Chapter 2

The daily staff meeting was about to start, and everybody was present with the exception of Captain Janeway and Tom Paris. The minutes had ticked by until both were twenty five minutes late.

At 0936, Janeway rushed in, looking frazzled and unkempt. Taking one look at her crew, she flushed, and murmured "Sorry, I was caught up in something". Just then, Tom came racing through the door, muttering something about Captain Proton, looking short of breath and rosy cheeked.

Tuvok was the first and last to notice how discreetly Kathryn Janeway and Tom Paris were avoiding each other's gaze. He puzzled over it, finally concluding that he would question the Captain if the need arose. He suspected that the process of avoiding gaze and slight flush had something to do with romantic intercourse, but he was not certain, and there wasn't any reason to confront them until the safety of the ship and crew was compromised.

The meeting began with the usual reports from the department heads. Although Kathryn listened, her eyes were vacant. After the reports were handed over, she rose and placed her hands flat on the table, arms straight. She took a breath, and went into the introduction she had been taught in command. "First, I'd like to encourage you to voice any questions or concerns before we continue" she raised a questioning eyebrow, and seeing no one responding, she continued. "Okay, our long-range sensors have revealed- or should I say not revealed- a loss of telemetry over an area across a range of about three thousand megameters. After those three thousand megameters, the telemetry picks up again. Any ideas"? She looked at each crew members face, with the exception of Tom's.

The meeting concluded after an hour. Everybody filed out, heading back to their various stations and departments. All except Chakotay, who discreetly remained behind. Once the door closed on the last officer, he turned to his captain and held her gaze for a moment before speaking. When he did speak, it was in careful, slow, and well-measured tones. "Kathryn, what has gotten into you. First you waltz into the meeting 36 minutes late, then you don't pay attention when the reports are being given, and I strongly doubt if you were listening to Harry's suggestion of sending a probe in.". His voice took on a more firm tone. "You've also been avoiding looking at Lt. Paris". Every micrometer of his face showed questions, leaving no room for manipulation.

Her face remained hard, her eyes cold. "Chakotay, it's not appropriate, but in case you're wondering, there is NOTHING, NOTHING, do you hear? Between myself and Lt. Paris"! She turned on her heel and strode out the door, heading toward Tom Paris's quarters.