I never put this one on here at FF, so I am rectifying that mistake. I plan to get back to writing Voyager stories this year, and also finish A New Mission at long last. I do hope those of you who haven't read this particular on before on other sites enjoy it. It was the very first story I wrote almost four years ago. Gregg.
A/N: This is definitely AU in the sense that I made Chakotay's Starfleet career before he resigned a bit more successful, having been a Captain of two ships before joining the Maquis. It makes for more tension in the discussion and forces Janeway to think hard about what she's doing.
Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
The two captains stood appraising one another. One was a short, petite red head who exuded a great deal of confidence and leadership. The other was a tall, dark, and muscular man who sported an interesting tattoo on his forehead above his left eye. One wore the uniform of a Starfleet officer, while the other wore the leathers normally preferred by the Maquis. The question to be resolved was what to do about the dilemma in which they'd found themselves.
For the woman it was a question fraught with entanglements that she would prefer to avoid, but knew that he would not allow her to do so. If she had any hope of coming out of this meeting in command of her own ship, she had to be at her best, and in front of him she was not. For the first time in her life she was deeply attracted to a man with the connection having been instantaneous. Her previous dalliances with love had been wonderful, but had taken time to develop. This was very dangerous territory indeed.
The man was thinking along similar lines. He had felt the immediate pull of her when he first saw her on his view screen and it had been embedded when he had beamed aboard this vessel. His question was, would she follow regulations to the letter once she made the decision to integrate the crews and pass command to him? He outranked her by a few years in grade of captain since he had resigned his commission in that rank and it would be his, along with seniority, once he accepted his commission back. Or would she try to come up with some idea to merge the crews, have him accept his commission, but let her remain in command as the senior officer? It was a dangerous game she would no doubt try to play, but he was inwardly amused as he thought of the ways she would go about it.
"We have a problem, Captain Chakotay," Kathryn Janeway opened with a broad salvo.
"You mean you have a problem, Captain Janeway," he shot back, though he deliberately kept his face cards from view. "From where I stand, I hold all the betting cards."
"Not necessarily," Kathryn replied, showing a little more depth in her move. "There's always the Brig to consider."
He shrugged. "Not likely," he rejoined. "I know your ships status, Captain, and you and I both know you don't have the crew to pull this off. The numbers don't add up. You forget, I've been doing this sort of thing for a while now."
She nodded slightly in recognition of his background in command. Two Starfleet ships of the line and a Maquis vessel. By all accounts he was one of the best commanding officers in the business and rivaled some of the best in history. "I could simply put you in the Brig and press your crew into service." She shifted tactics.
He chuckled. She certainly had moxy. "And you would retain command for perhaps half an hour once you tried that one," he informed her seriously. "Tuvok's good, and your security is top notch, but my crew could take this vessel easily, Captain."
"Then why haven't you?" she angrily threw out. She didn't want to lose her temper, but she also didn't like having her ideas and thoughts so easily shot to pieces. She was also getting angry that she was so turned on by all this. It was not easy being around someone who was actually her equal in this kind of exchange, all rank aside. She had always been the one who excelled against all the competition and no one had ever so easily picked apart her position, personally or professionally.
"I think you know why, Captain," he responded cryptically.
She turned away from him to think about that comment. There was no doubt about what he was referring to, but he was no longer Starfleet. The training, though, was ingrained in officers such as the two of them. The mission above all else, and safety of the crew was at least equal with that. Obviously he wanted them to work together, but he was also not going to be a yes man like her previous First Officer Cavit. That meant if she wanted to retain command, she would have to compromise. What a mood killer that thought is, she thought to herself as she turned back to him. Taking a deep breath, she made the one statement she had hoped to avoid.
"What will it take to have you and your crew join Voyager's crew and let me retain my command?" she asked firmly, clearly folding her rapidly losing hand.
Chakotay studied the proud woman in front of him carefully. He'd heard of her over the years, and in fact had almost had her as his First Officer on the last Starfleet ship he'd commanded before resigning two years before, but had chosen a slightly more experienced officer instead. He doubted she even knew how close she'd come to having served as his exec when she was still a commander. In many ways he admired her.
"I'll be your First Officer," he said once his decision was made. He saw the relief clearly showing on her face. He held up his hand. "It comes with a price, though. I won't give up my rank of Captain, though I will, for public consumption wear the field rank bar of a Commander. My crew is to be treated as complete equals with the regular Starfleet crew and be given positions and rank based on skill and experience at the job, not any seniority bullshit."
Kathryn thought about his conditions and they sounded reasonable, though his retention of his rank of Captain, at least between the two of them and according to the ships computer, could be problematic in the case of a dispute between the two of them. "Agreed," she nodded finally. "My condition, though, is that this will be run as a Starfleet vessel and the protocols and regulations will be adhered to."
"I can live with that, so long as you give the Maquis a reasonable chance to learn and not expect immediate acceptance and adherence by people who never went to the Academy," he returned.
"Would three months grace be acceptable on that one?" she asked.
"Make it five," he told her. "It's going to take the first couple to simply place them in the right slots once we find out where everyone best fits."
"Five months," she conceded. "I'll talk to Tuvok and let him know to be lenient about discipline issues. Tom Paris?" she asked.
He scowled darkly, but held back his initial scathing comment. The man had, after all, saved his life. That alone deserved a modicum of respect and a reservation of judgment. "I'm willing to give him a fair chance," he conceded. "I owe him at least that, and I will guarantee his safety among the others of the Maquis who don't hold his best interests at heart."
"Thank you," she responded. "Do you object to him being made the helm officer?"
Chakotay was more than willing to give credit where it was due, even in those whom he personally disliked. "He's the best pilot I've ever seen," he admitted. "We need the best people in the various positions. No objection."
"We can discuss other crew placements when you've had a chance to review the complete picture," Kathryn said finally, when she realized that he had basically finished the overall conversation. She offered her hand to him, though she was inwardly nervous about even shaking his hand considering how aroused the confrontation had made her. Her mind was trying to comprehend it. She was engaged and was not one for casual, lust filled flings. She tried to tamp down the inner voice telling her that her feelings for this man were significantly more than lust.
Chakotay shook her hand and noticed the slight tremor. He smiled inwardly, knowing just how she felt. He knew that she was a much more by the book kind of officer than he had ever been and wondered if he would ever convince her that a rigid reliance on protocol and command distance were not appropriate in Voyager's unique circumstances. He did have a warning to give her, though. Leaning in, he said in a deadly calm voice, "Remember just what my rank really is, Kathryn Janeway," he said powerfully. "Do anything that puts this mission and crew at risk without some incredibly solid reasons and I will re-establish my true rank and assume command as is my right."
Kathryn gulped almost audibly, and shivered. Oh yes, this man was incredibly dangerous, but she knew instinctively that she could trust him and the near constant state of arousal was also nudging her in the direction of trust and something more. It was going to be a very long voyage and she would be taking many cold showers, she had a feeling.
"I know," she said in a near whisper.
She watched as he nodded and stepped out of the Ready Room. Sighing in relief she sank down into her chair and closed her eyes. No matter how she analyzed it, and even though she was still in command, she knew she had lost this round. She would not let that happen again if she could help it.
Seven Years Later, Kathryn Janeway's Apartment, San Francisco, Earth
Seven years of cold showers and becoming a near bitch had taken a toll on Kathryn Janeway. Seven years of celibacy were now ending as she slowly sank down on the large erection she had positioned at her entrance. The sting of penetration after so long without was great, but the sheer pleasure of the sex was more than compensatory. She held herself absolutely still as she adjusted to Chakotay's size. Looking down on him she almost cried at the thought of how close she had come to losing him because of her incredible stupidity about protocol. A question lingered, though, and surprisingly she chose now to ask it.
"How come you never assumed your rank and took command out there during all the times I screwed up?" she asked as she clenched her inner muscles. The exquisite feeling of fullness radiated through her, but she was clear headed enough to ask the question.
Chakotay was in a state approaching Nirvana. He was finally in Kathryn Janeway's bed and buried fully within her. He heard her question and stared up at her with wide, bewildered eyes. "You're asking me that now?"
Kathryn smiled and began to slide up and down his length. "I'd say now is the perfect time," she stated calmly, though her breathing was rough and deep. "Or should I just get off of you and let you go back to Seven?"
"NO!" he almost shouted. His ridiculous attempt at a relationship with Seven was something he was not proud of, and he knew that Kathryn wouldn't let him off the hook for a long time to come, though he had to admit her current method of convincing him of where he should be was working pretty damn well. He calmed a bit and moaned as she used her talented muscles to clamp down on him. By the look of complete pleasure on her face he just knew that this had to be her favorite position. He said the only thing he could, and besides which, it was the truth. "Because just like I said to B'Elanna when you destroyed the Caretaker. You're the Captain."
Kathryn continued her slow and languorous ride on top of him, reveling in the feel of it. His statement had a great deal of depth to it and spoke of how much he ultimately trusted her out there. She would tell him later how much it really affected her when she'd heard it, but for now she decided to lean forward and continue his payback.
"And don't you forget it, Captain Chakotay," she said as suddenly a powerful orgasm exploded through her and she was finally able to scream his name at the top of her lungs and give voice to the feelings she had been stifling since that life altering meeting in her Ready Room seven years before.
A/N: An old one, but one I always enjoyed. Thanks for stopping by and giving it a chance. Gregg.