Author's note: To Katherina-B: Tom Paris was a lieutenant, but he got busted down to Ensign in 'Thirty Days' (the water planet episode), and I don't recall that he ever got promoted back (though I may be mistaken.)

Anyhoo, here's something for the J/C'ers....

"This way, Captain Janeway."

The voice of the security guard was respectful. She had to give him that. He'd given her another small bonus. Instead of visiting Chakotay in the crowded visiting room, she would get to see him in his cell. For a moment she wondered if that might not be embarrassing for him. She'd have to see.

"I put a chair out there for you," the guard said. "It'll all be fine, Captain."

He led her down the cellblock to the cell at the end. For a moment, she took a breath. Here he was, Chakotay, one of the noblest men she had ever known. Here he was, in a prison with thieves and murderers. Anger flashed through her for a moment and she choked it down.

The guard made a gesture and smiled a nervous smile of hero worship. "I'll be down the hall. You'll have privacy, Captain. Just...just let me know when you're done."

Janeway nodded and forced a smile. "Thank you, Mr.--," she craned to see if he wore a nametag.

"Yarneb," he said. "Guard Fred Yarneb."

"Mr. Yarneb. I'll speak with him now. I appreciate "

"Of course," he said, and flitted back to the guard station.

Captain Janeway proceeded down to the last cell and sat on the offered chair. The cell it faced was small, no larger than the cells in the brig on Voyager. Chakotay sat on his bunk, flipping through a magazine. He wore a blue uniform that hung baggily. The light overhead was harsh, casting down on the artificial interior of the cell. He looked very pale in it, and she wondered if he had been allowed to be outside in the sun.

He smiled. "Kathryn," he said. "I'm glad you've come."

She smiled back. There had always been a closeness between them; as captain and first officer he had functioned as her right hand so well. Despite the rumors, they'd never had more than a strong friendship. They knew their duties.

"We have a hard problem with bureaucracy in Starfleet," she observed. "I had to run the paper-pushing gantlet just to get here."

Chakotay chuckled. "That's part of the reason I left Starfleet the first time," he said. "Rules for the sake of rules. And this place is worse. I had a psychologist in here the other day, from Starfleet Judge-Advocate Division, busy trying to pry my head open with his blunt little tools."

She shook her head slowly. "I can't believe they put you here, after everything you've done," she breathed.

He shrugged. "It's partially me," he said. "I know others are out. They took a plea deal. I want my day in court It's principle."

She leaned forward. It took nothing at all to understand why he would want it that way. All the same, perhaps he ought to consider a deal. It depended on what the terms were. "Have they offered you a deal?" she asked.

He nodded. "Plead guilty to one count of assisting a terrorist organization, and my time on Voyager would be considered in my sentence. That's a five-year sentence, so I'd be out of jail immediately."

She leaned forward. "Chakotay," she said, "that's a great deal. You should take it."

He shook his head. The tattoo seemed very dark against his skin in this depressing fluorescent light. His voice was calm, deep, and utterly implacable. "No, Kathryn. I won't stand up in court and say I'm a terrorist, even if they say I'm a 'reformed' terrorist made good. I won't do that. I want people to know what I did, and why I did it. I want them to know about the people they left behind on Trebus and other planets. I want everyone to know I was defending my people. My father's people. They had no one to stand up for them against Cardassian oppression. If after all that they say I'm a terrorist...so be it."

She said nothing for a moment. Trying to convince him to take a deal that involved the word guilty when he didn't feel he was guilty of anything would be like trying to move mountains with her bare hands. "No one's saying you're a terrorist," she hedged. "I...I don't want to see you spending the rest of your life in prison. A lot of people want you out. They've let guilty people out. Why not you?"

He shrugged. "You mean Gilmore? I knew she was released today. Good for her, but I hate losing an operative."

Janeway's eyebrow rose. "Operative?"

He nodded. "I have people in here I'm concerned about," he explained. "Some of them were in the women's section – B'Elanna, Mariah. Marla Gilmore's cell butted right up against the men's section in the next cellblock." He grinned. "One of my people – I won't say who – is in the cell there. They could yell to each other through the wall, even if they couldn't see each other. So while she was here, I could at least check up on the women."

"You have a spy network in this prison?" she choked. Somehow, she could see it. Only Chakotay could have a spy network up and running in two months of confinement.

"It's not a spy network," he said. "I just want to make sure my people are all right. Same as I would on Voyager. They look to me, and I feel responsible to look after them as best I can."

That reminded her of what she'd seen. "She may not be all right," she admitted.

Chakotay leaned forward. "Really? Why?"

Janeway briefed him on what she had seen.

"That's terrible," he said. "I hope she's all right." He essayed a shrug. "If Starfleet ever lets me out of here, I'll see what I can do."

She leaned forward and wished she could take his hand through the forcefield. He was remarkably selfless sometimes. Sometimes too selfless. "Chakotay, she isn't your problem right now."

He let out a sigh. "I know," he said. "I've got enough of my own, don't I?"

She moved as close as she dared to the forcefield. "I'm going to try to get you out of here," she said. "I'm going to ask that you be released into my custody aboard Voyager. Just like I did with Tom, when I was chasing you."

He nodded and chuckled. "Thank you, Kathryn," he said calmly. "Voyager makes a preferable prison to this." For a moment he looked away. "Know what I miss, for some odd reason? Food. The food here is terrible. I'dgive anything for some mushroom soup. Maybe a nice glass of wine." He smiled and shook his head.

"I'll see what I can do," Janeway said, and felt a pang. Imprisoning this man wasn't ridiculous bureaucracy. Imprisoning this man – who had risked his life for Voyager's crew on so many occasions, who in so many ways epitomized Starfleet's best principles – was wrong.

But what proved to be right was much better. When he was finally brought to court for his hearing, the area designated for witnesses was filled to capacity with Starfleet uniforms. Virtually the entire crew of Voyager had come down to testify for their first officer. Janeway felt her anger over the matter dissipate at the sight of all those red and yellow and teal uniforms, crowding the forty-seat witness area far beyond its capacity. Some sat, others stood. One by one they took the stand, testifying that Chakotay had been a fair and concerned commander and that no justice was served by keeping him in pretrial confinement.

Finally, it came her turn to testify. She strode to the witness chair, her head held high, every inch a starship captain. When they swore her in, she swore, and then sat down with imperious dignity in the chair. The members of the Board of Inquiry sat at a curved table facing her. The chairman – Commodore Bass, a decent, fair man to her knowledge – leaned forward.

"Captain Janeway," he said calmly, "this board has heard extensive testimony from your crew that Mr. Chakotay is not a flight risk nor a danger to the public. What might you have to say for Mr. Chakotay?"

A deep breath through her nose was necessary to calm her. She took a moment to compose her thoughts. Her first idea was to blurt out how utterly insane this was, but that would not help Chakotay.

"I agree wholeheartedly with my crew that Commander Chakotay is not a flight risk or a danger to the public," she began. "During our time in the Delta Quadrant, Commander Chakotay had the conn numerous times. If he had wanted to commandeer the ship, he had ample opportunity to do so. Instead, he became my trusted right hand....the best first officer I have ever had." Should she say more? No; better to stick to what the bureaucrats wanted to hear. "Commander Chakotay knows his duties well. He's carried them out to the letter. If he has a duty to this Board, I can assure you that he will see it through to the letter and spirit. I would say the same for Lieutenant Torres; she was chief engineer aboard Voyager. She, too, had ample opportunity to seize the ship or otherwise hand it over to the Maquis. She never did. I had faith in her, and that faith was overwhelmingly deserved. Both of them served with honor and respect. In fact, all of the Maquis aboard my ship served with honor and respect. They deserve better than this."

He nodded. "Very well. This matter has already taken a lot more time than we expected. If there are no objections, I'd like to address a question to Mr. Chakotay."

At the defense table, Chakotay nodded. "Of course, Commodore."

"Mr. Chakotay, it's obvious that the Voyager crew and command staff has great faith in you. It is my recommendation that you be remanded to the custody of Captain Janeway aboard the Voyager. If Voyager leaves Earth for any reason, you would be required to notify this board of your whereabouts through Starfleet Command. House arrest, if you will. If you give me your word that you will comply with these directions, I will order your release."

Chakotay pondered and touched the tattoo on his temple for a moment. Janeway watched him, a smile breaking over her features. His voice was quiet yet powerful in that way he had. He rarely yelled; he never had to. Not equipped with that understated but very powerful baritone. "That's a generous offer, Commodore. If you're asking me if I plan to flee into the Badlands, the answer is no. If you're asking me if I'll hurt anyone while I'm out, the answer is no. If you're asking if I'll show up faithfully for hearings, the answer is yes."

"Very well," the commodore said.

"Excuse me. I wasn't finished. I appreciate that offer, and I'll accept it on one condition. I want all of the Maquis imprisoned with me to receive the same offer. They served on Voyager just like I did, and they deserve the same consideration. If they don't, then I'll go back to my cell with them."

The commodore paused and considered for a moment. "I see. Captain Janeway, are you willing to take responsibility for all of the Maquis that were formerly under your command?"

All eyes were on her. The answer was instant, without a moment's thought. "Of course, Commodore."

"So ordered. The Maquis prisoners are hereby released to Captain Janeway's custody until further notice. For now, this Board stands in recess. Captain Janeway, I'd like to see you outside."

The room emptied swiftly. The Maquis seemed jubilant, and Janeway could hardly blame them. Finally, someone had done the right thing. She smiled at Chakotay, knowing he would finally be freed. She waited until the commodore finally left his seat and followed him.

"You wanted to see me, Commodore?"

He nodded. "Well, there's a reason we released the Maquis to your custody. Have you been caught up on Starfleet's current situation?"

Janeway thought for a moment. "I realize the war took a lot out of the fleet, but--,"

He nodded and seemed tense. His lips pressed together in a thin line. "Right now, Starfleet's public image is...not good. We won the war, but many people feel we crossed the line. Enrollments in Starfleet Academy are down thirty percent from previously. We'll have to lower our academic standards if this continues. There are those on the Federation Council who aren't happy with Starfleet. That's where you come in."

"I don't see what I can do," Janeway said. "Really, all I did was bring my crew home."

He nodded. "And right now the media has made heroes of you. What we want you to do is to conduct...a tour, I guess you could say. Travel around the Federation. Show off what you learned in the Delta Quadrant. Make presentations. A media blitz, you could say. It would help shore up Starfleet's standing in the eyes of Joe Federation Citizen."

"I see," Janeway said archly for a moment.

"So long as you report in occasionally with Starfleet Command, Chakotay and your Maquis will be fine," he assured her, and smiled to allay her concerns. "Off the record, we'll probably be willing to offer extremely lenient terms. You are heroes, after all."

Janeway nodded. "All right. When would we leave?"

The commodore smiled. "0800 tomorrow morning," he said. "Enough time for your crew to have a last goodbye to their families. But this will be an easy duty, Captain."

"I appreciate that," Janeway said. "This crew deserves an easy duty. By the way, Commodore, I was wondering about one of my former crewmembers. We'd made a complaint to security."

The commodore nodded slowly. "Ah, yes. Marla Gilmore." He shrugged. "As far as I know, the issue was handed over to local authorities. It's their issue."

"At the least," Janeway said, "there should be holorecordings from the Annex's cameras."

The commodore made a moue of distaste. "Captain Janeway, your report says that it happened on the street, not on Starfleet property. Ms. Gilmore is no longer a Starfleet officer. It's not Starfleet's problem. If I do hear anything, though, I'll see that it's passed along."

An unsettling feeling tweaked her gut. Yes, technically, he was correct. And she could understand why it was a Starfleet officer might view Marla Gilmore with distaste. All the same...something wasn't right.

"I'm sorry, Captain," Bass said. "I do have to be going. Good luck on your tour." He nodded a polite good-bye, then slipped into another room. She slowed down and pressed her teeth to her bottom lip for a moment, wondering why she felt uneasy.

A hand fell on her shoulder and she startled, whirling to confront whoever was behind her.

Chakotay's eyes widened. "Kathryn! I didn't mean to scare you."

She smiled and flushed, abashed. "Oh, sorry, Chakotay."

"I don't know about you, but I'm beaming back to the ship, now that I can," he said. "Care to join me for dinner?"

She smiled. "You're on."

He tilted his head. His dark eyes studied her for a moment. "Are you all right? You seem edgy."

Kathryn Janeway looked around the Starfleet Justice Annex for a moment. She couldn't put her finger on what was troubling her, but that didn't mean it wasn't there. This was a building of the same fleet she served, the people here wore the same uniform and served that same fleet, but...something was wrong. Perhaps it was her own displaced anger over Starfleet's love of bureaucracy...but maybe it wasn't. She studied her first officer carefully for a moment.

"I'll tell you later," she said. "When we're back on the ship."