Interfacing
In Eye of the Needle (Season 1, Episode 7), it seems that many of the J/C scenes were filmed with them physically distant from each other, and the few times they do talk are all ship's business. If this episode wants to be a bridge between the J/C goodness of The Cloud and Ex Post Facto, it's obviously missing some scenes. Time to remedy that…
The usual disclaimers apply. These characters do not belong to me; I just enjoy working with them. I hope they enjoy working with me too.
Interfacing: present particle of interface – v. to communicate with someone, especially in a work-related situation. (Cambridge Dictionary)
Interfacing: n. in sewing, a textile used on the unseen or "wrong" side of fabrics to make an area of a garment more rigid, used to 1) stiffen or add body to fabric such as the interfacing used in shirt collars, 2) strengthen a certain area of the fabric, for instance where buttonholes will be sewn, and 3) keep fabrics from stretching out of shape, particularly knit fabrics. (Wikipedia)
After Telek R'Mor contacts Janeway and asks for visual contact… (25:38)
Chakotay finished pulling his t-shirt over his head as he walked out of his bedroom. He rubbed his eyes and then called for the door to open.
He wasn't sure what he had expected, but his Captain standing in the hallway – dressed in her pajamas and robe, hair down, bare feet – was not it.
"I'm sorry to wake you," she began apologizing as soon as she walked through the door, "but I've spoken with the Romulan."
"He responded?"
"Yes." She paced back and forth as she continued, "He's willing to work with us if we can make visual contact and prove we are who we say we are. I already have B'Elenna working with him on the process. Harry will join her after he's had some rest." She huffed a small laugh. "Poor thing. He's been at the console this whole time. I remember how hard I tried to impress my superiors on my first ship assignment. Add to that the pressure of trying to get home…" She waved her hand in an outward circle to finish her thoughts.
"I remember that feeling well." Chakotay watched Kathryn as she continued to pace, waiting for her to continue. When she said nothing, he asked, "Is there something I need to do?"
"No, not at present." Her face tilted in question, "Why?"
He smiled at her confusion. "I'm not complaining, but all of this information could have waited till morning. What's wrong?"
She at least had the decency to look contrite and to smile apologetically. "It is late, isn't it? I didn't think… – I guess I needed someone to talk to." She paused again, and rubbed her forehead in a way that Chakotay had begun to associate with his captain being stressed. "I don't know. I'm just so excited, so nervous. This seems too good to be true."
"I can understand that."
"To be able to send word home that we're not dead, that we're trying to make it back…" She folded her arms over her midsection and stared out at the stars. "…the relief for our families and friends…"
"And fiances," he whispered to himself. He moved to stand beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Can I fix you a tea, and we'll sit and talk?"
She turned her head and raised her eyebrow in disbelief. "Tea, Commander?"
"I know, but it's my replicator rations so I get to say it's too late for coffee."
Kathryn was about to argue the point, but looking up into his tired eyes she realized, as much as she would have liked to continue the conversation, it could wait. "No, I shouldn't have interrupted your sleep like this. I'm sorry. Thank you for letting me intrude on your time."
She made a move towards the door, but he stepped back in front of her with his hands up to stop her. "Please, Captain. You don't have to go. I don't mind listening. I know how important this is to you, on so many levels. Add to that the chance for a successful Romulan-Federation endeavor… "
"Yes." She rolled her eyes. "I'm a little afraid of what both Starfleet and the Romulan Empire will have to say about this one."
Chakotay gave a half shrug and replied, "It just shows what scientists could accomplish if the politicians would get out of your way. "
Before she could respond, she watched him try to stifle a yawn. Really, if it wasn't enough for the man to be drop-dead gorgeous, why did he also have to have the cutest mannerisms? "Go back to bed, Commander. I'm okay."
"Alright, but only because tomorrow is going to be another big day and we both need our sleep." He began walking her to his door, knowing full well that she wouldn't sleep any more tonight. Her mind would be too busy with the issues surrounding the wormhole and the Romulan on the other side.
She stopped to look up at him and said, "Thank you, again, for letting me interrupt your sleep. I'll try to think before I ring your chime the next time this happens."
"Next time?"
"Well, there's always…" She stopped mid-sentence as she noticed the way his eyes were moving up and down above her head. "What?" She smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm sorry." He chuckled at himself. "It's nothing."
"Commander, you're a horrible liar..." He raised an eyebrow. "…at least in the middle of the night. Something has amused you."
"Let's just say that I didn't realize how much height the boots and having your hair up gives you. I keep turning to where I expect your eyes to be and then having to look down a bit."
She reached for her hair, stroked down the length of it, and smiled. "Yes, it helps with the deception that I'm bigger than I am."
"I'm not sure you need the physical tricks. Your presence does that well enough."
She gave a small laugh. "My father used to say that I took after my mother in that regard." She took in a deep breath and threw a side long glance at the floor before looking back at him. "Even at 1.58 meters, Gretchen Janeway is a force of nature. She could make the whole admiralty quake in their boots if she was angry."
"I'll take that under advisement." He ran his hands through his hair and chuckled. "It strikes me that you're going about this all wrong though."
"What do you mean?"
His breath caught for a moment before he hesitantly answered, "Just that you don't need the height tricks." He quickly added, "And I'm sure your feet would appreciate more sensible boots."
Something about his smile and the way he wouldn't quite meet her eyes told her that he had thought something entirely different, but she decided to let it slide. "Probably, but I don't know that I could give them up at this point. There are times when I'm on the lift with Tom and Tuvok and feel like I might as well be a meter tall; they tower over me even with the boots. I couldn't handle being any less than I already am."
"As I said before, you'd still be intimidating at any height."
She raised an eyebrow, "I'm intimidating, Commander?"
"Well, um... " Chakotay paused for a moment, then found his escape route. "I think I'm going to use the excuse that I'm too tired to do this conversation justice and stop right here before I wind up in the brig. Good night, Captain."
"Good night, Commander."
As the door closed behind her, he turned back to his bedroom. He pulled off his shirt and slid under the covers. Looking up at the ceiling, he knew that, like his captain, sleep would elude him for the remainder of the night, but unlike his captain, his mind would not be focused on wormholes and Romulans. His would be focused on long, auburn strands and tiny, pink toenails.
After Kathryn has given B'Elenna permission to work on physical transport through the wormhole (31:04).
"Come." Kathryn looked up from her spot on the sofa, putting down her coffee cup.
Chakotay paused when he realized that she wasn't at her desk, then turned to the sofa on the upper level. "You wanted to see me, Captain?"
"Yes. Come sit with me." She patted the sofa. "Would you like a coffee or tea?"
"No, thank you," He took the sofa in four easy strides and sat down next to her.
"I wanted to update you on what B'Elenna discovered."
Chakotay smiled, "She thinks she can do a physical transport through the wormhole."
"Yes." She looked at him quizzically. "How did you know?"
"I know B'Elenna. Once visual transmission was worked out, I knew she would keep puzzling on the issue until she figured it out."
"Yes." She reached for her coffee but paused before she took a sip. "I can't thank you enough for not taking no for an answer on her being chief engineer."
He shrugged. "I watched her do amazing things in the Maquis. I knew she'd be able to handle whatever this quadrant threw at her."
They sat quietly while she sipped on her coffee until Chakotay said, "Permission to speak freely?" She nodded her head as he continued, "I feel that I would be remiss if I didn't ask whether you'll be okay if this doesn't work."
"You're worried about me?"
"It doesn't take a genius to realize how invested you are."
"I am invested." Kathryn took another sip of her coffee. "I want to see this crew home safely, and the sooner the better. I think about how many people we both lost when we were pulled into this quadrant, and I don't want to add to that number. Of course, there are the personal reasons as well."
"Of course," he echoed as he sat quietly studying her.
Smiling, she said, "I'll be alright, Commander."
"Are you sure?"
"Oh, I'll be disappointed. You may even see me cry a tear or two, but I'll be alright." He looked as if he might say something else, so she quickly changed the subject. "How is the crew responding to the news to prepare their messages?"
Chakotay smiled at her diversion tactic. "Most are excited. They're happy to know that they have a chance to contact home, happier to know that there may even be a chance to go home." His voice trailed off as he looked out into the center of the room.
"I couldn't get back to sleep last night, so I've already prepared my messages – one for my mother and sister, one for Starfleet, and one for Mark." She looked over at her First Officer and realized that sometimes he knew more about her than she knew about him. "So, who will you write?"
His smile faltered as he quietly responded, "I have no one to write."
"I know your family was killed, but is there truly no one?"
"I have a sister who may still be alive, but I don't know where she is. There were rumors she survived the Dorvan attack, but I was never able to find any trace of her. Anyone else that I would want to contact – well, let's just say I'd be compromising their safety if I did."
She reached forward to put her hand on his forearm. "I'm so sorry. I should have thought this through from the Maquis viewpoint. You and B'Elenna have been so supportive, I just didn't…" She paused, seeing the look in his eyes, realizing that she wasn't just seeing sadness but something that almost bordered on anger. "What is it, Chakotay?"
"I'm sorry, Captain." He put his head down for a moment before he continued, "but this situation also raises the question of what will happen if we do get back. I need to know. Are the Maquis going straight to prison?" As he finished speaking, he raised his head and his eyes reminded Kathryn of steel.
"I don't know." She whispered and then smiled, as she tried to lighten some of the tension his question had raised. "I'd like to think that I'd be willing to accidentally lose you on the way back to Earth."
The grim set of his mouth showed that he would not be appeased so easily. "But bringing in a whole cell of Maquis would be another accolade for your career."
She put her coffee cup down and turned to him, her tone serious. "Let's be clear about this, shall we? First, I would hope that my career is never more important than doing the right thing, and I'm not sure that turning you and the others over would be the right thing. Second, there are a good number in Star Fleet, of which I'm one, who tend to agree with the Maquis that Star Fleet and the Federation did not do right by the DMZ. We know from experience that the Cardassians are not to be trusted."
He reflexively narrowed his eyes a little but tried to soften the hard edge his voice had taken. "Is that supposed to make me feel better, Captain?"
"No. But it's supposed to tell you that even before getting to know you and the other Maquis, my loyalty to Star Fleet on this issue was a little skewed. Now that I know several of your stories, I think the answer of what I would do with you if we got home tomorrow becomes even more convoluted. I wouldn't just hand you over though."
He took a deep breath, and when he turned to her, she could tell that his fears had been lessened. "Thank you."
"For?"
"For being honest with me."
"Chakotay, my goal is always to be honest with you and any member of my crew. If I ever have to be untruthful, there will always be a good reason."
Silence overtook the conversation again, until he smiled and said, "You know what I would like to see?" Kathryn nodded silently to encourage him to continue. "I'd like to see you release us and try the mission again. I'd like a fair chance to go head-to-head with you without the Caretaker's array or anything else getting in our way."
She began to chuckle, "You think you'd win?"
"I think we would be well-matched opponents. Don't you?"
She leaned towards him. "Even with everything that I've been learning about you?"
He didn't flinch as he too leaned in towards her. "Definitely with everything that I've been learning about you."
She laughed outright and before she knew it, he was laughing too. It struck her that this was the first time she had seen him really laugh in her presence as his captain. Sure, he had smiled here and there or chuckled at a joke, but never really laughed. She couldn't help but think that laughter suited his features much more than the stoic expression that he too often wore.
"So, Commander, what do we do for our former Maquis?"
"What do you mean?"
"How do we make them feel more at ease as we move forward? If you have these concerns, others will too. What were you thinking?
"Well, I was hoping that…"
Episode Tag
The door to the mess swished open. In the view port, Kathryn could see the reflection of his shadow in the door as light poured in from the hall. Keeping her gaze on the stars streaking by outside, she called out, "So, you found me, and after I'd told the computer to withhold my location information."
"Yes, well..." He tugged at his ear. "It seems that I've found you here one or twice before."
"Yes. I don't know why, but when I need to think, I like the mess hall when it's empty like this. Maybe it's just the easy access to a replicator minus the piles of reports." She took a sip of her coffee to prove her point.
Chakotay smiled at her, although it was lost in the darkness. "May I join you?"
"I don't see why not. Did you need something, Commander?"
He moved across the room to her, but stayed standing. "No. Actually, I wanted to see if you needed something."
"Still worried about me?"
"A little."
"I told you I'd be alright."
"I know, but that doesn't mean you have to be alright by yourself."
Kathryn considered the man in front of her. Had it only been two Terran months since she had asked him to be her First Officer? Only a little less than two months since he had stood before her, declaring that he wasn't going to be her token Maquis officer, that he was trying to help her, and that he was sorry she couldn't see that. And now… And now, they had settled into a command structure that, although at times still bumpy, was exactly what the ship needed, and honestly, what they both needed as well. She was beginning to rely on him for his insights, his support, and his camaraderie. In so many ways, it already seemed as if they had always known each other, always worked side-by-side. How? Why? And what could he possibly gain from this arrangement?
"Captain?" He broke her musing.
She cleared her throat and asked, "Chakotay, why do you do this?"
"Do what?"
"Care about whether I'm okay."
"Isn't that my job as First Officer?"
"Yes, but you go above and beyond what's expected."
"Captain," Chakotay stopped. How could he explain to her that as much as he respected her as his captain, it was those moments when Kathryn the person shown through that had won his allegiance? It had only been two months, but she had already proven to him that she was a person willing to listen to reason and apologize if she was wrong. He was fascinated by the way her mind worked, the way she was always open to new ideas and experiences. More importantly, he'd seen into her heart, watching her give freely of herself and her time to those around her, putting their needs before her own. In supporting her, he had already begun to find something in himself that he couldn't quite name just yet, but it made him determined to do all he could for her.
Realizing that all of this was something he might never, no, should never express to her, he began again. "Only someone who has sat in the captain's chair can understand what your job entails day in and day out, and the strain that it places on you personally. I admire your strength, your compassion, and the way you balance the two to lead this crew. If I can do anything, anything at all, to help you, I'm going to do it."
Her eyes misted for a brief moment but she quickly blinked it away. "Thank you, Chakotay," she whispered. "That means a great deal to me."
"Good. Now, do I leave you here to dwell on things, or would you like to join me for a game of….?" He shook his head, realizing that he didn't have the slightest clue what to suggest. "What type of games do you like to play?"
She looked up at him in the darkness and realized that she quite liked playing the game they seemed to be playing right now, but hurriedly pushed that thought aside. "How about a glass of wine, and we share battle stories?"
"Sounds perfect." He put his hands on his hips and gave her a questioning side-eye. "Although, from this point forward, I think I'm going to have to question your motives when you ask me for battle stories."
"You should, Commander." She rose from the sofa, taking her coffee cup with her. "By the time we're home, I intend to have a comprehensive collection of all your tactics." She put her hand through his offered arm and smiled up at him. "I will be ready to face off with you, and I will win." Arm in arm, they walked out of the mess hall laughing.