Chapter 7: Interlude
Takayla and Kathryn had been at it for a few hours, both reading from their respective PADDs and exchanging ideas here and there. Throughout this process, Chakotay, of course, remained on the back of Kathryn's mind – a reminder of what she was doing this for, a driving force, a symbol of what regret truly looked like.
She was starting to feel a headache build behind her eyes, and for a moment she gave in and leaned back to rub her temples. Her lack of decent sleep over the last few days (weeks? months? years?) was starting to catch up to her. As if finally liberated from constraint, her mind immediately jumped back to the day Chakotay had been arrested.
After Chakotay had been transported down to the surface, it had taken a moment before Kathryn could regroup and fight the helpless tears that had started to pool in her eyes. Standing in the transporter room, she had stared into the empty space that Chakotay had occupied only seconds before for a long moment, until she'd forced herself not to let her imagination picture him as he was taken away to a cell, or forced to change into a prison uniform. She'd shaken herself, and had asked Tuvok to meet her in her ready room.
When Kathryn reached the bridge, Tuvok had been in the middle of briefing three of his security officers on the disembarking safety protocols. Kathryn had met his eyes and he gave a brief nod, before finishing his conversation and following Kathryn into her ready room. Once inside he'd waited for her to speak with his typical patient expression.
Kathryn had walked to her desk and back toward Tuvok again, crossing her arms over her chest as she paced distractedly. "As my newly appointed First Officer – and my friend – I need to ask something of you, Tuvok."
"If it is in my power, I will gladly do it, Captain. As I'm sure you know."
Kathryn had nodded, still feeling rattled by the recent events. She'd forced herself to get her act together. "I know you've asked for some personal leave in order to go see your family, and get treatment for your condition."
"Indeed," he'd nodded, his expression as expectant as a Vulcan could display.
Kathryn had nodded again. "I'm aware I'm asking a lot, Tuvok, but I was hoping that you would be willing to postpone this trip for a week or so."
"May I ask for what purpose?"
Kathryn had moved again, as if she was unable to think while standing still. As if her emotions would catch up to her if she stopped moving. Tuvok had followed her quietly with his eyes. "I need you to look after Voyager and the crew while I take care of this mess."
His frown had deepened, but there had been no need for him to ask what mess she was talking about. "As you wish, Captain."
"Thank you." She'd walked to sit at her desk and leaned back to look up at him. "I've put in a request for personal leave for a few weeks, and it's been granted. So your priority is to make sure that the crew's return to Earth goes smoothly why I get to the bottom of Chakotay's arrest."
"I will gladly do so, Captain."
Kathryn had studied him for a moment. He still hadn't moved from his original spot, patiently waiting. Because in the course of all these years working with her, he knew better than (almost) anyone when she had something weighing on her mind. He knew better than to assume her silence meant he was dismissed. "What do you make of all this, Tuvok? Of Chakotay's surrender?" She'd asked at last. She'd been curious to hear his opinion, to hear how a purely logical being would analyze this whole situation.
He'd considered it for a moment. "While I am not surprised that Starfleet took action against the Maquis, I confess I was caught off guard by the severity of the charges against them – it seems exaggerated in light of the time elapsed since those crewmembers were Maquis. That is not to say, however, that I don't understand the need for Starfleet to demonstrate that militia and vigilantes are not an appropriate response to conflict."
Kathryn had stared at him. "Do you really believe that?"
Tuvok had raised an eyebrow. "I'm rather surprised that you no longer seem to, Captain."
Kathryn had sprung to her feet again and stepped around her desk to walk closer. "You're right, I used to believe that. I still do. But the case of the Maquis feels different… Now that I know Chakotay and the others, I can understand why they acted the way they did. Why Chakotay joined in the first place. Who are we to condemn a man for defending his home?"
Tuvok had tilted his head. "Forgive me for saying so, Captain, but Chakotay has always been aware that there would be consequences for his actions, should he ever get caught." He gave a small sigh. "That said, it does not follow that I personally wish it so. Even when I served on his ship under false pretense, I quickly recognized in him a man of both honor and principle. My admiration for such qualities has only grown since."
Kathryn had given a wry smile. "High praise indeed, coming from you." Her smiled had faded as she returned to the task at hand. "Thank you, Commander. I'll inform the docking station officers that they should refer to you about unloading Voyager and all other logistical issues."
While in the past her conversations with Tuvok had always helped her gain a clearer understanding of any given issues, in this case it had done nothing to reassure her. Instead, it had troubled her. It had made it starkly clear to her that her emotions came in the way of her judgment where the Maquis, and particularly Chakotay, were concerned.
This, she reminded herself, was why captains avoided close personal relationships with members of their crew.
The irony wasn't lost on her – she had spent years ignoring the tug she felt every time Chakotay smiled at her, convincing herself that she only felt friendship, that he could never trouble her in that way (despite numerous signs to the contrary). And yet here she was: as emotionally entangled and confused as if they'd had a torrid affair from day one. If she had known that this was where she would end up, with her having all the feelings but none of the rewards of a relationship, would she have taken a chance with him after she'd received Mark's letter letting her know he had gotten married? The letter that had set her free from their engagement?
She could still recall Chakotay's expression, that day she had told him about Mark's letter and how she'd been using her fiancé as a safety net not to get involved with anyone else. You don't have that safety net anymore, Chakotay had told her. You're hardly alone, and to my way of thinking, there's still plenty of time. Had he been talking about himself? Had she been that willfully oblivious to his signaling? He might as well have jumped up and down and screamed "I am here!" and she would probably have missed it, so convinced was she that a relationship with him was out of the realm of possibility.
Kathryn was engrossed with these troubling thoughts when Tom and Nimkotay walked into the cargo hold on the shuttle. The two of them were carrying trays with various food items. The distraction was more than welcome and Kathryn smiled.
"We thought you might be hungry," Nimkotay said with a quick glance at Tom, and Kathryn's smile brightened at the seriousness on his face, and Tom's approving nod. Clearly, the boy took his responsibility of being Tom's assistant very seriously.
"That's very thoughtful of you, gentlemen, I'm starving!" Kathryn exclaimed as she and Takayla moved their files to make room for Tom and Nim – and their trays.
"So am I," Takayla added as she ruffled Nim's hair, "thank you."
"How is your copilot doing on his first day, Tom?" Kathryn asked with a teasing smile in Nim's direction as they all grabbed their plates and settled to eat.
"Fantastic!" Tom replied with a boyish grin of his own. He was going to be a great father, Kathryn thought as she watched the conspiratorial glance he exchanged with Nim. "He's made himself so useful, you might just have to give him an officer's commission right here and now, Captain!"
Nim chuckled with glee and though his mother smiled with the rest of them, Kathryn noticed the way Takayla tensed at the thought of her son as a Starfleet officer. Kathryn wished she knew where Takayla's mistrust came from, if only to assuage some of her animosity – was it because of Starfleet's role in the establishment of the Cardassian treaty? Or did she have other reasons to dislike Starfleet?
Even though Kathryn herself had some doubts about the integrity of some people within the institution at the moment, she still believed in Starfleet itself, in the values of unity and discovery that it strove for. It was hard to understand sometimes how anyone could not want to pursue such ideals.
"What's our ETA, Tom?" Kathryn asked to change the subject.
"I'd say we have another 6-7 hours to go. How are things going here?"
Kathryn looked at Takayla. In truth Kathryn had been so distracted that she'd been of little help.
"I'm still playing catch-up reviewing the Federation legislation relevant to this case, but I'm working on it," Takayla replied, her brows furrowed together. "Actually," she said as she turned to Kathryn, "after we're done eating, I'd like to take a look at the testimonies of the former Maquis in your crew, the ones you said you compiled when Starfleet asked you about them. I'll need to be as familiar with them as with the regulations, since they'll help me decide whom to call as witnesses."
"Who are you thinking of calling to the stand?" Tom asked. "I'd be happy to testify, if you need me. Chakotay and I might not have gotten along at first, but I've grown to respect him over the years. And we both had very different ideas of what it meant to be a Maquis. I joined because I was a selfish brat bent on self-destruction. He joined because he's just too damn honorable for his own good."
Takayla nodded as she chewed on her food, her lips twitching upward briefly. "Thank you, Tom. I appreciate your offer, I'll give it some thought. For now the only one I know for certain I'll want to call, aside from you, Captain, is B'Elanna."
Tom leaned in curiously. "How do you know B'Elanna?"
"She was one of Chakotay's first recruits, we met on a few occasions, when Chak organized training sessions on my home planet," Takayla replied.
After Kathryn exchanged a quick glance with Tom, she took up the obvious follow-up question. "Were you ever a Maquis, then?"
Takayla huffed a humorless chuckle. "No."
"Why not?" Tom asked curiously.
Her brows furrowed together and she raised her chin defiantly, much like she had when Kathryn had first met her. Kathryn was starting to recognize the gesture as a form of defense mechanism. "It cost me too many people I cared about."
Kathryn watched her closely. "And there is nothing just or fair in a conflict like the Cardassian war," she stated and Takayla's gaze shot to her. As if she was surprised that someone like Kathryn could understand her.
"Precisely."
A beeping sound from the communications console in the main compartment distracted them and Kathryn gestured for Tom to remain seated as she rose to her feet to go answer it. She went to sit at the helm to open the communication.
It was a live audio feed. "Captain Janeway," Admiral Hayes's voice greeted after she answered, "please forgive the intrusion, I know you're on an errand of a… personal… nature," he said cryptically, though he knew full well where Kathryn was, since she'd had to ask Starfleet permission to use a shuttle for this trip. The admiral had not been particularly surprised when she'd told him of her plan to get a legal representative from Chakotay's home planet, since he was the one who had given her the idea in the first place.
The conversation had happened a few hours after Voyager's docking to the orbital station. Kathryn had marched into Admiral Hayes' temporary ready room. He had been expecting her.
"Captain Janeway, Kathryn, welcome ho-"
"We need to talk, Admiral," Kathryn had said as the door slid closed behind her.
Admiral Hayes had raised a surprised eyebrow only for one or two seconds before he sighed. "I assume you want to talk about that First Officer of yours, Chakotay."
"You know I am!"
"Take a seat, Kathryn." The suggestion was polite, but the tone had brooked no argument.
Kathryn had hesitated for a short moment, but then sat down and rubbed her forehead. "I apologize, sir, you know I mean no disrespect toward you. But this… this is preposterous! I can't just stand by and see a good officer get dragged down in the mud, or worse, get sentenced to life in prison!"
Hayes looked empathetic. "I understand. Your loyalty does you credit, Captain. Coffee? Tea? Something stronger, perhaps?" He suggested, his tone facetious.
Kathryn had shaken her head, feeling suddenly bone tired. Deflated. Not even caffeine would be helpful at this point.
"From what I understand, Kathryn," Admiral Hayes had started as he poured himself some coffee before he returned behind his desk, "Mr. Chakotay turned himself in."
"Yes, but only because he saw it as the only way to keep the others from getting arrested as well. He's made no confession." Though Kathryn had no doubt that, if asked, Chakotay would tell the truth: that he had joined the Maquis because that's what had felt right, and that he still felt like it had been the right thing to do. This was why his arrest was so dangerous, and why it came down to her to make sure he didn't throw his life away on principle.
Admiral Hayes had frowned as he took a sip from his cup. "Don't take me wrong, Captain, I think what he did is admirable, and I'm sorry to see an officer of his caliber stripped of rank. But you know as well as I do that Starfleet is in a delicate situation where the Maquis are concerned. They threatened the stability of the treaty, and as such, the Federation considers those individuals who left to join the movement as traitors. There's no statute of limitation on treason."
Kathryn had nodded dejectedly, but then frowned. "I've been wondering about this… Where did the push to uphold the warrant originate? After all, it wouldn't have been out of the realm of possibility to grant official pardons to the former Maquis on my crew – to me, they were pardoned the moment we joined forces. So where did the push for court martial come from?"
The admiral had considered it. "Well, to be honest I'm not entirely sure. It was voted upon by the admiralty as part of a larger session regarding the demilitarized zone, but I don't know who put it on the agenda. It wasn't a unanimous vote, but it was a majority vote."
"I see."
Hayes had frowned in consideration. "But now that you mention it, I was rather surprised that the motion passed. From what I had gathered from discussing with my peers before the vote took place, those in favor of pardoning the Maquis on Voyager should have had the majority. Most of us shared your sentiment. So I'm not certain what happened. Though I suppose it is possible that some changed their minds during the discussion."
Kathryn had nodded, taking in this information. What could have swayed those votes? She could still recall Admiral Larks' gleeful expression at the thought of arresting Chakotay. What kind of power did that man have? "What can you tell me about Admiral Larks?"
Hayes had given a small sigh before taking another sip from his mug. "I don't know him well, but I understand him to be competent as a Justice Inquirer General."
"How tempting it would be to make a 'JIG' joke, right now," Kathryn had interjected with a cynical eyebrow raise.
Hayes had let out a brief, acknowledging chuckle. "I'm told he's generally competent, but he's been no friend to the Maquis."
Kathryn's eyes had narrowed at this. "Why? Some personal ties to the conflict?"
Hayes had shaken his head. "That's information I don't have."
Kathryn had decided then that she would have to look into this. Maybe she could delegate. No doubt B'Elanna would be willing to help.
"Could he be behind vote? Could he have pushed for it to be on the agenda?" She'd pressed.
Hayes had frowned. "I suppose he could, he does have influence among the admiralty. And it would be within his jurisdiction to pursue the Maquis, especially those with a Starfleet background. But pardon my asking, Captain, but what difference does it make? The result is the same: your officer will have to stand trial."
Kathryn had sighed as she sank back into the chair. "I know. But Chakotay doesn't deserve to be imprisoned, or sent to a penal colony, or whatever sentence a judge will decide on a whim! He's a decent man, kind, wise and spiritual, and I couldn't-" She'd stopped herself when she realized the Admiral was staring at her with newfound interest. A knowing glint in his eyes.
Kathryn had felt a rush of blood to her cheeks as she realized how passionately she had defended Chakotay just then.
"I appreciate what you're saying, Kathryn." He'd sighed. "I've read most of your logs over the past year, and I've read all of the good deeds you mentioned in my earlier request for information on the Maquis in your crew. I agree with you. But it's out of my hands."
Of course she understood that, and yet she just couldn't shake the feeling that the JIG, Admiral Larks, was not to be trusted. But maybe she was just being paranoid. She'd cleared her throat and stood to her feet. "Well, I thank you for your time, Admiral. I apologize again for barging in."
Hayes had nodded, eyes still watching her carefully. "Captain," he stopped her when she was about to leave the room. "Wasn't there another matter you wanted to discuss? Your communication mentioned something about the Borg?"
Kathryn had closed her eyes. How could she have forgotten about her promise to Seven that she would vouch for her project? "Right." She'd spun back around and returned to her seat.
"Before we get into that," Hayes had said as he moved to sit in the chair next to hers, leaning forward to better look at her. "Larks is the one who will be assigning a legal representative to defend Mr. Chakotay."
"Yes…?"
"I'm merely pointing out that it is within Chakotay's right to provide his own counselor. Should the one provided prove unsuitable."
Kathryn's eyes had widened in understanding. "Thank you, Admiral."
"Now, about those Borg…"
The rest of the meeting had been about Seven's project, but the admiral's counsel had stuck in her mind, and she was grateful for his input. So now she smiled as she replied to his audio greeting. "That's quite alright, Admiral," Kathryn said. "I'm on my way back to Earth now. What can I do for you?"
"Well, your return is excellent timing! I think you'll like what I have to say: I'm calling to discuss promotions."
Kathryn blinked in surprise and shifted in her seat with newfound interest. "Promotions!" With everything that was happening, promotions had been relegated way to the back of her mind, but this was a happy distraction from everything else. And a healthy reminder of the good that returning home would bring. For the last few days, she'd been elbow deep in the negative.
"That's right. Now, you've made some recommendations in your final report, and I wanted to let you know that five of those promotions will be granted over the next few days, and the six others will be awarded over the course of the next few months, as things settle down."
"That's wonderful news, Admiral!" Her pride in her crew swelled in her chest and she grinned, even though the admiral's call was audio only, and he couldn't see her reaction.
"The admiralty has been discussing organizing a special ceremony to not only promote those five officers, but also as a way to celebrate your crew's safe return and, of course, honor the memory of those who did not return with you."
"That sounds like a lovely idea, Admiral," Kathryn replied.
"There is one more person we would like to promote on this occasion – one deserving officer that is not on your list."
Kathryn frowned curiously. "Who? Of course I'm willing to consider anyone I might have overlooked." Had she missed anyone? Of course she probably had – so many members of her crew were deserving, but she'd had to make choices and-
"I'm talking about you, Kathryn."
Kathryn blinked, stunned into speechlessness.
"Captain Janeway, are you still there?"
This shook her out of her surprise. "Yes, I'm here. Admiral, are you… forgive me, is Starfleet Command offering me a promotion to Rear Admiral?"
"We are." He sighed when she fell silent again. "I know you're an explorer right down to your bones, Kathryn, you take after your father that way, but the admiralty feels that over the last seven years you have demonstrated time and time again what a capable and resourceful officer you are. The truth is we could use someone like you in the admiralty, and on the Council for Exploration."
Kathryn took a second to let this sink in. She was flattered and thrilled, of course, but another part of her was skeptical, and uneasy about considering a promotion when, just a few days before, she'd stripped her closest friend of his rank on behalf of Starfleet. "Forgive my skepticism, Admiral, I'm grateful for the admiralty's consideration, but, isn't the timing of this offer a little… off?"
"I'm not sure what you mean, Kathryn, but if it will reassure you, let me say that the simple fact is: the admiralty just needs someone with your leadership skills and your experience. Someone who's not afraid to do what's right, and to think outside the box in order to do it."
Kathryn nodded to herself as she considered it. "Thank you, Admiral. I'm flattered, but-"
"Just think on it for a few days, Kathryn."
"Alright, I can do that. Thank you, Admiral."
"Why don't we discuss this over some coffee when you get back? Nothing formal, but it would give me an opportunity to answer any questions you might have about the promotion. And we can discuss the plans for the celebration then as well."
"Of course, I'd be happy to."
"Very well. Let's plan on meeting when you get back, then. Safe travels, Captain, and I will see you soon."
Kathryn nodded and stared into space as thoughts rushed through her mind. "Thanks," she replied distractedly, not realizing that the communication had already been ended a few moments before.
oooOooo
