Chapter 14
For several nights in a row now, Chakotay had struggled to get a wink of sleep. But last night had by far been the worst. Every time he closed his eyes, he'd found himself in that courtroom again. So he had tossed and turned in his small, uncomfortable bed, staring at the shadows on the ceiling, memories of the day's moments flooding his mind unbidden. B'Elanna's anxiety when she had first taken the stand. Takayla's poised but relentless defense of him. Kathryn's emotional and anxious eyes when he had first walked into the room. The jury's stoic expressions. Admiral Larks' smirk when he'd made a point. Chakotay's first sight of his nephew sitting quietly in the back and his thoughts that Nim was way too young to be confronted to this type of thing – he should be outside, playing and having fun, not thinking about treason, the costs of one's beliefs, or interstellar politics.
After the court had adjourned for the day, Chakotay had been escorted back to his cell, and since he was not allowed visitors during the trial, he had spent the evening and the night doing his best not to think, not to dwell on the torturous feelings that tightened his stomach into a permanent, nauseating knot; a brother's pride and admiration for what Takayla was trying to do, hope that it might actually work, despair that it wouldn't, and a flicker of shame for letting it come to this, for bringing this down onto Kathryn, his friends and family, when he had vowed to himself to make their burden lighter. He appreciated their presence at the trial – he could feel them sitting behind him like a wave swelling up to rise him above the horizon – but at the same time part of him shied away from it, didn't feel deserving of such support. The truth was that he alone had brought this down upon himself, upon them, and upon Kathryn.
No, this is bigger than you, a voice had that sounded like his father's had whispered in his mind. Stop being so self-centered, this is about friendship and loyalty, about community and caring for one another. You're in the middle of it, yes, but ultimately it's not about you.
At some point in the evening Ensign Tagashi had come to check up on him, but she hadn't stayed long, and to his relief hadn't tried to give him a pep talk or even discuss the trial at all. After that he'd taken up Kathryn's copy of the Inferno again, and had tried to find comfort in the centuries-old words, and Kathryn's note. But it only made him feel worse. So instead he'd spent hours trying to brace himself for a second day of sitting quietly, helpless to take matters into his own hands. That was by far the hardest part in all this – to let others take over while he was stuck immobile, a sitting duck for anti-Maquis sentiments among Starfleet. The fighter part of him struggled to stay still while the fists of retribution beat down on him.
By the time he was escorted to his seat in the courtroom on the next day, his sleepless night had left him edgy and frustrated, with an ashy taste in his mouth. As he crossed the distance to his seat, his gaze wandered over the anxious and familiar faces of Voyager's crew – Maquis and Starfleet alike – and this time he found himself meeting Kathryn's gaze when his eyes slid over to the front row. She was already sitting, leaning forward with both elbows on her thighs and her hands clasped together anxiously. She looked even more exhausted than he felt, and he gave her a mock reprimanding look.
Stop worrying about me, I'm fine, he tried to say.
She arched an eyebrow in response. Despite her anxiety, there was something of her wry sense of humor and mischief there, and Chakotay couldn't quite bite back a smile at the familiar sight. Suddenly he felt lighter, and the knot in his stomach loosened ever so slightly.
To Chakotay's surprise, Tuvok was Larks' first witness. Apparently the commander was back in the Vulcan system, however, so officers had to set up a subspace transmission to hear his testimony. While they had never been the best of friends, Chakotay couldn't help but wonder what Tuvok might have to say against him, and he couldn't quite help the small pang of betrayal. However he took it back immediately, knowing that he couldn't hold this against Tuvok. The Vulcan hadn't asked for this, and he was just doing his duty. Logically, of course.
"Please state your name and rank for the record."
"Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, Chief of Security on the starship Voyager."
"Commander, how did you first meet the defendant?"
"A little over seven years ago, I was assigned with the task of infiltrating the Maquis in order to relate information to Starfleet. Unaware of my true identity, Mr. Chakotay took me on board his vessel."
Larks nodded. "Commander, this is your log of Stardate 48846.3, can you please read it aloud for us?"
Tuvok frowned as his console beeped. He started reading in his usual monotone: "Chief Security Officer's Log, Stardate 48846.3. The former Maquis on Voyager continue to be insubordinate, suspicious and undisciplined. Even though Commander Chakotay has attempted to curb their behavior, his success is difficult to evaluate. I continue to harbor some doubts as to his loyalty, as I had once heard him say that Starfleet was impeded by a moral code and protocols that would only be its downfall." Tuvok looked back up at the monitor as he finished reading.
"Objection!" Takayla cried, "Hear say!"
"Overruled, this is a first witness account, I'll allow it."
"Commander, when did you hear the defendant say those words?"
"When I was working undercover on his Maquis ship."
"Thank you, Commander. Your witness."
Takayla rose to her feet and approached the large screen, much as she would a person actually sitting at the stand. "Commander, do you still maintain the opinions you stated in that log, which dates back almost seven years?"
Tuvok straightened, as relieved as a Vulcan could look to be asked the question. "I do not. Over the years on Voyager, the crewmembers I was referring to have shown time and again their valor and resourcefulness, Mr. Chakotay included. I have grown to respect each and every one of them, and my doubts have proven to be unfounded."
Takayla nodded, her brows furrowed in concentration as she planned her next question. "Commander, in your time aboard the Val Jean, would you characterize Mr. Chakotay's actions as particularly reckless or immoral? Or as especially fitting the lack of morals you heard him discuss?"
"On the contrary," Tuvok replied calmly, "in fact his adherence to strict principles often surprised me."
"Is it possible then, that he spoke the words you recorded in your log in sarcasm or in jest?"
Tuvok raised an eyebrow. "Though unlikely, it is a possibility, yes. I cannot in all logic ascertain his intentions or thoughts, only report their utterance."
Reasonable doubt, Chakotay thought to himself when he understood what his sister was doing. The truth was he couldn't even remember ever saying those words. It was unlikely that Tuvok's memory was at fault, so Chakotay must have said it at some point, though it didn't sound like him, not even the man he had been before Voyager.
"One last thing, Commander. Yesterday it came to our attention that while he was the Val Jean's captain, Mr. Chakotay ordered the rescue of Federation prisoners of war from a Cardassian labor camp. Can you attest to the veracity of this statement?"
"I can."
"Why didn't this information reach Starfleet?"
"I cannot speak to why the individuals we rescued did not inform Starfleet. However, I personally had intended to file a report to Starfleet as soon as we fled the Badlands. Unfortunately, I had no time to do so before our ship was transported to the Delta Quadrant. Subsequently other matters took priority."
"Mr. Chakotay's actions at the time, and during his time on Voyager, do seem to speak louder than his words, then. Thank you, Commander Tuvok."
The transmission was ended and Chakotay let out a slow exhale as Takayla came back to take her seat next to him. Unexpectedly, she threw him a wink, and he had to bite back a smile at the gesture. He had to admit, this wasn't such a bad start to the day after all.
oooOooo
The Borg cube was in complete disarray.
Their reconnaissance showed that the torpedoes had succeeded in severing the link between the inorganic components of the Cube itself and the drones, and even primary systems were down. Life support being one of them, the away teams would have to don space suits before they transported to the vessel. Once on board, the Doctor and his medical team would triage through the incapacitated drones and transfer those who were in greatest need of medical attention to Voyager's sickbay, and the others to Aspire.
The plan was sound and simple. However, they had underestimated the scale of this operation. As soon as Seven and the other away teams transported, they realized that dozens, if not hundreds, of drones had been affected by the infected torpedoes and the subsequent deactivation of life support. Recognizing that he would be more valuable on Voyager, where he could participate in the emergency treatment and de-Borging (Axum's word) surgeries, the Doctor requested to be transferred back almost as soon as Seven's team comprehended the scale of the rescue operation.
Once the rescue operation was put in place, the away teams split into smaller units. Seven's team, composed of herself, Axum and Captain Stedvak, was charged with recovering transwarp coils, while Captain Uang's team of engineers was tasked with putting life support back on. The other teams all shared the same standing orders: 1) locate living drones and organize transfer to the ships, 2) incapacitate any drones that had not been infected with the pathogen, and 3) salvage useful technology.
Seven, Axum and Stedvak decided on a direction and advanced cautiously through the dark and smoky corridors of the Cube. The smoke from the attack and the quietness that it had left behind rendered the ship eerie, even to Seven. She almost wished they would encounter active drones going about their usual tasks, but they encountered none that were not incapacitated in some fashion. In fact, this section of the ship had been badly damaged by the impact of the torpedo, and the few drones that they saw were completely deactivated. Dead. They advanced cautiously, Seven with her eyes on her tricorder to identify energy and radiation signals that might indicate salvageable technology – in addition to potential threats.
"Sickbay to Captain Stedvak."
In the eerie silence of the Cube, interrupted only by the sound of their own breathing in their suits, Stedvak jumped at the Doctor's voice coming through his combadge.
"Go ahead," he replied as they advanced slowly, their paths illuminated only by the beams of their hand-held lights, and the lights from their helmets.
"I request permission to use one of the cargo bays as an additional sickbay," The Doctor said, "our current sickbay is filling up quickly."
"That's fine. Do what you gotta do," the captain replied distractedly as they moved cautiously through the debris.
"Very well."
The communication ended and they continued their cautious advance.
"Those torpedoes you used caused a lot of damage," Axum commented, his tone tinged with sadness at the lives lost.
Stedvak misinterpreted his tone, however. "They sure did," he replied proudly. "It's what they were designed to do."
Seven frowned. "The Doctor and I were told they would be designed to incapacitate, not destroy."
"Well, sometimes casualties are inevitable."
"While I understand this to be true," Axum replied as he pressed on, passing the captain whose gaze had been attracted by a control panel, "this scale of destruction is not what I had in mind."
They continued advancing slowly, heeding the debris that had fallen in the corridors, at times forcing them to retrace their steps and find another path.
They had been exploring for 45 minutes when they entered a large circular chamber with tables, large vertical transparent tubes filled with liquid, and alcoves lining up the walls. Both Seven and Axum stopped uneasily when they recognized it as an assimilation room – where organic species were fully assimilated and equipped with inorganic body parts. Luckily the room was completely deserted.
There was a sudden spike on Seven's readings. "Some of the transwarp coils appear to be in the next room," she stated as she studied the readings.
Axum nodded as he pushed ahead and Seven followed him as she kept an eye on her tricorder.
"I'm surprised the Federation would be willing to use Borg technology," Axum commented.
"As explorers, they always look for ways to travel further and faster. Voyager made use of salvaged coils when we-"
A surprised curse followed by a cry of pain called Seven's and Axum's attention behind them. Stedvak had not been following them; instead he had wandered to the side of the room to examine the assimilation alcoves. Borg mechanical arms had shot out of the alcoves and trapped him inside one of the pods. Assimilation needles were already digging through his space suit and into his neck, and his body was jerking at the shock of the assimilation.
Seven and Axum jumped into action and in two steps they were there, Seven immediately using a hypospray dose to inject the pathogen into the alcove's console, and Axum pulling the captain away as the needles retracted and Stedvak slumped down. His body was convulsing, his eyes rolling back into their orbits.
And then he stopped moving.
Seven quickly used her tricorder to assess his condition. He was breathing, but unconscious, held up only by Axum's arms under his armpits. The needles had not only compromised his suit, but an assimilation needle had also entered his temporal bone, initiating the implant process. He was in shock, possibly even suffering from brain damage. His oxygen levels were dropping rapidly. "His vitals are dropping, we need to get him back to Voyager," Seven stated needlessly before she hurried to contact Voyager, but got no response to her hail. She exchanged a look with Axum as she tried again. To no avail.
"Something in this room must be interfering with the signal," Axum pointed out what Seven had already deduced.
By common and tacit accord, they hurried to stand, and Axum slung the captain's inert body across his shoulder before they retraced their steps hurriedly.
"Hopefully the nanoprobes that were injected in him will keep him alive long enough for us to transfer him," Axum commented.
"Yes, hopefully." While Seven cared little for the man, she didn't wish him to die. "I should have warned him not to approach the consoles," Seven said as she led them down the corridors.
"You couldn't have known that it was still functioning or that the sensors were in working order," Axum replied.
"Perhaps not, but I knew he was inexperienced. I should have paid closer attention. If he dies-"
"He's not going to die, we'll make sure that he doesn't."
She gave another try at the combadge, but once again nothing happened. She took out her tricorder once again, the captain's pulse was getting faint. She picked up the pace a little, and Axum followed her easily. Despite the stressful situation, she was impressed by his strength.
"You know Annika," Axum said conversationally, "this is not quite how I pictured our reunion."
Seven threw him a look wry enough to match his tone. "Perhaps when we're done here, and the captain is safe, we can spend some time together," Seven said quietly, feeling a strange shyness amidst the urgency of the moment.
Axum smiled through the strain over carrying the captain. "I was hoping you would suggest that. I hear fluidic space is nice this time of year."
Seven tried her combadge again.
"Peres here."
Seven exchanged a relieved look with Axum.
"Commander, I request emergency transport to Voyager, the captain is in need of medical attention."
There was a brief pause, and Seven pictured him alerting sickbay and transporter technicians. "Understood, stand by for transport."
oooOooo
While she wasn't particularly good at it, Kathryn had never had trouble sitting still before. However she couldn't seem to be able to achieve that now as she listened to Tom Paris' testimony.
Even though Tom clearly meant to help Chakotay's case, his testimony didn't produce the desired effect. Though he displayed his usual charm, Tom couldn't quite seem to convince the jury when he told them his experience as a Maquis and working with Chakotay. It didn't help when Larks was able to turn against Tom the time he'd had to act up against Chakotay in order to uncover the traitor aboard Voyager. Tom must have felt it because he gave Chakotay an apologetic, crestfallen look when he walked back to his seat.
Obviously aware of this misstep, Takayla appeared nervous when she asked the court to call for her next witness: Kathryn herself.
Kathryn spared only one glance in Chakotay's direction – she couldn't let herself be distracted – as she made her way to the stand. Takayla advanced and gave her an encouraging, almost imperceptible nod, before starting her questioning.
"Please state your name and rank for the record."
"Captain Kathryn Janeway of the starship Voyager."
"How long and in what capacity have you known the defendant?"
"I've known Chakotay for just over seven years – he's served as my First Officer on Voyager while we were stranded in the Delta Quadrant. And for the record," Kathryn added as she redirected her gaze toward the jury, "he would have remained in this position had Starfleet offered him the pardon he deserves."
"Captain," the judge reprimanded before Larks could even object.
Takayla took over. "Captain, please describe the orders that took you to the Badlands, the day Voyager was taken to the Delta Quadrant."
"We were sent to the Badlands to find the Maquis ship Val Jean, which had apparently vanished a few weeks before. We didn't know at the time that it was already in the Delta Quadrant."
"Did you agree with the orders to bring the Maquis to justice at the time?"
"Yes."
"Do you still?"
"No, at least not with regards to the people who served on my ship."
"Please explain, Captain."
"I've come to realize that the Maquis were acting out of desperation. We should have helped them, listened to their concerns before it degenerated into the conflict it became, we should have protected our people better. The Federation let them down."
"Betrayed them?" Takayla suggested and Kathryn couldn't help but be impressed by the way she had brought everyone in the audience to the same conclusion: the Federation, and by proxy Starfleet, was also guilty of treason. The responsibility went both ways.
"Objection!" Larks complained.
Judge Harris gave a reprimanding look at Takayla. "Please refrain from leading the witness, Counselor."
Takayla gave a nod. "My apologies, your Honor. I was merely clarifying the witness's point." She returned her attention to Kathryn. "Captain, seven years ago, you decided to join forces with the crew of Maquis who had been sent to the Delta Quadrant just a few weeks before Voyager went through the same ordeal. Why did you reach out to the Maquis then, despite the fact that you still believed in the righteousness of your mission to deliver them to justice?"
Kathryn leaned forward, taking the tone Chakotay had once teasingly described as her inspirational speech voice. "Because in all of humanity's history, nothing was ever as unifying as the threat of something larger than ourselves, or as moments when we were faced with the unknown. It's in those key moments that we've realized that the differences that once set us apart were trivial from a cosmic perspective. This is what happened to me in the Delta Quadrant. There were so few of us left, and so few of them, I quickly realized that neither of our crews would survive in the Delta Quadrant unless we set aside our differences and worked together. Given the fact that we're here to discuss it today, I'd say it worked out pretty well."
Takayla nodded. "After you and Mr. Chakotay agreed to join forces, why did you choose him as a First Officer? I'm sure there were Starfleet crewmembers who would have made appropriate choices."
"A few," Kathryn conceded, "however Mr. Chakotay had the most experience as a Starfleet officer, with the exception of Commander Tuvok. But my choice was also strategic, Tuvok had been spying on the Maquis for months, they didn't trust him. But they followed Chakotay, and I knew I could trust him."
"Why? You had never met before, is that correct?"
Despite it being the logical follow-up, Kathryn blinked in surprise at the question. She had never truly come up with a satisfying answer to that question herself, except to say... "I don't know why, I just knew. Call it instinct, if you will. It took only a few conversations with him to realize that he was more principled and trustworthy than his intelligence file suggested. And the truth was, if this was going to work, I needed him and his leadership to bring the two crews together. Not only did he achieve that, but he also did it almost seamlessly."
Takayla nodded. "Captain, you have advocated leniency for the former Maquis on your crew, Chakotay being one of them. Why?"
"Because in my book he's already been punished enough. Think about it. The man lost his ship, he lost most of his comrades in arms, and has had to spend the last seven years wearing the uniform of those who turned on him when they should have helped. For seven years, he's worn it, and more gracefully and respectfully than many officers I know."
Takayla gave an almost imperceptible smile. "Your witness."
Admiral Larks stood to his feet and approached Kathryn before he leaned his elbow on the rail surrounding her stand. If he was trying to intimidate her, it wasn't working.
"Captain Janeway, did you really always trust Chakotay as well as you just described?"
Kathryn hesitated, but then decided to go ahead with the truth. "No. There were a few rare occasions when our trust was shaken. But it was never broken. And I might add that it's hardly unusual for a captain and a first officer to disag-"
"Captain, stick to the question, please. In fact, there was an incident just a few months ago, was there not? The Maquis took complete control of Voyager – a full-fledged insurrection. I present Captain Janeway's log detailing the situation as evidence 47.A."
"Yes, but that was only because the former Maquis crewmembers had been brainwashed to act that way. Commander Tuvok himself was involved in that incident – that should tell you all you need to know. If you had read the full report, you would know this, Admiral."
"But that wasn't the only incident, was it?"
Kathryn inevitably thought back to that time Seven had almost succeeded in convincing them that they were plotting to betray one another. She and Chakotay had agreed to leave that doubt out of their logs, and Kathryn was reluctant to make it public now, so she struggled to answer without perjuring herself.
"Chakotay and I didn't always agree, that much is true, but his willingness to challenge my decisions is what has made him such a valuable first officer. His character is such that I have trusted him – I still trust him – with my life, and the life of my crew. And anyone who knows me will tell you that that is not the kind of trust I give to just anyone. He is no traitor. Let his actions speak for themselves."
Larks gave a small smile and Kathryn realized too late that she had stepped right into a trap. "Like the time his ship destroyed the fields on Jarvin IV, starving the local population and forcing them away from their homes? Or the time his crew raided a Federation hospital for medical equipment and medicines, affecting hundreds of lives? Or the time he ordered-"
Kathryn raised her hand to interrupt him. "You've made your point. In times of war we all make difficult decisions, and while I don't condone these acts, I also know that Chakotay has repented for them, and in my book, has already paid for them dearly."
"I'm afraid that's not for you to decide, Captain," Larks replied sharply before he moved back to his table to grab another PADD. He handed it to Kathryn. "I present evidence 47.B. Please read, Captain."
Kathryn glared at him for a moment before she redirected her gaze to the PADD. She recognized it at once, it was an excerpt from her log.
"Captain's Log supplemental, Stardate 51003.2. Species 8472 bioships have returned to fluidic space at last. As a result of our temporary alliance with the Borg, we now have a new passenger on board: Seven of Nine. I hate to say it, but I'm deeply disappointed that Chakotay acted against my wishes while I was incapacitated. I know what it cost him, he's told me himself that going against my wishes was one of the hardest things he'd ever done, and yet, it still feels like a betrayal."
Kathryn handed the PADD back to Larks. She could see Chakotay hang his head from the corner of her eyes. She wanted to tell him that this was all in the past, that she had gotten over it long ago.
"According to your logs," Larks went on, "there's even a different occasion when you relieved him of duty, because he had threatened to stop you from doing your duty, isn't that so? We even have his admission to thoughts of mutiny. If you please," he said as he gestured for her to read the next PADD.
"First Officer's Log, Stardate 52923.4." She threw a look at Chakotay, but his gaze was still downcast, his head bent and leaning his chin against his joined hands, as if in prayer. "I'm worried about the Captain," Kathryn read uneasily, feeling like she was violating his privacy. "She refuses to see that her obsession to hunt down the Equinox and Captain Ransom will take her too far to return unscathed. She has even gone as far as resolving to the threat of torture, which I cannot in good conscience let happen. Under normal circumstances I would never consider it, but the captain isn't herself, so I put this in my log so that there is a record of my thoughts, should the need for forcefully stopping the captain arise."
"If I may, I'd like to comment on these logs," Kathryn said once she was done reading.
The judge glanced between the two counselors, and seeing no objection, nodded. "Go ahead."
"This incident with the Equinox was… Let's just say it wasn't my finest hour. I sincerely think that in this instance Chakotay would have been well within his right to mutiny. If you had included all of the logs about this incident, you would know that I told him so myself. But the bigger point is that in the end he didn't do it, he never crossed that line. In fact he was more forgiving of my failings than I could be for myself."
She would always remember how he had taken the plaque from her hands when it was over, Voyager's bridge looking as wretched as Kathryn had felt. He had brushed the debris off the metal with his hand. Let's put it back where it belongs. They had been speaking metaphorically about herself, about her own fall from grace, and she had been more grateful for his loyalty and forgiveness than she could say. She hadn't deserved to be let off the hook so easily, not after what she'd put him through. And yet, he still forgave her.
"Your point has been noted, Captain," Larks continued. "But I wasn't done. You may have chosen not to see the former Maquis on your crew as such, but they certainly hadn't forgotten. Is that right?"
"I can't speak on their behalf on that subject."
"Well, I can – let me present evidence 49C. Once again, this is an excerpt from your log, Captain, in which you relate a conversation with the defendant, which I believe occurred just a few months ago. While I assured him that I no longer considered those crewmen and women as Maquis but as an integral part of my crew, Chakotay replied that while I may have forgotten, they certainly hadn't. My point is, what these pieces of evidence point to is this: once a Maquis, always a Maquis, and by that token, rebellious and not to be trusted."
"Objection!"
"Don't put words in the witness's mouth, Counselor," Judge Harris reprimanded accordingly.
But Larks merely nodded. "Withdrawn." He flashed Kathryn a smile. "Thank you, Captain."
oooOooo