I'm just taking these characters out to play; everything and everyone belongs to the keepers and creators of the show. Rated K. Enjoy.
An alarm was blaring and getting louder as they materialized, assaulting their senses before they were fully present. "What the hell?" Kathryn looked at Chakotay as appeared beside her. "Report," Kathryn called out, a furrow deep in her brow.
The ensign working the controls looked dumbfounded, "I'm not sure, Captain," he tapped at the console. "It's something to do with the biofilters, they..."
Kathryn slapped at her chest, "Janeway to Tuvok," she watched the young ensign fumbling over his workstation, her Captain's mask just barely hiding her irritation.
"Go ahead, Captain."
"What the hell is going on? We've got alarms going off down here," she moved to step off the transporter pad and was pushed back. "Damnit. And forcefields."
"The biofilters appear to have detected something in the pattern buffers, Captain. Biocontainment protocols have been initialized. Please stand by while I investigate."
Kathryn sighed as the comm ended. Unable to hide her annoyance, she shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Ensign. Silence that damn alarm," she barked as she turned away from Chakotay and started pacing.
Chakotay gave the young man a reassuring nod before turning his attention back to the Captain. She had been agitated most of the day despite their time on the surface being a pleasant and fruitful experience. She was quiet and, if possible, less interested in their gracious hosts than he had ever seen her. After years together, he knew her tells and could read her mood by the set of her jaw, and it was clear to him that she was on edge.
"Tuvok to Captain Janeway."
She stilled, dropping her hands to her hips. "Yes, Tuvok. What's going on?"
"We have come up with two likely explanations: 1. the biofilters are malfunctioning, as so far, nothing is showing up on internal sensors, or 2. a nano-organism was transported back with either yourself or Commander Chakotay, something that is not in our database and has likely triggered the emergency response. Until we can confirm which scenario is unfolding, we are at red alert, and Transporter Room 2 has been sealed."
Kathryn had something poised on her lips, but as soon as she heard red alert, her face changed, and her mouth dropped open. "You're joking." She said dryly.
"I'm afraid not, Captain." Kathryn rolled her eyes again, leaving them closed as she listened. "Level 4 quarantine protocols have been initiated for the transporter room, and a level 3 forcefield will remain in place around the transporter pad. I've instructed Ensign Jeffreys to purge the biofilters and initiate the negative pressure sequence to begin venting the room."
Lifting her face to the ceiling, Kathryn subtly shook her head. "I don't believe this," she muttered before she resumed stalking the transporter pad like a caged animal.
Chakotay gave a fleeting look to Jeffreys before turning in pursuit of Kathryn. Catching up to her in a few short strides, he used his size to herd her towards the back of the transporter pad. Lowering his voice, "Kathryn, are you alright? You seem-" Her expression was challenging, daring him to continue his thought. So he changed his tactic and smiled gently, "What's going on?"
Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighed, "this day."
"I'm sorry?" Bewilderment traced its way through his features.
Dragging her fingertips over her forehead, she hesitated. "It's just a bad day, Chakotay." And then, attempting to brush him off, she made to step around him, but he held out his hand, nearly catching her hip, and stopped her.
"I'm sure we'll be out of here soon; we've faced worse." His tone was soothing and reassuring.
"Yes, and on this day especially." She looked up from where his hand hovered at her side, searching his eyes, begging him to understand. When his expression remained uncertain, she continued by counting off on her fingers. "The Kazon took control of the ship. Kes left us. Omega! The day we entered the Void, and, if you can believe it, it's also the day we received Ransom's distress call." She let out an exasperated sigh. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that somewhere along the line, I pissed off some temporal deity, and this day will haunt me for the rest of my life."
Before Chakotay could respond, Tuvok's voice spoke over the comm. "Tuvok to the Captain."
"Go ahead, Tuvok."
"The internal sensors still aren't detecting anything. However, in the essence of time, I suggested we initiate eradication protocols and begin decontamination procedures."
"Now, hold on a second." Chakotay intervened, glancing over at the young ensign who had begun to pale, presumably fearing the worst. "Can we run a few more diagnostics? Ensure the filters aren't, in fact, malfunctioning before we start taking off our clothes." The young ensign's eyes widened, and as he looked to the Captain, colour surged back into his cheeks with a vengeance.
"Very well, Commander," Tuvok answered curtly, no doubt holding back a counterargument.
Casting Ensign Jeffreys a sympathetic look, Kathryn squeezed Chakotay's arm as she brushed past him. "Good idea," she whispered.
Following her gaze, Chakotay looked over to Ensign Jeffreys, helplessly poised at attention behind his post, a mixture of emotions painting his skin. "At ease, Ensign," Chakotay called over to him. "We could be here a while."
Captain Janeway glanced over her shoulder and nodded, seconding Chakotay's order. The young man let out a sobering breath before hurrying to his chair in the corner of the room, putting even more distance between himself and his commanding officers. With an internal chuckle, Chakotay leaned back onto the wall and lowered himself to the floor, fidgeting until he was comfortable; he sat with his legs stretched out in front of him and his arms crossed over his chest.
If he were stuck with anyone else, he would have tilted his head back and closed his eyes, but instead, intrigued and duty-bound, he watched as Kathryn's agitated pacing turned listless. And eventually, she came over to him, pressed her shoulders into the wall and slid down, dropping herself to the floor next to him. "Alright?" He asked once she'd made herself comfortable, crossing her legs at the ankle and angling her towards him.
"I need a cup of coffee." She grumbled.
"I think I'd prefer some cider." Chakotay laughed, "If I have to take my clothes off, it would help if I had some liquid courage."
She grinned at him, "I think you've seen just about everything I have that's worth seeing, Commander."
"Doubtful," his dimple winked at her, "but our friend over there hasn't seen you out of uniform, let alone standing in a towel. If he's intimidated by you now..." he trailed off with a chuckle.
Kathryn groaned through her laugh, tilting her head back against the wall. Her eyes slipped closed. And after a sobering moment, she sighed, "I hate this day."
He knew that placating her was futile, so instead, Chakotay acknowledged her sentiment by staying silent, considering the significance of this day, which seemed tethered to her by an overlapping of emotional scars.
Minutes of contemplative silence dragged on until she asked. "Have you ever seen these lights switch over to ultraviolet?" Chakotay turned at the sound of her voice and realized she was staring up at the ceiling. Looking past her at the cylindrical lights on the wall, he shook his head. "Neither have I." She crossed her arms, "It's probably one of Voyager's only systems I haven't seen operational."
"Have you ever had to decon before?" He asked, joining her appraisal of the lights on the ceiling.
"Sort of," she answered. "As a cadet, I was a part of a simulation, testing biocontainment suits." A laugh escaped from the back of her throat. "There was an incident with a vile of spores. They were neutralized, for the most part, but I still had to use the decon gel." Her head rolled to the side, "I broke out in a terrible rash. It was awful."
"I can only imagine." His heart fluttered as her smile reached for her eyes.
"What about you?" Straightening, she looked down at her feet, the toe of her boot brushing against his pant leg—their conversation easing her mood.
"No, never." He answered, "Although I probably should have a time or two, but Maquis ships aren't fitted with the same sensor and safety technology that Starfleet uses."
Nodding, her brow quirked as she grinned, and once again, they slipped into a companionable silence.
October third, Chakotay thought, had there really been that much chaos and tragedy on this day? If he had an aptitude for remembering things the way she did or the capacity to harbour guilt like her, this day might have stood out for him as well. Digging through the recesses of his memory, he considered the events Kathryn had listed: Ransom, the Void, Omega, Kes, The Kazon, but what about the year before that? Shifting, he bent his legs and leaned forward, resting his forearms over his knees, remembering. October third, 2371, Kathryn had given the order to blow up the Caretaker's array, stranding them all in the Delta Quadrant.
He looked over his shoulder at her, her gaze fixed on a distant memory, pulling her thoughts a million miles away.
"Tuvok to Captain Janeway."
With a blink, Kathryn composed herself. Reaching out, she gripped Chakotay's shoulder, using him for support as she stood. "Go ahead."
"My apologies, Captain. This unpleasant situation appears to have been a false alarm. During the last maintenance check on the biofiltration system, the sensors in Transporter Room Two were not properly realigned, causing the biofilters to malfunction. They have been reinitialized and are fully operational. There are no contaminants detected at this time. You'll find the forcefields have been deactivated."
"Thank you, Tuvok. I'll see you on the Bridge." Already moving off the transporter pad, she slowed her pace and briefly glanced back at Chakotay. "Thank you, Ensign," she gave Jeffreys a nod of approval as she headed for the door. "As you were."
They exited the Transporter Room together, the giddy relief of dodging decontamination momentarily erasing the tension of the day. "I don't know if I could have managed it," she flipped her hand up, brushing her knuckles over his chest, "striping in front of Jeffreys."
"Oh?" He grinned, their arms bumping together casually as they walked, "And I was just getting used to the idea."
Her playful smile was interrupted by the comm. "Commander Chakotay to Cargo Bay 5," and Neelix's voice grounded them.
Chakotay tapped his badge. "On my way," but there was no sense of urgency; whatever needed his attention there was less important than what needed his attention here because he knew the power of the guilt that sustained her. Slowing as they approached the turbolift, the door opened with a hiss. And as she crossed the threshold, he cautiously asked, "Did all those things really happen on this day?"
Turning, Kathryn lifted her eyes to meet his; her nod was barely noticeable.
"And...?" He started to ask as the doors closed. But he knew the answer; it was written in the set of her jaw. Contrition.
Kathryn entered her quarters with a sigh. The day hadn't been terrible, all things considered, but it wasn't even 1900 yet, and hope, she had learned, is a precarious thing. Peeling off her jacket, she moved deeper into her quarters and called for the lights. As the room brightened, her gaze instantly fell to the dining table, where a simple glass vase held six variegated pink roses in full bloom. Inhaling the fragrant perfume, her fingertips danced over the delicate petals as a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. The card read:
Six years ago, on this day, we were tied together for better or worse. I consider myself a lucky man to have found you and I'm humbled that I get to call you my friend. I am in awe of your courage and your determination, your strength and your compassion. Our friendship continues to fill me with peace. I am grateful for this day, Kathryn, and for you. Happy Anniversary! -C
P.S. Meet me at 2000 on Holodeck One, we can have a drink and celebrate making it through the day fully clothed.
