Disclaimer: Paramount owns the universe and all the regular characters, Leena, Radek and these specific events are mine.
6. A decision.
Janeway watched the door close. "Well, that didn't go the way I intended," she sighed.
Neelix came up to her. "My sincerest apologies, Captain. Had I but known..."
Janeway interrupted him. "It is al right, Neelix. The mistake was mine -I should have briefed you."
Neelix looked at her, and when he saw she meant it, he answered, "Well, okay, if you say so... I guess I will be clearing those dishes off the table, then." He bustled up to the table and started stacking the dishes.
"Do you want me to monitor the shuttle, Captain?" Tuvok asked.
"Only for engine activity. We will not listen in on them," Janeway said. If anyone wants to have a private discussion, they should be able to do so, she thought. She realised maybe her high sense of ethics was not the most sensible course of action, but she'd compromised her sense of ethics this morning, withholding information she hadn't even intended to continue to withhold, and it had not turned out well at all.
"You spoke with her. Do you think she will convince the Glinn to remain?" Chakotay asked Janeway. He could not fully hide the fact that he hoped they would not. He tried to tell himself he was part of the Federation crew, and they had their obligations, but he couldn't see how it could ever work out with the Glinn on Voyager for any length of time, and remembering the last time he had faced a female Cardassian... He cut off that line of thought abruptly.
"I don't know," Janeway replied honestly. "We'll just have to wait. In the mean time, let's get the other Senior officers in here and brief them on the situation thus far. I do not want to be caught like that again."
Chakotay nodded. He called for Paris, Kim and B'Elanna, and they quickly filled them in.
As soon as they entered the shuttle, Radek turned on Leena.
"Have you lost your mind?"
Leena spoke fast. "I talked with the Captain. They need a shuttle, we could give them ours for passage. What does it matter where they come from?"
Radek was quite determined. "We cannot stay on board with those terrorists."
Leena looked him straight in the eye. "You want to keep going in the shuttle? It'll take centuries to get home. This is our best chance of getting on a faster ship."
Radek didn't want to hear it. "A Cardassian could never accept help from terrorists."
"They seem to be doing a lot better than we did," Leena countered. "They need a shuttle, we got one. It's our ride home! Any conflict with the Maquis is over 70.000 light-years away from here."
"We will leave this ship, and no more arguments from you. I can not believe you would even consider dealing with the enemy," Radek stated.
Leena made a decision. It wasn't easy -it went against everything she had been taught in the Cardassian military. But if Radek could do no different, neither could she. Her voice was bitter.
"The only enemy we have out here is space. Too much between us and home, and not enough between you and me. It will take me a few moments to get my personal things together, see you in 500 years."
Radek was almost as surprised as he was mad. He really had not expected her to go so completely against him. "May I remind you I outrank you? This is mutiny -desertion."
Leena spoke from the aft compartment, where she was grabbing her few items together. "Feel free to report me to Central Command first thing when you get back."
Radek couldn't let it go. "You don't know they will let you stay without the shuttle to barter with."
Leena came into the cockpit, a small bundle in her hand. "No, I don't. But they are Federation, they won't throw me out the airlock. If they drop me off on a space station or a planet, so be it. Truth is, these people get along better with all their differences than we do as two Cardassians. And if your pride and arrogance won't let you see that, that's too bad. Dessoh, Radek." With these words she opened the hatch and stepped on Voyager's deck.
Here she was, on a ship she wasn't sure would let her stay, she'd just slammed the door on the only other Cardassian in parsecs, and strangely enough, she felt better than she had in a long time.
She walked over to a comm unit on the wall and touched it. "Leena to Captain Janeway."
"Janeway here," the reply came.
Leena didn't hesitate anymore. She'd already closed the door behind her. "Captain, can I speak with you?"
"Certainly," Janeway answered. "Come right up to my ready room."
"I'll be there," Leena said.
Janeway sat down, sipping her coffee. She tried to guess what had taken place in the shuttle, between Radek and Leena. Tuvok had reported activity aboard the shuttle right after Leena had called, so perhaps they had decided to leave. Still, she wasn't sure. *They could've told us that over the comm channel.* And it had been Radek who had initiated any earlier conversations.
Tuvok interrupted her thoughts. "Bridge to Janeway."
"Go ahead."
"Leena is here to see you," the Vulcan said.
"Send her in."
The door opened, and Tuvok showed in Leena. Janeway immediately noticed the small bundle she carried. Tuvok followed the Captain's eyes and raised an eyebrow.
"Thanks, Tuvok."
He went back to the bridge, and the ready room doors closed.
"Please, take a seat," Janeway offered.
Leena did so. She, too, had noticed the Captain looking at her bundle.
"I take it you spoke with Radek," Janeway said.
"Yes. We... disagreed." Here, facing the Captain who would decide whether she'd be going home, or be dropped off somewhere in the Delta quadrant, Leena felt some of her new-found confidence slipping.
Janeway said nothing, giving Leena time to gather herself together again.
"Captain, request permission to remain on board," Leena continued.
Janeway had known that was coming the moment she saw Leena's bundle. That didn't mean she really knew what to do, though.
"Just you?" she asked, although she knew what the answer would be.
"Yes. Radek has decided he will not... can not accept any help from the Maquis, or anyone associated with them," Leena said.
"But you can?" Janeway asked.
Leena nodded slowly. "On Cardassia, we learn that we are strong because we are one race, a unity," Leena explained. "We view the Federation as weak, thinking your differences will cause it to break up, to fall apart. That is what we are taught, in our schools and even more so in the military. But here, on your ship, I have seen people from several different planets, different backgrounds, all working together to get home. And it is working, you are doing much better than we did."
"Radek does not see it that way."
It was a statement, not a question. Still, Leena answered.
"No. Or maybe he does, but it does not change his decision. Proof of something doesn't count for much on Cardassia."
Janeway had of course some knowledge of the Cardassian society, and she had read the reports of Cardassian trials. *The verdict is guilty, let the trial begin* she thought. She looked at the Cardassian sitting across from her. She guessed there was some logic in it that a scientist would at least be somewhat more open to accept proof than a purely military man.
They were interrupted by Tuvok's call from the bridge.
"Bridge to Janeway."
"Janeway here. Go ahead."
"Captain, the Cardassian shuttle has requested clearance to launch," Tuvok reported.
Janeway glanced at Leena, who remained motionless. "Permission granted," she said.
Tuvok acknowledged and closed the channel.