Tuvok sat in the centre of the bridge.
He checked the internal sensors again.
4 hours, 23 minutes.
He had checked the programme they had selected when they had left the bridge.
This lake must be of considerable size, requiring several hours to navigate.
His observation of the Captain's uncharacteristically animated demeanour as she had transversed the bridge earlier with the Commander preceding her, provided a basis for an alternative hypothesis.
He checked sensors again.
The privacy lock had not been engaged.
His duty to monitor this uncharacteristic behaviour, following the alien possession, and any repercussions it could have for ship's security, justified the minimal intrusion into their privacy.
He deduced that the shared trauma his commanding officers had undergone the previous evening was responsible for inspiring the noticeable increase in the level of familiarity with which they usually conducted themselves around one another whilst on duty.
Their behaviour in the shuttle had been uncharacteristically intimate, but he had assumed it was simply the immediate after effects of the shock. That the changes should be still in evidence the following day had not been in line with his expectations.
Earlier that evening, the Commander had suddenly handed command of the bridge over to him without warning and disappeared into the turbo lift. He had returned several minutes later carrying a single flowering rose stem, which he had then taken directly into the Ready Room.
Tuvok was aware of the significance humans attributed to specific flowers.
The events of the past twenty-four hours caused him to revisit his analysis of the command team's seemingly successful reintegration into their roles on board, after the isolated weeks they'd spent together on the planet in Videan space several months ago.
On their return to the ship, Tuvok had been satisfied initially to witness the energetic dedication to duty displayed by both officers, despite weeks spent functioning presumably outside of the command structure planet-side.
In the first meeting he had had with Captain Janeway on her return, in which she had debriefed him regarding all shipboard developments during her absence, Tuvok had initiated the one and only conversation he had ever conducted with her on the subject of the possibility of an intimate relationship between herself and Commander Chakotay.
Aware of the length of time his commanding officers had been alone together outside of the command structure, Tuvok had considered that there was a possibility they would have pair-bonded during this time. Consequently, en route to their rescue with the medicine the Doctor believed would treat their condition, he had revisited Starfleet protocols regarding the formation of intimate relationships amongst senior staff serving on the same vessel.
He had found few protocols applicable to their unique situation and had resolved to ask the Captain directly about the matter. If their relationship had evolved, he was confident at that time that the Captain would develop strategies to ensure it did not interfere with their primary responsibilities to the ship. So, as soon as she concluded the debriefing, he had asked her if there were any changes in the nature of her relationship with the Commander that he needed to be made aware of.
She had flushed and laughed nervously, and assured him that there were no such changes. She had continued briefly, saying that as captain she was bound by protocol to refrain from entering into an intimate relationship with a member of her crew. She further remarked that she needed to have one hundred per cent of her energy and attention focused on their primary goal. Getting the crew home. And then she had immediately directed the conversation towards a different topic.
Tuvok had considered this to be an acceptable response, and had not perceived a need to initiate further discussion as to the applicability of such protocols to their situation. Particularly since she was clearly experiencing discomfort at having to air such a topic with him at all.
He had concluded that the Captain must be in agreement with the protocol document. It asserted that the formation of fully-fledged pair bonds between commanding officers ran the risk of impairing their objectivity, efficacy and efficiency in the performance of their duties. For these reasons, the formation of such relationships should be discouraged.
Tuvok considered whether this was a valid concern in relation to his commanding officers.
Whilst he rarely shared the Commander's all-too-human perspectives or opinions concerning situations they had encountered these three years, he had found the Commander's performance as first officer to be adequate. He had also noted that the Captain valued the Commander's judgment, support and his company, and that his presence could increase her sense of well-being. Their respect and affection for each other were evident even to him. Were they not in a command structure, he would have considered them to be a well-matched couple for forming a pair bond.
It was unfortunate their circumstances and her determination to adhere to protocol prohibited such a mating. He did not believe the Commander would be so insistent that the guidelines be lived out to the letter.
His superior auditory capacity had resulted in his overhearing countless conversations between them over the years, as they sat in their designated command chairs on the bridge. He had paid little attention to such interactions, but had nevertheless registered the gradually increasing intimacy of these exchanges since their return to the ship in recent months.
However, when it came to combining a command role with an emotional attachment of even greater intimacy, Tuvok could see that the objections raised in the Starfleet protocol document might pertain. He did not believe the Commander would succeed in managing such conflicting demands effectively. He based his conclusions on observation of the tumultuous and volatile liaison the Commander had had with Ensign Seska.
He had been intimate with Ensign Seska for only a short time and had not appeared to be particularly emotionally attached to her. If a bond of little significance could have such a negative effect on his judgment, then the possible impairment of his judgment resulting from his far more significant attachment to the Captain might have disastrous consequences for the crew and the ship. Tuvok already believed the Commander to be over-protective of the Captain and prone to excessive risk taking, if her safety was ever in the balance.
He did not feel such concerns were equally applicable to the Captain. She had demonstrated an extraordinary capacity for behaving with almost Vulcan-like stoicism on occasion, suppressing her personal inclinations in a manner which he found to be rare amongst humans, and which had earnt her his respect very early on in their working relationship. It was probable that she would be able to successfully combine an attachment with her command role. Her devotion to duty was unswerving and unquestionable. Despite her own misgivings, he believed she would be capable of maintaining her professional objectivity. The Commander's prominent role in away missions had already placed him in numerous life-threatening situations to date, and the Captain had always behaved with consummate professionalism on these occasions.
He was well aware that humans had a need to express and experience emotional connections in order to retain their general sense of well-being, so he had concluded that the Captain must still be able to somehow draw considerable solace from memories of the familial and romantic attachments left in the Alpha Quadrant. Other than the few working friendships she had developed with crewmembers such as himself, the commander, Kes and Neelix, he was not aware that she had any other connections of an emotional or even of a social nature with members of the crew.
There had been occasions in recent months, when Tuvok's observations of the Commander's behaviour and decision-making processes had indicated a substantial level of tension, between the forces of emotional attachment the Commander had developed for his captain and his awareness of the need for a certain level of professional objectivity.
When the Captain had undergone the rituals prescribed by the keepers of the shrine Kes had unintentionally disturbed, the Commander had neglected his duties on the bridge and secluded himself in sickbay, keeping constant vigil, monitoring readings of the captain's bio signs. This activity had been inappropriate. It represented an unnecessary duplication of the physician's duties and an inefficient use of the Commander's expertise.
The Commander had not shared his opinion on the matter.
The previous evening, when they had arrived in a shuttle to begin treating the Captain's injuries, Tuvok and the Doctor had found the Commander to be in a state of obvious emotional distress.
The Commander's behaviour had remained within the parameters of professionalism throughout the part of the ordeal on the planet's surface that Tuvok had witnessed, but the strain this had put the Commander under had been evident. During the return shuttle ride, Tuvok had observed that the professional distance he had come to expect his superior officers to maintain, in the presence of other crewmembers, had all but vanished completely.
Given the severity of the head injury the Captain had sustained and the degree of difficulty the Doctor had encountered stabilising it, Tuvok had expected the Doctor to insist she lie down in the rear section of the shuttle for the duration of the trip. He had found it illogical that the physician had allowed the Commander to continue supporting her, once they were inside. For his part, the Doctor had pointedly ignored Tuvok's questioningly raised eyebrow, as both men had watched the Commander gently settle the Captain into the seat beside him.
Tuvok had felt it incumbent upon himself to suggest to her that she lie down. She had replied with her habitual dismissal of concern for her well-being, and had allowed the Commander to maintain contact with her.
The Commander had seemed oblivious to the fact that his arm was around the Captain's shoulders and he was holding her hand in his throughout the duration of the trip. As he had moved past them to take his seat at the helm, Tuvok had seen the Commander graze the Captain's temple with his lips, in a gesture of unambiguous intimacy.
Despite the fact they were seated behind him, a few minutes into the flight Tuvok's superior auditory capabilities meant that he had overheard the Commander whisper, "Don't ever do that to me again, Kathryn."
Even with his superior hearing, he had not been able to make out her hushed response.
Whilst the Vulcan had come to trust the first officer's judgment in the majority of matters of ship's business, he did not trust his judgment when it came to his management of his feelings for the Captain. Tuvok could see evidence to support the assertion that, in the wake of the Captain's near death experience, the Commander was in danger of losing some, if not all, of the control he habitually exercised over the demands of his heart.
If a Vulcan and a self-absorbed hologram had been able to perceive the strength of the emotions the Commander had been unconsciously exuding, then Tuvok reasoned that they must have been all too apparent to the human crewmembers they had encountered on their return to the ship.
In turn, on her exit from the ready room earlier, he had seen evidence that the Captain's behaviour had also been affected. The Commander was clearly in neglect of his duties in inviting the Captain to the holodeck well in advance of the end of his shift. It was out of character for the Captain to condone, let alone take part in, such behaviour.
He resolved to continue monitoring their movements.