The Devore warship had docked at the space station an hour before. Chakotay sat in his cell, waiting for the guards to come and escort him to Inspector Kashyk's office to make his "statement." His hatred for Kashyk had only grown over the past three days. He'd been fairly indifferent to the man when he'd first arrived, thinking that the Inspector was just doing his job, trying to protect his people. But the more time he'd spent with the Inspector, the more he'd seen that Kashyk was manipulative and evil. The Devore enjoyed toying with other's emotions and with their lives. Chakotay was sure that this was all a test to see how far he could be manipulated. Well, Kashyk would see the answer to that question soon enough.
Chakotay moved his toes in his boot, assuring himself that the priceless bag of hachid still remained there. It did, and he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Although he had no idea if the vial in Kashyk's possession contained an actual antidote, he had determined to at least attempt to get his hands on it before leaving the warship. He had also determined that nothing would stop him, even if it meant he had to kill Kashyk in the process. He felt a slow anger burning within him, fueled by the knowledge that the Inspector had betrayed him, his crew, and, especially, his Captain.
The familiar sounds of two guards' footsteps approached. Chakotay stood and steeled himself for what lay ahead. The guards, who took every opportunity to be rough with him, grabbed him from his cell and escorted him to Kashyk's office. He noticed another Devore sitting in the office whom he did not recognize.
"Good afternoon, Commander Chakotay," Kashyk said pleasantly. "This is our doctor." He gestured to the unfamiliar Devore. "He's here to fix your nose before you make your statement."
"I don't want any of your people to touch me," Chakotay said firmly. "I"ll make my statement just as I am."
"Ah, but Commander," Kashyk said smoothly, "we can't have people think that you're only talking because we forced you to."
"But isn't that the reality?" Chakotay asked. "You've imprisoned me against my will. Your guards inflicted these injuries on me. And now you want me to make a statement denying all of these things?"
The look in Kashyk's eyes became dangerous. He waved to the doctor and the two guards. "Leave us," he said.
"But sir," one of the guards began to object.
"Leave us!" Kashyk ordered sharply.
Inwardly, Chakotay breathed a sigh of relief. He had counted on Kashyk's pride; on his desire not to be humiliated in front of anyone, and his desire for his triumph to be completely his own. Chakotay was relieved to know that he had not miscalculated.
Once they were alone, Kashyk produced a weapon from somewhere under his desk, and pointed it squarely at Chakotay. "Now that we're alone, Commander, we can dispense with the pleasantries. You must have something up your sleeve. What is it? Has Voyager found a way to escape our sensors? Is your ship lurking out there, waiting for some kind of signal?" Chakotay said nothing, standing straight, his eyes ahead of him; he saw that the Inspector's control was slipping. Kashyk stood and began to circle him, always keeping the weapon trained on Chakotay's body. "Or is it something smaller?" he wondered aloud. "Have you stashed another packet of hachid away somewhere?" With this idea, Kashyk began to roughly search Chakotay's clothes and body.
Taking advantage of the other man's momentary distraction, Chakotay struck. He knocked the weapon out of Kashyk's hand, sending it spinning out of control across the room, and elbowed the Inspector in the gut. Chakotay had the element of surprise on his side, but Kashyk quickly understood what was happening. He brought up his arm and punched Chakotay hard in the face. Chakotay retaliated with a punch of his own. Kashyk stumbled backwards, surprised by how much strength his opponent could exert.
Kashyk's careening had left him standing right next to his desk, and he picked up the device which activated Captain Janeway's poison as well as the vial of blue antidote. He held them up to Chakotay's face tantalizingly. "It's your choice, Commander," Kashyk said with a cruel edge to his voice. "You can kill your Captain right now, or you can save her."
"If she dies, it's going to be you who killed her!" Chakotay yelled, lunging for Kashyk, attempting to grab the vial of blue liquid out of his hand.
But Kashyk was too quick for him this time. He stepped out of the way, causing Chakotay to stumble. Kashyk stood, gloating, as he dropped the vial to the floor, allowing it to shatter at Chakotay's feet. Then, he pressed the button on the device set to activate Captain Janeway's poison. He was laughing... but not for long.
Chakotay, having regained his footing, lunged at the Inspector once more. This time, the Devore was not prepared at all, too busy reveling in his victory. Suddenly, Chakotay's hands were around the Inspector's throat, and Kashyk found himself pressed up against the wall of his office, gasping for breath.
Chakotay's rage, which had been so quietly controlled for the past three days, was boiling over. He did not think about his hands on Kashyk's throat, or about the fact that he was choking the life out of another living creature. He did not realize that he was speaking aloud. "How many innocent lives have you taken? How many telepaths have you committed to your death camps? How many women? How many children? What gives you the right to come into others' lives and manipulate them into serving your purpose?"
Kashyk could not reply. His face was turning blue and his eyes were bulging. Chakotay heard the sound of the door opening behind them. The guards must have heard the fight and come to investigate. He steeled himself for the fatal shot that he knew was coming, but at least he would take Kashyk with him. His last thought was of Kathryn, a stab of regret that he had not been able to complete his mission and bring the substance she so desperately needed. As Chakotay stood, ready to take the weapon's fire and meet his death, he closed his eyes, and felt a familiar tingle.
...
Chakotay opened his eyes, shocked to find himself very much alive and standing behind Kir on the Devore shuttle. "Kir!" he exclaimed.
"Commander," the older man greeted him with a smile. "Have a seat. We have to get out of here fast."
"I thought I was dead for sure," Chakotay said, sitting down at the controls beside Kir, still breathing hard after his fight with Kashyk.
"Not yet," Kir replied, looking over at Chakotay, a slight smile on his lips. "Did you get the hachid?"
"I got it," Chakotay affirmed.
"Then let's get out of here," said Kir. He was swiftly plotting a course for the wormhole. It was only a few minutes away. "Prepare to fire torpedoes," Kir ordered.
Chakotay readied the launch sequence. "Ready," he said.
At that moment, they felt the shuttle lurch forward. They both knew that feeling. They had been hit. "It's the station," Kir said. "That's who fired on us. Try to keep them occupied for a few minutes."
"Aye aye," Chakotay responded. He hailed the station on audio only. "Devore station, this is a Devore shuttle. Why are you firing on us?"
"This is Inspector Rayfek," a voice replied. "We have been informed by the crew of the Devore warship that your shuttle has been stolen."
"Negative," Chakotay answered, trying to make his voice sound appropriately casual and concerned at the same time. "We have been having some trouble with our shuttle's systems. We're off of our designated course."
The voice on the other end hesitated for a moment. "Dock at the station immediately," Inspector Rayfek said. "We will assist you in your repairs."
"We can't do that right now," said Chakotay, knowing he wasn't going to be able to buy them much more time. "Our docking clamps are out of order."
"Devore shuttle, dock at the space station immediately or we will open fire," the Inspector's voice returned.
Chakotay shut off the channel. "Was that enough time?" he asked. Another blast rocked the shuttle.
"Fire the torpedoes," Kir replied. They were close enough to the wormhole to open it.
Chakotay fired the torpedoes and glanced at the view screen. The Devore warship was attempting to disengage from the station. "They're going to try to follow us in," Chakotay said urgently.
"I don't think they'll be fast enough," Kir replied. "The wormhole will close right behind us."
Another blast rocked the shuttle. "Inertial dampers are offline," Chakotay said. "The starboard engine is failing."
"We'll get through," replied Kir, remaining calm. The wormhole had opened up in front of them. Chakotay glanced nervously at the view screen again. The Devore warship had just begun to disengage from the station. Kir was right, it would be too slow to follow them in. Kir piloted the shuttle into the wormhole and in seconds, they found themselves on the other side.
Chakotay and Kir shared a triumphant glance until a light began to flash on the console in front of them. "We're losing life support," Chakotay said.
Kir was examining the readouts before him. "It's worse than that," he said. "We're losing containment. This shuttle is going to blow itself to pieces in less than five minutes."
...
"Lieutenant Tuvok!" Harry exclaimed. "A Devore shuttle just exited the wormhole."
"Life signs?" Tuvok asked
"Two," replied Harry. "One Brenari and one human."
"Set a course, Mr. Paris," Tuvok ordered.
"They're hailing us," Kim said.
"On screen."
A battered Chakotay and Kir appeared on the view screen. "Chakotay to Voyager," the Commander said.
"Voyager here," said Tuvok.
"This ship is about to blow. Can you beam us over right away?"
Tuvok glanced back at Ensign Kim. "Are we in transporter range?" he asked.
"Not yet, Lieutenant," Kim replied anxiously. "Just a few more seconds."
"As soon as we are in transporter range, lock on to the Commander and Mr. Kir, and beam them aboard."
"Aye aye, sir," Kim replied.
The concerned expression on Chakotay's face grew. He was looking at the readouts. The bridge crew of Voyager could hear a computer's voice in the background saying, "Total loss of containment in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one..."
As Tuvok and Tom Paris watched the shuttle explode before their eyes, Harry exclaimed triumphantly, "I've got them!"
Tuvok turned around and, raising one eyebrow, said, "Excellent work, Ensign."
"Thank you, sir," Harry replied, beaming.
"Chakotay to Ensign Kim," he heard over the comm.
"Kim here."
"Good work, Ensign. Next time, try not to cut it so close."
"Yes, sir."
...
When Chakotay arrived in sickbay, he found the Doctor and Doctor Jal huddled over a console. The Doctor whirled around as soon as Chakotay entered sickbay.
"I'm not too late, am I?" Chakotay asked worriedly.
"No, Commander," the Doctor replied. "Not quite."
Chakotay bent over and removed his boot, reaching inside of it and handing a small bag to the Doctor. "Hachid," he said.
"Commander," the Doctor said, concerned, "you're injured. You need treatment."
Chakotay shook his head. "I'll be fine," he said. "Take care of the Captain first." He moved to exit sickbay.
"Just a minute, Commander. You're not going anywhere looking like that," said the Doctor in his most unyielding tone. "Have a seat. Mr. Paris will be here to treat you in no time."
Chakotay sat down quietly on one of the beds while the Doctor summoned Tom. While the Doctor and Doctor Jal analyzed the hachid, Paris treated Chakotay's broken nose and the other cuts and bruises he had sustained during his fight with Kashyk.
"What happened to you?" Tom asked.
"Let's just say that the Devore were less than friendly when they found out that I was aboard," Chakotay replied.
A few minutes later, Tom said, "You're all set, Commander. Good as new."
"Thanks, Tom," Chakotay replied. Then he turned to the Doctor. "Report to me as soon as you have any news, Doctor," he ordered.
"I will, Commander."
With that, Chakotay turned and left sickbay. His first order of business was to get out of these Devore prison clothes.
...
"Doctor to Commander Chakotay. Doctor to Commander Chakotay." Chakotay started awake. He hadn't intended to doze off. He realized that he was sitting in a chair in his quarters. He had sat down to review the logs from the past few days, and he must have fallen asleep. He hadn't slept for the three days he had been captive on the Devore ship.
"Chakotay here," he said groggily.
"Please report to sickbay at once."
This got his attention, immediately sending a surge of adrenaline coursing through his body. He jumped to his feet and replied, "On my way."
When he reached sickbay, the Doctor and Doctor Jal were standing near the Captain. The Doctor had a hypospray in his hand. "Report," Chakotay said.
"With the sample of hachid you brought us, Doctor Jal and I have been able to synthesize an antidote to the poison," the Doctor said. "I'm ready to administer it now. I thought you'd like to be here."
"Thank you, Doctor," Chakotay said, looking up at the EMH with a smile.
"The antidote will not suppress all the effects of the poison immediately," the Doctor explained. "It will take time for the Captain to regain all of her motor functions. Up to several hours. She may be disoriented at first, and she may have even suffered memory loss. We don't know if there will be any long term effects."
"Understood," Chakotay replied.
The Doctor pressed the hypospray to the Captain's neck and then began to run his tricorder over her. Doctor Jal was standing at a nearby console, keeping track of the results. "Her pulse is quickening," Jal said. "Blood pressure is returning to normal."
"Brain activity is increasing," the Doctor said.
"Motor functions are still limited," said Doctor Jal.
Chakotay stood at the Captain's bedside, trying to keep out of the Doctor's way. Her eyes began to flutter. "I think she's coming out of it, Doctor," Chakotay said, the relief evident in his tone.
Kathryn Janeway struggled to open her eyes. When she finally did, she was met with a very concerned expression on the face of her first officer. "Chakotay," she said quietly. "What happened?"
He smiled down at her and brought one hand up to brush her hair back. His other hand found hers, and he gripped it tightly, although he could feel no response from her. He reminded himself that the Doctor had said it might take her a while to regain her motor functions. "What's the last thing you remember?" he asked, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible.
"We were drinking coffee in my ready room," she said. "It tasted strange."
Chakotay nodded. "You were poisoned," he said.
"Poisoned?" she replied, outraged. "By whom?" She tried to hoist herself up on her elbows, and an expression of terror overcame her face. "Chakotay," she whispered, "I can't move."
She saw the Doctor's face over her. "Your motor functions will return in time, Captain. You've been unconscious for nearly a week, and it will take several hours for the antidote to be fully effective."
"A week?" she asked softly.
"Yes," the Doctor said, "and if it weren't for Commander Chakotay here, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."
She gave him a quizzical look, but he said nothing. His eyes told her: I'll explain later. "Captain, I'm not the only one who contributed to your recovery," he said. He motioned to someone standing by the medical console, and a tall, red-headed Brenari woman came over. "This is Doctor Jal," Chakotay said. "She and the Doctor developed the antidote together. We also owe quite a lot to Kir."
Another quizzical glance, but this one only lasted for a moment. Janeway focused her attention on the tall Brenari woman. At least she had control of her eyes and her voice. "Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome, Captain," Jal said in her melodious voice. "Although it is I who should thank your crew. Without Commander Chakotay's heroic efforts, we would not have this powerful antidote to many Devore poisons."
Janeway raised her eyebrows. "One of these days, I'll have to hear all the details of Commander Chakotay's heroic efforts," she said.
"I'll fill you in, Captain," her first officer replied with a grin.
"Commander," the Doctor interrupted, "the Captain needs to rest. Visiting hours are over."
Chakotay nodded. "All right, Doc," he said. Then he turned back to Kathryn and ran the back of his fingers over her cheek, where he knew she could feel it. "I'll be back," he said softly.
She nodded. She could feel herself drifting off again, but this time, it was into a deep, healing sleep.
...
Janeway stood at the door to Chakotay's quarters. Life on Voyager had returned to a relative calm. They had thanked their Brenari colleagues and bid them farewell, resuming their course for the Alpha Quadrant. They had given the Brenari a large supply of the antidote for hachid as part of their gratitude for the assistance of Kir and Doctor Jal. Janeway wished that they could have spent more time on the Brenari colony, but they had been delayed enough already so had set out on their way once again. Still, Janeway could not deny that meeting the Brenari had been a much needed breath of fresh air. She thought back to her conversation with Chakotay about how they encountered too few friendly races. Perhaps she had been overlooking things that were right in front of her eyes. Her thought of that conversation returned her to the present moment, and she buzzed the Commander's door chime. He had agreed to tell her how he obtained the hachid on one condition: that she join him for dinner tonight.
"Come in," she heard. She entered Chakotay's quarters and was surprised to find the lights dimmed and soft jazz playing in the background. She eyed her surroundings dubiously.
"How are you feeling, Captain?" Chakotay asked.
"Thankfully, all my motor functions have returned to normal!" she replied with a smile. "The Doctor gave me a clean bill of health today and told I can return to my normal duty schedule."
"I'm glad to hear it," her first officer replied. He gestured to a chair. "Have a seat."
She followed his instructions and asked, "What's for dinner?"
"It's a green curry," he said, "made with coconut milk, vegetables and tofu." He brought a large bowl of curry to the table, and a bowl of brown rice.
"Do I have to use chopsticks?" she cajoled.
"Not at all," he said. "If you'll notice there are forks on the table."
She chuckled, and then turned to the food. "Chakotay, this looks delicious," she said. She always enjoyed his cooking. "You didn't have to go to so much trouble," she said.
"I didn't have to," he acknowledged. They shared a smile, as he sat across from her. "Wine?" he offered. "It's a viognier."
"Don't mind if I do."
They began their meal and the food was just as delicious as it looked and smelled. Janeway cut right to the chase. "All right, Commander, I think it's about time you told me what happened while I spent a week lying unconscious in sickbay."
"I don't know if you're going to like it," he warned.
"Well, I guess I'll have to throw you in the brig for the rest of the trip, then," she joked.
He grinned at her and shook his head. "When Doctor Jal and the Doctor figured out that the essential ingredient of the poison was one that could only be found in Devore space, I decided to go back and get some."
"That's the part I'm not going to like," she said, putting down her fork and resting her chin in her hands.
"Yes," he said. "Well, there's more that you're not going to like, but the rest won't be my fault." She nodded for him to continue. "Kir agreed to accompany me. The Brenari had an old Devore shuttle that they had stolen, so we used it to avoid detection. Kir beamed me over to Kashyk's warship, and I managed to find the hachid. I ran into Prax in a corridor, and he recognized me. I spent three days in their brig before we reached the rendezvous point that Kir and I had set." He could tell that she was digesting his words, and he continued, "This is the part you won't believe. Kashyk offered me a deal."
She raised her eyebrows. "What kind of deal?"
"He told me that he would let me go and give me an antidote to the poison if I would make some sort of public statement for him."
"What kind of public statement?"
"He wanted me to say that I had realized the error of my ways, that Voyager hadn't escaped, but had been reformed, and that we now saw that telepaths were in fact dangerous creatures."
Kathryn shook her head; she couldn't believe the audacity of the Inspector. She could tell that Chakotay was holding something back from her. "There's something else, isn't there?"
"He told me that he had a device that could accelerate the poison, and that he could kill you instantly with the touch of a button."
Janeway pondered that for a moment. "Did he?" she asked.
Chakotay shook his head. "He had a device, but the whole thing was a bluff. I saw him press the button right before Kir rescued me. I tried to get the antidote from him, but I suspect that was a ruse too."
Janeway nodded slowly. She had been betrayed to a greater extent than she had thought possible. No, she had never completely trusted Kashyk. But she had trusted him enough. Enough to offer him a permanent home on Voyager. What a judge of character, she thought to herself. Ha!
"Chakotay to Kathryn," he said quietly, tilting his head to one side and inching his fingers across the table to brush hers. "Chakotay to Kathryn."
She realized that she had been staring off into space, absorbed in her own thoughts. "I'm sorry, Chakotay," she said.
"Where were you just now?"
She shook her head, and her voice took on a tone of self-reproach. "Just thinking how Kashyk pulled the wool over my eyes."
"We all wanted to believe him, Kathryn," Chakotay said softly. "Don't blame yourself."
She gave him a wry smile. "Oh, but didn't you know that's one of my greatest talents?"
Chakotay looked back at her with mock reproach. "Everything worked out fine. Voyager didn't suffer any permanent damage. We're all alive and well."
"Thanks to you," she replied quietly.
"Don't blame yourself, Kathryn. You don't need any more guilt on your conscience."
She nodded. "I suppose not."
His tone softened again, and he said, "Everyone gets carried away once in a while."
She looked up at Chakotay, her eyes boring deep into his. Slowly, she smiled, and he smiled back. She nodded and said, "Thank you, Chakotay."
"Any time."
They turned back to their meal and allowed their conversation to turn to other matters: vegetarian recipes, B'Elanna's constant sparring with Seven of Nine, holodeck programs... They stayed in Chakotay's quarters talking late into the night. When Kathryn finally said goodnight and returned to her quarters, she found that a thought from earlier in the evening had come back to revisit her. Perhaps she had been blind to more than one thing that was right in front of her.