Beth 6787
13 February y
Priorities
Set just after the conclusion of the season 1 episode 'Prime Factors'. Janeway has just had THAT showdown with Tuvok and is feeling 'lost' in every sense of the word...
"Dismissed."
She had only just managed to keep her nerve and her 'Captain's demeanour' in place until the door slid shut behind him. Shaking she walked over to the replicator and ordered a double espresso : extra hot. She had a good deal of thinking to do and the coffee would keep her mind sharp. Or so she fervently hoped.
Of all the people accompanying her on this mind bogglingly long journey through the unknown, Tuvok was the one she had trusted implicitly, to always do the right thing. To uphold Starfleet principles, even if, in her human frailty, she ever wavered. They had already known each other for thirteen years and he was the only one on board that she could truly call her friend. At least, she had felt that until now. Now? She didn't know what she felt. Of course she could understand Torres and Seska's determination to attempt the illegal trade. They were Maquis, used to doing whatever it took to survive, and morality and the rule of law undoubtedly took a back seat to The Cause.
Had Tuvok's logic and loyalty been compromised by spending six months undercover with Chakotay's crew? Or was she wrong? Being too rigid in her thinking? But then - if she wavered now - who would hold this crew together? Without discipline they would all perish. Sooner rather than later, of that she had no doubt. She could hear her father's counsel in her mind's eye, as she had always done: distance and death notwithstanding. No. She HAD made the right decision regarding the Array and it was beholden on her to continue to maintain their standards for as long as this odyssey through the far reaches of the galaxy continued. If Tuvok could not - or would not - act as her Moral Compass then she would just have to fulfil that role herself. Accept that she was, ultimately, alone in this command.
She wandered over to the viewport, coffee mug clasped firmly in both hands, and contemplated the star scape flowing past the window. Vaguely she became aware of her monitor bleeping, trying to attract her attention. Snap out of it Captain, she admonished herself, there's a mountain of work awaiting your attention. Tapping in her code she was relieved to see that there was just one message. From her new First Officer. It was a modified duty roster for the next fortnight. She noted with relief that Commander Chakotay had taken it upon himself to ensure that Torres and Seska were rostered onto different shifts for the duration. Seska on Alpha shift under the command of Lieutenant Carey and Torres commanding Gamma shift. He was also requesting that Lieutenant Tuvok instigate additional training for all the former Maquis in Starfleet protocols, specifically relating to the chain of command.
She smiled to herself as she signed off her approval of all the measures he had suggested. Perhaps Tuvok was not her only port of call for that 'moral compass' after all.
THE END.
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