A/N Written for the VAMB 2010 Drabble/Ficlet exchange. First line and J/Cness courtesy of Katthryn. Thanks to sophiedoodle for the read through.
Disclaimer – Apparently, I don't own it. Well I'll be damned…duh
A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation.
Saki
"Did you just say what I think you said?"
Kathryn Janeway stood frozen in the middle of the bridge, vaguely aware that a slow flush was spreading leisurely from the top of her turtleneck to her hairline. Trying to ignore it, she cleared her throat and raised what she hoped was a menacing eyebrow in the direction of the alien on the view screen.
"I said, did you really just say what I think you said?"
"Indeed," the alien smiled pleasantly, the sharp teeth that lined its mouth a conspicuous reminder, in much the same way as a tiger, that as friendly as it looked when it wasn't irritated, it could soon decide that you were no longer a friend. It was not a reminder that Kathryn Janeway welcomed.
"So, you have decided, without letting us know, that a fair exchange for five days of shore leave on your planet is for you to take my First Officer as a partner for your queen?"
"Yes," the alien furrowed his low brow, "You do not understand me? Is there a problem with the translating equipment?"
"Oh no, no problem at all," Kathryn backed slowly into her chair and massaged her brow with one hand. There was a long silence, during which Tuvok took the opportunity to move quietly and stand besides her. She glanced up at him, noting that if Neelix had been on the bridge he would have been delighted at the closest thing to bafflement that Tuvok had ever sported. He executed the most delicate of shrugs and turned to watch the alien, who was now fiddling nervously with something on his desk.
Eventually, when the silence had been palpable for so long that it was virtually ready to be given a rank and a duty assignment, Kathryn spoke again.
"And why, if you don't mind me asking, would you consider this to be a fair exchange?"
"We have allowed your crew to visit our most sacred of historical sites, to eat the best of our food and use the best of our games and leisure facilities. We have been most hospitable-"
"Where I come from, a life is far more precious than anything you have just named. You-"
"Besides," the alien held up a clawed hand to interrupt her, "It is traditional that the partner taken for the Ruling Queen must be someone cherished above all else by a rival dominant female."
"And it so happened that we wandered into your territory at the precise moment that you were looking for a rival dominant female," Kathryn sighed, cursing her own stupidity; Tuvok had wanted to take a few days to study the complex social structures of the Roskaani, so that they could take shore leave prepared for what they would face. But Chakotay, and herself, had been lured in by the smiles and frenetic welcome that they had been offered. They'd arranged new duty shifts, giving everyone as much time off as they could and watched with satisfaction as the crew relaxed for the first time in what seemed like months. And now, as Chakotay had been sent down to round up the last of the stragglers and pass on one last offer of something in exchange for their time on the planet, he had been taken by the Royal Guard and marched off to the elaborate villa that was the home of the Ruling Queen. If it wasn't so ridiculous, she'd probably cry. Hell, she'd probably cry anyway.
"Is there any room for negotiation, here?" she asked, pulling herself to her feet despite that being the last thing she felt like doing in her new, apparently boneless, state.
"I am afraid not, captain. I just told you that this is the tradition amongst our people."
"Can we at least see him before we go?" she asked, trying anything to buy some extra time. Tuvok shifted besides her, offering silent assurance that she was taking the right path.
"It is unorthodox," the alien chewed thoughtfully on one of his claws, "But as you are from so far away and will never see your male again, it could be arranged. We will await your arrival."
And the screen went dark before she could say anything else. Tom Paris turned in his seat, "What does the Prime Directive say about a situation like this?"
"Very little," Tuvok said, "It would appear that unless we are willing to break our ethical code, there is little we can do." Tom looked sharply at him and he added, "Not that I believe we should immediately pursue that course of action."
"Captain?" Harry piped up, ignoring the exchange between Tom and Tuvok, "Are you alright?"
All eyes swiveled to focus on her and the fact that her face had gone from red to slightly green to grey in just a few minutes. She was half slumped in her chair again and didn't seem to hear Harry. Tuvok put his hand gently on her shoulder and she glanced up.
"Well, I refuse to leave him here, tradition or no tradition," she snapped, her voice far stronger than she imagined it would be, "There's got to be a way around a rule as stupid as this that doesn't violate too many principles."
The quiet cough from the back of the bridge was ignored at first, and it was only when the owner of the cough stepped forwards and stood besides Harry at the ops station that anyone bothered to look.
"Lieutenant Ayala?" Tuvok said, "Do you have a contribution to make?"
"Yes sir. I was just thinking, if the queen wants someone who the captain cherishes above all else, surely it makes the most sense to try and make it seem that she doesn't care for him at all. They might let him go if they think she doesn't think that much of him."
"By Jove, I think he's got it," Tom breathed, watching the colour appear back in the captain's face.
"Lieutenant Ayala, remind me to give you a medal," the captain joked, leaping to her feet and heading for the turbolift in one swift move, "Tuvok, you have the bridge. Keep a transporter lock on us at all times. Tom, let's go. You're my new best friend."
It was a distinctly unhappy Chakotay that Kathryn and Tom found sitting next to the throne of the Ruling Queen. He didn't appear to have been mistreated in any way; indeed, it was quite the opposite. He was dressed in the same soft looking gown that the rest of the men seemed to be wearing, and a bowl of deep purple fruit had been placed at his elbow. It was his eyes that told the story differently; Tom noticed how every so often, Chakotay's gaze would flicker in the direction of the Royal Guards who stood at every doorway. He could understand Chakotay's apprehension; the traditional, old style weapons that had so fascinated the crew when shown to them before certainly took on a new edge when held by a menacing looking soldier.
The captain hadn't seemed to notice and Tom reflected that she probably wouldn't until one of the spear heads was actually pressed to her throat. Since they'd walked into the chamber, her eyes had never left Chakotay's face. They'd been forbidden to speak until the Queen entered and spoke to them first. So far, she'd done a pretty good job of keeping them waiting on a knife edge. Tom risked a glance at the captain; she'd explained the plan to him meticulously, repeated the importance of timing over and over again to him, but if she was kept waiting much longer, it would be her who blew the whole operation. Her serene sense of calm always seemed to take a battering where Chakotay was involved.
Eventually, the Queen walked slowly into the chamber. Kathryn and Tom sank slowly onto one knee and placed their right arms across their chests as they had been shown by the ambassador. It all seemed a bit convoluted to Tom but he was willing to play along if it meant avoiding a confrontation. They'd considered just beaming Chakotay out and making a run for it, but if they could solve the problem with diplomacy it would save a lot of worry.
"You have come to see your male for a last time? Why do you torture yourself?" the Queen eventually said, her musical voice pleasant and deliberately light.
The captain breathed deeply and looked clearly at Tom. He took a step closer to her, so they were almost touching, and shot a practiced look of disdain in Chakotay's direction. Neither the commander nor the queen missed it, but whilst Chakotay looked hurt, the queen looked confused.
"Actually," Kathryn said, "It's no torture at all. We came to thank you."
The queen raised an eyebrow, "How so?"
"Chakotay came to our crew as a terrorist and enemy. I co operated with him because I needed the loyalty of his crew. But that was long ago and now I have their loyalty, I no longer need him."
Kathryn deliberately avoided Chakotay's eyes, hoping that he was seeing through her lies and understanding what they were doing for him. She'd never been able to lie to him, and she prayed there was no reason for her to be able to start now.
The queen gaped, turning to look first at Chakotay and then at Tom, who had subtly taken the captain's elbow during her last speech. The captain deliberately reached up and placed a hand over Tom's, rubbing her fingers tenderly over his. They let the actions speak for a while. The queen had closed her mouth and was watching with what closely resembled interest. The fire from Chakotay's gaze was burning through him, and Tom prayed that the commander would soon understand what they were doing and stop trying to kill him with his eyes. For a smart man, Chakotay could be pretty stupid where the captain was concerned.
"So, you lied to your Chakotay?" the queen asked, a thoughtful claw scratching her chin.
"Yes," Kathryn smiled, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face, "What would you have done? I feel nothing for him but contempt. You are welcome to him; I've always just wanted to be with my Tom."
It was time for the big showpiece, as Kathryn turned and stretched up to kiss Tom. It was fairly quick, agreed upon as a sure fire way of saving Chakotay, but the peck on the lips was still enough to give Tom the vague impression that even when Chakotay did realise what was happening, he might still try and phaser him in his sleep. Kathryn tensed and tried hard to imagine that she was kissing somebody else. She opened one eye and focused on Chakotay's face; his cheeks were burning red and his left eye twitched in an interesting way. Kathryn waited until he had dragged his reluctant gaze to her face and winked, just once. After a beat of confusion, his face cleared and his smile slowly returned. She pulled away from Tom and took a step towards the queen.
"So, as you can see, I'm quite content with how this has worked out. So, we'll be off and-"
"No!" the queen cried, standing and pulling Chakotay from his chair. He stumbled towards them, tripping over his robe. Tom caught him and patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. What happened next was fast, just as they had planned.
"I want him, with the yellow hair!" the queen screamed, "Take him!"
As the guards ran forwards, Kathryn tapped her commbadge, "Tuvok, three to beam out now!"
The last thing Tom saw as the room shimmered from his view was the captain reach out and clasp Chakotay's hand. With his spare hand, Chakotay briefly touched her face.
Tom smirked.
As if there could ever have been any doubt as to who really was her most cherished one.
Any doubt at all.