A love lost and loves sacrifice.
Chapter 1
Introduction.
This is a post-Endgame story using the Kathryn and Chakotay I developed in my previous fan fiction called 'One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter' I will be using the Kathryn and Chakotay I created in my mind there. This story can be read as a stand-alone story but is also an epilogue to my original story so if you want to read that one first it might be good. It can be found at .net/s/6613226/1/One_mans_terrorist_is_another_mans_freedom_fighter
Thanks.
Kathryn Janeway walked into a meeting at Starfleet headquarters closely followed by two security officers. She stood before no fewer than nine of Starfleet's finest admirals. "Captain" Said one of the sterner looking admirals she didn't know, "So nice of you to join us for this little meeting today."
"Like I had much of a choice." She said coolly in her usual husky voice. Voyager had flown into the Alpha Quadrant four day's ago. As soon as they landed at Starfleet Headquarters a quarantine was put in place and Kathryn was removed from her own bridge before she was able to find out what had happened to the rest of her crew.
Owen Paris who was one of the admirals there had been allowed to visit her in her cell as he recognised himself as the role of father in her life. Owen told her the entire Voyager crew we in prison, including Miral his grandchild and Naomi. Owen had told her there was only one way to Starfleet were going to set her crew free and when the time came she would know what that was. Something told Kathryn that this was the time she would find out.
"Come now my dear captain we are civilized human beings here." Said the unknown admiral gesturing to a single chair in the centre of the grey room where the only other furniture was the long desk at which the admirals sat in front of her.
"Then why do you have my entire crew held in custody?" Kathryn spat without moving. "Including two children," she continued shooting a glance at Owen who sat motionless staring at her at the end of the table "one of whom has only been alive a matter of days." Kathryn said as she stared at Owen who diverted his eyes and hung his head at the mention of his grandchild.
"Precautions captain, I am sure you understand." Admiral Haze told her slightly sarcastically.
"Not really no." Kathryn replied coolly. "Admiral, you and I both know why I am here, let us not pretend." With that the two security officers in yellow behind her took both of her upper arms and guided her to sit on the empty chair at the centre of the room where they held her. Kathryn looked from one to the other and gave them both her best 'Janeway death glare' before looking sternly down the long line of admirals, all of whom seemed to now be finding it hard to meet her eyes. "Please do cut to the chase." She said calmly as she met the wavering eyes of the centre admiral, the unknown one who had spoken before.
"We have a large number of terrorist in custody." That admiral said, "All of whom I think you know well, one of whom is your first officer." Picking up his PADD to check his details the admiral said "Mr. err Chakootee" He was clearly struggling to pronounce Chakotay's name and had said it wrong. Which angered Kathryn because it was a great insult to Chakotay and his people to pronounce his sacred name incorrectly.
"Chakotay" She snapped and even took herself aback when she realised how much pain thinking of Chakotay brought her. She had loved him for seven long years but only hours before Voyager flew into the Alpha Quadrant Kathryn had found out Chakotay was in a seemingly serious relationship with Seven of nine, her protégé and surrogate daughter.
"Yes well, your first officer friend." The admiral spat bringing Kathryn back to her senses, clearly he didn't care he had got Chakotay's name wrong nor was he happy about being corrected by a prisoner in front of all the other admirals.
"He was defending his home colony because the federation were not prepared to do so." Kathryn insisted defending Chakotay's honour and reasoning.
"Yes well those individuals aside," The admiral who still hadn't introduced himself continued clearly wanting to get off the subject of the federation and Cardassian treaty. "A Mr. Thomas Eugene Paris." He continued. At this point admiral Paris looked like he wanted to sink right into his chair and never have to get up again.
"Tom yes what about Tom?" Kathryn asked feeling agitated and annoyed now but was trying very hard to keep her cool.
"He skipped his parole board review." A third admiral spoke up, it was like all the admirals were trying desperately to not look at her and avoid her gaze.
"Excuse me admiral did you just say what I thought I heard you say?" Kathryn asked in horror as she stared from that admiral to Owen Paris Toms dad but Owen was staring unblinkingly at his clasped hands in front of himself. Tom had been a prisoner to the Federation and had been offered freedom in exchange fore going with Voyager on a three week mission to capture the Maquis ship, after that he would return for a parole board review and if all went well would be granted freedom. When Voyager was flung on their seven-year journey back from the Delta Quadrant of course he missed his parole board review but surely Starfleet were not going to hold him to that now.
"Therefore he stands as a convicted traitor still needing to serve his sentence." The centre admiral that Kathryn still didn't know informed her.
"This is so stupid!" Kathryn Shrieked "What about Miral?" she asked as she stared at Owen.
"Miral?" The admiral asked in confusion and quickly understanding said, "Ah yes, Miral Torres-Paris the baby."
"The four day old baby!" Kathryn shouted looking at Owen again; surely he would stick up for his grandchild.
"The daughter of two convicted terrorists." The admiral pressed on "Come now captain we are reasonable here at Starfleet, the child shall be taken into custody and adopted into a different family." And then with a sly smile at the look of horror on Kathryn's face as she search Owen for some back up regarding his grandchild the admiral told her, "here I must point out that as their marriage was conducted out of federation space and between a federation prisoner and a federation outlaw we do not recognise it."
"Over my dead body!" She screamed launching to her feet only to find herself being pushed down by the much stronger hands of the two security officers
"That brings us the Ensign Harry Kim." The admiral told her coldly.
"Harry! He is as green Starfleet as they come!" She said hurriedly searching each the admirals who refused to look at her.
"But is he the real human Harry Kim?" Admiral haze asked her.
"Of course he is!" she insisted unsure where this was going. Kathryn had already been through four days of mission debriefings with other admirals and kept in a prison cell unable to see her family or her crew she was well and truly pissed off.
A female Admiral who again Kathryn didn't know spoke up, "According to your own mission report Ensign Harry Kim died on board Voyager at a time when a copy ship had been made. The Copy Harry Kim came on board your ship before the copy of yourself destroyed the copy ship. The same is true for the Wildman child, errm… "
"Naomi Wildman." Kathryn informed her feeling very annoyed they clearly hadn't bothered to care about individuals of their names; these were real people not just simply away mission reports.
"Yes Naomi Wildman, the same is equally true for her." Said the female admiral "Can we be sure they are the real human beings?"
"Well young miss Wildman is half Katarian." Kathryn replied sarcastically.
"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit my dear captain." The unknown admiral told her.
"Really I never knew that." She spat at him in an even more sarcastic tone. Kathryn really didn't care anymore; she was pissed off and angry that they hadn't even bothered to tell her their names.
Choosing to ignore her Kathryn pressed on picking up his PADD and saying, "let me see now, the Borg drone."
"Seven of nine is no longer a Borg we liberated her from the collective." Kathryn said and a slightly icier tone than she had too as she was still feeling to pang of knowing for only four days that Seven and the man she loved, Chakotay were now together, Chakotay had not waited for her. Kathryn was hurt that as they made it to each and she looked to her left the seat was empty, looking round she had seen him with Seven smiling other and not Kathryn.
"Until every inch of those cyborg implants are removed from her body she is a Borg drone." The female admiral told her "and this is an interesting piece of technology." She said as he lifted up the small sliver box they had collected in the 29th century.
"The doctors mobile emitter, it's from the 29th century." Kathryn stated coolly and truthfully.
"It is also the property of Starfleet." Admiral Haze told her. Kathryn was now finding it interesting that only three of the nine admirals were saying anything and Owen Paris looked sickly while the rest look positively ashamed to be there.
"But the doctor needs it to get around." Kathryn stated sincerely.
"He is able to exists in a single room, such as a sick bay." She was told by the female admiral.
"But with all the advances that he has added to his program to make him who he is you are as good as imprisoning him." Kathryn insisted but the admirals didn't seem to care.
"And what about Mr. Tuvok, your security officer." They pressed on.
"What about him?" Kathryn spat feeling very annoyed now.
"Some security officer he turned out to be." The female admiral spoke up sarcastically.
"What do you mean by that?" Kathryn spat disrespectfully trying to defend her more then extemporary security chief, and then adding "admiral" on the end in far more sarcastic tone than was needed.
"Assisting with the mutiny led by the mequis captain, err Cha- How was it you said his name?" the first unknown admiral asked.
"Chakotay" Kathryn stated feeling very annoyed. "And please do allow me to point out both Chakotay, Tuvok and the other Maquis were under an alien influence, as soon as that influence was lifted my ship was returned to me without question." She said loosing her temper now.
"Tell me captain how does it feel to be famous for being the captain who managed to loose her ship?" admiral Haze asked with a sly smile.
"I never lost it." She told him as she stared unblinkingly into his eyes. "I knew exactly where it was all of the time." And then with her own sly smile she told them "It was Starfleet headquarters who didn't know where it was." As she looked at each admiral who were avoiding her eyes she asked, "you mention my crew I assume I will be counted as part of my crew."
"Absolutely not," exclaimed the first admiral, "they are talking of making you an admiral for your achievements."
"What?" Kathryn exclaimed in horror "you want to keep an entire crew of a starship in custody but pardon the captain and make her an admiral! It's insane!"
"Let's talk about the Equinox." Admiral Haze said coolly.
"Let's not." spat Kathryn as she began to see how hopeless this was.
"Oh?" the female admiral asked, "Got something to hide captain? Something to deny?"
"I deny nothing." She said in her deep voice, as she looked at all the admirals in turn. Kathryn couldn't understand why there was nine admirals and two security officers present when only three of the admirals were actually talking, the others couldn't even bring themselves to say anything.
"Here it is," said the first unknown admiral as he handed a PADD to one of the security officers who then handed it to her.
"What's this?" She said snatching the PADD from the security officer and not even looking at it.
"Read it." Owen said with a look of pain in his eyes as she said something to her for the first time.
Kathryn looked down at the PADD and read; she had to read it a few times to fully understand what she was reading. "You want me to sign this?" she gasped; it was not quite what she had expected.
"Well if you deny nothing than it should be no problem for you." The female admiral told her coolly.
"A plea bargain." Kathryn whispered as she re-read what was written on the PADD.
"It's what any ships captain would do for her crew." The first admiral told her. Then taking a large intake of air almost as though he were ashamed he told her, "with out this we will keep your entire crew in custody, including the Wildman child but not including the Torres-Paris baby, and we will take then though trial and they will be found guilty."
Kathryn's eyes shot down the line of admirals, she could not believe she was hearing this, "but?" she asked them coolly.
"But captain?" admiral Haze asked her.
"But it's a lengthy and costly process and will take too much recourses to try one hundred and fifty people and detain them once they are found guilty so therefore you are offering me this plea bargain which will?" she asked.
"If you sine this and plea guilty and sole responsibility your entire crew, including the Wildman child, the maquis and the Borg, every one of them will be given a full pardon and set free. Your EMH will be given this as a gift and given free reign of the universe as he wish's." the female admiral said in a wavering and slightly ashamed voice. "There are many posts in Starfleet that will be available to all of your crew if they wish," Kathryn watched her solemnly and realised they well and truly had her over a barrel.
"After all lieutenants Paris and Torres were married on a federation ship, by a federation captain I am sure we can come to some agreement as to recognising their marriage." Admiral haze told her.
With a sigh Kathryn whispered, "of course you can" as she looked down at the PADD.
"It is they only way your crew will go free. Take it or leave it. But I must warn you Ms. Janeway once you turn it down and walk out that door it will not be offered to you again." The first unknown admiral asked.
Kathryn looked at Owen Paris the man who had become like a father to her after her own father had died. Kathryn saw pleading in his eyes for his son and grandchild. She also saw pain in Owens conflicted eyes for her, "and what will happen to me if I sign this?" she asked turning to the first admiral.
"You will be pleading guilty to knowingly breaking both the temporal prime directive and the prime directive. You will be pleading guilty to the attempted murder of Crewman Noah Lessing. And to treason against the federation." With a long pause he then continued, "You will be sentenced as such and made to carry out your sentence until the parole board sees fit."
"So it's blackmail, me or my crew?" She demanded.
"That's quite a crude way of putting it." Admiral haze said. "But effectively, yes." Kathryn could see the unease with all of the admiral's troubled and ashamed eyes.
"If I sign this I want complete assurance that every single one of my crew will go free, that the doctor will be given free and indefinite use of his mobile emitter, that Naomi and Harry will be left alone to live their lives." Looking down at the PADD and feeling her tears well up she continued to name her terms of the bargain, "That all the maquis and Tom Paris and the Equinox crew will be given a full pardon. That seven of nine will be recognised as human and allowed to live her life as such." glancing at Owen she continued, "I want assurance that Tom Paris and B'elanna Torres are recognised as married under the federation and will be allowed custody of their daughter Miral Torres-Paris and any future children they may have." Then she finished, "I want assurance that Starfleet or federation job's will be available to all in any failed they wish indefinitely and to all those who wish to take them at any time. That a chance for advancements and promotions in those jobs. I want assurance that all of my crew will be allowed to live and travel where every they wish whenever they wish. I want my entire crew to be recognised as free citizens of the federation."
"Of course my dear, that is reasonable and this is a plea bargain after all." The unknown admiral told her with a nod.
"Than you agree?" Kathryn asked as she looked at each of the admirals in turn.
"I am sure you will find all those conditions of the bargain on the PADD in front of you. You will find the bargain satisfactory."
Looking down and checking over the terms Kathryn nodded, "Agreed." With that she placed her thumb on the bottom of the PADD and signed away her freedom in exchange for the freedom of her crew.
"It's time for the plea reading." Admiral Haze told her as she and all the admirals stood, the security officers put Kathryn in steal handcuffs and lead her out as a traitor to the federation.
End of chapter 1… Chapter 2 NOW UP… reviews and comments welcome…