This is the first part of Three Days. I changed it a little... I couldn't
help it. Even so, it's probably recognizable.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kate Barem sighed energetically, cursed at a holo-cube, and continued packing her multitude of possessions into a *tiny!* Starfleet-issue duffel bag so that refugees could take her room. *You'd think they'd be satisfied with the Mess Hall and Sickbay* she thought, and regretted it. They were so _thin_!
The real problem was where she was going to sleep now. It was likely she would end up on someone's floor. She knew that both First Officer Chakotay and Captain Janeway had already given up their private quarters to the seemingly endless flow of refugees that Voyager was transporting to the next star-system over. Now the two highest-renking officers on the ship were sleeping on the Ready Room floor. Kate smiled. The Captain had been looking very happy recently, and no one had been summoned into the ready room since the change.
~*~
Kate stared at Captain Janeway in shock.
"I'm what?" *What is she _thinking?_ Putting me in my commanding officers' quarters...*
"I know that putting you in the commander's quarters may not be the most comfortable thing for either of you, but everywhere else is full. It's just until we can drop off the refugees. Then everything on the ship will get back to normal." (A/N: Riiiight. Things on this ship will never be normal again...)
~*~
Just out of curiosity, Kate asked, "How many refugees are you replacing me with?"
"Fourteen." The Captain's voice was angry and sad.
Kate started; she had never heard her captain talk in that tone of voice. *How would they fit?* And then, *Oh, God, she's blaming herself for all of this.*
"...Ah."
Janeway seemed to be extraordinarily angry at her desk. "Dismissed."
Kate was torn. She was normally friends with her captain... but friendship only went so far. "Kathryn... it's not your fault." She waited a moment, then turned to go.
From behinds her came a voice, sad and softly. "Thank you, ensign."
On the threshold, Kate barely paused. "Ensign" had been a dismissal. It was a thanks to a friend, but a dismissal to a subordinate. She stepped out onto the Bridge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can anyone guess who the superior officer is? And I may have gotten the rank wrong. Oh, and Roneth, don't tell. (Grins evilly) Oh, and disclaimer: They aren't mine, I just want to borrow them. I'll return them to the address on the package, hopefully alive and still sane. If not. hey, they won't mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kate Barem sighed energetically, cursed at a holo-cube, and continued packing her multitude of possessions into a *tiny!* Starfleet-issue duffel bag so that refugees could take her room. *You'd think they'd be satisfied with the Mess Hall and Sickbay* she thought, and regretted it. They were so _thin_!
The real problem was where she was going to sleep now. It was likely she would end up on someone's floor. She knew that both First Officer Chakotay and Captain Janeway had already given up their private quarters to the seemingly endless flow of refugees that Voyager was transporting to the next star-system over. Now the two highest-renking officers on the ship were sleeping on the Ready Room floor. Kate smiled. The Captain had been looking very happy recently, and no one had been summoned into the ready room since the change.
~*~
Kate stared at Captain Janeway in shock.
"I'm what?" *What is she _thinking?_ Putting me in my commanding officers' quarters...*
"I know that putting you in the commander's quarters may not be the most comfortable thing for either of you, but everywhere else is full. It's just until we can drop off the refugees. Then everything on the ship will get back to normal." (A/N: Riiiight. Things on this ship will never be normal again...)
~*~
Just out of curiosity, Kate asked, "How many refugees are you replacing me with?"
"Fourteen." The Captain's voice was angry and sad.
Kate started; she had never heard her captain talk in that tone of voice. *How would they fit?* And then, *Oh, God, she's blaming herself for all of this.*
"...Ah."
Janeway seemed to be extraordinarily angry at her desk. "Dismissed."
Kate was torn. She was normally friends with her captain... but friendship only went so far. "Kathryn... it's not your fault." She waited a moment, then turned to go.
From behinds her came a voice, sad and softly. "Thank you, ensign."
On the threshold, Kate barely paused. "Ensign" had been a dismissal. It was a thanks to a friend, but a dismissal to a subordinate. She stepped out onto the Bridge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can anyone guess who the superior officer is? And I may have gotten the rank wrong. Oh, and Roneth, don't tell. (Grins evilly) Oh, and disclaimer: They aren't mine, I just want to borrow them. I'll return them to the address on the package, hopefully alive and still sane. If not. hey, they won't mind.
