...and B'Elanna disown her Klingon temperament in time to prepare for our inevitable union...Ponn Farr preparations...our son to embody the best of both species..."

Celes could not make out the rest or determine who the author was. Although Ponn Farr must refer to either Tuvok or Vorik as they were the only two Vulcans on board. She was not sure that she should include the bit about a son, especially as there was so much missing text that what she had written was bound to be out of context. Still, it must be better than nothing and she was sure the prophets would understand. Besides she had no more time and another two scrolls to re-write. Trying the first with ribbon and adding it to the basket of completed scrolls she started on the second.

" let go of my frustrations and be grateful for what we have...resist the urge to kiss her...no more redundant parameters...try to stop loving her...Kathryn..."

That was as much as she could make out from the second scroll. As far as she knew there was only one Kathryn on board but perhaps she was wrong? Whoever the author was his love was obviously unrequited. Perhaps the prophets could help the poor man. Celes hoped so. She looked at her chronometer. Only fifteen minutes to go until the ceremony started and she could already hear the crowds beginning to gather the other side of the curtain. She had to hurry! Just one scroll left. Trust her to have left the least legible one until last. And there had been so much written on it. She would have to précis as best she could. Taking up the pen Celes stared at the blurred original text and started to write

" return home...before...too late. Lose control of...indulge my desires...Chakotay...strength to resist..."

This last she was sure made no sense at all. Whoever had written this obviously wanted to say something about their First Officer but she was sure that she did not know what. Celes decided to add a comment of her own. "Dear Prophets, please grant the original wish of the author of this scroll. I am sorry I damaged it so badly but you know the desires and pains of the author's heart. Please grant her (or his but my instincts tell me it's a her) Peldor request. Your faithful servant always, Tal Celes."

She hastily added the final ribbon and wrapped the damaged scroll inside her re-write. Just to be sure the prophets would find it.

—

Forty minutes later...

Even though she had the early shift in Engineering the next morning, Celes had made a point of staying until the Captain had relinquished the last of the scrolls to the purifying flames. She needed to know that the three that she had hastily re-written had found their way to the celestial temple. No one remarked on her being one of the last to leave, after all she was a Bajoran, and this particular festival was mostly for the ten of them on board.

As she finally left the holodeck for her quarters she heard footsteps hastening behind her and a tap on the shoulder. Turning around, expecting to see Neelix or Harry, she was stunned to be met by the face of Captain Janeway. "Crewman, I just wanted to thank you for all your hard work over the last three days. Neelix tells me there was a last minute glitch with a couple of the scrolls but that you saved the day by repairing them just in time. I'm sure the authors of those requests have much to thank you for too. Let's hope the prophets can hear us from out here in the Delta Quadrant."

Janeway smiled and then was just about to walk away when the young Bajoran woman spoke "Thank you Captain...and don't worry...I'm sure the prophets will help you during our journey home."

The Captain nodded at her "I'm sure you are right crewman. Goodnight."

And with that she was gone.

—-

Five years later. Peldor Festival at Starfleet HQ.

Tal Celes stood at the bar with Billy Telfer, Harry Kim and Mortimer Harren. Peldor had come around only two weeks after Voyager's dramatic return and her crew were still in quarantine whilst undergoing their debriefings. It was a harrowing time for everyone and frustrations were running high whilst they were all still waiting to be re-united with their loved ones in person.

So Celes had taken it upon herself to ask Admiral Picard whether they could hold the festival on the holo-deck within their compound. Being the only original Fleeter Bajoran on board she thought she might have a better chance than the other Bajorans in having their request granted. The Admiral had thought it an excellent idea and Celes had been given permission to replicate anything she needed. Harry, Mortimer and Billy had helped her set up and spread the word. As the only alternative would be to stay in their quarters all evening she was confident of a full turnout.

The renewal scrolls had been handed out and returned earlier in the day and all but three had been accounted for. Funny. Three had been defaced all those years ago and three were missing now. Perhaps there was a link and it was her fault... After all these years and everything that had transpired aboard Voyager on their long journey home she had pieced together the meaning behind those garbled messages from all those years ago. ...

Vorik was lonely and wanted a mate and family, although this had yet to come true for him, the subject of his affections now had both. So the prophets had answered that scroll in their own way.

The other two declared the love between her Captain and First Officer and so she had just heard, that had gone spectacularly wrong. Chakotay had started dating Seven and the Captain was all alone. She must have messed those scrolls up really badly! Tonight she would rectify that the only way she knew how. Celes had written a new scroll for each of them.

That Vorik would no longer be alone and would find his perfect partner on his return to Vulcan and that Chakotay would realise that he loved Kathryn and not Seven and that Kathryn would not be alone any longer.

As she made her way up to the ceremonial fire carrying the basket of scrolls Celes looked out over the gathering. She was glad to see that Vorik had joined them, standing at the back of the room with Tom, B'Elanna and baby Miral. Tom and Vorik had come to an understanding over the years and B'Elanna now regarded the young Vulcan man as a friend of their newly formed family. She smiled. One down, two to go.

Celes welcomed the gathered crowd and started the ceremonial chant. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Seven approach Chakotay and some sort of heated exchange before Seven made a beeline for Harry and Billy. Chakotay looked grim faced then abruptly left. There was no sign of the Captain yet. Making a mental note of which were which she decided to leave Chakotay and the Captain's scrolls until last to give them time to appear before their messages made their way to the ears of the prophets.

Half an hour later she was down to the last two scrolls. She could not wait any longer so she picked them up and untied their ribbons. In front of the entire crew she wrapped one scroll inside the other and re-tied them with both ribbons intertwined. Switching from Bajoran to Terran she spoke aloud " Lastly, these two scrolls were re-written by me. Firstly five years ago, when I accidentally spilt my tea on the originals and had to try and re-draft from what was still legible. I doubt I did a very good job but - with hindsight - I now think I have deciphered their original meanings. So here are the correct messages for the prophets. To those two souls I will pray that the prophets remove all your troubles."

There were a few confused glances exchanged by the audience as she threw the final bundle in the grate and watched the flames turn the parchment to smoke and dust. Just as the last embers were dying away the holodeck doors opened and in walked Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay : hand in hand.

In front of a stunned crew both the Captain and Commander made their way onto the podium. Without saying a word they embraced Celes. At last, for the first time since she had donned a Starfleet uniform, Tal Celes felt that she truly belonged in it.

THE END.

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