AN: OK, so, I couldn't leave it there; the Tak Tak just had to have the last word.
A big thank you to northernexposure for the beta read and to everyone who has reviewed.
Chapter three
Digestifs consumed and the arduous 'shared' course fading into memory, the Captain and her first officer are led up onto the small stage at the far end of the hall, where they find themselves the centre of attention, just as they were on arrival several hours earlier.
The atmosphere is one of anticipation – it seems unlikely that Voyager's command team are going to be able to make their escape without yet more oratory. The long speech the Tak Tak Consul gave at the beginning of the ceremonial dinner was in large parts unintelligible, but Janeway had smiled benignly, choosing to believe it was some sort of elaborate welcome. Hopefully this one will be less elaborate and less protracted, as it's already been a very long day. For a good half hour now the bathtub has been calling from orbit.
The Tak Tak version of coffee turned out to be inky black and strong enough to put hairs on your teeth, but sadly it was served in miniscule vase shaped jugs, holding barely one mouthful. Despite Janeway's effusive praise, there was no offer of a refill. If only they'd managed to refuse this dinner somehow and bypass all these time consuming Tak Tak rituals, they'd be at the outer rim of this system by now. And Kathryn would have avoided all that 'sharing' with her second in command…
She eyes him cautiously. He is watching the assembled officials, his expression giving nothing away. He seems remarkably relaxed. Perhaps his interest in anthropology is sustaining him where she is flagging.
Then, all of Kathryn's attention is suddenly demanded by the Consul and his mate as they finally ascend to the stage. In the few minutes since they vacated their seats at the long dinner table, the Consul's mate has found the time to don some truly eye-catching headgear. Her previous unadorned locks are now crowned with a fascinator the likes of which Kathryn has never seen – and she's seen a fair few in her travels. It is made of something akin to wicker, woven into a shape that is halfway between an 's' and a question mark. It's the best part of a metre tall and the hollow inside is full of vibrantly coloured feathers. It must take practice to wear something like this, and the Consul's mate is clearly an expert. She glides up the steps to the stage, holding her head high with calm authority.
Standing beside her, the Consul raises his hands high above his head and claps.
"Blessings!" he announces.
Stretching his arms wide either side of him, he turns his whole body towards Janeway. "Good forward journey, Captain Janeway of Voyager, ship of most outlandish distant off-worlders," and he executes a rather conservative bow by Tak Tak standards.
Kathryn offers a polite smile and dips her head in acknowledgement.
Then the Consul's mate steps forward and pliés. She holds the position at the lowest point of the knee bend and declares, "Your journey short and safe? Unlikely. Travellers foolhardy in length of journey. Survival unlikely."
Janeway catches Chakotay's eye and he quirks an eyebrow. She allows herself no such indiscretions; the diplomatic smile is still firmly in place. She suspects they have been very lucky so far, in that all the Consul's mate has chosen to do is throw a little verbal censure their way. Given the speed at which the Tak Tak turned on them and decided to 'purge' their ship as soon as they detected Voyager had the virus on board, Kathryn is convinced that, in Tak Tak terms, the welcome they've had so far this evening has been positively tropical.
Then the Consul takes over again. This time his voice rises in pitch and he almost sings his next words, bending his elbows and beating his arms, wing-like, at his sides. "Entreat for the Voyagers forces of serendipity. Good fortune! Most necessary. Much entreatying. Many days forward."
Just as with the opening speech, it seems that the universal translator can't really cut it when it comes to Tak Tak lyricism or rhetoric. Nevertheless, Kathryn is grateful for the Consul's kind wishes. He appears to be considerably more sympathetic to their plight than his mate.
With another sudden clap above his head, he exclaims, "Second blessing! Source of Life! Thanks must be given!"
Immediately, all the assembled Tak Tak in the hall and on the small stage respond by aligning themselves in pairs, a short distance apart, each male facing a female, as if they were preparing to begin some sort of dance. Then the males reach out and place both palms flat on the females' chests. In outward appearance the anatomy of a female Tak Tak differs little from that of a human female, other than that their chest area is home to two long, flat appendages, which extend from just below the shoulder right down to the waist. Consequently, a male has a long sloping expanse on which he is able to place his hands.
Kathryn watches Chakotay's brow furrow slightly as he observes their hosts. The Tak Tak Consul and his mate have already adopted the required posture and the Consul's mate turns her head and her enormous fascinator to watch Voyager's first officer. His arms are still by his sides and his fingers curled. Another second passes and she makes loud clicking sounds with her tongue before addressing the hesitant human.
"Most important blessing. Wise to give thanks, Commander of Voyager."
Chakotay looks to Kathryn for help.
She arches an eyebrow, attempting to resign herself to yet more unavoidable and testing Tak Tak tradition. "You appear to be holding things up, Commander," she remarks curtly.
"Right," he replies, avoiding her gaze. Then he gingerly arranges his large hands as far up her torso as possible, the tips of his fingers on her shoulders. Kathryn registers a light pressure where the base of each of his palms gently grazes the uppermost swell of her breasts. She keeps her gaze firmly fixed on Chakotay's hairline, as he wrestles his features into a neutral expression.
Now they have adopted the requisite posture, the Consul's mate nods and her partner continues the 'Thanks' of this second blessing.
"Wombs of delight," he proclaims. "Inflate with healthy offspring."
Hmm. Kathryn frowns. Perhaps the Tak Tak female anatomy is significantly different after all.
Then she becomes aware of a gradually increasing humming sound, which begins to fill the dining hall. The sound is issuing from the male Tak Tak who have all now inclined their heads before the females. A second or two pass and Chakotay still hasn't joined in, despite her expectant expression. Eventually he lowers his head to bow to her and she hears a soft hum. After only a couple of seconds, however, his head comes back up enough to catch her eye. She scowls, hoping to shame him back to the task in hand. Considering he's the one with the interest in comparative cultural studies, she was expecting more from him.
Then Kathryn is distracted by a glint of something metal catching the light to her left. Before she can form another thought, the air is suddenly shattered by an astonishingly loud clang. It is so unexpectedly and intensely loud it makes her jump and inhale sharply, causing her chest to rise upwards slightly, sabotaging any careful positioning and giving her first officer two unavoidable handfuls. At least she manages to supress her natural instinct to put her own hands over her ears.
Immediately repositioning his hands, Chakotay stops humming and looks up, similarly startled by the shocking noise. Kathryn avoids his eyes and tries to focus on thinking Vulcan thoughts in the hopes that they will banish the blush that is already sweeping up her neck and face.
They both look towards the source of the sound. One of the males on the stage is standing in front of an enormous cylindrical metallic object that seems to have materialised in front of him since the blessing began. In one hand he's holding up what looks like a gigantic ladle.
The inhumanly loud instrument is sounded once more – louder still this time; in fact it is so damn loud Kathryn can't think straight, it's all she can do not to yelp. The males take this as a cue to stop humming and step back, retracting their hands and folding their arms across their chests. Chakotay follows suit immediately this time. Small mercies.
As soon as this second painful clang finally fades, the Consul announces, "Acceptance of gifts!"
Kathryn glances instinctively at her right hand man and silently panics.
They were so relieved when Neelix's quick thinking appeared to head off the Consul's first suggestion of a gift for her, that they failed to consider the possibility that some sort of gift giving would still be part of the ceremonial dinner regardless. Neelix actually told them that bringing a gift would be unwise. He explained that the Tak Tak are an extremely self-sufficient and insular species who aren't usually receptive to presents from 'off-worlders'. They believe it is unlikely other species could possibly have anything they might want. He advised that any gift would be far more likely to offend than please. Consequently, the command team haven't even bothered replicate a presentation box containing a Voyager medallion.
Before they have time to confer, the Consul's wife steps right into Kathryn's personal space and pulls her forward away from Chakotay. Everyone standing on the stage moves to form a circle around her.
The Consul's wife announces, "Gift givers!" and Kathryn notices that two of the females in the circle have their hands full. The smaller of the two steps forward and presents Voyager's captain with a folded piece of cloth.
"Thank you," Janeway replies, bowing respectfully and then carefully inspecting the length of fabric. "It's beautiful."
Her enthusiasm is genuine. It is a piece of cloth decorated with intricate embroidery – a shawl presumably – and although the clashing colour scheme of blues and yellows is perhaps more Neelix than her, it's obviously very skilfully made.
Then the taller gift-bearing female steps forward and holds up a shiny silver lattice of thin connected strips, about the size of a pillowcase, made of some slinky looking fabric – a wall hanging, perhaps.
"Your body scanned. Measurements accurate," she states.
Janeway is handed this second gift, and as the silver lattice slips between her fingers, she tries to make sense of the fact that it is supposed to be clothing. She speculates that it couldn't possibly be intended for public consumption. Perhaps it is nightwear? Although even Phoebe, aged 17, during her 'intent to shock' phase would have drawn the line a long way in advance of this particular micro-garment. It would bring a blush to the cheek of the most galaxy-wise Dabo girl. At best it might possibly extend to the very tops of Kathryn's thighs, and the widest strip in the lattice of slinky fabric can't be more than four centimetres. Perhaps it's a tunic – to be worn over the top of something else?
The Consul's mate then adds knowledgeably, "Beneficial for encouragement."
Kathryn bows politely and thanks them again, offering a silent prayer to any gods who may be listening that no one insists she try it on. The Consul's wife clucks in a business like manner and steers Kathryn back to her former position.
Attention then turns to Chakotay as the Consul leads him into the centre of the circle.
Their host holds out a thick angular book, bound in a shiny blue patterned material. "Effective. In all cases," he says and places it in Chakotay's hands.
"Thank you," Chakotay replies, with a bow.
The Consul then brings both hands up, and, curling his fingers to form a circle with his thumbs, he lines them up in front of his mouth. Stepping closer to aim the narrow tunnel he's created at Chakotay's ear, he speaks through it to add, "Certain techniques – adaptations advisable."
"I'll keep that in mind," her first officer replies, tucking the book under his arm – hopefully not a disrespectful place to stow it. The circle disbands and Chakotay moves back to stand at Kathryn's side.
Over dinner Kathryn and Chakotay had answered the Consul's questions about the spiritual beliefs of the different species that make up the Federation, and the Consul had been curious about the beliefs and traditions of Chakotay's own tribe. Perhaps this gift is a book about Tak Tak meditation techniques.
Then their host claps above his head again and the spectacularly hideous clang sounds one more time, signalling that the assembly is over. The guests begin to disperse. Apparently, Neelix was right. There doesn't seem to be any expectation that the gift giving should be reciprocal.
Only the Consul and his mate remain on the stage and they turn to face Janeway and Chakotay. Kathryn's fingers itch to tap her combadge and make the beam-out call.
Arms crossed over his heart, the Consul says, "This day, foodstuff, blessings, gifts. With much care chosen. Your problems."
Kathryn's curiosity gets the better of her. "And what problems would those be exactly?" she risks.
The Consul's stretches both arms up vertically, fingers extended, possibly indicating the ship in orbit. "Crew of Voyager. Many years of travel." The arms come down and he presses his palms together in front of his heart, as if in prayer. "Multiple offspring. Death replacement. Generational launching," he explains.
His mate then joins in, her arms swishing gracefully from side to side around her waist. Maybe Kathryn is imagining it, but she has the distinct impression the Consul's mate is scowling at Chakotay as she says, "Highest ones to model. Important obligation. Persistence required."
Then, despite its precarious looking load, she bravely tips her head from one side to the other as she speaks directly to Voyager's first officer. This time the disapproval in her expression is unmistakable. "Inadvisable. Further tardiness." she informs him firmly.
Without giving him an opportunity to reply, she rises up onto tiptoe and steps right into Kathryn's personal space once more, bringing her hands up in front of her face, using her thumbs and forefingers to make a diamond shape through which she then speaks. Her tone suggests surprise, with a hint of accusation thrown in.
"Your Chosen One highly decorative."
Kathryn is unsure whether this is some sort of question or a statement, but the Consul's mate appears to expect a response. Janeway decides that given everything that's already happened this evening, she might as well inhabit the role that's been forced on her by these people, so she shoots her first officer a lopsided smile and then replies, "Well, as captain, I had the whole ship to choose from."
Abandoning the rectangle her hands had formed, the Consul's mate covers her eyes with the palm of one hand, then remarks, "Decorative ineffectual," as her hand leaves her eyes and her fingers flutter dismissively at chest level before moving alarmingly far south down her body… Perhaps Kathryn had been hastily optimistic in her interpretation of the first remark as a compliment. For once she is genuinely stumped for an acceptable reply, so she opts for a diplomatic silence.
The Consul saves her by bidding them a final farewell.
"Joyous departure. Our gratitude, your visit. Good health, strong body, clear mind, Captain Janeway and Chakotay, Commander of Voyager."
Then his mate motions to Janeway to take her hands, and Kathryn is forced to pass her gifts to Chakotay so she can oblige. As she concentrates on the series of squeezes the female is giving her fingers and wonders what they signify, in her peripheral vision she can see Chakotay tuck the shawl under his arm with the book, so he has both hands free to examine her second gift.
The Consul's mate finally releases Kathryn, who immediately attempts to reclaim the exotic silver lattice. Her first officer seems loath to part with it, however, so she tugs it forcefully back until it slips through his long fingers. She glares at him and he returns the shawl too with a shrug.
The Consul and his mate then execute a well-synchronised joint bow with several accompanying flourishes of the arms. Voyager's command team reciprocate to the best of their ability, after which the hosts finally turn and walk slowly towards the ornate doors to make their exit.
Kathryn exhales.
Chakotay turns to her and smiles. "I think the Tak Tak may have promoted me this evening."
She tilts her head. "Yes – I did notice that. Well, fun's over now, I'm afraid, Commander of Voyager."
The evening could have been worse, she muses. At least no one had asked Chakotay to 'please make her quiet' as they had asked of Neelix when they made first contact with this species a few days ago.
"Nice dress," he grins, indicating the silver lattice.
Janeway pulls a face then replies, "I prefer the shawl."
The twinkle in his eye intensifies. "Shawl?"
"Yes. Did you overlook that gift, perhaps?" She loops the silver lattice over one arm so she can hold up the first gift. It has long ties extending out of each of the four corners. She looks at Chakotay and feels his hand come to rest on the small of her back.
He dips his head to deliver his next words close to her ear. "I'm pretty sure it isn't a shawl, Kathryn."
"What makes you say that?" she queries, unconvinced.
He nods towards one of the huge paintings that adorn the walls of the hall; paintings that Kathryn hasn't studied in any detail since their arrival. She takes in the vast textured tapestry in blues and yellows. It depicts a family scene with a female standing prominently in the foreground, an infant slung across her chest area, held in place by an almost identical piece of embroidered fabric.
"I see," Janeway replies, pursing her lips. "Guess I should have known any gift from the Tak Tak would come with an agenda."
Chakotay points at the silver lattice she is trying to slip inside the shawl- sling in preparation for the beam out. "Care to speculate on the agenda that comes with that one?"
"Can't say that I do."
He chuckles. "I'd say the Tak Tak are trying to make sense of why we aren't actively trying to turn Voyager into a generational ship. And the First Lady seemed pretty clear on the fact that we should be leading by example."
"Hmm."
"Seems they think your Chosen One needs a little 'encouragement'."
Kathryn swats his arm, then shakes her head and exhales. "But this? Really?" She brandishes the parcel she's made of her gifts and pulls a face. "Suddenly Aunt Martha doesn't seem so tactless."
Chakotay chuckles.
Then, part of the conversation with the Consul and his mate over dinner comes back to her. Thirteen children, ranging from toddlers to adolescents, had paraded past their table in a slow moving procession. Kathryn had expressed surprise when she'd been informed that all thirteen were the issue of their hosts. She had been told that 'numerous offspring' were 'advisable', because of the 'dangers of sudden death'. Chakotay had asked what dangers they were referring to exactly and the Consul had replied, "Space hazardous. Frequent off-worlder attacks." And then he had added, as an afterthought it seemed, "Accidents in home." Kathryn hadn't felt inclined to probe him any further on that one.
Her eyes seek out the book Chakotay was presented with and she's about to ask him about it when she decides that sometimes, it's better not to know.
He notices where her gaze has fallen and he taps the book. "From the little I've read so far, it seems to be… technical… advice. And it's… illustrated."
"Oh?"
"Apparently they've decided the problem is my lack of commitment to impregnating you."
Kathryn can't help but laugh. Then she says, "Well, it is at least a week since you asked me to dinner."
His dimples make an appearance. "You've been off the ship for the last three days! But, I'd be happy to cook for you. Tomorrow, 19.00hrs?" He eyes the parcel she's made by wrapping the silver lattice-like garment up in the sling. "And perhaps you might consider coming out of uniform for once – it's not like we're on duty at that hour."
She waves the parcel of material at him again and threatens quietly, "If you think I'd be seen dead in this apology for a dress you'd better think again, mister."
"You're probably right," he replies. "It would make for an unusual funeral."
"Now I know what B'Elanna meant about your twisted sense of humour."
He holds up his hands. "In or out of uniform, it'd be my pleasure to cook dinner for you tomorrow."
He offers her his arm. Kathryn takes it and they set off towards the ornate doors together.
Once they reach the beam out site they stand side by side.
Kathryn turns her head and watches his profile for a second, licking her lips as her taste buds tingle with the ghost of citrus flavoured chocolate. "Well, Commander, I'll say one thing for the Tak Tak."
Chakotay looks down expectantly at her.
"They've certainly given me a lot to think about."
He holds her gaze and a flicker of cautiously hopeful curiosity passes across his expression. Then he grins. "Care to share any of those thoughts over dinner tomorrow?"
She fails to completely suppress a smile as she taps her combadge.
"Janeway to Voyager. Two to beam up."
[The End]