Disclaimer: I own none of this. This belongs to paramount and all of
those other folks.
**Author ducks the variety of virtual objects being thrown at her as she staggers in.** I'm very sorry that it took me *gasp* two months to update! I'll really try not to do that again. I hope you all enjoy the story.
Chapter Two
Bits of flying food, growls or exclamation of frustration and annoyance and the sounds of an unhappy almost toddler and the rushed blur of two Starfleet officers running later for their respective duty shifts, melded together to form the chaos that was only barely recognizable as the Paris/Torres quarters.
"Honey, have you seen my other pip?"
"Check on the dresser, Tom. No, Miral, don't throw that."
Ten minutes later a squirming Miral was held firmly in her mother's arms, fully dressed, no longer covered in food and ready to be delivered to the sitter on B'Elanna's way to Engineering. It was probably fortunate, though, that they weren't currently residing in Starfleet Academy dorms, because their quarters would have failed every regulation in the book and a few that hadn't even been created yet. However, that didn't stop Tom from giving his wife a quick kiss and exchanging hurried, but heartfelt, "I love you's," with her before they went in separate directions to head to their respective duty stations.
When he entered the turbolift, Tom took a deep breath and slumped against the wall. His daughter could be an exhausting handful at times, but he still adored her and cherished every moment he spent with her. Still, it was nice to have a break now and then. He straightened up, starting to think ahead to the day's duties as the turbolift slowed to a stop. There wouldn't be much for him to do today. It would be mostly station keeping duty, unless he was ordered to fly a shuttle down to the surface for some reason, or if there was trouble.
The first option didn't really sound bad, but the second wasn't really appealing. It was an excitement he had once sought. Now he would face it when he had to, but he no longer searched for it.
Tom tensed as he exited the turbolift and walked towards his post, expecting a reprimand or at least a remark on his tardiness. None came. The Admiral, sitting in the center chair with Chakotay's seat noticeably absent, barely even nodded at him as he took his seat.
Once Tom was seated at his post and had reviewed the readouts on his console, he noticed the tension on the bridge. What was the old expression, "You could hear a pin drop a mile away." The silence was thick and unyielding and not even Tom was willing to break it.
The daily shipboard tasks were carried out efficiently, but with unusual solemnity. If Tom hadn't know better, he would have thought some sort of catastrophic accident had occurred aboard Voyager.
Three painfully long hours later, Admiral Janeway rose out of her seat and finally broke the silence. "Mr. Paris are we still in transporter range of the Iaphan Capital?"
It was said with all of the right words and inflections, but even a green cadet would have known that something was wrong. Tom Paris, however was no green cadet and he certainly had a good idea about what was wrong with the Admiral. Chakotay. It was always Chakotay. Voyager's captain was conspicuous by his absence. Still there was nothing he could do about it, not yet anyway. For now he would simply do his duty. However, when and if the Admiral needed him or any other member of the crew, they would be there.
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Kathryn Janeway nodded slightly and said, "Thank you, Tom," after he responded to her question. She turned to look at the tactical console and said steadily, "Would you join me in my ready room, Commander Tuvok?"
She started walking without looking back. This morning had not gone well. She had spent most of the night pacing her quarters in shock and disbelief at what Chakotay had done..started to do. Out of pure exhaustion, she had finally fallen asleep on the couch in their quarters a few hours before she was scheduled to go on duty.
This morning she had woken up sore, aching and worried about Chakotay. She hadn't heard from him since the night before and he hadn't reported for duty that morning. That wasn't like him at all. She needed Chakotay now, though, ignoring even her personal reasons, he had been the one that was supposed to conduct the morning's negotiations which would start in an hour.
She would be tied up in a videoconference with several members of the admiralty that she couldn't miss. The bureaucracy of the Alpha Quadrant was one thing she had not missed while she was in the Delta Quadrant. She had already postponed the meeting twice, though and they wouldn't let her reschedule again.
That left Tuvok as the logical choice for negotiator and perhaps his coldly logical views would be just what both sides needed. At least she hoped it was, she already had enough to worry about. She took a seat behind her desk and let some of her worry and other emotions show on her face. Tuvok was her friend. He had seen her at her best and her worst. Showing a little emotion in front of him was okay.
Tiredly she waved him towards the other seat in front of her desk. She waited until he was seated and then asked, "Have you seen Captain Chakotay today, Tuvok?"
The question was asked softly but it was painful. She wasn't sure how she felt about what had happened last night, but she was definitely starting to seriously worry about Chakotay.
"No, Admiral," Tuvok said calmly, "Was I supposed to have a meeting with the Captain?"
"No," she dismissed that question easily. "No, it's nothing. I just need you to conduct the negotiations today." She knew Tuvok was studying her and analyzing everything, however, the negotiations had to continue no matter what was happening in her personal life.
"Yes, Admiral," he answered simply, and she could tell that he didn't find her orders entirely logical, but he agreed nonetheless, not fishing for information like some of the members of her crew would have.
"Thank you, Tuvok," she said genuinely, but with an air of dismissal. Her former security chief exited with his usual measured strides, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She tossed the idea of having the computer locate Chakotay back and forth in her mind, but she remained silent. Last night was not the first time they had argued and it wasn't the worst argument they had ever had by far.
The time she had confined Chakotay to his quarters during the Equinox incident, came to mind immediately, and more recently the argument that had led to Chakotay taking the position of first officer on another ship because of their disagreement over changing the nature of their relationship. But despite all of the passion and fury of their past arguments, Chakotay had never shown any violent tendencies.
As a Starfleet Officer, Chakotay was capable of doing whatever was necessary in dangerous situations, but he didn't seek out violence. It simply wasn't his nature, unless he was defending the people he cared about. That was what was worrying her so much. She had been so shocked last night that the thought of being frightened by him hadn't even crossed her mind and even now, it still didn't.
The main thing she need now was understanding. Unfortunately it would to have to wait, because once again the needs of running a starship had to come before her own. As if on cue, Harry's voice broke the silence of her ready room.
"Admiral, there's a secure message for you coming in for you from Starfleet Command."
"Thank you, Harry," she said easily, years of practice allowing her to keep her emotions from her voice, "Go ahead and put them through."
She used the moment that it took Harry to transfer the message to compose her expression and focus her thoughts on the meeting and not the man who had been occupying her mind since the night before.
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Three quarters of the way through the day shift, the bridge crew had become filled with tension. Chakotay's absence and the Admiral's mood were both easily notable facts and Tom could practically hear the young ensigns at the back of the bridge shifting nervously. Deciding to do a little investigating of his own, Tom used his helm console to send a brief message down to B'Elanna in Engineering.
He was a bit surprised when after a moment his wife still hadn't responded to his message. Tom didn't think Engineering would be that busy today. His original assumption was probed true when, a moment later, B'Elanna stepped off of the turbolift.
The look on her face seemed a bit shaken, especially for the usually unshakable Klingon Engineer. If Tom hadn't been on duty he would have been at her side in an instant, as it was he shot her a reassuring smile and listened intently as she spoke.
She approached the Admiral and Tom hoped that whatever his wife had to say, it would brighten her mood. "Admiral," she asked quietly, "M-may I speak to you for just a moment, in private."
Admiral Janeway seemed a bit puzzled by B'Elanna's request but nodded, trusting her Chief Engineer enough to grant her slightly unusual request. "Certainly, Lieutenant," she rose and gestured in front of her, "We can talk in my ready room."
"Thank you, Admiral."
The Admiral took her seat behind her desk and said easily, "Have a seat, B'Elanna."
B'Elanna didn't disagree or even comment, she simply sat. To her surprise B'Elanna wasn't speaking, instead she appeared to be nervous.
Kathryn wracked her brain for what could be bothering her Chief Engineer. She was even more out of touch with the lives of her crew now. She usually liked to blame her promotion for that because she was busier now than ever before. Chakotay usually filled her in on what she needed to know. Still she couldn't think of anything that could be affecting B'Elanna this much, unless something was wrong with Tom or their daughter.
"B'Elanna," she said gently, "is everything okay between you and Tom?"
B'Elanna looked up sharply and to her relief Kathryn could see from the look on her face that, that wasn't the problem.
"Wha.No, Admiral, no that not it at all. I, uh, just heard something this morning that I thought you should be informed of."
Kathryn nodded in encouragement for her to continue.
"I went to check on Miral during my lunch break. Sam wasn't on duty for this shift and she offered to watch her," she explained. "I noticed that Naomi was home, as well, not attending her lessons."
"Is Naomi okay?" The Admiral asked with genuine concern. As the first and only child on Voyager for almost seven years, the half-Ktarian, half-human girl held a special place in her heart.
"Sort of," B'Elanna answered, clearly uncomfortable with the subject, "I asked Sam if everything was okay and she told me that she had found Naomi in tears when she came back to their quarters the night before, but Naomi wouldn't tell her what was wrong. She was fine this morning until Sam told her it was time to go to her lessons and then she started to cry again."
Kathryn was confused and uncertain as to where this was going, but worried about Naomi. It was unlike the normally cheerful girl to simply break into tears. By this point in her story, B'Elanna was looking highly uncomfortable and focusing her eyes on a spot to the left of her. It was unusual for the normally straightforward, B'Elanna.
"Naomi finally told Sam that when she was doing her lessons last night with Chakotay, he had gotten furious and exploded at her in anger. Naomi said he started yelling at her, calling her stupid and telling her it would be better for everyone if she just wasn't born and that all she ever did was waste his time and everyone else's." B'Elanna's voice was so soft that Kathryn could barely hear her, so lost in her horror and worry. She didn't think that Naomi had lied, but she simply couldn't believe it.
"Admiral," B'Elanna cut into her thoughts, "I've seen Chakotay snap a Cardassian's neck with his bare hands, but he wouldn't do that, not to Naomi."
"B'Elanna," she started slowly, her mind still reeling and clueless as to what to say to her Chief Engineer. Taking a different tactic, she changed her mind in mid sentence. "Computer," she said worried about more than just Chakotay's privacy at the moment. She wanted answers. Most of all she wanted her husband to tell her that everything was okay. Before she could ask for his location, though, Tom's voice interrupted her.
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Tom's distraction with his wife's sudden appearance on the bridge and her strange request wasn't enough that he didn't catch the disturbance down on the planet a mere nanosecond after Mike Ayala at tactical. "Paris to Janeway. Admiral I'm picking up phaser fire down on the planet."
She didn't reply, but the ready room doors hissed open and the Admiral strode quicky but calmly onto the bridge followed quickly by B'Elanna. "Where is the phaser fire coming from, Mr. Ayala?" She questioned as she turned to face Harry. "Patch me through to Commander Tuvok."
Harry was the first to respond, "Admiral, an atmospheric disturbance is distorting the comm. signal. I'm trying to boost it, but it's not improving noticeably."
She nodded, "Keep trying, Harry."
"Admiral...away team.....attack..immediate transport."
"I'm sorry. That's the best that I can do."
"It's all right, Lieutenant Kim. Can you get a lock on the away team? I want them out of there, now."
After a few more seconds of intense concentration on Harry's part, he only had more bad news. "Admiral somehow the transporters can't seem to get a lock on them. It's as if the members of the away team are too...slippery, for lack of a better word and I can't get a safe lock on any of them."
B'Elanna stepped over to Harry quickly. "Let me look at it, Starfleet. Maybe I can figure out something."
"Be my guest, Maquis," He shot back, waving her towards his console.
Kathryn nodded, already thinking, "Keep working with Harry, B'Elanna. See if you two can come up with anything. The moment that you manage to get a lock on them, beam up all Starfleet personnel." She turned towards the tactical station, "Is there still laser fire down on the surface," she asked Mr. Ayala.
"Yes, Ma'am, I have readings specific to Starfleet issue phasers and another distinct set of energy signatures."
"Thank you, Mr. Ayala." She ceased her pacing abruptly. "Mr. Paris you're with me. Lieutenant Ayala send a security detail down to the Delta Flyer." She glanced around the bridge and abruptly realized that with the exception of B'Elanna who was busy at work on the transporters, Harry was the last of her senior officers on board. "Harry you have the bridge." She looked at him steadily, "If Voyager is threatened, retreat back out of range. Hail the other Captains and explain the situation if I haven't contacted you in an hour."
Harry nodded, "Yes Ma'am."
She could see the slightest bit of uncertainty in his eyes. It wasn't everyday that he was left in charge of Voyager in a potentially dangerous situation. Still he wasn't the green Ensign of seven years ago. He had changed, grown and matured. Above all she trusted him to do the right thing, to come through when he needed to.
* * *
Moments later Kathryn Janeway sat beside Tom Paris in the copilot's seat of the Delta Flyer as he flew through the atmosphere. As he flew deftly towards the away team, Tom turned his conversation to the Admiral. "Admiral," he said softly, quietly enough that none of the others could hear him. "Captains aren't supposed to lead away teams and Admiral's definitely aren't supposed to."
She looked searchingly at Tom, "And what are you going to do about that, Mr. Paris." He shrugged, and then looked back down at his console to make a quick course correction, "I just thought I'd state it for the record. I don't think I can change your mind."
"Thank you, Tom."
He nodded. The Delta Flyer was landed near enough to the away team to be within easy running distance, but far enough away not to hit by the phaser fire.
Tom winced as he heard the phaser fire. He would willingly follow Kathryn Janeway anywhere and he had followed her into much worse situations in the past and come out of them unscathed. Still the birth of his daughter had taken away some of his careless abandon and replaced it with greater concern for his own safety.
One of the security officer's already had his tricorder drawn when they exited the 'Flyer. "Admiral, I've located the away team. They're in the building where the negotiations were being conducted. It's a little under two kilometers from here."
She nodded checked the settings on her phaser and said, "Well let's go. I believe we have an away team to rescue."
Tom managed a smile and he heard a few nervous chuckles from the members of the security team. He knew the Admiral had been slightly off center for most of the day. It was good to see the return of the Kathryn Janeway he was familiar with, no matter how bad the circumstances looked.
After they had jogged through the terrain and the moved through the outskirts of the city the sound of distant phaser fire became more apparent and to his surprise Tom heard a crackle of static emit from his comm. badge. On impulse he tapped it. "Paris to Tuvok."
As he had hoped, he heard Tuvok reply. "Tuvok here, Mr. Paris. I was usure whether Voyager received our message. We are currently under attack."
By that time, of course, the Admiral had heard the conversation. "Ask him what the situation is, Tom." She said pausing their rush to their destination for a moment.
"The negotiations deteriorated considerably before a large armed group of the dissidents charged the compound. We fell back to protect our own personnel. We were considerably outnumbered so we were unable to help the Iaphans."
"How many dissidents are there, Tuvok?" asked the Admrial quickly.
"We were unable to determine that exactly, but I would estimate that there are between twenty and fifty beings involved."
She nodded even though, she knew he couldn't see her, and gestured for the security team to start moving again. "Tuvok," she inquired as they ran on, "Do you have any suggestions about the situation?" Her former security chief and current first officer didn't disappoint her.
"The most logical approach would be to attack the dissidents from behind them, where they are not expecting it. This should provide a sufficient distraction to allow the Iaphans and the away team to escape, for the moment until we can regroup."
"Okay, Commander Tuvok, we'll execute your plan. We should be starting your diversion in a matter of moments." She nodded to Tom that she was done and he said, "Paris out," and cut the connection.
The building was already in sight and Tom noted happily that the Iaphan's heavy natural landscaping was beneficial to them. Now they could not only hear the phaser fire, but they could see the aliens and the flicker of phaser fire. Like the well trained team that they were, the security team spread out and on the Admiral's signal began to fire at the unsuspecting dissidents.
For the moment everyone, Tom included, had their phaser's set on stun and accuordingly made quick, but non-lethal work of the first few aliens with surprise on their side. Once they realized what was happening to their comrades, it was a different story and the Iaphans soon filled the air with their returning fire.
Suddenly the battle required much more of Tom's attention as he stood beside the Admiral, making it his personal responsibility to watch out for her safety. The Iaphans, although they weren't as well trained, did significantly outnumber the small security team. Tom was only beginning to realize how significantly, when the Admiral stopped firing for a moment to tap her comm. badge. "Janeway to Tuvok. Tuvok, how much longer do you need?"
"We are almost out of danger, Admiral, however a few more moments would be beneficial."
"Get everyone out, Tuvok, you will have the time that you need." She let out a soft sigh that Tom almost didn't hear with all of the noise. Admiral Janeway ducked back out from behind their cover and fired off a few shots, downing a few of the dissidents before she pulled back away from their returning fire. She rapidly began issuing orders.
Tom listened with amazement as he began to see the outline of her plan. As usual it was both brilliant and audacious, not many people would have even attempted it, but Tom was willing to bet that when it was being executed by Kathryn Janeway that it would work.
As per her orders the bulk of the Starfleet officers laid down cover fire as two members of the security team darted forward. The two officers sprayed the dissident's with fire, aiming more for quantity not quality of phaser fire as the rest of the officers pulled back. The officers began to split up in groups of two and Tom found himself once again paired with the Admiral as they skirted around the edges of the building unseen. She stopped moments later at the entrance of the building and glanced down at her chrono and then back up at their surroundings.
"Count it down, please, Tom," she asked quietly and he could here the determination and regret mingling in her voice. No one hurt Kathryn Janeway's crew, but that didn't mean that she liked harming beings. She would always prefer a peaceful solution.
Tom tensed, but kept counting aloud as the numbers on his chrono flicked down. "Five, four, three, two, one..mark." There was a pause of a split second between his last word and the sound of the large explosion. The ground trembled with the shock for a moment, throwing them off balance for a moment.
The Admiral was on her feet almost immediately already moving towards the site of the explosion. "Are you ready, Tom?"
"Of course, Admiral," he replied confidently and ducked into the building beside her. They were at the sight of the explosion in a matter of minutes, meeting with only the most minimal resistance as they worked their way towards the diversion that they had created for Tuvok.
In the end the explosion which had been set on a timer by two of the members of the security team when they had gone in separate ways had taken out the main force of the dissidents. It had been easy for the remaining members of the security team to round up the rest of the dissidents and secure them a nice spot in Voyager's brig, until the proper Iahphan authorities could be reached.
By the time Admiral Janeway returned to Voyager, several hours had passed and Tuvok and the rest of the members of the stranded negotiations team were already aboard Voyager. Tuvok, was in fact waiting for her when she disembarked from the Delta Flyer.
"Welcome back, Commander," she said warmly, tired, but glad to see her friend alive and well.
The Vulcan nodded and fell into step beside her as she headed towards the nearest turbolift to take her back to the bridge. "We brought about thirty- eight of the Iaphan dissidents aboard, Admiral," he said filling her in on the current status and goings on of the ship as they walked. "Eight of our Voyager's personnel were injured in the conflict. Only one was seriously injured. She is still in the Doctor's care, the others are relieved of duty and resting as we speak." He paused for a moment as they strode towards the turbolift, "Lieutenant Kim is working on contacting the proper authorities to take care of the prisoners. He has orders to contact you when he has reached them."
"Thank you, Tuvok," she said wearily as she entered the turbolift, "Is there anything else? Have we found out why they attacked yet," she questioned easily. "Bridge," she added almost as an after thought to the computer.
"Computer, halt turbolift. New destination: the brig." Tuvok's abrupt countermanding of her orders shocked her and as she opened her mouth to demand an explanation, Tuvok calmly said, "Admiral there is someone I think you should see in the brig."
She looked at him intently for a moment and then said, "Very well, Commander." With anyone else she would have added, "This had better be worth it," followed by an implied or else.. With Tuvok, however, she didn't resort to that. The Vulcan's behavior was out of the ordinary, but he had long since earned her trust.
He remained silent until they stepped off of the turbolift and began to walk past the imprisoned Iaphans. "Once Lieutenant Torres managed to bring the transporters back on line, the Iaphans were transported up in groups. It was not until the medical personnel were triaging the wounded Iaphans that one of them realized that a member of Voyager's crew had been helping them."
Her face froze in disbelief, she trusted her crew. Most of them in fact, had either been in the Delta Quadrant with her or were handpicked down to the lowliest crewmember. "What," she demanded coldly.
"It appears that the transporters were in truth, not disabled at all, but the readings were simply faked to look as if the transporter was unable to function. Lieutenant Torres discovered that almost before the crewmember was found."
They had stopped walking in front of one of the small cells. Tuvok standing steadily in front of her managed to block her view. "Who was it, Commander," she asked allowing the hint of anger to show in her voice. Voyager had been betrayed by members of her own crew several times during their seven year voyage in the Delta Quadrant and it was one of the few things that she refused to give a person a second chance for.
To her surprise, Tuvok evaded answering her question for a moment, "When the Doctor examined him, he was unconscious and diagnosed with a minor concussion. The Doctor has repaired the damage and he should be awake in a matter of moments."
For a moment, she thought she could see a flicker of compassion in the Vulcan's eyes and then he stepped aside allowing herself her first view of the prisoner.
"Chakotay?"
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She felt her jaw drop and she whirled to face Tuvok in disbelief. If it had been anyone else she would have asked if it was a joke, a joke in very, very poor taste. But she knew it wasn't; Tuvok didn't joke.
She opened her mouth to ask Tuvok for an explanation, anything to explain why her Chakotay was in the brig. Her first response was to walk towards him. She stopped dead as she heard Tuvok say warningly, "Admiral, the force field is engaged." She looked at him sharply, but didn't comment as her attention was brought back to the man lying on the bunk as he groaned as he returned to consciousness.
"Chakotay," she said hesitantly, her thoughts in conflict. According to the best of Tuvok's knowledge, Chakotay had acted with the dissidents, but the Chakotay she knew and loved would never do anything like that.
He ignored her as he swung his legs carefully over the edge of the bunk and sat up. He leaned over for a moment and rested his head in his palm's, covering the pattern of the tattoo that Kathryn had spent hours tracing with her finger. When he straightened and rose to his feet, his eyes were filled with a look that she had never seen their before, not even when they had been separated by their ideologies and enemies by policy.
"What am I doing in here, Kathryn?" He demanded harshly, "Did you finally get tired of keeping your tamed Maquis around?"
She flinched at his verbal jabs and said formally, "Did you help the Iaphan dissident's, Captain Chakotay?"
He laughed easily and Kathryn felt a shiver run down her spine. "Captain Chakotay, is it now, Kathryn? I thought we were married." He started to say something else and took another step forward, close enough for her to see the glazed look in his eyes. Close enough that when a moment later he began to sway and without warning passed out he crashed into the still activated force field.
Immediately she snapped, "Tuvok get that force field down now." She tapped her comm. badge quickly and snapped, "Janeway to Sickbay. Medical emergency in the brig. Beam myself and Captain Chakotay to Sickbay immediately."
The next few moments passed in a whirl of confusion. She was pushed back away from Chakotay as the Doctor examined him and she tensed as she heard the worry in the Doctor's voice.
Chakotay was surrounded by a flurry of activity. The Doctor was steadily snapping out orders, calling out for different instruments and ordering that Chakotay be given varying amounts of certain medicines. She knew that demanding to know what was going on would only distract the Doctor and wouldn't help him treat Chakotay, but she grew steadily more worried as she was forced to watch, unable to do anything to help him.
She paced the sickbay without even realizing what she was doing as the Doctor continued to work frantically. She froze momentarily as Seven of Nine, entered, most likely to see the Doctor unaware of the current crisis, mused the detached portion of Kathryn's mind. She was grateful, though, when Tuvok spoke to her, sparing Kathryn the necessity of explaining what little she knew to Seven. By the time Tuvok was done explaining Kathryn was froaen in one spot as she heard the frantic flurry of activity around Chakotay's mostly inert form increase.
She felt a fleeing burst of gratefulness as the younger woman came to stand beside her without a word. Seven had come along way since her years as a Borg drone. Now she offered silent support and a kind of reassurance by simply standing with her.
The beeping of the monitors surrounding Chakotay, however, froze her blood and she paled as the flurry of activity abruptly ceased. The Doctor stood, facing away from them for a moment and then turned to face her.
Not quite managing to look her in the eye, he said quietly, "Admiral Janeway, I regret to inform you of the death of Captain Chakotay."
Please hit that little button down there and leave me a review. Let me know what you think of my evil plot and uh, even flames are accepted. All I ask is that you come back and read the next part!
**Author ducks the variety of virtual objects being thrown at her as she staggers in.** I'm very sorry that it took me *gasp* two months to update! I'll really try not to do that again. I hope you all enjoy the story.
Chapter Two
Bits of flying food, growls or exclamation of frustration and annoyance and the sounds of an unhappy almost toddler and the rushed blur of two Starfleet officers running later for their respective duty shifts, melded together to form the chaos that was only barely recognizable as the Paris/Torres quarters.
"Honey, have you seen my other pip?"
"Check on the dresser, Tom. No, Miral, don't throw that."
Ten minutes later a squirming Miral was held firmly in her mother's arms, fully dressed, no longer covered in food and ready to be delivered to the sitter on B'Elanna's way to Engineering. It was probably fortunate, though, that they weren't currently residing in Starfleet Academy dorms, because their quarters would have failed every regulation in the book and a few that hadn't even been created yet. However, that didn't stop Tom from giving his wife a quick kiss and exchanging hurried, but heartfelt, "I love you's," with her before they went in separate directions to head to their respective duty stations.
When he entered the turbolift, Tom took a deep breath and slumped against the wall. His daughter could be an exhausting handful at times, but he still adored her and cherished every moment he spent with her. Still, it was nice to have a break now and then. He straightened up, starting to think ahead to the day's duties as the turbolift slowed to a stop. There wouldn't be much for him to do today. It would be mostly station keeping duty, unless he was ordered to fly a shuttle down to the surface for some reason, or if there was trouble.
The first option didn't really sound bad, but the second wasn't really appealing. It was an excitement he had once sought. Now he would face it when he had to, but he no longer searched for it.
Tom tensed as he exited the turbolift and walked towards his post, expecting a reprimand or at least a remark on his tardiness. None came. The Admiral, sitting in the center chair with Chakotay's seat noticeably absent, barely even nodded at him as he took his seat.
Once Tom was seated at his post and had reviewed the readouts on his console, he noticed the tension on the bridge. What was the old expression, "You could hear a pin drop a mile away." The silence was thick and unyielding and not even Tom was willing to break it.
The daily shipboard tasks were carried out efficiently, but with unusual solemnity. If Tom hadn't know better, he would have thought some sort of catastrophic accident had occurred aboard Voyager.
Three painfully long hours later, Admiral Janeway rose out of her seat and finally broke the silence. "Mr. Paris are we still in transporter range of the Iaphan Capital?"
It was said with all of the right words and inflections, but even a green cadet would have known that something was wrong. Tom Paris, however was no green cadet and he certainly had a good idea about what was wrong with the Admiral. Chakotay. It was always Chakotay. Voyager's captain was conspicuous by his absence. Still there was nothing he could do about it, not yet anyway. For now he would simply do his duty. However, when and if the Admiral needed him or any other member of the crew, they would be there.
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Kathryn Janeway nodded slightly and said, "Thank you, Tom," after he responded to her question. She turned to look at the tactical console and said steadily, "Would you join me in my ready room, Commander Tuvok?"
She started walking without looking back. This morning had not gone well. She had spent most of the night pacing her quarters in shock and disbelief at what Chakotay had done..started to do. Out of pure exhaustion, she had finally fallen asleep on the couch in their quarters a few hours before she was scheduled to go on duty.
This morning she had woken up sore, aching and worried about Chakotay. She hadn't heard from him since the night before and he hadn't reported for duty that morning. That wasn't like him at all. She needed Chakotay now, though, ignoring even her personal reasons, he had been the one that was supposed to conduct the morning's negotiations which would start in an hour.
She would be tied up in a videoconference with several members of the admiralty that she couldn't miss. The bureaucracy of the Alpha Quadrant was one thing she had not missed while she was in the Delta Quadrant. She had already postponed the meeting twice, though and they wouldn't let her reschedule again.
That left Tuvok as the logical choice for negotiator and perhaps his coldly logical views would be just what both sides needed. At least she hoped it was, she already had enough to worry about. She took a seat behind her desk and let some of her worry and other emotions show on her face. Tuvok was her friend. He had seen her at her best and her worst. Showing a little emotion in front of him was okay.
Tiredly she waved him towards the other seat in front of her desk. She waited until he was seated and then asked, "Have you seen Captain Chakotay today, Tuvok?"
The question was asked softly but it was painful. She wasn't sure how she felt about what had happened last night, but she was definitely starting to seriously worry about Chakotay.
"No, Admiral," Tuvok said calmly, "Was I supposed to have a meeting with the Captain?"
"No," she dismissed that question easily. "No, it's nothing. I just need you to conduct the negotiations today." She knew Tuvok was studying her and analyzing everything, however, the negotiations had to continue no matter what was happening in her personal life.
"Yes, Admiral," he answered simply, and she could tell that he didn't find her orders entirely logical, but he agreed nonetheless, not fishing for information like some of the members of her crew would have.
"Thank you, Tuvok," she said genuinely, but with an air of dismissal. Her former security chief exited with his usual measured strides, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She tossed the idea of having the computer locate Chakotay back and forth in her mind, but she remained silent. Last night was not the first time they had argued and it wasn't the worst argument they had ever had by far.
The time she had confined Chakotay to his quarters during the Equinox incident, came to mind immediately, and more recently the argument that had led to Chakotay taking the position of first officer on another ship because of their disagreement over changing the nature of their relationship. But despite all of the passion and fury of their past arguments, Chakotay had never shown any violent tendencies.
As a Starfleet Officer, Chakotay was capable of doing whatever was necessary in dangerous situations, but he didn't seek out violence. It simply wasn't his nature, unless he was defending the people he cared about. That was what was worrying her so much. She had been so shocked last night that the thought of being frightened by him hadn't even crossed her mind and even now, it still didn't.
The main thing she need now was understanding. Unfortunately it would to have to wait, because once again the needs of running a starship had to come before her own. As if on cue, Harry's voice broke the silence of her ready room.
"Admiral, there's a secure message for you coming in for you from Starfleet Command."
"Thank you, Harry," she said easily, years of practice allowing her to keep her emotions from her voice, "Go ahead and put them through."
She used the moment that it took Harry to transfer the message to compose her expression and focus her thoughts on the meeting and not the man who had been occupying her mind since the night before.
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Three quarters of the way through the day shift, the bridge crew had become filled with tension. Chakotay's absence and the Admiral's mood were both easily notable facts and Tom could practically hear the young ensigns at the back of the bridge shifting nervously. Deciding to do a little investigating of his own, Tom used his helm console to send a brief message down to B'Elanna in Engineering.
He was a bit surprised when after a moment his wife still hadn't responded to his message. Tom didn't think Engineering would be that busy today. His original assumption was probed true when, a moment later, B'Elanna stepped off of the turbolift.
The look on her face seemed a bit shaken, especially for the usually unshakable Klingon Engineer. If Tom hadn't been on duty he would have been at her side in an instant, as it was he shot her a reassuring smile and listened intently as she spoke.
She approached the Admiral and Tom hoped that whatever his wife had to say, it would brighten her mood. "Admiral," she asked quietly, "M-may I speak to you for just a moment, in private."
Admiral Janeway seemed a bit puzzled by B'Elanna's request but nodded, trusting her Chief Engineer enough to grant her slightly unusual request. "Certainly, Lieutenant," she rose and gestured in front of her, "We can talk in my ready room."
"Thank you, Admiral."
The Admiral took her seat behind her desk and said easily, "Have a seat, B'Elanna."
B'Elanna didn't disagree or even comment, she simply sat. To her surprise B'Elanna wasn't speaking, instead she appeared to be nervous.
Kathryn wracked her brain for what could be bothering her Chief Engineer. She was even more out of touch with the lives of her crew now. She usually liked to blame her promotion for that because she was busier now than ever before. Chakotay usually filled her in on what she needed to know. Still she couldn't think of anything that could be affecting B'Elanna this much, unless something was wrong with Tom or their daughter.
"B'Elanna," she said gently, "is everything okay between you and Tom?"
B'Elanna looked up sharply and to her relief Kathryn could see from the look on her face that, that wasn't the problem.
"Wha.No, Admiral, no that not it at all. I, uh, just heard something this morning that I thought you should be informed of."
Kathryn nodded in encouragement for her to continue.
"I went to check on Miral during my lunch break. Sam wasn't on duty for this shift and she offered to watch her," she explained. "I noticed that Naomi was home, as well, not attending her lessons."
"Is Naomi okay?" The Admiral asked with genuine concern. As the first and only child on Voyager for almost seven years, the half-Ktarian, half-human girl held a special place in her heart.
"Sort of," B'Elanna answered, clearly uncomfortable with the subject, "I asked Sam if everything was okay and she told me that she had found Naomi in tears when she came back to their quarters the night before, but Naomi wouldn't tell her what was wrong. She was fine this morning until Sam told her it was time to go to her lessons and then she started to cry again."
Kathryn was confused and uncertain as to where this was going, but worried about Naomi. It was unlike the normally cheerful girl to simply break into tears. By this point in her story, B'Elanna was looking highly uncomfortable and focusing her eyes on a spot to the left of her. It was unusual for the normally straightforward, B'Elanna.
"Naomi finally told Sam that when she was doing her lessons last night with Chakotay, he had gotten furious and exploded at her in anger. Naomi said he started yelling at her, calling her stupid and telling her it would be better for everyone if she just wasn't born and that all she ever did was waste his time and everyone else's." B'Elanna's voice was so soft that Kathryn could barely hear her, so lost in her horror and worry. She didn't think that Naomi had lied, but she simply couldn't believe it.
"Admiral," B'Elanna cut into her thoughts, "I've seen Chakotay snap a Cardassian's neck with his bare hands, but he wouldn't do that, not to Naomi."
"B'Elanna," she started slowly, her mind still reeling and clueless as to what to say to her Chief Engineer. Taking a different tactic, she changed her mind in mid sentence. "Computer," she said worried about more than just Chakotay's privacy at the moment. She wanted answers. Most of all she wanted her husband to tell her that everything was okay. Before she could ask for his location, though, Tom's voice interrupted her.
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Tom's distraction with his wife's sudden appearance on the bridge and her strange request wasn't enough that he didn't catch the disturbance down on the planet a mere nanosecond after Mike Ayala at tactical. "Paris to Janeway. Admiral I'm picking up phaser fire down on the planet."
She didn't reply, but the ready room doors hissed open and the Admiral strode quicky but calmly onto the bridge followed quickly by B'Elanna. "Where is the phaser fire coming from, Mr. Ayala?" She questioned as she turned to face Harry. "Patch me through to Commander Tuvok."
Harry was the first to respond, "Admiral, an atmospheric disturbance is distorting the comm. signal. I'm trying to boost it, but it's not improving noticeably."
She nodded, "Keep trying, Harry."
"Admiral...away team.....attack..immediate transport."
"I'm sorry. That's the best that I can do."
"It's all right, Lieutenant Kim. Can you get a lock on the away team? I want them out of there, now."
After a few more seconds of intense concentration on Harry's part, he only had more bad news. "Admiral somehow the transporters can't seem to get a lock on them. It's as if the members of the away team are too...slippery, for lack of a better word and I can't get a safe lock on any of them."
B'Elanna stepped over to Harry quickly. "Let me look at it, Starfleet. Maybe I can figure out something."
"Be my guest, Maquis," He shot back, waving her towards his console.
Kathryn nodded, already thinking, "Keep working with Harry, B'Elanna. See if you two can come up with anything. The moment that you manage to get a lock on them, beam up all Starfleet personnel." She turned towards the tactical station, "Is there still laser fire down on the surface," she asked Mr. Ayala.
"Yes, Ma'am, I have readings specific to Starfleet issue phasers and another distinct set of energy signatures."
"Thank you, Mr. Ayala." She ceased her pacing abruptly. "Mr. Paris you're with me. Lieutenant Ayala send a security detail down to the Delta Flyer." She glanced around the bridge and abruptly realized that with the exception of B'Elanna who was busy at work on the transporters, Harry was the last of her senior officers on board. "Harry you have the bridge." She looked at him steadily, "If Voyager is threatened, retreat back out of range. Hail the other Captains and explain the situation if I haven't contacted you in an hour."
Harry nodded, "Yes Ma'am."
She could see the slightest bit of uncertainty in his eyes. It wasn't everyday that he was left in charge of Voyager in a potentially dangerous situation. Still he wasn't the green Ensign of seven years ago. He had changed, grown and matured. Above all she trusted him to do the right thing, to come through when he needed to.
* * *
Moments later Kathryn Janeway sat beside Tom Paris in the copilot's seat of the Delta Flyer as he flew through the atmosphere. As he flew deftly towards the away team, Tom turned his conversation to the Admiral. "Admiral," he said softly, quietly enough that none of the others could hear him. "Captains aren't supposed to lead away teams and Admiral's definitely aren't supposed to."
She looked searchingly at Tom, "And what are you going to do about that, Mr. Paris." He shrugged, and then looked back down at his console to make a quick course correction, "I just thought I'd state it for the record. I don't think I can change your mind."
"Thank you, Tom."
He nodded. The Delta Flyer was landed near enough to the away team to be within easy running distance, but far enough away not to hit by the phaser fire.
Tom winced as he heard the phaser fire. He would willingly follow Kathryn Janeway anywhere and he had followed her into much worse situations in the past and come out of them unscathed. Still the birth of his daughter had taken away some of his careless abandon and replaced it with greater concern for his own safety.
One of the security officer's already had his tricorder drawn when they exited the 'Flyer. "Admiral, I've located the away team. They're in the building where the negotiations were being conducted. It's a little under two kilometers from here."
She nodded checked the settings on her phaser and said, "Well let's go. I believe we have an away team to rescue."
Tom managed a smile and he heard a few nervous chuckles from the members of the security team. He knew the Admiral had been slightly off center for most of the day. It was good to see the return of the Kathryn Janeway he was familiar with, no matter how bad the circumstances looked.
After they had jogged through the terrain and the moved through the outskirts of the city the sound of distant phaser fire became more apparent and to his surprise Tom heard a crackle of static emit from his comm. badge. On impulse he tapped it. "Paris to Tuvok."
As he had hoped, he heard Tuvok reply. "Tuvok here, Mr. Paris. I was usure whether Voyager received our message. We are currently under attack."
By that time, of course, the Admiral had heard the conversation. "Ask him what the situation is, Tom." She said pausing their rush to their destination for a moment.
"The negotiations deteriorated considerably before a large armed group of the dissidents charged the compound. We fell back to protect our own personnel. We were considerably outnumbered so we were unable to help the Iaphans."
"How many dissidents are there, Tuvok?" asked the Admrial quickly.
"We were unable to determine that exactly, but I would estimate that there are between twenty and fifty beings involved."
She nodded even though, she knew he couldn't see her, and gestured for the security team to start moving again. "Tuvok," she inquired as they ran on, "Do you have any suggestions about the situation?" Her former security chief and current first officer didn't disappoint her.
"The most logical approach would be to attack the dissidents from behind them, where they are not expecting it. This should provide a sufficient distraction to allow the Iaphans and the away team to escape, for the moment until we can regroup."
"Okay, Commander Tuvok, we'll execute your plan. We should be starting your diversion in a matter of moments." She nodded to Tom that she was done and he said, "Paris out," and cut the connection.
The building was already in sight and Tom noted happily that the Iaphan's heavy natural landscaping was beneficial to them. Now they could not only hear the phaser fire, but they could see the aliens and the flicker of phaser fire. Like the well trained team that they were, the security team spread out and on the Admiral's signal began to fire at the unsuspecting dissidents.
For the moment everyone, Tom included, had their phaser's set on stun and accuordingly made quick, but non-lethal work of the first few aliens with surprise on their side. Once they realized what was happening to their comrades, it was a different story and the Iaphans soon filled the air with their returning fire.
Suddenly the battle required much more of Tom's attention as he stood beside the Admiral, making it his personal responsibility to watch out for her safety. The Iaphans, although they weren't as well trained, did significantly outnumber the small security team. Tom was only beginning to realize how significantly, when the Admiral stopped firing for a moment to tap her comm. badge. "Janeway to Tuvok. Tuvok, how much longer do you need?"
"We are almost out of danger, Admiral, however a few more moments would be beneficial."
"Get everyone out, Tuvok, you will have the time that you need." She let out a soft sigh that Tom almost didn't hear with all of the noise. Admiral Janeway ducked back out from behind their cover and fired off a few shots, downing a few of the dissidents before she pulled back away from their returning fire. She rapidly began issuing orders.
Tom listened with amazement as he began to see the outline of her plan. As usual it was both brilliant and audacious, not many people would have even attempted it, but Tom was willing to bet that when it was being executed by Kathryn Janeway that it would work.
As per her orders the bulk of the Starfleet officers laid down cover fire as two members of the security team darted forward. The two officers sprayed the dissident's with fire, aiming more for quantity not quality of phaser fire as the rest of the officers pulled back. The officers began to split up in groups of two and Tom found himself once again paired with the Admiral as they skirted around the edges of the building unseen. She stopped moments later at the entrance of the building and glanced down at her chrono and then back up at their surroundings.
"Count it down, please, Tom," she asked quietly and he could here the determination and regret mingling in her voice. No one hurt Kathryn Janeway's crew, but that didn't mean that she liked harming beings. She would always prefer a peaceful solution.
Tom tensed, but kept counting aloud as the numbers on his chrono flicked down. "Five, four, three, two, one..mark." There was a pause of a split second between his last word and the sound of the large explosion. The ground trembled with the shock for a moment, throwing them off balance for a moment.
The Admiral was on her feet almost immediately already moving towards the site of the explosion. "Are you ready, Tom?"
"Of course, Admiral," he replied confidently and ducked into the building beside her. They were at the sight of the explosion in a matter of minutes, meeting with only the most minimal resistance as they worked their way towards the diversion that they had created for Tuvok.
In the end the explosion which had been set on a timer by two of the members of the security team when they had gone in separate ways had taken out the main force of the dissidents. It had been easy for the remaining members of the security team to round up the rest of the dissidents and secure them a nice spot in Voyager's brig, until the proper Iahphan authorities could be reached.
By the time Admiral Janeway returned to Voyager, several hours had passed and Tuvok and the rest of the members of the stranded negotiations team were already aboard Voyager. Tuvok, was in fact waiting for her when she disembarked from the Delta Flyer.
"Welcome back, Commander," she said warmly, tired, but glad to see her friend alive and well.
The Vulcan nodded and fell into step beside her as she headed towards the nearest turbolift to take her back to the bridge. "We brought about thirty- eight of the Iaphan dissidents aboard, Admiral," he said filling her in on the current status and goings on of the ship as they walked. "Eight of our Voyager's personnel were injured in the conflict. Only one was seriously injured. She is still in the Doctor's care, the others are relieved of duty and resting as we speak." He paused for a moment as they strode towards the turbolift, "Lieutenant Kim is working on contacting the proper authorities to take care of the prisoners. He has orders to contact you when he has reached them."
"Thank you, Tuvok," she said wearily as she entered the turbolift, "Is there anything else? Have we found out why they attacked yet," she questioned easily. "Bridge," she added almost as an after thought to the computer.
"Computer, halt turbolift. New destination: the brig." Tuvok's abrupt countermanding of her orders shocked her and as she opened her mouth to demand an explanation, Tuvok calmly said, "Admiral there is someone I think you should see in the brig."
She looked at him intently for a moment and then said, "Very well, Commander." With anyone else she would have added, "This had better be worth it," followed by an implied or else.. With Tuvok, however, she didn't resort to that. The Vulcan's behavior was out of the ordinary, but he had long since earned her trust.
He remained silent until they stepped off of the turbolift and began to walk past the imprisoned Iaphans. "Once Lieutenant Torres managed to bring the transporters back on line, the Iaphans were transported up in groups. It was not until the medical personnel were triaging the wounded Iaphans that one of them realized that a member of Voyager's crew had been helping them."
Her face froze in disbelief, she trusted her crew. Most of them in fact, had either been in the Delta Quadrant with her or were handpicked down to the lowliest crewmember. "What," she demanded coldly.
"It appears that the transporters were in truth, not disabled at all, but the readings were simply faked to look as if the transporter was unable to function. Lieutenant Torres discovered that almost before the crewmember was found."
They had stopped walking in front of one of the small cells. Tuvok standing steadily in front of her managed to block her view. "Who was it, Commander," she asked allowing the hint of anger to show in her voice. Voyager had been betrayed by members of her own crew several times during their seven year voyage in the Delta Quadrant and it was one of the few things that she refused to give a person a second chance for.
To her surprise, Tuvok evaded answering her question for a moment, "When the Doctor examined him, he was unconscious and diagnosed with a minor concussion. The Doctor has repaired the damage and he should be awake in a matter of moments."
For a moment, she thought she could see a flicker of compassion in the Vulcan's eyes and then he stepped aside allowing herself her first view of the prisoner.
"Chakotay?"
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She felt her jaw drop and she whirled to face Tuvok in disbelief. If it had been anyone else she would have asked if it was a joke, a joke in very, very poor taste. But she knew it wasn't; Tuvok didn't joke.
She opened her mouth to ask Tuvok for an explanation, anything to explain why her Chakotay was in the brig. Her first response was to walk towards him. She stopped dead as she heard Tuvok say warningly, "Admiral, the force field is engaged." She looked at him sharply, but didn't comment as her attention was brought back to the man lying on the bunk as he groaned as he returned to consciousness.
"Chakotay," she said hesitantly, her thoughts in conflict. According to the best of Tuvok's knowledge, Chakotay had acted with the dissidents, but the Chakotay she knew and loved would never do anything like that.
He ignored her as he swung his legs carefully over the edge of the bunk and sat up. He leaned over for a moment and rested his head in his palm's, covering the pattern of the tattoo that Kathryn had spent hours tracing with her finger. When he straightened and rose to his feet, his eyes were filled with a look that she had never seen their before, not even when they had been separated by their ideologies and enemies by policy.
"What am I doing in here, Kathryn?" He demanded harshly, "Did you finally get tired of keeping your tamed Maquis around?"
She flinched at his verbal jabs and said formally, "Did you help the Iaphan dissident's, Captain Chakotay?"
He laughed easily and Kathryn felt a shiver run down her spine. "Captain Chakotay, is it now, Kathryn? I thought we were married." He started to say something else and took another step forward, close enough for her to see the glazed look in his eyes. Close enough that when a moment later he began to sway and without warning passed out he crashed into the still activated force field.
Immediately she snapped, "Tuvok get that force field down now." She tapped her comm. badge quickly and snapped, "Janeway to Sickbay. Medical emergency in the brig. Beam myself and Captain Chakotay to Sickbay immediately."
The next few moments passed in a whirl of confusion. She was pushed back away from Chakotay as the Doctor examined him and she tensed as she heard the worry in the Doctor's voice.
Chakotay was surrounded by a flurry of activity. The Doctor was steadily snapping out orders, calling out for different instruments and ordering that Chakotay be given varying amounts of certain medicines. She knew that demanding to know what was going on would only distract the Doctor and wouldn't help him treat Chakotay, but she grew steadily more worried as she was forced to watch, unable to do anything to help him.
She paced the sickbay without even realizing what she was doing as the Doctor continued to work frantically. She froze momentarily as Seven of Nine, entered, most likely to see the Doctor unaware of the current crisis, mused the detached portion of Kathryn's mind. She was grateful, though, when Tuvok spoke to her, sparing Kathryn the necessity of explaining what little she knew to Seven. By the time Tuvok was done explaining Kathryn was froaen in one spot as she heard the frantic flurry of activity around Chakotay's mostly inert form increase.
She felt a fleeing burst of gratefulness as the younger woman came to stand beside her without a word. Seven had come along way since her years as a Borg drone. Now she offered silent support and a kind of reassurance by simply standing with her.
The beeping of the monitors surrounding Chakotay, however, froze her blood and she paled as the flurry of activity abruptly ceased. The Doctor stood, facing away from them for a moment and then turned to face her.
Not quite managing to look her in the eye, he said quietly, "Admiral Janeway, I regret to inform you of the death of Captain Chakotay."
Please hit that little button down there and leave me a review. Let me know what you think of my evil plot and uh, even flames are accepted. All I ask is that you come back and read the next part!