MAQUIS
Act 1, Scene 1
"Captain we're coming under heavy fire, the Maquis ship is turning around to try to draw them away..."
A few seconds later, all they could hear was the sound of a massive explosion which caused the Array to shake - afterwards complete silence.
"B'Elanna, can you confirm that the Starfleet vessel has been destroyed." asked Chakotay.
"Affirmative Captain, we will start a search for survivors but I am certain that the ship took a direct blast, with all hands lost."
The Caretaker looked upset, "Why did you stay? Your ship has been destroyed now, I can't help you because I don't have time. I must repay the debt to the Ocampa, don't you see?"
The Captain fell to her knees, her vision started to go black around the edges, she knew that she was about to faint and welcomed the oblivion,
Chakotay looked at the woman who was now lying at his feet, he had only known her for a couple of hours during which she'd made quite an impression. He hailed his ship,
"Two to transport over B'Elanna." he ordered, trying to avoid an
interrogation about his addition to the crew, he should have known better.
"Did you say two, Chakotay?"
"Yes, B'Elanna, now are you going to obey my order or do you want to spend some time in the Brig to consider your reply?"
"Aye Captain, two to transport!"
He picked up Captain Janeway and waited for the beam out.
The Caretaker struggled to stand up,"You look after her son, she is a remarkable female, feisty, loyal, intelligent and caring and now, thanks to the Kazon, she is all alone!"
"What will you do now old man, you could allow the Ocampa to fend for themselves, they might surprise you?"
"As you have witnessed, the Kazon will take over the planet as soon as I've gone, I set the self destruct sequence on the Array but it was damaged by a blast. You have to finish my work, without the Array, they will not be able to reach the Ocampa."
As soon as he returned to his ship, he carried Captain Janeway into his quarters and made her comfortable in his bed.
Scene 2
He returned to the battle, "Ayala, report!"
"We are outnumbered and outgunned by the Kazon-Ogla , I suggest a strategic retreat, Chakotay."
"I agree, plot a course away from this sector after we have destroyed the Array."
Everyone on the Bridge froze and stared at Chakotay open mouthed.
As usual B'Elanna was the crew member chosen to speak for the others: "Chakotay have you gone mad, did you bump your head when you disappeared with her. If you destroy that Array there is no chance of us getting home."
"We have been defending our homes from an enemy similar to the Kazon. How can we go home and sleep peacefully knowing we could have stopped the destruction of the Ocampa. You've seen how dependent they are on the Caretaker!"
"Damn you Chakotay, your noble principles are going to get us killed." said B'Elanna bitterly.
They armed six photon torpedoes but only needed two to complete the destruction. After the Array exploded the Kazon ships turned around and headed back towards the planet.
When Kathryn Janeway regained consciousness, she knew that she wasn't on the Array. She opened her eyes slowly, then squeezed them shut again before she had to deal with the overwhelming pain of her grief. She couldn't allow herself to cry because she knew that she'd fall apart completely, so she drifted off to sleep again.
Chakotay called a meeting to inform his crew about his decision to take Captain Janeway with them. He wanted to avoid endless arguments about why they should they help a Starfleet Officer, who was under orders to apprehend them and send them for trial as criminals.
Seska started the meeting by voicing what everyone on board was thinking,
"We should dump her on the next M class planet, if she's one of Starfleet's best and brightest, she should be able to survive on her own."
B'Elanna watched Chakotay' expression harden, she knew him well enough to know that he wasn't going to stand for that!
"Is that what you all think, that we should leave this woman on her own, on a strange hostile planet after she has lost everything she cared about," asked Chakotay incredulously.
B'Elanna couldn't help herself, "If we hadn't been pulled into this vile quadrant, she would have happily sent all of us to a prison colony."
Chakotay had made up his mind, "She stays, if anyone has a problem with that, you know where my door is!" He looked around the room daring any of them to question his decision. And with that last statement the meeting ended, she was under Chakotay's protection and that was all they needed to know.
He returned to his quarters to see how she was doing. Captain Janeway looked so pale and fragile, it was hard to believe that she had been in charge of that huge battleship. During the brief time he'd known her, he witnessed her natural authority, she was a born leader.
Chakotay knew that she had to drink and eat something soon or she'd dehydrate. He went to the galley kitchen for a glass of water and some battle rations, when he returned she was sitting up rubbing her eyes,
"How long have I been asleep?" asked Captain Janeway croakily.
"About forty-eight hours, give or take a few minutes," answered Chakotay.
"I must look a mess," she said trying to push her hair behind her ears.
"Nothing a good sonic shower and clean clothes won't fix," Chakotay was trying to keep her spirits up.
Then she hit him with a curved ball, "Were there any survivors?"
"We conducted an extensive search Captain Janeway, the only thing we managed to salvage was the E.M.H. program. We haven't got a doctor so he will be a welcome addition to our crew."
"Unlike me, I'm sure your crew were overjoyed when I came aboard." said the Captain realistically.
Chakotay was shaking his head, "I am their Captain, their opinions don't carry any weight, this isn't a democracy, it is my ship.
She admired and respected Chakotay, he was an extremely attractive man, but at the moment it felt like she was drowning underwater, she craved the oblivion of sleep again.
"No, not until you've had something to eat and drink."
He put his arm behind her to push her up, "I'm sorry it's only battle rations but we haven't had chance to find any provisions yet, at least the water is cold."
She put the battle rations in her mouth and washed them down with the water. She almost made it to the pillow before Chakotay took the blanket away.
"Shower now, I've left some clean clothes in the bathroom, I had to guess your size, as soon as you're better you can replicate something more to your taste."
Kathryn got up like a sullen teenager, grabbed the towel he was holding and went into the shower room, slamming the door behind her.
Chakotay grinned, he liked her but she was in a perilous position on the ship. As she had graduated from Starfleet Academy he knew that she could look after herself but he felt strangely protective of her.
Once she was dressed in civilian clothes, he took her on a tour of the ship, which didn't take long.
"You can't spend the rest of our journey home asleep, you will have to deal with the grief some time. I am here if you want to talk, I have dealt with a lot of grief since I joined the Maquis."
"What are you going to do with me? I'm not going to get a warm welcome from your crew."
"I have given this question lot of thought and had a long discussion with my second, Ayala. We believe that you should become Second, this is the equivalent of Starfleet's First Officer."
"What does Mr Ayala think of this?"
"We created the new post of Security Chief for him and he's quite happy to accept that role. We get on really well, he is my trusted right hand, you should get to know him, I think you'll have a lot in common."
"What about the other crew members?"
"My engineer, B'Elanna is hot headed and has no filter on her mouth but when she starts to trust you, she will be your staunchest ally."
"There was a small Betazoid man who came into your room while I was sleeping. When I woke up, he didn't start a conversation, he watched me for a short time, then disappeared."
Chakotay made a note to talk to Mr Suder and warn him to stay away from Kathryn Janeway. He hadn't made his mind up about the man yet. The others thought that he enjoyed fighting and killing too much. After a fight with the Cardassians, he caught him studying the body of one of his victims with an unnatural interest. He was too scared of B'Elanna and Seska to try anything with them, they were too loud.
"When do you want me to start?" asked the Captain.
"You take the first shift tomorrow, I need to complete some repairs with B'Elanna."
"When do you want your bunk back, I know I've been sleeping in your quarters?"
"You keep it, I'll bunk with Ayala, unless you want to share with him."
"I wouldn't want to interfere with your bromance,"
He turned to her laughing, "I can't believe you just said that."
Kathryn Janeway laughed and he thought it was the sexiest thing he'd ever heard. He would have to be really careful because he could easily fall for Kathryn Janeway and she had enough problems to contend with. A Starfleet Officer in the middle of a Maquis crew lost in a hostile quadrant!