TITLE: Lest We Forget
AUTHOR: M. Edison
CONTACT: medison@thezone.net or aenohe@yahoo.com
URL: http://medie.ink-and-quill.com
SERIES: Phoenix/Voyager AU
RATING: PG
CODES: Chakotay/Other, AU
PART: 1/1
SUMMARY: In the aftermath of Wolf359, two officers try to move on.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: this fic was part of me playing with an alternate universe of sorts. It was a blend of Voyager and an AUship. Basically, what if it hadn't been Voyager and Janeway but another captain and another ship that had gone after Chakotay. I wrote a ficlet to explore a part of that character and her past with Chakotay.
Don't know if I will actually continue on with the AU but I thought I'd share this at least.
DISCLAIMERS: Paramount and Viacom own Chakotay. Amanda was created by me.
"Lest We Forget"
by M.
-----
Starfleet Headquarters
San Francisco, California, Earth
Stardate 44013.5
Newly-promoted starship captain, Amanda Ziering emerged from Starfleet Headquarters and tilted her head back to briefly luxuriate in the afternoon sun.
She hesitated then sucked in a steadying breath before walking forward to meet her waiting companion.
Lt. Commander Chakotay surveyed her wan features and offered an encouraging smile. "So, what did they say?"
"My personal leave has been approved." She held out the PADD in her hand. "They're giving me the MacKenzie when I come back. It's an Ambassador-Class ship and being refitted at Utopia Planitia as we speak."
"Is the refit being handled by your father?" He asked absently as they walked to their waiting shuttle.
"No, but I know the man who is. He's a Bolian and a very talented engineer." She settled into her seat and looked over at him. "Mind if we take a little detour?"
Chakotay smiled. "Not at all." He handed the PADD back, his hands moving to play across the console before him. "Where to, ma'am?" He teased lightly.
She rested her head back against the padded seat, smiling over at him. "Chicago."
"A visit to Grandmother's house hmm?" Inputting the commands, Chakotay skillfully guided the shuttle into the air, sending it racing out over San Francisco Bay.
"Does that make you, Little Red Riding Hood?"
Amanda chuckled. "Depends. Does that make you the Big Bad Wolf?"
"Well, you always did look good in red." He countered with a grin.
------
They set the shuttle down in a clearing behind her grandmother's house before going in through the backdoor.
"She's not home." Chakotay noted as they moved through the quiet house.
"No, I didn't think she would be." The woman at his side replied. "She and some of her friends are spending a week in Spain." She smiled lightly. "Vacation." She led Chakotay into the front room where she dropped to her knees, heedless of her uniform, before an old steamer trunk. "This is what I came for."
"What is it?" He questioned, crouching beside her.
"Old-style photographs." Lifting the lid, Amanda revealed several photo albums. She sifted through them until she found a particular one. "They're from my Grandmother's family. Generations gone by and all that." Taking the album across the room to a seat, she rested it in her lap and opened the cover.
Chakotay followed, sitting down next to her. He looked surprised when he saw the large photograph on the first page. "Enterprise."
"NX-01." She nodded, her gaze settling on a particular face.
"Why would your Grandmother have photographs of the first Enterprise?"
Amanda lifted her eyes to his, smiling. "Because, this man," She tapped the face. "Is one of her ancestors. One of my ancestors."
His eyebrows rose in reaction. "You're descended from Travis Mayweather?"
She grinned. "You sound surprised."
"That's because I am." He leaned over to examine the picture more closely. "You don't seem the type. Travis Mayweather, by all accounts, was a fairly..." He paused to find the right word. "mild individual."
Amanda laughed. "And I'm not."
"Not by a longshot." He agreed, leaning over to capture her lips with his. "But I prefer you that way."
She rested one hand on the album while the other slid into his hair, returning the kiss slowly. When they separated, she brushed her thumb across his lower lip.
"Hot-blooded, hmm?"
"Very." Chakotay looked down at the photograph. "But the way you love to fly...That is something you share..." He took the album into his hands, turning the pages slowly. Each one revealed personal, candid shots of the Enterprise crew. Some featured Travis, others he must have taken. Each and every face in the pictures was one he knew well. You didn't become a Starfleet officer - or even grow up in the Federation - without knowing the crew of Archer's Enterprise. These were the people who'd begun it all. The ones who'd taken the biggest risks. Modern day starships were the lap of luxury compared to the Enterprise NX-01.
The ship, and her crew, had been the best of the best in that day. Nothing Earth had could compare with her. The ships that had come since, even Amanda's new command, were light-years ahead of them in technology but there was something about this crew...it brought out the dreams. The wonder.
He found himself looking at an image of Travis and an officer, Commander Tucker, sitting upside down.
"The sweet spot." Amanda pointed out with a smile. "Ever tried to find that? The place where the artificial gravity is weakest...in the old days, it was the gravity plating but it's still there today - just harder to find." She noticed the faraway look on his face and moved a little closer. "What's that look about?"
Chakotay looked over at her and offered a small smile. "Just thinking...dreaming. What it must have been like for them in those days. We take warp drive for granted. Most ships easily reach 9.5 these days...back then, Warp 5 - on a slower gradient at that - was enough to amaze them."
"Sometimes you think we've gotten complacent?" She prompted. "Sometimes, I think we have too." Her head moved in a small nod. "There are days when the mystery seems to be gone from space. The awe that our ancestors must have felt, staring up at the stars and wondering what's out there. Now we know..."
"And the magic's gone."
"There are times, I agree." She smiled. "But then I think about the first time I saw Mars from space. I was a little girl and..." Her head moved in a slow shake of wonder. "That feeling's never left me. The first time you see your homeworld like that...It brings it all back."
He thought about that moment for him, remembered the awe, the amazement at seeing his home that way. "I remember..." His smile matched hers. "It's not something you ever forget."
"No, not truly." Amanda agreed quietly. "But sometimes you need a little reminder."
Chakotay lightly tapped one finger against the album. "And this is that reminder?"
"Mmhmm..." Her head moved once in a nod and she drew in a steadying breath. "After....*it*...after Wolf 359...I need the reminder." Her voice quavered briefly and she wiped at a tear that threatened to spill down her cheek. "I need to remember why we're up there. Why I should bother to take the position. Or stay out there."
Setting aside the photo album, he drew her into his arms, feeling her press her cheek against his shoulder and her arms slip about his upper body. They stayed that way, curled about each other, both battling the grief and horror resulting from the tragedy the Borg had visited on Starfleet and the Federation only a short while before. The wounds of that horrendous battle still fresh and still haunting their every thought. When they finally separated, Amanda reached out to pick up the album and looked down at her ancestor's face.
"I almost wish I could trade places with him." She murmured quietly.
"Almost?" He said just as softly, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.
"Mmhmm...Almost." Looking up, she offered a hint of a smile. "After all, women didn't get to sit in the captain's chair in that day and now that I've got the rank, I don't plan on giving it up any time soon."
Chakotay laughed quietly. "I love a woman who loves being in charge."
Amanda recognized the gleam in his eye and held up a hand. "Chakotay...don't you dare..."
The gleam intensified and his eyes dropped to her mouth. "Dare what?"
"We can't...not *HERE*!" Grabbing the album, the slim beauty began edging off the couch. "This is my *grandmother's* house!"
"And?" He countered. "You said yourself, she's in Spain. On vacation. How will she know?"
"She's a *grandmother*." Amanda protested emphatically. "She has sensors that put a Galaxy-class to shame!" Reaching the kitchen door, she cast a glance about her, calculating her chances of making it to the door before being caught. "And I am *not* getting bawled out by my Grams less than a month after making Captain. I'll never hear the end of it."
"The end of what?" Chakotay teased, backing her against a wall. "The fact your Grandmother 'bawled you out' or the fact you had sex in your grandmother's house?"
She mock-glared at him. "Had? You're awfully confident of your conquest aren't you?"
He trailed a finger along her jawline, tilting her lips up toward him. "Just confident of your willpower...or lack thereof."
Amanda laughed quietly. "You'd be surprised."
"Would I?" He met her mouth with his, kissing her slowly, his form pressing up against hers.
They traded lingering kisses for a few moments until she managed, with the photo album's help, to push him back a little. "Yes," her eyes glimmered with mischief. "You would." Quite neatly, Amanda slipped down from his embrace and ducked around his side, making a dash for the door. Her smaller frame negotiated the kitchen easily and she reached the back door before he had a chance to recover.
By the time he'd followed, she was already at the shuttle craft, leaning against it with a very self-satisfied smirk on her face. "So...about that confidence Commander?"
"Shot to hell, *Captain*." Chakotay countered breathlessly, grinning at her.
Amanda laughed then moved to the door of the shuttle. "I said not *inside* Grams's house but no one said anything about in the shuttle craft behind her house."
He shook his head at her, chuckling. "Splitting hairs are we? What would your ancestor think of *that*?"
She touched a fingertip to her chin, thinking. "Well, Travis was a highly intelligent person. He'd probably tell me you only live once and she is in Spain..."
"He didn't know about the Trill." Her lover deadpanned, earning a smack to his shoulder.
"*Humans* only live once then." Amanda clarified, grinning.
"What about that?" Chakotay directed a nod at the photo album still in her arms. "Won't your Grandmother want it?"
"I'll tell her I have it." She replied. "Grams always did say it was supposed to be mine. No better time to have it I think." She glanced down reflexively.
"Captains need to be aware of where we've been...so we don't screw up where we're going."
"So she does." He agreed, coaxing her inside the shuttle. "But that's one thing you've always been....conscious of your own history."
"Look who's talking." She countered with a smile.
He took the album from her and set it into a receptacle, closing it. Then, drawing her into his arms, he smiled down at her. "I'd rather forget conversation."
"You would huh?" Amanda tilted her head back enough to look into his face. "And why's that?"
"Because you promised me something to do with sex in a shuttle craft?" He teased lightly.
She laughed. "So I did...Better lock the hatch, Commander. Wouldn't want someone peeking in."
"That an order?" He teased, lifting a brow. "You're enjoying outranking me..."
"Damn straight. I could get used to this captain thing." She sat down, stretching her legs out before her. "The perks are interesting..."
Chakotay shook his head, amused. "Power trip."
"Naw...just wait until I'm *on* the MacKenzie...then I'll have my power trip. Right after I throw up from being so nervous." She confessed with a sigh. "Is it ok to admit I'm scared out of my mind?"
He moved away from the hatch and sat down across from her. "It's definitely ok. After all we've been through lately...and getting a command on top of it? Fear's the most natural thing you could be feeling about now." Reaching out, he took her hand, tracing patterns into her palm. "But if there was anyone who ever belonged in the Captain's chair...it's you. We both know it, 'Manda. You don't belong anywhere else like you belong there."
She smiled faintly at him. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"
"Yes." He flashed a sudden grin at her. "But I won't complain if I hear it again." Leaning forward, he kissed her. "I've a prediction for you."
"Oh really?" It was Amanda's turn to lift a brow. "You do have a hot-wired connection into the Great Hereafter. What is it?"
"Travis Mayweather may have been the first legend in your family...but he's not going to be the last. Not by a longshot."
Almost anyone that knew her would say Amanda Ziering was not a crier but yet, sitting in that shuttle, they would have been given cause to question that statement as Chakotay was sure he saw a tear glistening in her eye. "Here's to hoping." She replied quietly, kissing him slowly. "Here's to hoping."
Finis
AUTHOR: M. Edison
CONTACT: medison@thezone.net or aenohe@yahoo.com
URL: http://medie.ink-and-quill.com
SERIES: Phoenix/Voyager AU
RATING: PG
CODES: Chakotay/Other, AU
PART: 1/1
SUMMARY: In the aftermath of Wolf359, two officers try to move on.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: this fic was part of me playing with an alternate universe of sorts. It was a blend of Voyager and an AUship. Basically, what if it hadn't been Voyager and Janeway but another captain and another ship that had gone after Chakotay. I wrote a ficlet to explore a part of that character and her past with Chakotay.
Don't know if I will actually continue on with the AU but I thought I'd share this at least.
DISCLAIMERS: Paramount and Viacom own Chakotay. Amanda was created by me.
"Lest We Forget"
by M.
-----
Starfleet Headquarters
San Francisco, California, Earth
Stardate 44013.5
Newly-promoted starship captain, Amanda Ziering emerged from Starfleet Headquarters and tilted her head back to briefly luxuriate in the afternoon sun.
She hesitated then sucked in a steadying breath before walking forward to meet her waiting companion.
Lt. Commander Chakotay surveyed her wan features and offered an encouraging smile. "So, what did they say?"
"My personal leave has been approved." She held out the PADD in her hand. "They're giving me the MacKenzie when I come back. It's an Ambassador-Class ship and being refitted at Utopia Planitia as we speak."
"Is the refit being handled by your father?" He asked absently as they walked to their waiting shuttle.
"No, but I know the man who is. He's a Bolian and a very talented engineer." She settled into her seat and looked over at him. "Mind if we take a little detour?"
Chakotay smiled. "Not at all." He handed the PADD back, his hands moving to play across the console before him. "Where to, ma'am?" He teased lightly.
She rested her head back against the padded seat, smiling over at him. "Chicago."
"A visit to Grandmother's house hmm?" Inputting the commands, Chakotay skillfully guided the shuttle into the air, sending it racing out over San Francisco Bay.
"Does that make you, Little Red Riding Hood?"
Amanda chuckled. "Depends. Does that make you the Big Bad Wolf?"
"Well, you always did look good in red." He countered with a grin.
------
They set the shuttle down in a clearing behind her grandmother's house before going in through the backdoor.
"She's not home." Chakotay noted as they moved through the quiet house.
"No, I didn't think she would be." The woman at his side replied. "She and some of her friends are spending a week in Spain." She smiled lightly. "Vacation." She led Chakotay into the front room where she dropped to her knees, heedless of her uniform, before an old steamer trunk. "This is what I came for."
"What is it?" He questioned, crouching beside her.
"Old-style photographs." Lifting the lid, Amanda revealed several photo albums. She sifted through them until she found a particular one. "They're from my Grandmother's family. Generations gone by and all that." Taking the album across the room to a seat, she rested it in her lap and opened the cover.
Chakotay followed, sitting down next to her. He looked surprised when he saw the large photograph on the first page. "Enterprise."
"NX-01." She nodded, her gaze settling on a particular face.
"Why would your Grandmother have photographs of the first Enterprise?"
Amanda lifted her eyes to his, smiling. "Because, this man," She tapped the face. "Is one of her ancestors. One of my ancestors."
His eyebrows rose in reaction. "You're descended from Travis Mayweather?"
She grinned. "You sound surprised."
"That's because I am." He leaned over to examine the picture more closely. "You don't seem the type. Travis Mayweather, by all accounts, was a fairly..." He paused to find the right word. "mild individual."
Amanda laughed. "And I'm not."
"Not by a longshot." He agreed, leaning over to capture her lips with his. "But I prefer you that way."
She rested one hand on the album while the other slid into his hair, returning the kiss slowly. When they separated, she brushed her thumb across his lower lip.
"Hot-blooded, hmm?"
"Very." Chakotay looked down at the photograph. "But the way you love to fly...That is something you share..." He took the album into his hands, turning the pages slowly. Each one revealed personal, candid shots of the Enterprise crew. Some featured Travis, others he must have taken. Each and every face in the pictures was one he knew well. You didn't become a Starfleet officer - or even grow up in the Federation - without knowing the crew of Archer's Enterprise. These were the people who'd begun it all. The ones who'd taken the biggest risks. Modern day starships were the lap of luxury compared to the Enterprise NX-01.
The ship, and her crew, had been the best of the best in that day. Nothing Earth had could compare with her. The ships that had come since, even Amanda's new command, were light-years ahead of them in technology but there was something about this crew...it brought out the dreams. The wonder.
He found himself looking at an image of Travis and an officer, Commander Tucker, sitting upside down.
"The sweet spot." Amanda pointed out with a smile. "Ever tried to find that? The place where the artificial gravity is weakest...in the old days, it was the gravity plating but it's still there today - just harder to find." She noticed the faraway look on his face and moved a little closer. "What's that look about?"
Chakotay looked over at her and offered a small smile. "Just thinking...dreaming. What it must have been like for them in those days. We take warp drive for granted. Most ships easily reach 9.5 these days...back then, Warp 5 - on a slower gradient at that - was enough to amaze them."
"Sometimes you think we've gotten complacent?" She prompted. "Sometimes, I think we have too." Her head moved in a small nod. "There are days when the mystery seems to be gone from space. The awe that our ancestors must have felt, staring up at the stars and wondering what's out there. Now we know..."
"And the magic's gone."
"There are times, I agree." She smiled. "But then I think about the first time I saw Mars from space. I was a little girl and..." Her head moved in a slow shake of wonder. "That feeling's never left me. The first time you see your homeworld like that...It brings it all back."
He thought about that moment for him, remembered the awe, the amazement at seeing his home that way. "I remember..." His smile matched hers. "It's not something you ever forget."
"No, not truly." Amanda agreed quietly. "But sometimes you need a little reminder."
Chakotay lightly tapped one finger against the album. "And this is that reminder?"
"Mmhmm..." Her head moved once in a nod and she drew in a steadying breath. "After....*it*...after Wolf 359...I need the reminder." Her voice quavered briefly and she wiped at a tear that threatened to spill down her cheek. "I need to remember why we're up there. Why I should bother to take the position. Or stay out there."
Setting aside the photo album, he drew her into his arms, feeling her press her cheek against his shoulder and her arms slip about his upper body. They stayed that way, curled about each other, both battling the grief and horror resulting from the tragedy the Borg had visited on Starfleet and the Federation only a short while before. The wounds of that horrendous battle still fresh and still haunting their every thought. When they finally separated, Amanda reached out to pick up the album and looked down at her ancestor's face.
"I almost wish I could trade places with him." She murmured quietly.
"Almost?" He said just as softly, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.
"Mmhmm...Almost." Looking up, she offered a hint of a smile. "After all, women didn't get to sit in the captain's chair in that day and now that I've got the rank, I don't plan on giving it up any time soon."
Chakotay laughed quietly. "I love a woman who loves being in charge."
Amanda recognized the gleam in his eye and held up a hand. "Chakotay...don't you dare..."
The gleam intensified and his eyes dropped to her mouth. "Dare what?"
"We can't...not *HERE*!" Grabbing the album, the slim beauty began edging off the couch. "This is my *grandmother's* house!"
"And?" He countered. "You said yourself, she's in Spain. On vacation. How will she know?"
"She's a *grandmother*." Amanda protested emphatically. "She has sensors that put a Galaxy-class to shame!" Reaching the kitchen door, she cast a glance about her, calculating her chances of making it to the door before being caught. "And I am *not* getting bawled out by my Grams less than a month after making Captain. I'll never hear the end of it."
"The end of what?" Chakotay teased, backing her against a wall. "The fact your Grandmother 'bawled you out' or the fact you had sex in your grandmother's house?"
She mock-glared at him. "Had? You're awfully confident of your conquest aren't you?"
He trailed a finger along her jawline, tilting her lips up toward him. "Just confident of your willpower...or lack thereof."
Amanda laughed quietly. "You'd be surprised."
"Would I?" He met her mouth with his, kissing her slowly, his form pressing up against hers.
They traded lingering kisses for a few moments until she managed, with the photo album's help, to push him back a little. "Yes," her eyes glimmered with mischief. "You would." Quite neatly, Amanda slipped down from his embrace and ducked around his side, making a dash for the door. Her smaller frame negotiated the kitchen easily and she reached the back door before he had a chance to recover.
By the time he'd followed, she was already at the shuttle craft, leaning against it with a very self-satisfied smirk on her face. "So...about that confidence Commander?"
"Shot to hell, *Captain*." Chakotay countered breathlessly, grinning at her.
Amanda laughed then moved to the door of the shuttle. "I said not *inside* Grams's house but no one said anything about in the shuttle craft behind her house."
He shook his head at her, chuckling. "Splitting hairs are we? What would your ancestor think of *that*?"
She touched a fingertip to her chin, thinking. "Well, Travis was a highly intelligent person. He'd probably tell me you only live once and she is in Spain..."
"He didn't know about the Trill." Her lover deadpanned, earning a smack to his shoulder.
"*Humans* only live once then." Amanda clarified, grinning.
"What about that?" Chakotay directed a nod at the photo album still in her arms. "Won't your Grandmother want it?"
"I'll tell her I have it." She replied. "Grams always did say it was supposed to be mine. No better time to have it I think." She glanced down reflexively.
"Captains need to be aware of where we've been...so we don't screw up where we're going."
"So she does." He agreed, coaxing her inside the shuttle. "But that's one thing you've always been....conscious of your own history."
"Look who's talking." She countered with a smile.
He took the album from her and set it into a receptacle, closing it. Then, drawing her into his arms, he smiled down at her. "I'd rather forget conversation."
"You would huh?" Amanda tilted her head back enough to look into his face. "And why's that?"
"Because you promised me something to do with sex in a shuttle craft?" He teased lightly.
She laughed. "So I did...Better lock the hatch, Commander. Wouldn't want someone peeking in."
"That an order?" He teased, lifting a brow. "You're enjoying outranking me..."
"Damn straight. I could get used to this captain thing." She sat down, stretching her legs out before her. "The perks are interesting..."
Chakotay shook his head, amused. "Power trip."
"Naw...just wait until I'm *on* the MacKenzie...then I'll have my power trip. Right after I throw up from being so nervous." She confessed with a sigh. "Is it ok to admit I'm scared out of my mind?"
He moved away from the hatch and sat down across from her. "It's definitely ok. After all we've been through lately...and getting a command on top of it? Fear's the most natural thing you could be feeling about now." Reaching out, he took her hand, tracing patterns into her palm. "But if there was anyone who ever belonged in the Captain's chair...it's you. We both know it, 'Manda. You don't belong anywhere else like you belong there."
She smiled faintly at him. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"
"Yes." He flashed a sudden grin at her. "But I won't complain if I hear it again." Leaning forward, he kissed her. "I've a prediction for you."
"Oh really?" It was Amanda's turn to lift a brow. "You do have a hot-wired connection into the Great Hereafter. What is it?"
"Travis Mayweather may have been the first legend in your family...but he's not going to be the last. Not by a longshot."
Almost anyone that knew her would say Amanda Ziering was not a crier but yet, sitting in that shuttle, they would have been given cause to question that statement as Chakotay was sure he saw a tear glistening in her eye. "Here's to hoping." She replied quietly, kissing him slowly. "Here's to hoping."
Finis