Chapter One

Chakotay could hardly contain his excitement as he watched the U.S.S. Mandela approached the landing platform of the Utopia Planetia. He had seen this Mars-based shipyard from a distance when he travelled to Earth with his father two years ago. He wasn't able to get a good look then. But now he had the most magnificent view of the station towering over the red colony planet. The large flanks of steel, the interconnecting tunnels and the enormous number of ships that flew in and off the numerous docks all gave an aura of awesome grace and power.

One day, I'll be the captain of one of those ships, Chakotay told himself with all the wishful hopes of his seventeen years. Or maybe even an Admiral commanding an entire fleet.

"Enjoying the view?" the familiar soft spoken voice called up to him. Chakotay looked up to meet the eyes of his recent mentor, his Starfleet sponsor Captain Demora Sulu.

Chakotay wanted to shout out his excitement and interject something like "It's wonderful!" or "This is magnificent!" But he didn't want to sound overenthusiastic like a naïve little boy. So instead he merely replied, "Yes, sir" in an even voice.

The pretty Asian woman looked apologetic. "You sound disappointed. I know you're excited to go to Starfleet Academy immediately to get settled, but I have orders from Starfleet Command to attend this conference on Mars for the next two days. I'm sure you can find some sights to see during the time."

Chakotay was immediately worried that he said the wrong thing. "Oh no… I'm not disappointed at all, Captain. I'm glad we stopped by. I'd love to see the shipyards, the ports, and the quarries," he said and this time he let his genuine enthusiasm show.

"I thought you might," Captain Sulu smiled at him. "Well I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to explore the Planetia and even Mars itself. It will give you time to soak up on the Starfleet culture and perhaps make a few friends. It's the holiday season and a lot of people are coming in for vacations, mostly families of Starfleet officers. I'm sure there are a few young people your age out there."

"I hope so," Chakotay replied. But he thought that even if he didn't meet anyone out there, it wasn't going to stop him from having a good time.

"Well, I'll leave you to enjoy the view. I'm needed back on the bridge. We'll be docking in fifteen minutes. Be at the transporter room then."

"Yes. Thank you, Captain," Chakotay said gratefully, not for the first time. He waited for her to disappear out the swishing doors before he turned his attention again to the window.

This was his world and it was all his for the taking. He had a good feeling this was only the beginning.

***

Twenty minutes later Chakotay stepped off into the transporter platform on the operations center on the surface of Mars. Much like the Mandela's bridge, the ops center was hub of activity with a fascinating assortment of consoles, flashing lights and tools. Chakotay was curious to explore every bit of technology he could see but the transport staff hurried him out to make way for the rest of the crew beaming down from the Planetia. There was nothing to do but to move along. He took in as much as he could of the neat gray corridors until he finally stepped out of the building complex.

He expected to see a vast undisturbed plain of red earth that stretched on as far as the eye can see towards Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain on Mars visible from space. Instead he found his senses invaded by a barrage of sight and sound of a busy town port. He realized that the romanticized version of Mars that he read about in padds and saw through the holo-images could only be seen outside the biosphere habitat that housed the ops center building. Here, in the heart of the colony, it was no different from the busy marketplaces in the cities of the Central American continent where he had been to two years earlier.

Dozens of different species in all shapes and sizes that came to disembark or board their respective ships gathered here. The noise was deafening as people greeted, talked and pushed aside each other. He heard their spoken words in Federation standard of course due to the universal translator. Yet the way they spoke or their gestures of greetings and farewells were so varied and incomprehensible. Chakotay suddenly felt the enormity of his own ignorance of this vast galaxy he lived in. He felt a twinge of resentment for his tribe for the isolation they imposed upon him all these years when he could have been soaking in this limitless array of cultures. He promised himself he would pursue studies on the traditions of as many varied races as he can encounter.

He continued to stare around him. Most of those in the crowd appeared to be human and many were wearing Starfleet uniforms. He watched them in clear fascination as they confidently strode in and out of the dock. He tried to imagine himself as one of them.

He remembered the combadge that the captain had kindly given him earlier before he transported down to the planet. "To make sure you stay in touch and you report back to the ship on time," she told him. He had put it hurriedly in his pocket then. But now he took it out and affixed it to his chest. He imagined himself a stately officer in command red.

His daydream was interrupted when he was roughly jostled by someone from behind him.

"Move along boy!" shouted a tall alien with rough grayish-green skin and what appeared to be horns stuck on his face. Chakotay had no idea what species he was, but he was too frightened except to gape and stare at the creature.

"I said move boy! Are you idiot? You're not supposed to clog the walkways!" The alien shoved him harder that he almost fell to the ground.

Chakotay caught his balance in time. He looked up in surprise as he realized he caught the attention of a few people behind the rude alien. He felt his cheeks warming in embarrassment. He noticed some of the ones that turned to look were human children. They stared at him oddly, as if they too thought he was an idiot. There was one particular child—a golden haired little boy that looked no older than four years old who continued to stare at him long after the others had moved on.

Chakotay knew it was childish of him, but he couldn't help but glare at the little boy. But the toddler only grinned at him cheekily as if to tell him that he knew more of this world than Chakotay did. He held up something shiny that he carried in his hand. Chakotay saw that it was a tiny model of a starship.

"Come along, Thomas," a tall elegant woman with the same golden curls picked up the little boy. "Look, there's Daddy," Chakotay heard her say.

Chakotay watched the woman move forward with the toddler in her arms towards a man in a Starfleet uniform. The boy squirmed in his mother's arms so he was facing Chakotay. He continued to smirk at him in the same impish manner and showed off his brilliant starship toy until he disappeared in the crowd with his family.

Chakotay couldn't help but be jealous of the boy. He had the advantage of a family in Starfleet. He wouldn't be denied the use of Federation technology. Replicators, starships, shipyards—that little boy was already familiar with them at his age, while he Chakotay was only discovering them now. He thought what a waste of his childhood years had been when he was forced to sit up and memorize old worthless legends and go through meditations to walk with spirits when he could be learning so much more.

He felt the crowd moving again behind him and this time he went forward. He wasn't eager for another shoving or an embarrassing reprimand. He walked at a leisurely pace, careful not to let himself get caught in the tide. He didn't exactly know where to go. He felt out of place yet he wanted to take in the sights as much as possible.

He finally stepped out of the dock and found himself in a long stretch of a promenade lined with bazaars. Here the noise was even louder. Merchants and shoppers shouted and haggled. There were colored lights and signs pointing to shops, restaurants and a dozen other attractions he couldn't even understand. He paused at a corner that was away from the flowing traffic of people to observe it all. There was so much to see, so much to do. He wished he had more than two days to explore. He didn't know where to start.

A sudden flash of red caught his eye. He followed it with his gaze and realized he was looking at a young girl with strikingly red hair that shone through the crowd. She was following a tall man in a Starfleet uniform with his back turned towards Chakotay. When she turned slightly, he saw her face. She wasn't exactly attractive. In fact she looked quite plain and he would never notice her in a crowd of other girls. She appeared to be around twelve or thirteen years old. Yet something about the way she carried herself made her appear more mature. She exuded a confidence that was similar to the little boy he saw earlier. They both seemed to say they knew exactly where they belonged.

She turned slightly. Her gaze met his and she stared back at him. Her eyes were an intense blue and he felt as if she was assessing him somehow. Then she suddenly turned away and went on her way as if nothing happened.

Chakotay frowned. Somehow her dismissive manner felt like a personal insult.

He heard a chuckle behind him and looked up to see a tall sandy haired young man in a yellow Starfleet uniform. Chakotay immediately recognized him as Crewman Sommers, one of the Mandela's young engineers. Chakotay struck an easy friendship with him when he first stepped onboard. Sommers told him he was a native of Sierra, a Federation colony planet near Chakotay's home planet Dorvan. Like Chakotay, Sommers rarely left his homeworld until he joined Starfleet as a non-commissioned officer. He was always willing to share stories and never hesitated to answer any of Chakotay's questions.

"She is way out of your league kid," he said. "At least, right now. That girl is a Starfleet brat. She's the daughter of some high ranking officer and she'll be living in the exclusive officers' quarters for the rest of her holiday. She gets to socialize with the rest of the brass so don't expect to get a date with her."

"I wasn't thinking—" Chakotay began but Sommers cut him off as if he didn't hear him

"You see 'Fleet brats think a bit superior than most, especially with us off-worlders. By the time she gets to your age, she'll have a place waiting for her at the Academy."

"I thought Starfleet allows equal opportunities for all Federation citizens to join up, even if you're an off-worlder?" Chakotay asked.

"Of course they do," replied Sommers. "But it couldn't help to get somebody to back you up. I mean look at you? If Captain Sulu hadn't come along to sponsor you, you think you'd even get a chance?"

Chakotay had to acknowledge that Sommers was right. He wouldn't have even conceived the idea of trying out for Starfleet if he hadn't been curious enough to approach Captain Sulu when he met her.

"But just you wait, kid," Sommers said as he patted Chakotay's back. "When you become a Starfleet officer, girls like that will come crawling at your feet. Most of the 'Fleet brats either get into Starfleet as officers or they marry into it. There's just something about the uniform, see?"

Chakotay couldn't help but grin at that.

"Come on kid, let me show you around," Sommers offered. "I've got a couple of hours before I have to get back on duty."

Chakotay gratefully accepted and was glad for it. Sommers proved to be an excellent guide. He showed Chakotay the interesting bazaars and the other more fascinating areas in the colony. They reached the peripheries of the biosphere and Sommers pointed out the man-made quarries, left by the mining projects when Mars was still being colonized for habitation. Chakotay took note of the swimming sites and hoped he had time in the next three days to get a chance to swim in it. Sommers promised to try to find some time with his other crewmates to take him there. Chakotay absorbed it all in eager fascination and Sommers didn't seem to mind the least about his curiosity. He answered all of Chakotay's hundreds of questions about everything and seemed to delight in sharing his knowledge.

"We have time for one last stop before my shift starts," Sommers told him. "How would you like to put those pool skills I've been teaching you to practice?"

Sommers and the other crew members of the Mandela had taught him to shoot pool on the holodeck during their trip to Mars. Chakotay had immediately gotten the hang of it and even managed to beat out some of his teachers. He enjoyed the game immensely and he thought the idea was a splendid way to end the day.

"I'm taking you somewhere few Starfleet people know about, but only if you can keep a secret. And that includes the Captain," Sommers told him.

Chakotay could feel a tinge of worry that Sommers was taking him somewhere Captain Sulu wouldn't approve. But he didn't want to sound like an overly obedient child after Sommers had treated him like an adult. So he readily accepted and promised not to say a word.

They came to a bar quite a distance from the Starfleet complex. The place hung heavily of smoke and was noisy with civilian patrons drinking beverages while playing over several pool tables. There wasn't a single Starfleet officer in sight.

"I thought you might like to try a bit more of a challenge," Sommers whispered to him. "You're a natural at the game you know. The two of us can beat a game or two here and earn us a bit."

Chakotay didn't exactly understand what Sommers meant about "earning a bit" but he nodded anyway.

"Alright, we go for the next game then," Sommers said. "I'll go enter us."

He went up to talk to someone at the pool table. Chakotay eyed his companion for a moment before his attention was suddenly caught by a humanoid female dressed in what appeared to be the barest of sparkling cloth. The women in his tribe had always been modestly dressed. He had never seen a woman in this much… or rather less. He followed her with his gaze until she disappeared into a corridor beyond the pool tables. He immediately forgot about Sommers. He curiously followed the way the woman went. He discovered the corridor was longer than he would expect from the façade of the bar. It finally ended at a closed door.

He pushed it open and found himself at a large busy room made of two floor levels. He couldn't see past the staircases that led to the upper floor. But the lower floor was filled with small tables were several people gathered over. In the center of each table a wheel was being spun by one of the humanoid females that were attired in similarly revealing costumes. He could tell it was some form of betting game as the people surrounding them would put chips on areas of the wheel and would enthusiastically shout: "Dabo!"

The girl he saw earlier settled on one of the tables and was sitting in a rather enticing position near one of the players. He moved forward towards her but a man blocked his path. He appeared human except that he had a ridge that rose from his nose to his forehead. Chakotay searched his mind in a way to identify the man's species.

"You like what you see?" the man said. "I can get you in a holosuite with her and a dozen other recreations like her."

Someone grabbed his shoulder and he turned to see Sommers.

"I turn my back for two seconds and you're gone. You shouldn't be here. You're a little too young for this," he whispered to Chakotay before turning to the alien that spoke to him.

"He's not interested," Sommers said firmly. "We're just here to play pool and we got a bit lost."

But the alien just gave him a sly smile. "Let the lad look. No harm."

Chakotay finally recognized the alien as a Farian. He had read about them and knew they were rather dubious business traders with a history involving the shady Orion syndicate. He also knew the Farian weren't allowed concessions in Federation territory so this back establishment had to be illegal. He suddenly realized why Sommers didn't want him telling anyone about this place. He felt a sudden fear. He shouldn't be here. He hadn't even gotten into the academy yet. He shouldn't be breaking rules so soon.

The Farian leaned over so only Chakotay can hear. "I give discounts for first timers."

"No thank you," Chakotay said firmly in the most confident voice he could muster. He had an idea of what exactly the Farian was offering and he had no intention of taking up on the offer. He knew enough from his studies just how to deal with these kinds of traders. "I'm not really interested and even if I was, I don't have any credits with me," he said honestly. He held up his hands to show he had empty pockets.

"Perhaps your friend can loan you some?" the Farian insisted.

Sommers shook his head and was about to say something but Chakotay beat him to it: "He can't loan me any. His credits are wired from Starfleet. Unless you want Starfleet tracing them to an illegal gaming establishment, do you?"

The Farian backed away and shrugged. "Too bad. But do come back when you earned your non-wired Starfleet credits. We're always happy to serve."

He made a generous bow. Chakotay didn't return it but instead turned back to the door with Sommers at his heels without a word.

"Kid, I'm impressed with you," Sommers said when they were back to the pool hall. You handled that well. Best way to get rid of a salesman is to tell him you don't have spending power. And the threat was spot on."

"I was bluffing," Chakotay admitted but turned to Sommers with a hint of mild irritation. "Or was I? Is this an illegal gambling house?"

Sommers shook his head. "Nothing gets past you, kid. Captain Sulu was right. Four years from now, I might be calling you 'sir' at the rate you're going."

"Is it?" Chakotay insisted.

"Well the pool hall and the bar are completely legal," Sommers replied. "But of course the Dabo games and the holosuites at the back aren't. I wasn't really going to tell you about them but I guess you already found out yourself." Sommers looked at him seriously. "Look, kid, I really hope you won't tell anyone about this. I know it's a bit seedy but it would be a shame to lose this establishment just because of the Farian business at the back. Some of the best pool players come here and it's a great place to get away from Starfleet once in a while. Believe me, years from now when you're wearing the uniform too long, there will be times when you want to get away from the protocols once in awhile."

Chakotay considered this. There was really no harm in having a little fun as long as they stayed here in the legal part of establishment. And Sommers did treat him like an adult by just bringing him here. He didn't want to lose that friendship.

"Alright, let's just forget about it and play pool," Chakotay finally said.

"Great," Sommers replied.

They went on to play with two men in one of the tables. As the pool hall was legal, Sommers used his credits to place bets on their pool game with their opponents. Chakotay immediately understood what he meant earlier by "earning a bit." Chakotay didn't think the gamble was any harm either though he wished he had a few credits of his own to spend. But Sommers promised to divide their winnings.

Two hours later, Chakotay earned a few credits for himself and was immensely pleased with the three out of four games he won with Sommers over some of the local patrons. He was all set for a fifth game when Sommers announced that it was almost time for his shift back at the Mandela. Chakotay was having too much fun and asked to stay a while.

"I think you're smart enough to stay out of trouble," Sommers replied. "Got your combadge?"

Chakotay tapped the badge on his chest.

"Good. Don't lose too much and report back to the ship before 2300."

"Aye, sir," Chakotay said to him.

Sommers smiled and left him to his game. Chakotay won another round then lost the next. He thought it was time to turn in but decided to order a drink before he did. He went to the bar and decided to try that Klingon coffee he read about in his history of Alpha Quadrant cultures.

He took one sip at the raktajino and resolved never to touch it again. He couldn't even take plain coffee unless he had at least two sugars to go with it. He put the drink down and was about to order a tea when he felt someone sit on the stool beside him.

He turned to look and almost fell out of his seat in surprise. It was the redheaded girl he saw outside the Starfleet complex.

***

A/N: Just a few personal notes:

I initially wanted the back of the bar to be a Ferengi establishment. But when I checked the Star Trek guide, it turns out the Federation didn't make official first contact with the Ferengi until 2364. It would be nearly impossible to have Ferengi in a colony planet in the Sol system until after that date. The Farian however, do have an earlier history with the Federation though they are presumably not members owing to their high crime rates, legalized prostitution and use of currency even up to the 2370s. They were mentioned in DS9 as still involved with the Orion Syndicate as late as 2374.

As for Federation currency, it's a bit ambiguous. In the Original Series, Gene Rodenberry conceptualized that the Federation didn't have money anymore. Of course onboard Voyager their trade-able currency among the crew were the rations they had allotted for each person to use the holodecks and replicators. But back in the alpha quadrant, they use credits that I presume can be converted to some other currency like the lek or latinum. I mean how else did the crew of DS9 manage to patronize the shops on the promenade if they didn't get paid by Starfleet something that can be converted to latinum?