A Moment of Clarity
By Jadie47
Rated PG
Disclaimer: Star Trek: Voyager doesn't belong to me. I get nothing but pleasure from writing this story.
Captain Kathryn Janeway was confined to her quarters. She sat on her sofa staring out the portal at the stars, sipping from the cup in her hand, and trying to understand why she was there and not on the bridge. Tuvok had explained why he had ordered her detention. Something on the planet had caused both she and Commander Chakotay to act contrary to their normal selves. The doctor had examined them and found a compound in the blood that was altering their behavior, so that until an antidote could be synthesized to reverse the effects or the substance wore off, the rest of the senior staff decided for their well being and that of the ship, they should remain in their own quarters.
Although neither Captain Janeway nor Commander Chakotay recognized anything amiss in their actions, they trusted their staff enough to submit to their recommendations for the time being.
She tapped her commbadge. "Chakotay, are you there?"
"No, I left hours ago." A smile could be heard in his words.
Her laughter bubbled to the surface, as she remembered the words from such a long time ago. She whispered, "Thank you! I needed to laugh."
"You're welcome, Kathryn."
Her voice took on a more serious quality, as she spoke again. "Have you figured out why we've been confined? What we've done to cause the doctor to recommend this and the others to agree?
"No," he answered with the same bewildered tone of voice. "I know he found something in our blood and wants to monitor its effects. But I haven't been able to understand what everyone is talking about."
"I wish they would at least allow us to be together. It would be easier to think if I could see you, be with you."
"I know, Kathryn, but we agreed that, if the senior officers all think this is necessary, we should go along with it for at least a while." His voice soothed her in a way nothing else could. She just wished she could be in the same room.
She took a deep breath and another sip of hot liquid. "Well I'm not going to stay here for long. If they can't get some answers soon, I'm going to break out of here." Although his answering, soft chuckle warmed her heart, she wouldn't let him dissuade her. "I mean it. I'm not patient. We both know it. And I'm the captain around here."
Chakotay understood that under her bravado, Kathryn was worried. "Our crew will get to the bottom of this and soon. So there's no need for you to plan a jailbreak."
"Then we could at least try to figure out what has happened. Let's try to go over what happened on Two Tannairb." She sighed again, "At least we might be able to comprehend what the others see if we think it through together."