Prompt: Edward Monclair - "And as I started to run out of air, I realized how small we are in this universe. How every breath, every moment is a gift." - 'When Calls the Heart'

After facing death in the cargo bay two weeks ago, Gerron Ral had done a lot of thinking about himself, his situation, and what he wanted to be doing. Yes, options were limited here but assuming they never made it home, Stellar Cartography wasn't where he wanted to spend his life. Before now though he hadn't been sure what else he wanted to do, so he had kept his head down, tried to do what people asked, and made the best of the situation.

Just when he had figured out what he would like to try, he could feel any chance he had of persuing it slipping away. Gerron found himself staring down at his hands, folding in his lap, a habit he had been trying to break himself from. Perhaps it didn't matter.

"Do you have anything to say, Crewman Gerron?" Chakotay asked, putting down the PADD as he finished reading the remarks from Gerron's supervisor.

"Only that I've tried my best to learn the job. Everything down there was new to me. I had no idea what was expected of me when I was assigned down there but I tried my best to do what was expected of me. I thought I was improving."

"According to your performance records, you are, even if you're not quite at Lt. Commander Jacobs standards. Tuvok also had very positive things to say about your performance during his training session. Also, you're attempts to be more sociable have not gone unnoticed."

"Then what more do you want from me?"

"When we merged crews, you were the hardest to place in a department. As I told Janeway then, you were kind of a jack of all trades on the Val Jean, you did your best at whatever was asked of you. You had no Starfleet training like some of the other Maquis. We ended up placing you in a department that we felt would add the least amount of stress to an already difficult situation. It was our intention to give you an opportunity to try other departments once things settled, but you had difficulty adjusting to life on Voyager. That's why I had you got through Tuvok's training session."

"I learned a lot there," Gerron said finally looking up.

"All four of you did. More than we intended. What I want from you is to know if there is something you'd like to give a try."

Gerron looked down again. "Security," he said, waiting for Chakotay to laugh at him.

"Really," Chakotay said, surprised. "And what brought this on?"

Gerron looked up. "I almost died in that Cargo Bay. Tuvok and the others risked their lives to save mine. It made me realize that we're not invincible. That life is a precious gift, one worth not only making the most of, but of protecting. Defending this ship and her crew is one way that I can protect that gift and make my life mean something."

"I'll talk to Tuvok for you."