Chapter 10
The senior staff members were assembled in the briefing room. Captain Janeway looked at her officers for a few moments and began. "First of all, I want to let you know that the Doctor has cleared me to return to duty. The baby is well and so am I. It was only a case of mild dehydration. I assure you that I will be paying much closer attention to the Doctor's instructions from now on."
She picked up a PADD. "Lieutenant Torres, what are your plans for refining and processing the dilithium?"
"I propose that we continue to use the auxiliary impulse reactor that we modified for that purpose before. It's safe, effective, and uses less energy than other more conventional methods." She handed her PADD to the Captain.
"Very well, it's worked for us before, and as my Grandma always said, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it." She took the PADD from B'Elanna with a smile. She turned to Tom Paris. "Mr. Paris, how are your pilots doing with the new shuttle simulations?"
"They're making great progress, Captain. The lowest rating was 95."
"What about the volunteers who wanted to cross-train with you?"
"They're getting there, Captain. It'll be a while before they are actually ready for the real thing, but they're working really hard." He passed the PADD with his reports to her.
"Harry, did you get that problem with your station resolved?" she asked.
"Yes, Captain, the transtator assembly needed recalibrating. It's all in my report." He passed his PADD down the table to her.
"Mr. Tuvok, any security issues that I need to be aware of?"
"None other than you taking proper care of yourself to avoid such incidents from happening again," he said sternly as he handed her his PADD.
She sighed and took the PADD. "I'm going to work on that, Tuvok." She added it to her stack, and then turned to Chakotay. "Commander, do you have the reports from the away teams?"
"Yes, Captain, they were able to secure the dilithium and galacite we needed. They also found a wide variety of food stuffs that reportedly taste good. The Doctor scanned the foods to double check them. They are not only safe for everyone on the ship; they are very high in the vitamins and nutrients. Kenneth Dalby certainly outdid himself on this mission. I'm recommending that he receive a commendation. The crew members who worked with him couldn't say enough about how easy he was to work under."
"I agree, Commander. I'll see to it right away." She took his PADD. "Does anyone have any concerns, comments, or issues?"
"Well," began Tom. "I'm sure I speak for all of us, Captain. We're glad you and the baby are okay. We were all really worried."
"Thank you, Tom," she said warmly. "Commander Chakotay informed me that I scared the 'crap' out of everyone. I'll try to avoid doing that in the future in regards to my pregnancy. You're all dismissed to your stations. Tuvok, you'll have the bridge." She looked over to Chakotay. "Commander, I'd like to see you in my Ready Room.
Once they got in her Ready Room, she sat at her desk and began the procedures for Kenneth's commendation. "I completely agree with you on Mr. Dalby. He did a fine job." After entering the data, she looked up at him. "He came by to see me yesterday, said he just wanted to make sure I was okay." She chuckled softly. "He certainly has come a long way. Let's get him up here to let him know."
Chakotay nodded and hit his Com Badge, "Crewman Dalby, please report to the Captain's Ready Room."
In his quarters, Kenneth turned to Mariah as he replied, "On my sir, Dalby out. Wonder what Chakotay wants. I've already given him my reports from the away mission yesterday. I'd better go. I'll see you at lunch." He gave her a quick kiss and hurried out.
Kenneth Dalby stepped out of the turbolift onto the Bridge. He walked over to the Ready Room door trying to hide his nervousness. He pressed the chime and entered as the door slid open. "Crewman Dalby reporting as ordered, sir," he said assuming an attention stance.
"At ease, Ken," said Chakotay. "Have a seat." He indicated the chair next to him,
He sat down and looked across the desk at the Captain and wondered what was going on.
"Crewman Dalby, yesterday was the first time you led an away mission," began Captain Janeway with a small smile. "Your reports were flawless. The crew working under your supervision had nothing but praise for your leadership. Therefore, I've entered a commendation in the ship's records for you. Congratulations, Mr. Dalby for a job well done." She reached across the desk and shook hands with him.
"Thank you, Captain," said Kenneth sincerely.
"You earned it, Kenneth. You did a fine job. I'd also like to thank you again for stopping by to check on me yesterday."
"Just wanted to make sure you and the baby were okay, Captain," he answered with a smile.
She and Chakotay stood up, and Kenneth did likewise.
"Dismissed, Crewman, enjoy your time off," said Chakotay. Both he and Kathryn watched as he walked out. "Did you see the look on his face?"
"Yes, I did." She smiled at him. "You look pretty chipper yourself."
"It's always nice to be able to recognize someone for doing a great job."
"Yes it is. Well, I think it's time we report to the bridge, Chakotay. In about an hour, I'll have to come back in here for my mid-morning snack. I'd like to spend some time on the bridge."
Tuvok rose from the command chair as they walked out onto the bridge. "Mr. Tuvok, report," said Captain Janeway smoothly as she took her seat.
"All systems are functioning within normal parameters. We are on course for the Alpha Quadrant at warp 7.
"Thank you, Mr. Tuvok," she replied. She turned to Chakotay. "As soon as some of this new dilithium is refined and processed, we should be able to travel at higher warp speeds for longer periods. That should help raise spirits considerably."
"Yes it should. We were lucky to have come across that planet. It looks like it might be a week or more before we come to any other systems."
"Join Starfleet and see the galaxy…I'd like to slap whoever came up with that slogan every time we hit one of these areas of absolutely nothing," said Captain Janeway with a smirk.
"It sure makes for boring flying," commented Tom.
"Hmm, if you get bored, Mr. Paris, the Doctor can always use your help in sickbay," Chakotay gave him a wicked grin.
"On the other hand, it can be very soothing to fly without having to worry so much about hostile species who want to kill us for crossing through their space," answered Tom quickly as he gave his full attention to his controls.
Captain Janeway turned her attention to the console between the command chairs and studied the data on the screen. Chakotay got up and walked the circuit of the bridge to check on everyone. He had to agree it was nice not to have aliens shooting at them. Hopefully none had laid a claim to the empty area of space they were about to cross.
After an hour had passed, Captain Janeway stood up. "Commander, you have the bridge, I'll be in my Ready Room."
Chakotay smiled knowingly, "Aye, Captain, enjoy your snack."
Tom turned and looked at Chakotay after the Captain entered the Ready Room. "I'm glad to see she's following the Doctor's advice."
"You and me both, Tom, she can really be stubborn at times. I think this scare got her attention though. At least I hope it did."
In her Ready Room, Captain Janeway sat on her couch with a glass of tomato juice and some cheese. She sipped the juice and thought about her tomato plants that she had left behind on New Earth, wondering if the primate had eaten the tomatoes when they ripened. Life had become so carefree there for them while they were there. Returning to parameters was the only choice she could see at the time. That was before she realized she was pregnant with Chakotay's child. He promised to stay by her side and give her all the support she needed. Just what did she need and want from Chakotay? Could she find the courage to let him fully into her life again?
In the mess hall, Kenneth Dalby got a tray and sat down with Mariah Henley. "Hi, Mariah, how'd your morning go?"
"It was okay, Ken, just the usual stuff. What did Chakotay and the Captain want with you this morning?"
He smiled, "They gave me a commendation for my performance as leader of the away mission yesterday. I was surprised. I guess the 'field training' with Tuvok paid off."
"A commendation, that's wonderful. Congratulations, Ken."
"I just did what I was supposed to do," he answered modestly.
"Say, how did the Captain look today? I know you went by to check on her yesterday too."
"She looks better, more rested. I checked on yesterday to make sure she and the baby were okay and because as leader of the away team, I just needed to make sure…you know."
"I have a feeling you'll be leading more of them. Now as to your commendation, I think we need to celebrate that tonight. I have the holodeck reserved already. You can choose whatever program you want."
"That sounds great. I thought after Jennifer died that I would never be able to fall in love again. You're something else, Mariah."
"Well, Ken, I need to get back to my duty station. We're short handed so I told them I'd take a faster than usual lunch." She reached across the table and squeezed his hand affectionately. "See you tonight, Sweetheart."
"Take care, dear. I can't wait."