Colonization 101
author: Juli17
She looked up as he approached. She was haloed by the sunset, and her auburn hair glowed with the reflected red light of the sun. Her lips curved into small smile, and she made a motion with her hand, inviting him to sit.
So far, so good. He sat down next to her, their knees nearly touching and asked, "So, what's a starship captain like you doing out here contemplating the sunset?"
Before she could answer another voice spoke.
"Evening Captain, Commander."
They both looked up as Joe Carey stopped in front of them. "I'm on my way out, but I just wanted to say I think this drill went very well. Even if it was only a holoprogram, we accomplished quite a lot, didn't we?"
The captain smiled faintly. "Yes, we did."
"I also really enjoyed it, though I guess wasn't exactly the point."
"There were no rules against it, Mister Carey," Chakotay said dryly.
Joe grinned. "Guess not. After my last letter home..." He paused, his expression sobering. "Well, even the things I didn't say probably got back to my wife and kids from the official logs. This will be something to tell them in my next letter to let them know we're all doing okay now. I'm glad the doctor came up with this idea."
"So am I," the captain told him.
Joe nodded. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Lieutenant."
Chakotay watched Joe stride away, then nudged Kathryn lightly with his shoulder. "Did you mean that?"
She looked at him evenly. "Mister Carey is right. This is quite an accomplishment in six days."
Chakotay looked at the settlement around them. Right now it was just five buildings and one lone shuttlecraft on a small grassy plain. Light shone from some of the windows in the approaching dusk, and one could easily imagine the buildings were occupied by unseen colonists. It was spartan, yet somehow cozy with its implied sense of community. It was a fledgling effort so far, not a home yet, but it could easily grow into one.
He looked at Kathryn again. "I'm sure you expected nothing less from your crew. But that's not exactly what I meant."
Kathryn gave him a measuring look in return. "I've also come to realize they did need the distraction after weeks of being on constant alert. We all did."
There was nothing worse than feeling powerless, than knowing your enemy was determined to strike at you, but not knowing when or how it would happen. Despite his optimistic comment after the briefing six days ago, Chakotay didn't doubt that they would meet up with more Borg trouble before they managed to escape this sector. At least this program had relieved some of the low-level anxiety the crew had been living with for weeks. And the captain had been living with too. "What about your personal feelings on the issue?"
Kathryn frowned. "You mean my personal feelings about colonizing?"
"That did seem to influence your early opinion of the program."
"I guess it did." She looked into the distance, where the bottom half of this planet's sun had sunk behind the hills. The sky was streaked orange and red. "I can recognize that there are certain...attractions to this simulated colony life. Sunsets for instance."
"That's one attraction," Chakotay agreed. There were others. Even during in his first stint in Starfleet, he'd known he wasn't the kind of 'Fleeter who loved ship life so much he didn't care if he ever set foot on land again. He'd assumed that once he tired of the adventure he'd want to put down roots, feel real soil under his feet, and have a sky stretching over his head instead of stars out of a viewport.
"What about *your* personal feelings on the subject?" Kathryn asked, startling him out of his thoughts. Her gaze on him was intent. "We both know there have been times when you would have been willing to colonize."
Though she'd shifted the subject away from her own feelings, he answered her question. "That's true, but only when I thought it would be the safest alternative." A shadow crossed Kathryn's face, a reflection of their recent losses, he suspected, rather than the time they'd so vocally argued the issue when both the Borg and Species 8472 had been lurking like wolves at their door. He knew those recent deaths were still weighing on her. He gave her a crooked smile. "But you've always proved me wrong. I guess that's why you're the captain and I'm only the first officer."
Kathryn managed a weak smile in return. "Maybe."
"Though I admit on occasion I have thought about what all our lives would be like if we'd colonized. That's only natural."
"Of course," Kathryn murmured, though Chakotay doubted she'd never entertained such thoughts. "So, hypothetically speaking, what would our lives be like?"
"Well...since we wouldn't be Starfleet officers anymore, but colonists, the barriers of rank would be gone. That would have likely redefined some relationships." Chakotay didn't flinch at Kathryn's sharp gaze. He meant exactly what she was thinking. "There would be plenty of challenges, as we've seen in this program-sustainable food production, weather protection, extracting energy resources-but we'd handle them as a community."
"We already *are* a community, Chakotay," Kathryn said pointedly.
He nodded. "Yes, we are. But if we had colonized, our priorities would be different. We'd be focused on building a permanent home, on settling into that new home, and then on...pairing off and procreating."
That last comment elicited a small, wry laugh from Kathryn. "That concept's not exactly unheard of on Voyager."
"Not for some," Chakotay agreed.
Kathryn gave him another piercing look, though he saw the amusement lurking in her eyes. "You're taking a lot for granted, Commander."
"Am I?" Chakotay asked blandly. Her eyebrows rose but she didn't answer. "Anyway, colony life would be very much focused on taking care of the day to day needs and problems, though there would be plenty of rewards, like watching a beautiful sunset."
Kathryn looked at him reproachfully. "You make it sound like you think our lives would have been better if we'd colonized."
It would have been the difference between a journey with no certain end, and having reached a destination, even if that destination wasn't the original intent. The difference between postponing various aspects of their lives, and embracing them-yet at the same time having given up a goal that was paramount to most of them.
"Not better or worse," Chakotay said softly. "Just different."
"Perhaps when we were sixty or seventy years from home, with no way to contact our families, that would have been true," Kathryn said. "Now we're twenty years away, maybe far less if B'Elanna's project pans out, and we're in regular contact with Starfleet. Since we've been able to send letters back and forth, the crew is even more eager to get home and see their families again."
Which made her even more determined to get them there, no matter what. Her expression was almost mutinous. "Kathryn..." Chakotay put his hand over hers. "I was speaking hypothetically, remember? I may not be as dead set as you are against colonizing if it became our best option, but it's never been my first choice, and I'm certainly not advocating it now. I'd like to get this crew safely back to the Alpha quadrant as much as you would."
"Good," Kathryn said softly. She looked at the sunset again. The sun had slipped completely behind the hills, and the sky was streaked deep pink and purple. "Because as beautiful as a place like this is, and as pleasant as I'm sure this life could be, to me it's still a worst case scenario, Chakotay-something to fall back on only if it's our last option."
"I agree," Chakotay said, though he figured there was a substantial difference in definition between his 'best" option and Kathryn's "last" option. "Besides, maybe it's enough that we've already founded one colony in the Delta quadrant."
When Kathryn gave him a puzzled look, he said, "The Demon class planet?"
"Oh." She was silent for several moments, her gaze reflective. "I think about that place sometimes, and wonder what's happened to our counterparts. From the example of that Tom and Harry, it seemed like they might spend all their time staring spellbound at the 'beauty' around them."
Chakotay recalled that Tom and Harry's vacant-gazed euphoria in their surrounding environment, an environment the real crew had found harsh and unforgiving-a hellhole in fact. "Even though they're partly formed from that planet, I can't help but think their humanity would have eventually reasserted itself. By now I'm guessing they've built a colony much like this one, and are happily raising dozens of children."
Kathryn let out a soft, husky laugh. "That would make them very fast workers, but you could be right." She gave him an arch look. "Do you think that Chakotay is any good at building bathtubs?"
Chakotay grinned. "No doubt that was the first human trait that reasserted itself in my counterpart. A deep desire to build a bathtub for your counterpart."
Kathryn smiled. "No doubt." Then she sighed. "I hope they are faring well, though I guess we'll never know for sure."
"Probably not. Maybe it's better that some things remain a mystery. But that's how I like to think of them."
Kathryn nodded. "So do I." She glanced again toward the fading sunset. "Maybe right now they're seeing something as beautiful to them as-Chakotay."
The abrupt change in her tone as she said his name and the sudden tension in her body alerted him, and he followed her gaze. A figure stood some thirty meters away, at the nearest edge of the settlement's current boundary. Though Chakotay thought several of the crew might still be in the program-he hadn't seen the doctor leave yet, for one-this figure was far too tall and bulky to be any of them. In fact it was covered from head to toe in a long dense coat of fur.
"The infamous Bigfoot?" Kathryn asked in a whisper.
"I assume so," Chakotay said in the same hushed tone, even though it was unlikely the creature-it seemed too humanoid to think of it as an animal-could hear them unless they shouted. The creature took two steps forward in a very human-like gait, then paused again. In the deepening dusk, Chakotay could just make out its large, amber eyes. Those eyes seemed to be staring right at him.
"He's looking at us," Kathryn said, echoing Chakotay's thought.
There was a small flash on the ground several meters away from the creature, just beyond the dark bulk of the Sacajawea. Chakotay knew it was the ground-based force field. No doubt a small animal had wandered into it and had received a mild shock. The creature glanced that way, but a moment later its attention returned to them. It made no attempt to approach closer, as if it knew another step would take it into the force field. It just kept watching them.
"I'm getting a weird feeling, Chakotay. Does his gaze look...intelligent?"
"Could be a her," Chakotay said. Those yellow eyes didn't waver, and he felt a small shiver go down his spine. The doctor had used very general parameters for this program, but Chakotay knew one of those parameters had specified no sentient life. Yet he almost felt he should speak to the creature, and if he did, that it would respond. Maybe the doctor hadn't been clear about that parameter, as he hadn't about the weather patterns, and the computer had responded with its own interpretation.
Just as Chakotay wondered if he was ascribing too much creative autonomy to the computer, the creature stirred abruptly, startling him, though Kathryn barely reacted. Her hand was still in his, and her gaze on the creature was rapt as it turned and strode away, its gait now heavy and somewhat awkward as it moved quickly. In a few moments it was gone, as if it had never been there.
"That was odd," Kathryn finally murmured.
"It's too bad the program is over in a few minutes. I feel like we should try to make first contact. Do you think the computer's holodeck subroutine would have the wherewithal to create a new intelligence on its own?"
Kathryn shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it will remain a mystery in this case. As you said, some things are better left that way."
So he had. He released her hand. "Ready?"
Kathryn nodded quickly and stood. "Yes. I have a departmental review to finish. Tuvok is probably already there waiting for me."
"I'd suggest a working dinner but with all the schedule shuffling to accommodate the doctor's drill, I ended up with a half shift on the bridge tonight."
"Weren't you the one making the schedule?"
Chakotay shrugged. "I didn't want to dump all the night shifts on Lieutenant Kim, eager as he is for command."
Kathryn laughed. "Nice of you to sacrifice yourself." Then her gaze sharpened on him. "By the way, I haven't forgotten about that martyr comment."
"I didn't think you had. I meant it in a nice way."
Kathryn gave him a dubious look. "Uh huh. I'm not going to apologize for doing whatever is necessary to take care of my ship and crew and keep them safe, Commander. I'm the captain, and that goes with the territory."
Chakotay had a feeling she'd rehearsed that defense. He knew her willingness to put her crew before herself was one reason the crew followed her unquestioningly. "I understand, Captain. However, as first officer, it's my job to take care of you and keep you safe. That goes with the territory."
Kathryn stared at him narrowly for a moment, then accepted that with a nod and a small smile. "Computer, arch." She glanced back for a brief moment, then stepped through as the arch opened. "I'd better go. You know how impatient Tuvok gets when he's kept waiting." They shared a brief smile. "One night soon we'll get to that working dinner."
"I'll hold you to it," Chakotay said, though she was already striding down the corridor. He took a step into the arch and stopped, neither completely in the colonization program, nor in the corridor of Voyager. He looked back, though there was little to see now but the few lights of the settlement. The darkness was almost complete, and the stars were out-the same stars that were visible right now through any viewscreen on Voyager.
He'd meant what he'd told Kathryn. He wanted to get the crew back to the Alpha quadrant. He looked forward to seeing his own family there, especially his sister. But they had formed a family of sorts here too. For a few, this cobbled-together version on Voyager was their only family. Once they reunited with the families waiting in the Alpha quadrant, it seemed inevitable that this family would break up. At the very least, it could no longer exist on the same terms. He doubted many had thought yet of that tradeoff, or would until the time presented itself. But that was life-always a balance between gain and loss, with the hope that the gain would outweigh the loss. For many that would be so when they got back to Earth. But not for all.
Chakotay took one last look at the settlement, and thought of roads taken and roads not taken. He thought of the one road he was still waiting to take, if she would just take the first step on that road with him. Then he stepped into the corridor and let the holodeck door close behind him.
The doctor had watched the captain and Commander Chakotay leave the program a few minutes earlier. Now he stood alone in front of the infirmary, surveying the settlement. It was almost dark now, but light shone warmly from the two dormitories and the mess hall, though the buildings were silent and empty. If this program were real, the crew of Voyager might be in that mess hall-or restaurant as Mister Neelix preferred to call it-eating together, before they retired to the dormitories to sleep. The food would be a mix of salvaged rations and local plants and fruits mixed in a no doubt questionable manner by Neelix, but it would sustain them. Life here would be elemental to start, but they would survive, and eventually they would thrive.
The doctor sighed, surprised to realize that he would miss the program. He was very proud of it-it was after all a clever concept for an emergency procedures drill and evidence of the higher evolution of his creative thinking subroutines. He thought even the captain, who'd clearly been resistant to the idea in the beginning, had come to appreciate the value of his drill. The crew had proved even more adept than he'd expected, though he knew despite his sometimes sarcastic observations that every crewmember on Voyager was fully capable of handling any situation that faced them.
The crew had embraced his colonization concept, though they'd embraced it as a holoprogram-something different from their normal routine-not as a possible reality. Still, it had made him wonder what life would be like for them-and for him-if this were real, or if it became real some day. Some of the crew still had reservations about their reception the Alpha quadrant, and the doctor knew his own future was uncertain. The EMH Mark Ones were obsolete, and though he'd clearly exceeded the limitations of his programming to an astonishing degree, that didn't guarantee his place in the Federation. His dreams of research grants from Starfleet Medical might come to naught. He did have his holonovel in progress, and if that became the success he expected it would be, he could always turn it into a whole series of holoadventures. He wouldn't mind being a famous author, giving lectures and signing autographs for his adoring public-
/Program shutdown in three minutes./
The doctor frowned at the computer's interruption. He wasn't ready to go. "Computer, cancel automated shutdown."
/Automated shutdown canceled./
The doctor nodded in approval as a voice spoke behind him.
"Doctor."
The doctor turned, surprised to see Seven. "Why are you still here?"
Seven's eyebrow rose at his abrupt question. "I was completing my augmentation of the Sagan's aft circuit relay into the power grid. Does my presence disturb you?"
The doctor shook his head. "Of course not. I just thought everyone else had gone."
"Why have you chosen to cancel the automated shutdown and remain here?"
"I'm...not quite ready to leave yet."
"I see," Seven replied, though her quizzical expression made it clear that she didn't. "Is there some other objective you wish to accomplish?"
"No. Why? Don't think I've accomplished the objective of my drill?"
Seven didn't look particularly put out by the doctor's peevish tone. "Your drill was quite successful, Doctor. You have prepared the crew adequately for this possible outcome. In the event of a real colonization, they would survive comfortably, and eventually thrive."
Seven's words mirrored his own thought earlier, and the doctor smiled. They did think alike. "Living on a colony would also have certain advantages that can't be found on a ship. Fresh air, sunshine, real gravity beneath your feet, and ample room for movement. It's really the most natural environment for humanoids, far more so than permanent residence on starships. Still, few humanoid species' do what's natural, or they never would have gone into space in the first place. I'm sure you could never imagine yourself living on a colony, could you, Seven?"
He expected her to say that kind of simple life wasn't something that would interest her, given her superior technical knowledge and abilities. Instead she murmured, "Perhaps."
The doctor was dumbfounded. "Perhaps?"
"As you pointed out, Doctor, existence on a colony can have its advantages."
"But you'd never want to give up your work on Voyager. You've told me before that it is a challenge you could find few other places."
"Have I?" Seven asked, as if her eidetic memory would have allowed her to forget it. "The universe is filled with any variety of challenges, Doctor. One need only look, and apply oneself."
The doctor frowned at her evasive answer. He wondered... "Have you talked to Axum lately?"
Seven's expression softened subtly at the mention of Axum. "I spoke with him several days ago."
"I see." The doctor felt that disturbing ache in his chest again. "So, has he found a suitable colony site yet?"
"No. He continues to search."
"Well, I hope he finds one soon," the doctor said sincerely. "I'm sure it will be comforting for you to know that he and his people have a place to call home, as we have on Voyager."
"I hope for that also, Doctor."
The doctor felt a sense of relief. What had he been thinking? Seven was content here. The crew was her family now. She'd said so herself-they were her Collective. She loved her work in Astrometrics. She'd even started wearing a uniform. Certainly she was fond of Axum, given their shared past, but Voyager was her home-
"I wonder if I will ever feel such certainty about where I belong."
The doctor stared at her, nonplused. "Seven, after all this time, you cannot doubt your place on Voyager or among this crew!"
Seven met his distraught gaze. "I do not doubt that I have achieved acceptance here, Doctor. I also recognize my good fortune. Unlike most of the drones severed from the Borg Collective, I had you and the rest of the crew to help me reclaim my individual identity. Those on the Trefla, and many others, have had no such support."
"Seven, you shouldn't feel guilty about that. It's not your fault."
"I know, Doctor. I benefited from random circumstance, not through any special merit of my own. I am disturbed by that dichotomy. I am like them, yet I am not."
"You may have a similar history, but you're not like any of them. And they're no longer like each other. That's what it means to be an individual-you make your own choices. As Axum and Cretia made their individual and completely different choices."
Seven looked thoughtful. "I do not know if it is that simple, Doctor. If it is, perhaps I also have some choices to make."
The doctor didn't like the sound of that. "As long as you remember that Voyager is your home, Seven."
"Is it?" Seven asked. "One way or another, that will end some day, Doctor, for all of us. Right now I have several reports to finish in Astrometrics, but I will consider your words. Goodnight."
"Seven..." Though she looked at him expectantly, the doctor could think of nothing to say except a quickly stammered, "Goodnight."
He watched her go, knowing with a certain resignation that she was right. Their life on Voyager was finite. Their journey would eventually end, and their lives would change, whether they arrived at Earth or stopped somewhere else. One day-perhaps soon, perhaps many years from now-his life would change, and he would no longer be Voyager's EMH.
And Seven...well, he'd already realized that their paths would never completely converge, not the way he'd once desperately hoped. Now he wondered if their paths would diverge even more than he could have guessed. He looked at the darkness around him, alleviated only by the few lighted windows and the stars above, and wondered pensively what the future held. He felt a twinge of regret that this was just a holoprogram. For a moment he was tempted to save it to his personal directory, so he could take it forward along its simple, certain progression-
He shook his head. He hadn't even thought of a name for this colony. This was a training scenario, nothing more. Whatever the future did hold, however similar or different it might prove to be from the life he knew on Voyager or the simulated life they'd fashioned here for six days, that was where his attention should be focused right now. Still...
"Computer, end program and save to holodeck training subdirectory."
The hills, the river, the grass and trees, the stars, and the five buildings that had risen through sweat and hard work over the past six days all winked out around him. The doctor nodded, and then strode out of the holodeck, headed for Sickbay.
