DISCLAIMER: I don't own Star Trek. That's all Paramount. I'm just borrowing the characters, and I promise to return them by midnight, fed, clean, and unharmed. Mostly.


09:00

Kathryn shifted in her command seat, uncrossing her legs and re-crossing them. The bridge was quiet. They were still a week away from the M-Class planet, Chakotay had the day off, Harry and Tom were behaving, and Tuvok was being...well, Tuvok. She was getting bored. It didn't help that her neck and upper back were cramping up. There was a nerve pinched between her shoulder blades, contributing to her brewing headache, and therefore to her growing irritability. She shifted again, planting both feet on the deck, crossing her right arm over her left shoulder and cupping that elbow with her left hand. She tried massaging her shoulder, her neck, but only succeeded in sending a sharp stabbing pain down her right arm, barely stifling the resultant whimper. Of course, that got everyone's attention. Tom swiveled round in his seat, shot her a questioning look.

"Everything okay, Captain?" he asked.

Nodding wasn't an option.

"Yes. Thank you, Mr. Paris, " she managed through gritted teeth, her hand clenching her shoulder.

His snort told her that he didn't buy it.

"You know, the Doc -"

"Tom," she cut in, her tone light as she closed her eyes and dropped her head back.

"Yeah?"

She continued with a half smile tugging at her lips.

"Eyes on the road."

Tom didn't turn back to his console at first, just eyed her, then met Tuvok's eyes. The Vulcan looked down at the Captain, returned to his work.

The bridge fell silent, several minutes passing in rather uncomfortable silence.

After what felt like hours, Harry cleared his throat.

Kathryn's eyes flew open at the sound, and she flinched at the sudden onslaught of light. She knew he was trying to be quiet, but it seemed so obnoxiously loud! It felt like it was cleaving her head in two.

She stood, her voice weary as she spoke.

"I'll be in my ready room. Tuvok, you have the bridge."


Chakotay hurried to the bridge, the corridors of Voyager almost deserted. He nearly collided with Paris.

"Where is everyone?" he asked.

"She didn't make it," the helmsman replied stoically.

"Who?"

"She could have. If you'd done your job," Tom began, "she might have lived."

Chakotay backed down the hall away from him, his heart pounding in his ears, panic and bile rising in his chest.

"It's your fault she's dead!" Tom's voice followed him, almost mocking him.

His feet couldn't carry him far or fast enough. He had to get to her, to the bridge. She was on duty, she couldn't be dead. She had to be there!

He rounded the next corner and found himself in the Mess Hall, filled with the crew, her crew, mourning in their full dress uniforms, facing the bay windows and someone speaking.

"Captain Janeway was the closest thing to a mother a young ensign like me could've hoped to have, way out here in the Delta Quadrant," Harry Kim was saying.

Everyone in the room turned to face Chakotay, standing in the rear.

"And it's your fault she died, Commander," the Ensign finished. "You killed her! You killed her!"

"No..." he whispered, sweating.

"You killed her! You killed her!" Everyone was chanting now.

"No!" He turned and ran, the crew's voices in his ears.

"I needed you, Chakotay," her voice called to him softly, with so much pain, disappointment, and sadness that it broke his heart. "I needed you, and you let me down. Why?"

He stopped running, shouted at the bulkheads around him.

"NO!"

She was in front of him then, no matter where he turned, surrounding him, in a torn and dirty dress. Blood caked the side of her head, bruises littered her face and arms.

"Why, Chakotay?"

He felt his stomach drop into his shoes, a cold claw gripping his heart.

She reached out for him, begging, pleading.

"Why did you let him kill me?"

He couldn't get away, couldn't run, couldn't breathe, couldn't see- there was nowhere to go and she was calling him, crying, screaming, and it was his fault, he killed her, he killed her, he killed her-

Chakotay woke violently, sitting bolt upright. Sweat poured off of him, he was gasping for breath. He ran a hand over his face.

"A dream," he murmured to himself, getting his bearings. "Just a dream."


"Won't be much longer now..." the voice whispered, logically. "No, not much longer. She must be taught. No, you don't understand... it's the only way... come on!"

The speaker stood from his crouch, walked across the dimly lit quarters and yanked open a drawer, continuing the search for reprieve.

"Have to hurry... because I have to. Don't you see? She must learn, she can't lie like that. Lies are bad, dangerous. They cause trouble. Where did you put it? Yes, exactly...now you understand. Not nice to tell lies, to spill other people's secrets. They're mine, she gave them away. Not nice, shouldn't do that...she'll only end up hurting herself, if we don't. She'll never learn...there!"

The drawer slammed shut. A blade was drawn over toned muscle, rending flesh and soothing desperation.

"She couldn't just keep her mouth shut. She lied! She told him everything, stole our secrets...she must learn. Yes, I can teach her. I have to. Yes, today. I will. All for you."


11:46

Chakotay sat in Tuvok's office, the Vulcan beside him with a PADD in his hand. Chakotay had discovered the PADD on a table in Sandrine's bar. He'd gone there to try to forget his nightmare; however, given the PADD's violent contents, he wondered if that nightmare would become reality.

Tuvok finished reading and laid the PADD down on his desk, steepling his fingers.

"Well?" Chakotay prompted.

Tuvok's voice was grave.
"The text indicates that the Captain's life is in danger."

Chakotay nodded wearily, in agreement.

"Any suggestions as to how we should proceed, Lieutenant?"

Tuvok frowned.
"I'm afraid we must inform the Captain."

Chakotay nodded again.
"What about a security detail?" he asked.

"I will organize a team and schedule," Tuvok replied.

"And I'll let Kathryn know," the First Officer stated, standing and gathering his resolve for the coming conversation.


Kathryn stepped off of the turbolift, rubbing a sore spot on her neck gingerly. She'd spent what was easily the most stressful half hour of her day thus far in Sick Bay with the Doctor, getting a lecture on proper self care. Only when Chakotay hailed her to the bridge to receive an urgent incoming message did he (finally) administer a hypospray to ease her headache.

"Captain," Seven of Nine called from a few paces away, striding up to her quickly.

Kathryn smiled. She greeted the tall blonde with a nod without slowing her pace.
"Seven."

"I wish to discuss the nature of humanity."

Kathryn cringed internally.
"Can it wait, Seven? I'm on my way to the bridge. I don't have time to stop and chat just now."

The ex-drone thought for a moment, and turned to her captain.
"The matter is not pressing. We will continue our discussion when you have finished your tasks for the evening."

Kathryn gave her a dry half-smile accompanied by a quirked eyebrow, and they parted ways as the doors to Voyager's bridge hissed open.

Chakotay stood in front of his command chair, attempting to apologize to a rather large and ugly alien on the viewscreen.
"We scanned your planet, Ambassador, and didn't find any life-signs. I assure you, we mean you no harm."

"Caring not," the alien hissed loudly, his scales glistening like red rubies. A forked tongue was flitting around jagged teeth, and black eyes set in vertically shaped, slit-like eyesockets glittered. "Large, threatening to us, your ship is. No warning, you did giving us of your arrival. Army of Zatkak, preparing to fight and people of Zatkak, panicking! Speaking to your captain, I am wishing!"

Janeway stepped over, laid a hand on Chakotay's chest in silent thanks and addressed the irate alien.
"I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway. I apologize for the confusion, but you see-"

"Captain you are not!" The alien's scales gleamed, changing color.

They were now black as well, and Kathryn couldn't help but think that he looked like a giant, deformed beetle.

"Female, you are!" he continued.

She nodded.
"Yes, I am female. And I assure you, I am Captain of this vessel."

The alien hissed loudly, bared his teeth.
"Tricks! Treachery! Female, leading does not!"

Chakotay tensed beside her, and she fought against her own desire to snap at the bigot on her viewscreen. She drew herself up to her full height, and spoke again.
"Please, Ambassador..." she trailed off, allowing him to introduce himself.

"Kazat," he supplied coldly.

"Ambassador Kazat," she repeated, "what reason would I have to lie to you?"

Kazat made a sound like metal against stone.
"Female, you are. Cheating, tricking, stealing, are what you knowing. Female, trusting cannot. Dangerous, female is. Lying you are!"

Kathryn felt her patience wearing thin. She changed the subject.
"Perhaps you would like to view our ship for yourself. You will see that we mean you no harm."

Ambassador Kazat bared his teeth again, flicked his forked tongue at her.
"Trusting you, being unwise. Male, trusting is more reliable."

Chakotay spoke up.
"She is our captain, Ambassador. We follow her command."

Kathryn was grateful for his self-control.

Kazat blinked, an inner opaque lid closing vertically before his outer lid narrowed in the same manner.
"Truth, you are speaking?"

Chakotay nodded.
"Yes, I'm telling the truth."

Kazat scrutinized Kathryn, then made the metal-on-stone sound again. It seemed to be his species' version of a sigh.
"Diminutive, small, she is. Being better, perhaps. Not so dangerous."

Janeway distinctly heard a snort from the helm, where Tom Paris sat. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and she shook her head internally at Tom's candor.
"Will you accept my offer, Ambassador? I can offer you a tour of my vessel, and would be honored to have you join me for dinner."

Kazat made a series of clicking sounds, then held up a claw.
"Making a mistake, perhaps I am. Joining you, assessing your ship, I will. Later making arrangements, and with males, I will."

Kathryn nodded.

"Understanding this, female; respecting you, being different from acknowledging command of yours. Acknowledging, I am." He leaned forward and bared his teeth again. "Acknowledging only."

The view-screen plunged into sudden darkness, leaving Kathryn with a feeling of increasing disquiet.