Tegan Chronicles STV Style 1
Line of Fire
10
"Captain." Chakotay stood as she came onto the bridge. Janeway shook her head no and disappeared into her ready room.
She couldn't have been in there for more than five minutes when the door chimed. She looked at the door and growled. "Who is it?"
"Chakotay."
She sighed. "Come in."
The door opened and he stepped in. "What do you want to do Captain?"
"Honestly?" She stood up and didn't wait for him to answer. "I want to find that Cretan and shoot him with his own weapon. That's what I would like to do." She stared at him daring him to point out how far outside of Starfleet protocol that was. "If she doesn't make it Chakotay…"
"What Kathryn? What if she doesn't make it? She's been here what a month?"
"Twenty-six days." She looked down at the floor and rubbed her temples between her thumb and forefinger for a minute before looking up. "I don't see what difference it makes. She's still a member of this crew, of my crew."
"It doesn't, but everyone on this ship knows that just being here in the Delta Quadrant puts their life at risk every day."
"She didn't choose this. I chose this for her. She didn't step onto Voyager willingly, I brought her here."
He wondered if that was really all that was behind her connection with the beautiful redheaded doctor. "No you saved her. She would have died on that planet and I do believe she chose a career that put her in danger, the same job that she was doing when she ended up here in the Delta Quadrant. That is hardly your doing."
"She had no right to throw herself in between me and that 'whatever' blast." She made her hand do a little frustrated dance through the air.
"If she hadn't it would be you in the sickbay fighting for your life."
Her eyes snapped up to meet Chakotay's so fast he actually held his breath. "Exactly."
"You're mad at her for saving your life?" He expelled the breath with a slight chuckle.
"No—I mean yes, it doesn't make any sense does it?" She turned away from him and tilted her head up slightly. "But if she dies I'm going to be as mad as hell that she had to play hero."
"Captain we've got a ship off our port bow." Tom's voice came through her com badge.
"On my way." Within seconds she was through the door leading to the bridge and standing in front of her chair studying the image of the smaller vessel on the view screen.
"They're hailing us, audio only." Harry spoke from behind her.
"Put them through." She looked at Chakotay who raised his eyebrows slightly.
"I am Jorgan Captain of this vessel, who am I speaking with?"
"This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starfleet USS Voyager." She found that the more formal the introduction the more intimidated smaller ships tended to be, and she was in a formidable mood.
"I understand there was an accident on the surface today, Captain."
"I don't know what you consider an accident, but one of my crew is currently in our sickbay fighting for her life. A situation I am not the least bit happy about."
"No Captain, nor am I. I would like to offer to come aboard with my doctor and see if we can be of assistance. We do have the technology to fix the damage caused by our weapons."
"I need a few minutes to speak with my doctor and security team." She turned to Tuvok.
"I understand. Please know we would not bring any weapons, only the medical equipment needed to repair the damage."
"Understood, thank you." Janeway tapped her badge. "Janeway to the doctor."
"How may I help you Captain?"
"How is our patient?" She stared through Tuvok as she listened to the doctor's response.
"She isn't well Captain, I was just coming to see you. I'm afraid there isn't anything more I can do. She could remain in this state forever or what's left of her brain functions could just stop working at any minute."
"Make sure you keep her alive until I get there." She nodded at Tuvok. "We've got help on the way."
Janeway hadn't gotten a good look at the alien who had shot off the weapon but now that she saw them face to face she could see why they were cloaked. Her stomach churned a little every time she looked at the two who were currently in her infirmary. They had small holes between their eyes which they breathed through, above those were two yellow tentacles that stood out in stark contrast to their deep purple skin and that was the pleasing part of their appearance. From the inner corner of the eyes down to the chin ran a fold of skin, the inside was bright red and moist in appearance with a cottage cheese like substance caked in it. She managed to keep an indifferent expression on her face through it all but it wasn't easy. She let her eyes fall on Tegan who she assumed was naked beneath the gray sheet the doctor had placed over her for modesty's sake and she wondered how she would feel waking up with so little covering her in the current mixed company. She was flanked on either side by Tuvok and Chakotay, Seven stood back observing the interactions and there were two security officers at the entrance.
The alien who had been running their odd looking medical equipment over Tegan turned to the group of on lookers. "She has a strange marker in her blood that is proving difficult to work around. I have done the best that I can do. She will make a full recovery but it will take time and she will need rest even after she feels that she has recovered."
"That's going to be fun." The doctor looked knowingly at Janeway before he took his tricorder out and started checking the work done by the strange and less than sterile looking alien. He nodded approvingly. "Her neural pathways are regenerating."
"I assure you Captain this will not happen again. Jordar will be punished accordingly. He did not even have permission to leave the ship, when his mother finds out what he did…"
Captain Janeway grinned lightly relieved that Tegan was out of the woods and that she was not this Jordar, nor his mother. "I think I get the picture. And I thank you for coming forward and helping when you heard what happened." She turned to her head of security. "Tuvok if you would please make sure these men find the way back to their ship we can be on our way."
"Certainly Captain." Tuvok lead the way letting his other two officers bring up the rear.
"Well that was lucky." The doctor admitted.
"If she does anything like that again I will throw her in the brig." Janeway commented.
"I do not see what good a dead body in the brig would be." Seven's implant around her eye moved almost independent of the rest of her face.
"Is that your humor coming out again Seven?"
"She was following her instinct and that was to save your life. I do not see what good throwing her in the brig would do."
Janeway patted the back of the ex-borg's shoulder. "Nor do I Seven, nor do I."
Chakotay slowly pulled his eyes from the shallow breathing Tegan over to Janeway. "Back on course Captain?"
"Yes commander, full impulse." She walked over to where Tegan lay as Seven followed Chakotay out.
"She is going to be ok Captain." The doctor saw the worry burning deep in her eyes. It was one of the things he admired about her, her dedication to and her concern for those who served under her command.
"She threw herself in the line of fire to protect me."
"As any true Starfleet officer would do." He looked at Janeway. "I mean that as a compliment to her character, not to diminish her act of selflessness."
"Of course." Janeway nodded and touched the bare skin of her right arm noticing for the first time that the doctor had removed her prosthetic. "When will she wake up?"
"I don't know, but all things considered I think it's best to let her body take its time and not rush things." He watched her nod. "I will let you know as soon as things change."
That night when she couldn't sleep Janeway quietly entered the sickbay. The lights were dim except for the office where the doctor glanced up from behind his desk. She pointed over to Tegan and continued on her path. She pulled a chair up beside the bed and opened up the book she had brought with her; 'Letters to a Young Poet' Rainer Maria Rilke. She opened up to a random passage and began reading aloud. "'So you mustn't be frightened, if a sadness rises in front of you, larger than any you have ever seen; if an anxiety, like light and cloud-shadows, moves over your hands and over everything you do. You must realize that something is happening to you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand and will not let you fall.'"