His hand was still on the akoonah as he opened his eyes. Sitting in the semi-darkness, he wasn't sure why the unfinished conversation had come back to him as a vision quest. The discussion had taken place weeks ago, and they had long since gotten past the awkward next morning and uncomfortable duty shifts that followed. Neither of them had resumed the discussion since.
What was strange about this vision quest was that his spirit guide had not appeared. He tried to remember the last time his spirit guide had not come to him in this way. It must have been decades, well before he had struck a truce with his contrary soul; made peace with his anger. He knew that this situation had more meaning than he was prepared to deal with and would have to be explored, but he preferred to defer that activity for now.
Calling for lights, he rose and got ready for his shift.
As he walked toward the bridge the Captain's comments crept back into his mind; he again put the matter firmly behind him. The discussion was already moot, he told himself. She had made her feelings clear with her reaction of shock and wanting to "discuss the issue"; to transform simple emotion into complex analysis and study. He decided he would do his part to get them back to the friendly banter he had missed since their conversation.
She was already in her chair when he arrived. Poring over a PADD, she didn't see him approach and lean over her shoulder.
"See anything interesting?"
Her head snapped up as he rounded his chair and sat down.
"Chakotay!" Smiling, she thumped him with the PADD.
And with that simple gesture the lightness he had felt weeks ago had returned. It was the beginning of a good morning.
They were passing through the Necharan system on their way to an anticipated opportunity for trade with the Braee. In two days they would enter the space of the humanoid species that Neelix had advised would trade some of Voyager's supplies for access to their tri-dilithium mines.
Ensign Kim's voice burst through his musings. "Captain! Two unidentified ships approaching on an intercept course."
"Shields! Increase speed to Warp 8, Mr. Paris. Engage."
"Aye, Captain." Lieutenant Paris keyed in a few commands and the stars elongated and turned to streaks on the view screen.
"They are still pursuing us, Captain." Harry remained focused on his console.
"Tuvok, did you get a look at them? Who are they?" Captain Janeway rose from her chair. Chakotay stood immediately as well.
Tuvok's hands flew across his console and stilled before his reply. "Captain, they appear to part of the Necharan armada. Two ships, each fully armed with the equivalent of six disruptor torpedoes. At current course and speed, they will be within weapons range in fifteen minutes."
"Open a channel, Ensign Kim." At his nod, she spoke. "Necharan vessels, please state the reason for your pursuit. We have authorization from your High Council to pass through this system."
Harry did not look up but remained hunched over the console. He finally conceded, "No response, Captain."
Chakotay turned to Janeway, offering, "Maybe they don't know we have permission to be here."
"You might be right, Chakokay. Ensign Kim, locate the Council authorization message and send it to the approaching ships on a continuous rotating frequency until further notice."
"Aye, Captain."
"Ten minutes to intercept," Tuvok reminded them.
"Acknowledged." Turning away from the view screen, Janeway cast her eyes on each crew member. "I'm open to suggestions… I'd like to avoid a confrontation, if possible." The lightness of her tone belied the seriousness of their situation. "With their artillery, we're evenly matched against one ship, not two."
Paris spoke first. "Captain, with more power to the shields, I think I could out run them using evasive pattern beta 140."
Janeway nodded and touched her communicator badge. "Janeway to Torres."
"Torres here, Captain," came the quick reply from her Chief Engineer.
"B'Elanna, we're being pursued by two ships that can easily give us a good fight. I'm going to need extra power to the shields for evasive maneuvers."
"I can redirect power from our auxiliary systems to boost power to the shield grid, Captain. We could hold this mode for up to 20 minutes, which should give Tom enough time to get us out of here."
Chakotay saw Kathryn's eyes brighten for a split second before her Captain's mask slid back firmly into place.
"Thank you, B'Elanna."
"Torres out."
Nodding to her crew, she said simply, "Let's get ready for their arrival." Eying Chakotay, she added, "My Ready Room, Commander."
Chakotay followed as they exited the bridge.
She turned to face him as soon as the Ready Room doors closed. "Could we have missed something during the negotiations with the High Council?"
"I don't see how."
She paced the floor between her desk and where Chakotay stood. "Our request was the same one we've used in countless earlier encounters. I think we were very clear, and their response was just as clear. I mean, what's clearer than, 'You are welcome in our space'?"
"I don't know…maybe we've misinterpreted something. Maybe the Universal Translator missed the meaning of 'welcome'…."
She stopped pacing and turned to face him. "I like knowing where I stand, Chakotay, and I don't like where we're standing now. I want answers."
He understood her need for a quick solution to their problem, but he had nothing to offer but perspective. "I don't mean to be glib, Captain, but I think we'll definitely know where we stand with the Necharan in about seven minutes."
"Let's hope they're interested in a discussion." She walked back to the bridge, with Chakotay in tow.
"Mr. Kim, hail the lead Necharan vessel again."
"Still no response, Captain."
Janeway turned to address Tuvok when a flash suddenly illuminated the bridge, briefly blinding its occupants.
As Chakotay's eyes cleared, he heard Harry shout, "Commander! Where's the Captain?"
She was gone.
[TBC]
