A Swat In The Right Direction
By Voyagercat & Maja
© November 2008
In five years, she'd only heard that happen once before.
A very distinctive sloshing sound she knew full well didn't come from her. There could only be one suspect behind the bubble dance taking place around her. Drawing in a deep calming breath and with her eyes still closed, she spoke the one letter of the alphabet that she dreaded the most.
"Q! GET OUT!"
However, the only response she got was another sloshing of bubbles.
Maybe he'll go away if I just ignore him, she thought, but even the few seconds of verbal silence that followed was too much for Janeway's slight composure.
She was determined though to assert her command position over this so called omnipotent idiot and scraped together what little dignity she had left. Keeping her eyes closed she said as calmly as humanly possible.
"I'm in no mood for your childish games, Q. You have to the count of one to get out of my tub, off my ship, and out of my life!"
This time the silence mingled with a very un-Q-like snicker. The almost inaudible sound made Janeway's eyes snap wide open, and she stared in shock at the bubble covered figure sitting at the other end of her sudsy sanctuary.
The dopy grin on Chakotay's face reminded Janeway of one of the seven dwarfs from earth's long list of fairytale creatures; somehow though the thought remained just that as she continued to stare.
Chakotay finally broke the spell with a grin, which only intensified Janeway's dwarf image of him.
"Tell me you're not having an affair with Q?" Mr. Dopy said.
"Commander, you are in direct violation of Starfleet protocols." The words sounded more like a low hiss than a commanding statement from Voyager's infamous captain and clearing her throat she tried again.
"Chakotay, get the hell out of here!"
If possible, the smile only intensified. "Ok, if you insist." He said and started to rise out of the bubbles.
"NO! WAIT! SIT!" Janeway shouted as she suddenly realized that she was about to get a birds eye view of his…undwarfisum.
He kindly complied and once again concealed himself below the bubbles. She almost wished he hadn't but kept that to herself as she still hoped to regain control of the situation.
"You need to make up your mind, Kathryn." The king of dopy just couldn't resist teasing her.
"Shut up, Commander before I throw you in the brig" She hissed. Her tone one that would have made even the bravest of admirals pale, but Chakotay wasn't the least bit afraid of her, at least not at the moment as he was relatively sure she wasn't about to carry out her threat.
Granted he hadn't expected this to happen when Q showed up on the bridge just minutes before, but then who was he to complain at this unexpected, and rather pleasant, turn of events. Not that he had a choice since he was already snapped clean of clothing and sitting chest high in bubbles before he could voice any kind of protest at Q. He had to admit though that he was rather enjoying himself; even if he feared that Tuvok might be on his way to investigate at this very moment.
"Yes, Captain, but..." He smiled innocently. "How do you suggest we get out of here – would you like me to call security?" He waved his combadge in front of her. The only bit of 'clothing' that Q had seemed fit to leave behind.
In a flash her hand shot from the bubbles, grabbed the combadge and tossed it across the room. "NO!" The thought of Tuvok suddenly showing up was more than enough to send her into full scale panic.
Chakotay chuckled softly. "Didn't think so, but…" He hesitated at the icy glare she sent his way, a glare that was making even the water seem slightly cooler all of a sudden. He swallowed. Maybe I need to rethink this? He thought, but he almost instantly dismissed the idea. After all he was not a coward.
"But what?"
"Well…there goes plan B." He said, his gaze following the path of this fallen combadge.
Another temperature dropping glare followed. "Would I have liked that plan any better than plan A?"
"Probably not." The grin he sent her was statuesque in appearance.
"Then wipe that smirk off your face, Commander, and start thinking about a plan C, which doesn't include embarrassing me more than I already am!"
How on earth am I going to get out of this one, she wondered as she looked around the bathroom. The quiet bath she'd enjoyed only moments before had suddenly turned into a nightmare – all thanks to Q. She cursed him and the Continuum. Her clothes were in the other room and to make matters worse her towels were too far away for her to reach without showing far more than she was prepared to show at the moment.
She glared at Chakotay again, willing him to go away the way he had arrived, but Q was long gone and he wasn't likely to be corporative anyway.
In absolute frustration she slammed her hands on the water and made a horrible mess as bubbles flew in all directions; one nice little glob of them landed on Chakotay's head. She almost laughed at the image of Chakotay sitting in her tub covered in bubbles as he once again reminded her way too much of the dwarf Dopy with a hat on.
"Two can play at that game, Kathryn." Chakotay smiled wickedly, scooped up a big handful of bubbles and returned the favor by blowing them toward her, and so they suddenly both wore command crowns of suds.
"Commander, I hate to…burst your bubble," she reached up to wipe the melting mass off her head, "but this is NO game."
Chakotay couldn't contain his laughter any longer, and despite the threat of spending the rest of his life in the brig or floating in a permanent bubble-tomb, he hadn't had this much fun in years, if ever.
"Kathryn, remind me the next time I see Q to thank him for the best day of my life."
"You're quite welcome, Chuckles." Q snickered.
"Q!!" They both shouted at the empty air, as the perpetrator was gone before he'd even arrived.
Chakotay couldn't stop laughing, Kathryn was fuming mad, and their bubble blanket was slowly dissipating.
Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Janeway tried to let rational thought take over. I need to get a grip here. We've faced countless life-destroying threats together. How bad can a tub full of bubbles and one very endearing first officer possibly be?
Her eyes snapped open as her train of thought shifted. Come to think of it, how good could this be? I may as well not look a gift-horse in the mouth, although I'd like to kick that gift-horse in the…
A hesitant smiled showed on her face. "Commander, we're both adults here, agreed?"
"Agreed." Chakotay was more than willing to play.
"And we've faced more than our share of horrific and deadly situations together, agreed?" Her smile continued to grow.
Chakotay's expression changed from dopy dwarf to his brother Happy. "Agreed, Captain."
"Surely a bunch of bubbles are no match for a great captain and her brave and faithful worrier first officer, agreed?"
"I whole heartedly agree, Kathryn." Chakotay's whole heart was beating a mile and minute.
Maybe I owe you a big thanks as well, Q. She thought and for a split second she feared that he would respond to her in person, but thankfully the only sound in the room continued to be the sound of the melting bubbles and that of her own heartbeat speeding up. The water in the tub had suddenly gotten decidedly warmer.
"And as the first officer you have to follow my orders, agreed?"
What is she up too? Chakotay wondered but dared not imagine nor argue her point.
"Agreed, Captain," he was so beside himself that he almost winked at her.
Janeway, however, did just that as she slyly asked. "Then, Commander, would you be so kind as to hand me that towel over there?"
She pointed towards the back of the vanity chair where she had left it earlier, but she kept her eyes glued on Chakotay trying to anticipate his reaction.
"What towel?" His blank expression wasn't quite the reaction she'd expected.
"That…" She shot a fearful glance in the direction of the empty chair. Rolling her eyes at Q's audacity, she sank further into the bubbles.
"I take it your towel grew legs and walked out of here." Chakotay was laughing even louder now. He could hardly contain himself.
"Q-legs to be exact. There goes plan C." And my dignity, she mumbled not quite loud enough for him to hear.
"I can't wait to see what plan D is." He was having trouble talking through his laughter.
"Stuff it, Commander." Janeway had had enough of this game, not to mention Chakotay's infuriatingly dopish grin and self-satisfying attitude.
Sighing she closed her eyes again and spoke harshly to the game master.
"That's it, Q! You have one second to get your omnipotent butt back here with my towel."
Her command was answered by a knock on the bathroom door.
"Wow! Talk about being right on…Q" Chakotay was laughing so hard, he had tears in his eyes.
Janeway pushed a tsunami of bubbles and water crashing over his head and yelled loudly to be heard over Chakotay's choking laughter.
"Just get in here with my…"
It wasn't Q, however, who walked in the door.
Tuvok flanked by two of his security team burst through the door with phasers in hand. If there was ever a moment or situation that could surprise a Vulcan this was it. Along with his never faltering expression, Tuvok was speechless. The two guards with him had much more human reactions as they gasped but smartly kept their mouth shut and quickly backed out the door. I feel bad for them don't you?
Janeway and Chakotay were just as shocked as the two guards, but unfortunately for them they didn't have an as easy escape option. The only sound in the room came from the distant and fading snicker from the perpetrator of this tub taboo. Someday, somehow, I am going to get you for this, Q. For the moment Janeway was as speechless as Tuvok.
Tuvok turned around speaking first. "It appears you are not in need of assistance and there is no security threat to you or the ship." A speedy exit was in order.
"Commander," Janeway cleared her throat and managed to speak with authority, how she didn't really know. "Towels, now!"
Averting his eyes from the soggy command team, Tuvok found two big white towels neatly stacked in the corner. He grabbed them and swiftly set them down within reach of Janeway's outstretched arm, then made his escape out the door without another word.
Janeway was out of the tub and wrapped in her big fluffy towel before the door had swooshed closed behind Tuvok. Chakotay hadn't even realized that he'd missed the tenth of a second show before she was up and out of the tub. Just as quickly she picked up the second towel and wrapped it around her wet hair.
"Hey, what about me?" Chakotay complained as what he assumed was his towel walked towards the door.
She stopped, bent down and picked something up, then turned back to face him. Her smile was devilishly beautiful as she said.
"Well, Commander, let's start with plan A."
"Which would be?" This turn of events wasn't looking too promising.
Janeway, however, was feeling much better about things now.
"You could walk to your quarters in your birthday suit." The devilish smile was downright fiendish now.
Chakotay wasn't smiling though. "I'm not real fond of plan A. How about plan B?"
She tossed his combadge at him. "You could call for a site-to-site transport and get the hell out of here."
"Only a slightly better plan." He complained while looking at the combadge in his hand, disappointment clearly written in his features. He'd caught the combadge just before it hit the water, but he was already wondering if he should just have let it slip beneath the bubbles. Would she have responded differently if he had? In any case,he felt rather cheated.
He sent her a pleading look, but Janeway simply turned around and headed for the door again. "Wait, Kathryn." He just had to try. "Is there a plan C?"
"Not in the near future." She walked out giving him the cold shoulder to match the cold lonely tub.
The next few days passed with uneventful slowness. Too much time to think was driving Chakotay crazy. There hadn't even been a ripple in the rumor mill about Q's appearance or antics. Not that he expected Tuvok or his two sidekicks to spill the beans. Commander Tuvok could be insufferably discreet when it came to protecting Janeway's reputation. Not that Chakotay thought he would be the tarnish on her perfectly polished demeanor. Quite frankly he thought he was the perfect polish for her. If she would just…
"Commander!" Chakotay jumped ten feet in the air at the sound of Janeway's voice. "A bit jumpy, aren't we?" Her musical laughter was infectious.
He tried his best to act unaffected by her sudden appearance, but the big wet stain down the front of his shirt from his toppled cup of tea didn't help hide his surprise. "I'm not jumpy. The tea was just…" he looked down at his wet shirt "hot."
"Whatever." She smiled as she sat down across from him. "Do you mind if I join you?"
"Of course not." He looked around the almost empty mess hall. "There doesn't seem to be a line of people competing for my attention." He smiled right back at her.
She took in his now rather untidy appearance then laughed again. "I can't imagine why not. Who wouldn't want to hang out with such a…slob?"
"You sure know how to make a guy feel loved." He tried the pouty face without much success. "Could you possibly have a better reason to come down here than to tease me?" A guy could always hope.
She gave that a moment's thought then tilted her head to the side continuing to dazzle him with her smile. "No, not a better reason, but I did want to pick your brain a bit."
We could do much more interesting things than picking each other's brains, he thought, but his answer was more appropriate. "I'm yours for the picking." It was his turn to laugh.
"A slob and a comedian, what more could a woman want?" Her smile dimmed slightly.
Chakotay turned serious too. "I don't know, Kathryn, you tell me." He was truly hoping she would tell him what he wanted to hear.
"I…" She blinked several times and sat back in her chair with her arms folded across her lap "I need your help to get back at Q."
Not the answer he was hoping for but, not an unexpected one either. "I'm not sure anyone can pull one over on that kingpin of a prankster. But I'm game, got anything in mind?" At least he could have some fun with her.
"Well…no not really. I can't think of a big enough flyswatter to squash the pest with."
More than anyone else he had ever known, Kathryn Janeway could always make him smile from the inside out. Q may be the kingpin of pranksters, but Chakotay believed he just might have met his match with this magnificent queenpin of the Delta Quadrant. At times like these, Chakotay could almost believe he was in the presence of royalty. He was powerless to control his grin.
Janeway had to admit, if only to herself that she enjoyed that smile immensely, and his lack of response only intensified her enjoyment.
"Commander, you look like you may have just swallowed that big fly. Do you require assistance?" She just couldn't help it.
"Yes, maybe a bit of CPR would be helpful." He closed his eyes and tilted his head back imitating the last breath of a poor dying man and his lips ready for…well a kiss.
"Nice try but I'm not biting. " She regretted her words almost as soon as she said them as Chakotay almost fell off his chair laughing.
"Kathryn, you are seriously killing me here." He could live the rest of his life in this moment, which could quite possibly be cut short by the death glare he received.
"Captain Janeway, you are needed in your ready room."
The untimely request interrupted Janeway's retort prolonging Chakotay's blissful existence.
"I'm on my way." She stood up smiling to her fist officer. "Commander, if you are still in need of CPR I'll have the doctor come down and help you out."
"No thanks. His method isn't (I simply deleted lifesaving) Ok, would never have known lol quite what I had in mind. I'll just sit here all alone and suffer."
"Suit yourself." Her smile still warmed his heart long after the mess hall doors had closed behind her.
Janeway's upbeat mood as she strolled onto the bridge was about to be doused. Before she could even ask, who wanted to see her, this late in the evening, she saw Tuvok nod towards her ready room so she swallowed her words knowing instantly, who the intruder was.
In fact her mood took a drastic downward spiral as she marched towards the door grumbling some explicit remarks like… slimy toad sucking vermin and conniving rotten little …
That, however, was all Tom Paris heard before the door closed leaving him with a strong desire to be a fly on her wall. He chose wisely though not to mention that to Commander Tuvok, who seemed not to be the least bit unruffled hearing the captain use such colorful words.
"Rotten little parasite. Get off my…" Janeway's demand skidded to a halt just after entering her ready room.
Q was standing right in front of her with an interesting bright green object in his hand. "A peace offering." He said as he held the object out to her.
His dumb smirking smile only infuriated her more, and she snatched the big flyswatter from his hand and popped him upside the head with it. She found smacking him surprisingly enjoyable and she seriously considered doing it again.
"Ouch! You humans are so barbaric." Q rubbed his stinging head.
Janeway reluctantly lowered the flyswatter but decided to keep it in her hand just in case.
"You deserved that and more, Q. The only barbaric idiot on my ship is you. There better be more of an apology coming than this little gem or I just might be tempted to use it again." She looked down at her prized possession just in time to see it disappear when Q snapped his fingers.
"I agree that wasn't the best choice for an apology." He was still rubbing his head.
Janeway was having trouble remaining angry, but she was not going to let him know it quite yet. "You are such a baby, Q. You're pretty pathetic for an omnipotent superior being. Now why are you here meddling in my life again?"
"Well someone has to do something with your life, you sure aren't." He was damn glad he had gotten rid of that flyswatter, but the stinging look in her eyes was almost as bad. "Come on, Kathy, I only want what's best for you. You're kind of like a…pet to me." He tried the puppy-dog look.
"I'm no one's pet, especially not yours, Q. You are going to have to do better than that at apologizing." She calmly walked over to the couch and sat down.
Q followed her lead but sat down leaving a generous amount of space between them. Best to stay on the side of caution, he decided. "Would you like another puppy?"
Even as dumb as he was, for a Q Janeway thought he was trying. She even smiled slightly at him. "No, I don't want a puppy. What I want is for you to stay out of my personal life – and my tub!"
"Hey, I didn't get in your tub this time. There wasn't really a good rubber ducky to choose from on this ship so I threw in old Chucky Ducky. He seems to want to…" He gulped back his next words at the all too deadly glare he got. A revision of his statement was in order.
"He wants to swim with you?" He corrected himself.
Despite her frustration with him she had to laugh. He truly was pathetic.
"Ok, forget the tub, but seriously, Q, you can't just snap a finger and expect me, or anyone else for that matter, to entertain you. We are not puppets you can control on a whim. The emotional ramifications of a relationship between two humans, both the good and the bad, can't be forced upon us by a third party, especially by you and your games. You can't decide who I should see or be with. My personal life, any part of my life, is mine to choose not yours." She hoped against hope that he would listen and try to understand for once, and then leave her and her crew alone.
However, the completely puzzled look on his face clearly showed that he didn't. "Oh come on, Kathy. I wouldn't have to be a third party in your life if you had a life, of a personal lovey-dovey gag me I want to barf nature that is."
If Janeway had had a smidgen of omnipotence in her, Q's own life would have been in jeopardy, but he failed to take any notice of the fact and went on blabbering.
"Come to think of it, you turned down the best offer of a lovey existence ever offered to mankind." He winked at her. "I still say we would have been good together."
"I would rather be digested eternally in the belly of a Selay than to spend one second of my existence with you." There just weren't enough words to describe the arrogance of his almighty Q-ness.
"Ewww! A bit…harsh, I believe, but if you insist..." He moved his hand, ready to snap her into the desired existence.
"Q!!" Janeway grabbed his wrist stopping the movement; her nails digging deep into his assumed human flesh.
"Ouch!" He pulled free of her vice-like grip on him. "And I thought the flyswatter was bad." He was rubbing more at his wounded pride than his sore wrist. "I was only kidding, Captain. I know you love me more than a slimy Selay."
"Don't be so sure." With a quiet sigh she closed her eyes and leaned back into the couch. I'm getting too old for this.
"I agree you're not getting any younger."
Even her thoughts weren't safe around Q. She opened her eyes ready to give him another verbal lashing for the intrusion.
"Calm down, I only mean that in a 'you're wasting your time ignoring your feelings for Chuckles' kind of way. Not that I see why you even like the big oaf, but my point is…"
"Oh so you actually have a point to all this?" She was becoming exhausted from the mental battle.
"Of course I do. I always have a point if you would just listen."
She closed her eyes again. "If I listen, will you go away and leave me alone?"
"Maybe for now, but I can't leave you alone forever. Someone has to watch out for you out here in this big scary quadrant. I can't let something bad happen to you."
He said that with such sincerity that she believed him. She opened her eyes and even gave him a real smile. "Ok, I'm listening."
"Good. Now get off your high horse and give your first officer a chance to show you he loves you. For reasons I'll never understand you love him too, so what's the problem? I've been around humans enough to know love is the most important thing in your lives. You're not doing anyone any favors by avoiding the inevitable. You love him, he loves you and anyone with half a pea-brain knows it as well. Just go for it, Kathy, you have my permission." He was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
Janeway just shook her head, but her eyes were smiling as brightly as his. "I didn't know I needed your permission. When were you appointed my guardian?"
"The moment you came in to existence." He sounded very serious. "There is just something about you I can't resist."
"I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not but thanks, I think." She considered her next words carefully. "Q, if I promise to give your suggestions some serious consideration, will you promise to stay out of it and stop meddling in my life?"
He took his own time considering her request. "How do I know you won't just fall back into your protocol-laden life, always playing the part of the perfectly boring captain?"
"I guess you'll just have to trust me. And how do I know you will keep your end of the deal and stop lurking around every corner – or bath?" She added with a smile.
"I guess you'll just have to trust me – and lock your bathroom door." He matched her smile.
"If a lock would be enough, I'd have this entire ship covered in them and paint a big flashy sign on the hull saying 'NO Q's ALLOWED!'"
Q was honestly laughing now. "You are special, Kathryn Janeway."
He then surprised her by dragging her off the couch and crushing her in a big bear hug."Q, I can't breathe, put me down."
"Ok, ok, humans are so frail." He dropped her back down on the couch. It almost knocked the breath out of her for real this time. After she got her voice back, she asked. "Couldn't we just seal the deal with a hand shake next time?"
He stuck his hand out. "Agreed."
She hesitantly put her hand in his. "Agreed."
He gently shook her hand then instantly dropped it like a hot potato. "Well the continuum is calling. I've got bigger fish to fry and you have a fish of your own to reel in." He vanished in a flash. And do NOT be good or I'll be back sooner than you want.
He is the only one who can get the last word around me. Q had left her with some pleasant thought provoking things to consider.
Over the next few weeks Janeway gave Q's advice, or rather his orders, a great deal of thought. She knew she couldn't and didn't want to put this off much longer and so she was on her way to Astrometrics to finalize the second most important aspect of her plan, Chakotay being the first.
Life on Voyager had been relatively calm over the last couple of months and the crew's spirits were up as well as the captain's. They would be as willing as always to stop along their trek back to the Alpha Quadrant to investigate anything of interest. Only this time it would be their captain and first officer doing the investigating. A nice, little, uninhabited and non-hostile planet would be her cover story. Investigation was on her mind but not of a planetary nature.
Janeway walked through the doors to Astrometrics hiding her secret behind a smile.
"Hi, Seven, what have we got?"
As the captain had requested of her earlier, Seven had already pulled up the star charts for the region of space they were passing through.
"There doesn't seem to be much of interest, Captain. I see no reason to stop and investigate anything around here."
You may not, but I sure do. Janeway joined her on the viewing platform. "Well, Seven, that's why they pay me the big bucks to be the captain. Sometimes you have to look beyond the nose on your face."
"Captain?" Seven looked at Janeway like she had grown two heads. "I didn't realize that you were receiving some monetary value to be the captain."
"Not yet, but I sure plan too." Janeway was not thinking about money, but left Seven in the dark on that point. She spotted something that might be promising. "What about that little gem?"
The little bluish planet looked about half the size of Earth and was surrounded by several moons.
"It looks positively boring, but its atmosphere is nitrogen oxygen and argon based, similar to Earth. Landmass occupies less than one third of the planet. There are no humanoid lifeforms, however I would suggest staying out of the water due to its high acidic content and quicksand-like currents."
"I'll keep that in mind." Janeway was beaming. "This is going to be perfect. I'm sure the crew won't mind a little detour."
Seven was puzzled as to why Janeway would even want to give this planet a second glance.
"I suppose they won't mind since you're the captain, but I don't see anything that would be worth an investigation." Seven turned to look directly at Janeway. "Captain, just what is it you're looking for down there? The only perfect thing I can see is that you won't hyper-freeze your lungs or fry them to a crisp breathing."
Janeway smiled brightly but answered vaguely. "That's a good start, and I'm looking for something I've needed for a long time now." She patted Seven's shoulder and turned to go put her plan in motion.
"I hope you find it then." Seven called out as Janeway reached the door.
"I intend to." Janeway left Astrometrics leaving Seven's curiosity peaked.
"Hey, Chakotay, you're about to miss your bus, get a move on." Tom Paris stepped out of the way so he didn't get pancaked flat against the corridor wall as Chakotay went running past.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll leave the driver a big tip." Tom caught the fading reply before the doors to the cargo bay hissed closed.
Tom chuckled to himself as he continued in the opposite direction. "I'll just bet you will. There is more going on here than your run of the mill survey mission and it's about time." Tom continued to smile all the way back to the bridge.
"Well, Commander, for a minute there I thought this was going to be a lonely mission." Janeway smiled as Chakotay took the co-pilot's seat on the shuttle.
He returned her smile tenfold as he started helping with the preflight check.
"Now what kind of first officer would I be if I let the captain take off all alone for such a dangerous mission?" He couldn't help add the danger part since he, along with the rest of the crew, didn't see what the big attraction was to this dull lifeless planet. However, he was utterly attracted to the shuttle's pilot and her beautiful smile. He couldn't think of a better way to spend the day.
"Never underestimate the danger we could find ourselves in." She kept the smile in place, but turned her attention to the shuttle's take off sequence. "Voyager, open the shuttle bay doors. We're ready to launch."
"Acknowledged. Good luck, Captain." Was Tuvok's brisk reply as the shuttle moved through the containment force field.
"Are we going to need luck on this – dangerous mission?" Chakotay was feeling lucky just being alone with Janeway.
"Honestly, it never hurts to stay on the good side of luck. We haven't always had much of it when we hop on a shuttle together." Janeway mentally crossed her fingers since her hands were busy piloting the shuttle. She was hoping to get lucky in more ways than one but she kept that a secret.
The shuttle glided smoothly towards the hazy blue planet and Janeway's hopefully romantic mission. She had butterflies in her stomach, not from the thought that this could be another dangerously impossible quest, but from the thought that she might be making a mistake.
I really hope I'm not making another one of my big mistakes. She briefly glanced Chakotay's way and saw he was wearing his big smile proudly. Then again how wrong could something that felt so right be. We have to be on the same page here.
Chakotay felt the silence dragging on a bit too long.
"So, Kathryn, what is this mission really all about?" He couldn't decide what she might be up to, but he desperately hoped it was more than a routine surveying and it showed on his face.
Janeway almost laughed at his expression but held back as she glanced behind her. "Do you see that big bag sitting there?"
He looked behind him as well now. "You can't miss it. I almost tripped over the damn thing climbing into the shuttle."
Janeway just continued to pilot the shuttle with her 'give nothing away' caption's look. "That should give you a clue then."
Chakotay turned back to face Janeway, but her expression didn't falter. The bag was your ordinary standard Starfleet issue used to carry survey equipment.
"Hmm, I sure don't see what we'd want to survey on this blue moon. From all our readings it's nothing more than a waterlogged rock."
"Oh don't be such an old stick in the mud. Where's your sense of adventure?" She kept her attention on the shuttle controls.
"It's right here with you." As far as Chakotay was concerned he'd spend eternity on any old waterlogged stick in the mud rock as long as Kathryn was with him.
"Then pay attention and let's land this thing. We're entering your blue rock's atmosphere now."
"Aye, aye, Captain." Chakotay did his best to concentrate on his duties instead of his captain.
With tricorders in hand the two adventurers stepped off the shuttle onto what Chakotay expected to feel like rock, but to his surprise it felt more like spongy sand. "Interesting."
"I'll say." Apparently Janeway had thought the same thing. She took a few hesitant steps more.
"Even more interesting." Chakotay's comment was referring to the lack of footprints left by Janeway's steps. "This planet could be worth investigating after all."
"Not if you don't grab our bag with the equipment." She turned her head to smile at him. "And don't drop it, there's sensitive stuff in there." Stuff being a relative term as the only surveying equipment in there was their tricorders. The bag was filled with much more fun stuff.
Chakotay quickly walked back for the bag while Janeway moved on ahead a few more steps. This planet wasn't quite what she had expected - it was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful and the surprisingly warm air seemed to shimmer and sparkle around her. Not from mist from all the water like she had expected but from a windless blue glitter that waltzed around her like a million droplets of diamonds and sapphire jewels.
The magical melody of the ocean's crashing waves was more a song of tiny bells ringing in time with the dancing water. She watched in wonder at the ocean's tide crashing in on itself instead of a normal tide crashing onto a sandy beach or rock. The water rippled as wave after wave merged into a whirlpool of churning shades of blue sparkle.
Indeed there were three moons hanging motionless above; each with its own indescribable scintillating shade of blue. Obviously, the moons were the planet's light and heat source as well as adding to the majestic splendor.
Chakotay had quietly come to stand beside her. She assumed he was as awestruck as she was at the wonder around them.
"Chakotay, isn't this the most beautiful and amazing thing you've ever seen?" She just couldn't come up with the right adjectives to describe what her eyes were seeing.
"It sure is." His answer was spoken in an almost reverent whisper.
Janeway turned to look at him noticing that he wasn't looking at the world around them. She playfully poked him in the arm.
"Not me you idiot, the planet."
Chakotay didn't take his eyes off her to even glance at their surroundings.
"I'm serious, Kathryn, I've truly never seen anything so beautiful." From the first moment he had laid eyes on her, Chakotay had thought that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but seeing her standing there in that magical and sparkling atmosphere was indescribable. He was undeniably smitten.
Janeway could only smile and then slid her hand in his.
"Come on, Commander, let's go investigate."
Chakotay held tightly to her hand as they made their way a few kilometers across the carpet of spongy rock. He was afraid that he might wake up and find all this just a dream and if he didn't hold tight to her it would all just vanish in a puff of utter despair. They walked in silence taking in the beauty and the musical sparkling allure of the planet and each other.
To Janeway it felt like they had stepped into a land of make believe. Not even in her wildest imagination could she have come up with something this amazing in sight, sound and feelings. Not even Tom Paris could come up with a holodeck program that would come close to this. The more she thought about it the more she was convinced there was more than magic at work here on this little blue planet. Whoever had created it, be that Gods, Q or a freak of nature, this was no ordinary creation. She silently gave thanks to whom or whatever had had a hand in this.
With tricorders forgotten Janeway led Chakotay to what she was sure was the perfect spot for her not so scientific survey. The only recording from this away mission would be in their hearts and minds.
"This looks like a good place to set up." She tried unsuccessfully to pry her hand from Chakotay's. "Commander, I need my hand and the bag if we're going to get anything done before we have to get back."
"Oh, sorry." He reluctantly let go of her hand but kept the constant endearing smile in place. He didn't take his eyes off Janeway as he slid the bag from his shoulder and set it down beside them. The slight clinking sound as the bag touched the ground got his attention. "What's in there? It doesn't sound like surveying equipment to me."
Janeway knelt down undoing the bag and revealed the contents in question. "I guess that would depend on what kind of surveying you wanted to do.
Chakotay stood speechless as he watched her unload the bag. First out was a large soft blanket. Chakotay couldn't tell if it was blue or if this was just an illusion created by the glow of the planet's blue hue. She quickly but meticulously spread the blanket out then continued pulling things from the bag. A basket filled with breads, cheese and fruit of all kinds. A tantalizing whiff of bread hit Chakotay's nose. How did I not smell that before?
He continued to ogle as wine glasses, plates, napkins and two bottles of cider that he was sure had come from his secret stash appeared from the bag; and to top it off the last thing she pulled from the bag was a vase of crystalline blue lilies. Again he wondered at their true color.
"Wow!" Was his first and only response. He still hadn't taken his eyes off Janeway or moved to join her on the blanket.
Janeway did her best trying to create a lustrous smile for him, but she was starting to feel a bit nervous. Unless I'm an idiot and so out of practice that I can't read the writing on the wall, this has to be what he wants as well.
"Chakotay…" She wasn't sure what to say or do next. If this was a mistake it was her biggest yet.
Thankfully he saved her from further worry. His smile filled her heart with a happiness she didn't know existed. He knelt down on the blanket beside her and pulled her head towards his. Their lips melted together heating every sensory fibber of her being in the process, and the sizzling glow came from more than this wizardly planet.
When he finally released her lips from his own her response mimicked his from a moment ago. "Wow!"
They both fell into fits of laughter, which mingled in harmony with the singing bells throughout this atmospheric wonderland.
Q, smiled to himself as the blue planet faded from his minds eye leaving the command team of Voyager to their long awaited fate.
The End