Chakotay waited for the last of his crew to filter into the mess hall. He closed the door and sat on the table.
"Is everyone here?" he asked.
"Samantha's not," said Knowles.
"Samantha already spoke to the captain. Since she's already an officer, she's going to come off her leave a little earlier than she expected. Turns out she's an ensign."
Chakotay took a breath, calming himself. Now came the difficult part.
"Our situation has changed," he said. "Obviously."
"Are you telling us this as if it's news to us?" asked Henley. "We've lost everything."
"Not everything. We still have each other."
"Cold comfort," said Hogan. "Everything we were fighting for is on the other side of the world. We're trapped here, on a ship where we don't belong and everyone hates us."
"That's not true," said B'Elanna. "Harry's a good guy."
"If you say so," said Tabor.
"The point is this," said Chakotay. "Captain Janeway has asked us to join her crew."
Every one of them scoffed; some people even laughed.
"She's kidding, right?" said Dalby. "Join her, after she trapped us here?"
"Out of curiosity, what would we be doing?" asked Hogan.
"Shining their boots, most likely," said Henley. Her voice suddenly became sniveling and subservient. "'Can I be your footstool again, Captain? Do you need someone to scrub the deck with a toothbrush? Let me peel those potatoes – I don't mind slicing my hands up for a meal!'" The renegades chuckled at her sarcasm.
"We'd be no better than serfs or cow-herds," said Jor.
"It won't be like that," said Chakotay. "She promised me."
"A promise – that and half a gold piece will get you a glass of ale," said B'Elanna.
"What did she promise you?" asked Knowles.
"She said if we agreed, I'd be the new first officer."
This got their attention.
"Really?" asked Dalby.
"Not only that, but several positions have opened up. Some of you will become ranking officers. If not, Janeway's willing to take you as far as the nearest port and turn you loose there."
"Wait, so this is a one shot?" said Dalby. "Join her or get off?"
"Did you expect her to give us our own ship? I told you things were going to change. If we want to go home, we play by her rules."
"No way," said Tabor. "What do we owe her?"
"Our lives," said Hogan. "We'd be dead now if she hadn't taken us aboard."
"I'm not buying it," said Henley. "Why is she offering us officer positions? Why go to all that trouble? To set us up? Watch us fail? Why does she want us?"
"Because they need us," said Ayala.
"Exactly," said Chakotay. "They lost almost a third of their crew in the storm and we lost our ship. We need them as much as they need us."
He paused to let thought sink in. Silence filled the mess hall for a moment.
"It won't be easy," he finally said. "Seafleet rules are a lot more strict than ours. But I'll do everything I can to make sure you're treated fairly. A first officer is responsible for the crew, after all. So, who's with me?"
"I'm in," said Knowles after a moment. "Could be fun, you know?"
"Claire!" said Tabor. "You're just going to turn your back on us? What about our cause? Doesn't it mean anything to you?"
"Sure it does, but what can we do out here to fight the Cardassians? This crew needs our help now."
"Seafleet hates us, if you forgot," said Dalby. "Voyager was sent specifically to catch us. And now you want to join them?"
"There's no reason to resent them now," said Knowles, staring him down. "There aren't any Federation prisons for them to throw us in. The only reason for us to keep hating them is out of spite. We're better than that."
Around the room, expressions softened. Chakotay smiled at her.
"There's one more condition," he said. "Paris is joining too."
Immediately, they all began protesting.
"-You can't be serious!"
"That traitor? Serving aboard?"
"-I'm not working with him."
"I know; I don't like him either. But he saved my life and I can't ignore that. And don't worry – I'll keep him in line. But none of you touch him, got it?"
There were reluctant murmurs of assent, then Jor spoke up.
"I'm in too. If I'm doomed to live out my life on this ship, I may as well make it easy on myself."
"Me too," said Hogan.
"Count me in," said Ayala.
"And me," said Chell. "No doubt they'll find my fighting skills invaluable. I didn't always have those skills, you know. I was blessed by a warrior monk – well, not so much blessed as Charmed with them, but I practice every week and I'm always inventing new strategies and-"
"Shut up, Chell," said Jor. "You've told us this story a hundred times already."
"I'd better come too," said B'Elanna. "To keep an eye on Paris. You never were good at watching your own back."
"Great," said Chakotay, pleased at their compliance. "Anyone else?"
Tabor, Gerron, Jarvin and Henley all agreed, if somewhat reluctantly.
"Gibson? What about you?"
Gibson, who had been staring out a window for the entire meeting, didn't respond.
"Gibson!" called Knowles. He started and gave her a halfhearted glare. "Are you staying here or are you leaving?"
"Stay," he whispered.
Chakotay turned to Dalby. "Well?"
"I guess someone has to remind you all of what we're still fighting for." Dalby glanced at Gerron. "And keep you out of trouble. Fine, I'm in."
"Great," said Chakotay, meaning it. "I'll go tell the captain." He stood to leave, when B'Elanna called after him.
"Chakotay, who's she picking to be officers?"
"Actually, I'll be picking the officers from our crew. You've got nothing to worry about."
He left, still smiling and the renegades started talking among themselves.
Paris knocked on the door to the captain's office. He waited for her to reply, pondering on the incredible events of the past few days. It had been good, very good, to be a part of a Seafleet vessel again. When the captain gave him the helm, he had forgotten for a few moments that he had no real place here. When the moment left, it took his place on the vessel with it. Now he felt adrift in his own life again, but with no way to carve out his own place on this ship. Thrown out of Seafleet, so he couldn't be an officer; betrayed the renegades to Seafleet and lost their grudging trust – what exactly did the captain have in mind for him?
"Come in," she called. He stepped in, saying, "You wanted to see me, Captain?"
"Mr. Paris, you have a problem," she said, not looking up from her papers.
That had to be the understatement of the century.
"I've invited the renegades to join my crew," she went on. "It seemed only fair."
Now that was a problem. "Will you provide a bodyguard for me, Captain?"
He heard the sting of sarcasm in his voice, but couldn't bring himself to care.
"It seems you already have one. Chakotay said something about him owing you his life."
Paris managed not to laugh out loud, but it was a close thing.
"Is that so? I think I'm going to enjoy this."
Janeway finally looked up at him. "Not so fast. He's also going to be my first officer."
He fell his smug spirits deflate. But Janeway wasn't finished.
"Every crewmember will report directly to him – including the lieutenant assigned to the helm."
It took a moment for him to register that. The disbelief must have gotten in the way. "Me?"
"I've entered into the ship's log on this date that I'm granting a field commission of Lieutenant to Thomas Eugene Paris." She stood and smiled at him. It was the first real smile he'd seen on her face since their first meeting in the prison. It completely transformed her – now she looked like someone he could genuinely trust and who genuinely trusted him. The effect was both startling and comforting. Of course, the fact that she'd given him the second chance he'd given up on since the day he had been arrested didn't hurt either.
"Congratulations, Mr. Paris," she said, shaking his hand.
He tried to thank her, but the words wouldn't leave his mouth. They seemed too small. Instead, all he said was, "For the first time in my life, I'm speechless."
"I only wish your father were here to know it." Her face fell every so slightly.
For some reason, he felt the need to reassure her.
"He'll know. I'll tell him myself when we get back." He met her eyes, trying and failing again to thank her, but somehow, she understood what he meant. He turned and left, fully planning to jump for joy the second he was alone. Neelix and Kes came through the door the moment he opened it and he dodged around them.
Janeway watched him go, then turned her attention to the pair now standing in her office.
"We've supplied and prepped your ship," she said. "It's ready to go."
Kes smiled blankly and Neelix whispered in her ear. Janeway blinked, then remembered that Kes hadn't yet learned Common. Before she could say anything, however, Neelix was speaking.
"[Well, actually, that's what we wanted to talk to you about, Captain.]" He paused, exchanged a grin with Kes and continued. "[We want to come with you.]"
She blinked. And here she thought he couldn't do anything else to surprise her.
"[I'm sorry, this isn't a passenger ship.]"
"[Oh, we wouldn't be passengers; we'd be valuable colleagues,]" he assured her. "[You need a guide? I'm your guide. You need supplies? I know traders from here to Port Nekrit. You need a cook? You haven't lived until you've tasted my angla-basque. It will be my job to anticipate your needs before you know you have them. And I anticipate your first need... will be me!]"
Neelix had quite a sales pitch. Janeway considered it for a moment. She knew next to nothing about this part of the world. Neelix's insight might prove invaluable. "[And Kes?]" the captain asked.
"[Where I go, Kes goes,]" said Neelix, as if it was obvious. He wrapped his arm around her, but she pulled away to plead her own case.
"[I'm not just coming to be with Neelix – I want to see the world. I had no idea there was a land outside the city. And now I find out that there's a whole world out here! You've shown me an incredible life of possibilities and I want to explore it!]"
Janeway smiled at her honesty. How could she deny someone who completely understood the whole philosophy of Seafleet?
"[Very well. I'll see to it that you're assigned quarters. But I want it understood that you'll be working just as hard as any other member of this crew.]"
Neelix drew himself up to his full height. "[You can count on us, Captain!]"
She grinned at them, and sent them on their way.
Janeway didn't want to leave until most of the major repairs had been completed. She was glad she had decided to wait. It gave the two crews a chance to acclimate to each other and her a chance to reorganize things like crew assignments and sleeping arrangements. The renegades had, sad to say, inherited most of their new belongings from the deceased crewmembers. She tried not to dwell on it for too long, reminding herself that they were being put to good use. Of course, there were not enough uniforms, leaving the renegades with only the clothes on their backs. That would not do. They deserved better than to wear worn out tunics and patched boots while the Seafleeters ran around in tailored jackets with shining buttons. Uniforms would be at the top of the list of things to do the next time they were in port and a long list it was.
In the end, she was glad she had decided to formally swear them in as crewmembers. The simple ceremony would assure all of them that this was one crew, on one ship. She passed the last baldric to the last of the renegades, who took his place back in line. They held their baldrics in both hands, waiting for her.
"Lieutenant Commander Chakotay, Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres, Lieutenant Elías Ayala, Ensign Clarice Knowles, Ensign Robert Hogan, Crewman Mara Jor, Crewman Gibson, Crewman Tabor Jaka, Crewman Jarvin, Crewman Gerron Ral, Crewman Kenneth Dalby, Crewman Maria Henley, Crewman Chell – do you solemnly swear as officers and crewmen to obey and uphold the rules of both this ship and the Federation for which it stands?"
"I swear," they answered as one.
"Do you swear loyalty and obedience to this crew and its captain?"
"I swear."
"Do you swear to protect the interests and crew of this ship, no matter the cost?"
"I swear."
"And now I ask the entire crew to answer me: do you swear to never stop believing for a moment that we will find our way back home?"
"I swear," the renegades and the Seafleet crew spoke together.
"Then, as captain of the Federation Seafleet ship Voyager, I hereby grant you your respective field commissions, effective immediately. Welcome aboard."
Ragged applause broke out across the deck as the renegades put on their baldrics. Some were looking as though it was a precious gift. A second chance usually was. She looked out at her crew on the deck: her original handpicked crewmen, the newcomer renegades, Neelix and Kes the unlikely allies, the misplaced ensign and her daughter and the former convict. Never had the phrase 'motley crew' fit more perfectly. If nothing else, they were in for the ride of their lives.
She turned to face the bow and spoke.
"We're alone, in an uncharted part of the world. We've already made some friends here – " she nodded at their unlikely allies – "and some enemies."
A broken line flapped loose, reminding her of the repairs yet to be made.
"We have no idea of the dangers we're going to face. But one thing is clear: both crews are going to have to work together to survive. That's why Commander Chakotay and I have agreed that this should be one crew – a Seafleet crew."
One or two of the renegades fidgeted with their baldrics. She ignored them. They would deal with the behavioral problems as they arose, later.
"And as the only vessel 'assigned' to the Far Sea, we'll continue to follow our directive to seek out new lands and explore the world."
Without warning, a whisper of doubt flickered through her mind. What hope did she actually have to try and join these crews together? Was she out of her mind for trying to force them together? Could she keep them from killing each other?
She shook it off. The only way those doubts would come true was if she let them.
"But our primary goal is clear. We may have to spend years at sea, trying to find our way home." She shook her head at the downcast looks. "I'm not willing to settle for that. There are others like the Caretaker out there. And we'll be looking for maps or charts or shortcuts to help us. Somewhere, along this journey," she promised them with everything she had, "We'll find a way back."
She looked out over the water, to the lands they were bound to discover, to the people they were soon to meet, to the home they would finally see again.
Drawing on all her strength, she spoke with what she hoped was enough conviction for all of them.
"Mr. Paris, Mr. Kim, set a course… for home."
They could do it. If hope and heart and bravery could lead them, they could do it. All they needed was time.