Disclaimer: The song that inspired it isn't mine. The characters aren't mine. I own only the plot, and am not making any money off this.
A/N: The hero knew what he had to do, and he wasn't afraid to fight. The villian goes to jail while the hero goes free. I wish it were that simple for me.
Those words, from "Hero" by Phil Collins and David Crosby, provided the inspiration for this story.
Reviews are much appreciated!
Hero
Rage threatened to overwhelm B'Elanna's fragile composure. She physically recoiled as she saw a uniformed Gul walk past her. Tom laid a hand on her shoulder to remind her that she was not alone.
"That bastard is just walking around San Francisco like he owns the place while Chakotay is cooped up in New Zealand!"
Tom started to remind her that the seven years aboard Voyager had been counted in his ten-year sentence, effectivly reducing it to three. He thought better of it and said nothing; they'd been down that road before.
B'Elanna was right. It wasn't fair. It could've been worse- in return for Chakotay going willingly to the penal colony and not making a fuss, the other former Maquis were pardoned. B'Elanna said it was because Starfleet Command was afraid the public outcry from any trial would hurt their credibility. She was probably right; the brass didn't want to tarnish their image. His father had retired, dissillusioned, as soon as he had done all he could for Chakotay. Tom didn't know all the details, be he knews that years ago his father had been captured by Cardassians, which was probably why he fought so hard for Chakotay. Owen Paris was the reason Chakotay's time aboard Voyager counted toward his sentence. His father had changed while he was in the Delta Quadrant; the old Owen Paris would never have fought so hard for a rebel, would never have become disillusioned with Starfleet.
He and Chakotay hadn't gotten along very well in the beginning, but Tom thought very highly of him now. There was something noble about the man. He would do whatever it took to stay true to his principles without thinking twice, would sacrifice whatever it took for those he cared about, and loved his friends without reservation. For a gentle soul, fighting was never easy. In Starfleet fighting wasn't the main focus of his job, but it the Maquis it was the only focus. Some inner strength had propelled Chakotay to fight for what he believed in. The Cardassians were in the wrong, and the Federation had abandoned the prey to the predators. The Federation should be begging for his fogiveness, not locking him up.
Diplomatic relations between the Federation and the "new" Cardassia, still in shambles from the ravages of the Dominion, were just beginning. That was why Chakotay could not go free, Tom knew. He was being sacrficed to diplomacy. It was all horribly unjust, but Chakotay took it without complaint. It made him seem even more like martyr.
Justice eluded Chakotay, no matter what anyone did on his behalf. Janeway had pleaded for his release, citing his service on Voyager as reason enough to pardon him. The entire senior staff had testified that Chakotay was an excellent first oficer. Even Naomi Wilder wrote to the President of the Federation! Nothing helped. Privately, even the judge at his trial said Chakotay should be free, but she wasn't given much of a choice. Justice be damned, the Cardassians had to have a Maquis prisoner and they were going to get one. It was the kind of thing that made the Maquis resistance spring up in the first place, and just went to show how much better Chakotay was than those who judged him.
Everyone else who returned from the Delta Quadrant was hailed as a hero. One of the most important figures was hauled away to prison. Etched forever in Tom's mind was the official party celebrating Voyager's return. That day Chakotay had found out that, pending his trial, he couldn't attend the party. The final rub, however, was that the brass had invited this gul! Oh, there were other important diplomatic figures, so he wasn't alone, but the shadow of the gul loomed over the party. Chakotay couldn't be there, but the Cardassian was. It was too much to bear.
Everyone was trying to look like they were having a good time, and doing a miserable job of it. Even the members of the crew who began the journey as staunchly anti-Maquis as they came were bothered by the treatment Chakotay was getting. Ensign Matthews, who had initially been ready to heave himself out an airlock when the crew of the Liberty came aboard, was heard telling his twin sister rather loudly that "Commander Chakotay should be here." But, if one didn't look too closely, it was possible to pretend that nothing was wrong. The holos Starfleet took showed nothing but jubulant faces.
Once the entire crew- minus Chakotay- was present, and all the dignitaries and admirals were assembled, it was time for speeches. Captain Janeway was going to give a speech at the end of the night; hers was the only speech Tom had been even remotely interested in hearing. He grew up with speeches and knew that they were a nice public relations stint where admirals could say a lot of crap they didn't mean. Did anyone honestly believe they even wrote their own speeches?
Admiral Nechayev was the first to speak. She was unsurprisingly dull. Her last sentence was the only one that registered in Tom's head. "And now it is my pleasure to introduce Gul Sharuk."
A few of the people with press passes started clicking their holocameras frantically. For a moment, they were the only ones who moved; journalistic responses were faster than human ones. It only took two seconds for the collective rage of Voyager's crew to be evident. B'Elanna had later confessed that she would have stormed out, but didn't want to give the p'taks the satisfaction of watching her go. Every single person found a spot on the floor and stared at it. Through five speeches after the Guls' welcome home from Cardassia, the only eyes raised were those of the speaker, supposedly a leader, who had deserted the flock.
When the woman they were waiting for came out, everyone wondered what she was going to do. The cheers for her were muted somewhat by the sadness, anger, and betrayal that the crew felt.
It had to be said the Kathryn Janeway was not a subtle woman. Her speech was on the importance of teamwork in the Delta Quadrant and how each and every member of the crew gave one hundred and ten percent. She then proceeded to cite an example of outstanding service from every member of the crew, whether or not they made it home. The astounded brass could only watch as Janeway recited bravery, heroism, selflessness, and the spirit of comraderie that permeated all aspects of live on Voyager. Maybe they secretly hoped that she would forget someone. If so, they were horribly disappointed.
The best part of her speech was the end. "There is one more member of our family would cannot be here tonight. Every one of us has been touched more than once by Chakotay's kindness and generosity.
"One of the many planets we visited was Ketchari VI. We went down in two twelve-hour shifts for shore leave, and Chakotay was on the second shift. Nobody saw him at any of the tourist areas suggested by our hosts, and we were getting a little worried when he hadn't arrived at the rendevous site. Chakotay is always prompt. Just then he came running up. "Sorry I'm late," he said. "The Ugly Duckling was a little longer than I remembered." He'd spent the last twelve hours reading to orphans!
"It is that giving spirit, exemplified by Chakotay, that brought us back. So as we scatter about, I ask that each and every one of you remember what we learned in the Delta Quadrant and make it a part of your lives forever. Wherever you go, that corner of the universe will be better for having you."
She'd been told that she couldn't use Chakotay's rank, but that had turned out to be the least of Starfleet's worries. It was a beautiful speech, flawless in every detail and spoken in a wistful, resigned tone by a hero. Perhaps the brass had forgotten not to mess with a Janeway.
His resignation from Starfleet was waiting for Nechayev when she arrived at Headquarters the next morning, sent seconds after B'Elanna's. All together, Voyager's crew sent her thirty-eight such letters in the next two days. They did not give reasons- she knew damn well what the reasons were, B'Elanna had pointed out.
A hero sat imprisoned, while a villian roamed the streets freely.
The hero knew he was in the right, and took the hand fate dealt him without complaint. B'Elanna had somehow managed to get permission to see Chakotay. They had ten minutes –and not a moment more. Tom handed him the holo of Miral wordlessly. When they left, Chakotay would have plenty of time to look at it.
"We're fighting for you, Chakotay."
"Don't let my fight consume your own life. You have to take care of your family, and your contributions to this universe are just beginning." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Let it go, B'Elanna. Go live your life."
"When you get out of here-"
"I'll come see you."
"Kessick IV." They'd decided to live on the planet where B'Elanna grew up. Earth was too painful a reminder of the injustices that flew around away from the public eye. Chakotay smiled when he heard this; B'Elanna had finally laid the demons of her pst to rest.
Tom had been silent thus far, but felt he needed to say one thing before three years past with the words unspoken. "You're a good man, Chakotay."
"I was wrong about you as well."
B'Elanna opened her mouth to speak again, but the transporter whisked them away, and they were once again standing on the platform a few kilometers from their apartment. Everything was packed, and soon they'd catch the transport to Kessick IV.
She looked mournfully in the direction of the man who was like a father to her, then turned to her husband.
"Are you sure you want to move? Your home has always been Earth."
"As long as I'm with you and Miral, I'll be happy. But we better go get her now, or Doc may never give her up." Her godfather was a devoted babysitter, and his distress at having her whisked away to another solar system was intense.
"It's not fair, Tom."
He gave his wife a hug, wishing he could protect her from forces unseen. "He's the true hero. The rest of us were just along for the ride."