Chapter 2: Shore Leave at Davrax

Captain's Log. Stardate 50480.5

It has been five weeks since our encounter with Q. Since then our journey has been rather uneventful, nothing more than a few stray protostars to appease the inner explorers within us. We are currently travelling through a sparsely populated region with no present dangers so the crew is seizing the opportunity to upgrade their sections and have a bit of well-earned R&R.

I've given permission to Lt. Torres and her team to refit the warp coils so for the moment we're travelling at impulse. I don't foresee it to be a problem.

End Log

The Captain sat in her ready room reading through the latest batch of reports. It was a dull task but someone had to do it and unfortunately, it was her. Usually she didn't mind – it was her job – but she just couldn't stay focused on Lt. Murphy's Stellar Cartography report. She was too distracted by memories from the night before. Chakotay had treated her to a surprise picnic on Holodeck 2, the shores of Lake Berillia in the moonlight. She could still taste the coffee ice cream, still feel the way it melted slowly on her tongue and burst with intense flavour. Simply exquisite.

Sighing, she slammed the PADD onto her desk. She couldn't concentrate any longer. The words were all jumbled on the screen and her eyes were struggling to focus any longer. She needed a break.

"Computer, hot chocolate."

She found herself smiling as she heard it materialise in the replicator. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a hot chocolate.

Slowly pushing back on her chair, she inhaled the aroma which was already dispersing throughout the air. Now she wanted it more than ever. She stood and made her way up to the replicator, reaching for the cup after coming to a stop beside the device. A burst of heat shot up her hand. With a gasp, her hand flinched and retreated.

"Damn!" she swore, glancing at the pale skin where she was sure a red mark would be appearing soon.

"Warning: Cup hot."

"Now you tell me!"

Looking at the replicator, she had to remind herself it wasn't sentient. It wasn't like it had meant to burn her. Just because she was sure the replicator in her quarters had a vendetta against her, it didn't mean they all did.

The Captain waited for a moment to give the cup time to cool before reaching for it again.

"Bridge to Janeway."

She sighed quietly, trying to quickly contain her disappointment when she had to stop herself from picking the cup up and taking a sip.

"Yes, Tuvok?" she queried, already moving towards the door. A hail from Tuvok usually meant she was needed on the Bridge.

"We are being hailed by an approaching vessel."

She nodded silently to herself. She was right.

"On my way."

She entered the Bridge no more than a moment later, automatically looking at the approaching vessel on the viewscreen.

"On screen."

A male alien appeared on the screen with a smile reaching from ear to ear. He looked almost human in appearance apart from the fact he had grape purple lips and what looked like cooked seaweed for hair.

"I'm Halacanti of the planet Davrax." he introduced almost too excitedly, "Can we be of any assistance?"

The Captain sat down in her chair. "Assistance?" she enquired, a soft frown gracing her features.

"You seem to be travelling through this region at a sub-warp speed." he pointed out, "This isn't the most exciting area around so you're either intrigued by very dull nothingness or there's a problem… May we assist?"

The Captain smiled lightly and shook her head. "I assure you, we're fine." she promised, "My Chief Engineer needed us to decrease speed in order to refit our warp coils."

The alien nodded, much more interested at looking between the Bridge officers than listening to her explanation.

"I'm afraid I don't recognise your species." he sounded disheartened as he spoke.

"I certainly hope not." the Captain met his eye and smiled, "We're human, from a planet over 65,000 lightyears away. We're just trying to get home."

"65,000 lightyears?!" he cried, "How did you end up so far from home?"

Janeway sighed. "We arrived in this Quadrant due to a very unusual accident. Now we're just trying to get back."

Halacanti's eyes seemingly lit up. "Well, it's settled then, Captain…?" he trailed off.

"Janeway." she replied, "Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager."

"Well, Captain Kathryn Janeway, you must come to our planet. Our system is very close by and we would be honoured if you would accept our hospitality." he said, "It will give you time to complete your refit and although you won't be home, it may allow you to have a few days' rest before continuing your journey. It will clearly be a long one."

The Captain considered his offer. She wanted to trust him but both her Starfleet training and experience had taught her otherwise. The species they'd encountered so far in the Delta Quadrant rarely were what they seemed at first contact.

She looked over at Chakotay. He didn't seem hesitant; neither did any of the others. In fact, they all looked eager at the chance of a minor break. She had no doubt the rest of the crew would be in the same boat. Perhaps it would be worth the risk and she should ignore her doubts. Besides, Tuvok would analyse the security of the situation before they arrived at the planet to ensure the ship and crew's safety, of that she was sure.

Looking back at the alien, the Captain smiled softly.

"Okay then, Mr Halacanti. Lead the way."

"Excellent!" he exclaimed, "My crew are transmitting the coordinates to you now. At full impulse, we should reach it in about three hours."

"I've got them." Ensign Kim, the Chief Operations Officer, confirmed.

Looking towards Lieutenant Paris, the Chief Conn Officer, the Captain gave a brief nod.

"Engage."

=/\=

Voyager arrived at Davrax along with Mr. Halacanti's ship in a record two hours and twenty-seven minutes. The Captain wasn't going to lie; a part of her was sceptical. She couldn't simply ignore her gut. However, so far everything looked good. Even Tuvok's security assessment didn't show anything that could be considered a cause for concern.

The Bridge crew looked at the planet they were approaching on the viewscreen. The landmasses were a brilliant shade of red, surrounded by light orange oceans. Apart from the colour scheme, the planet looked painfully similar to Earth.

"Welcome to Davrax, Voyager!" Halacanti exclaimed, suddenly appearing on the viewscreen and causing the Captain to jump, "You're all very welcome here. Please enjoy!"

The communication ended as abruptly as it had started but left the Captain smiling. The idea of shore leave was appealing to her massively. A short break from long-term space travel was always good for morale.

She soon turned to the Commander, the one displaying a blinding smile. It was nice to see.

"Can I leave you to organise a shore leave rota?"

"Certainly." he agreed.

The Captain sighed contently and stood up, ready to return to her more than likely cold hot chocolate. However, the moment she stood was the same moment something changed. She froze, her eyes welding shut. What had begun as a dull ache at the back of her head had intensified and grown in only a matter of seconds. Now it was piercing ache over the top of her head, down her neck and between her eyes.

Wincing, the Captain pinched the arch of her nose almost violently. Her moans captured the attention of many Bridge officers, Chakotay included.

"Captain?" he stood and was at her side in seconds, the concern in his voice missed by no-one.

"I'm fine." she stated abruptly, pushing away from his support instantly. It felt a little suffocating.

It hadn't been the first time she'd had a headache like it. Over the past couple of weeks, sudden, intense headaches had been her most dominant companions. They always took her breath, and not in the good way.

The Captain lost her balance and stumbled back, her hand shooting out and attempting to grab something for support. However, Chakotay had been close enough to steady her. He was good like that.

"Captain?" he asked again.

She only shook her head. She didn't need him fussing over her, especially not in front of the crew.

The pain passed as suddenly as it occurred and within moments, she was able to open her eyes. The relief was apparent to all but no-one more than the Captain herself.

"Are you alright?" the Commander wanted to know.

"Yes." she sighed loudly, colour swarming back into her features.

"Maybe you should go to Sickbay." he suggested quietly.

"No. I'm just going to go to my quarters."

"Captain…" he tried to argue.

"Commander." she interrupted, "If it happens again, I'll go to Sickbay. I promise."

He smiled softly. He knew she wouldn't. She was too stubborn for her own good but he knew that was the best he was ever going to get.

=/\=

Captain's Log. Stardate 50505.1

The crew have spent the last nine days on Davrax. Mr. Halacanti and Mr. Neelix have had a ball trading supplies and according to Mr. Neelix, we now have enough supplies to make it all the way back to the Alpha Quadrant and back again.

We're due to depart at 0900 hours' tomorrow morning. Mr. Halacanti has invited the entire crew down to their main hall for a send-off party. I have to admit; I'm rather looking forward to it. I've only been down to the planet once, far less than I'd hoped. I hope tonight makes up for it.

End Log

"Ready to go?" Chakotay called.

He was in the living area of the Captain's quarters waiting patiently for her to finish getting ready. She was taking a rather long time, certainly more than usual.

In all fairness, the Captain was already ready. Dressed in a knee-length midnight blue dress and hair tied up in a loose ponytail, not being ready wasn't the reason she was taking her time. Truth be told, she felt nauseous. Actually, she wanted to be sick. That way, she could rid herself of the horrendous feeling.

"Kathryn?"

She sighed deeply at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

"I'm coming." she called in response.

She entered her living area and saw Chakotay dressed up in a casual yet classy grey suit jacket. She couldn't deny it, he looked good.

Upon seeing her, his smile grew twice the size.

"You look beautiful." he complimented as she stopped mere inches in front of him.

She smiled weakly and it didn't go unnoticed.

"You don't look too bad yourself." she told him, her eyes fluttering shut as his hand came up to her cheek.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

She opened her eyes. His protective streak was starting to surface and she noticed. She loved the fact that he cared, she even loved the feeling of his fingertips on her cheek, she just hated being mollycoddled. He knew that.

She sighed, stealing a chaste kiss from his lips. "I'm fine."

He knew she was lying. Her skin was almost burning underneath his fingertips.

"Kathryn…"

"Alright, I've been better." she admitted, "Can we go now?"

Chakotay's thumb ran along her cheekbone. "Kathryn, you don't have to go tonight." he pointed out. "I'm sure everyone will understand if…"

Her eyes actually rolled. "Oh, come on."

Chakotay sighed silently and followed as she began to walk off without him. He didn't want to argue with her. There was no point. He knew she hadn't been feeling fantastic over the past few days, not that she'd admitted it, but he knew her. Kathryn Janeway, too stubborn for her own good.

"After you…" he sighed to himself, the Captain long gone out of her quarters.

=/\=

The party had been non-stop and surprisingly fun for all involved. The entire Bridge crew, except Tuvok, had attended along with at least eighty other Voyager crew members. The rest of the large hall was filled with Davraxians.

Everyone seemed to be having a blast, all but the Captain. She was ridiculously tired and there was nothing she could do to hide it any longer.

All night, Chakotay had had to share her with Mr. Halacanti. He was ecstatic that she'd finally come down to the planet. However, two hours of constant dancing had taken its toll so she'd retired to a nearby table. Chakotay had been keeping a close eye on her so when he saw her take a seat, he took the opportunity to join her.

Even as he made his way over, he could see she looked pale. Pale, tired and out of breath. She wasn't well and it was obvious. Why she'd allowed herself to use up energy she frankly didn't have, he couldn't explain. Sometimes she just didn't consider her health to be as important as she should have.

"Kathryn?"

She lifted her head and smiled feebly at him. "I'm tired." she admitted easily, knowing he would ask why she undoubtedly looked as bad as she felt.

Chakotay nodded in understanding. "Do you want to go back to Voyager?"

She sighed, almost like she'd given in, and nodded. "Yes."

His eyes widened as her eyes closed, her head falling back momentarily. That concerned him. Kathryn Janeway never surrendered that easily.

Walking over and standing behind her, Chakotay lightly grasped her bare shoulders with his hands. She felt warmer than earlier which he didn't think would have been possible.

"Hey… come on." he almost whispered, receiving a soft smile off her as her eyes opened and he guided her to her feet.

As they turned, Mr. Halacanti instantly appeared in front of them. The Captain jumped abruptly.

"Oh, Captain. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

The Captain softly laughed at her hyperactive new friend. "It's okay," she reassured him, "but I am going back to Voyager now."

"I understand, of course." he told her genuinely, "I'm amazed how someone in your condition has managed to last two full hours. We're a rather hyper bunch, you know."

Chakotay immediately frowned. "Condition?" he enquired, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Mr. Halacanti went a little red in the face. "Sorry." he apologised, "I shouldn't have said that."

Chakotay briefly looked down at the Captain who didn't seemed as concerned about his words as he was. Then again, she was tired. She probably wasn't listening properly.

"Good luck, Captain. Commander." the alien wished, "I do hope you have a safe voyage home."

The Captain watched as Mr Halacanti dived back into the crowd. However, her eyes soon lost sight of him when a large yawn flushed through her system.

Chakotay simply wrapping his arm around her waist. "Come on; let's get you back to Voyager."