Prompt: Cate - "It's taken me 32 years to figure out who I want to be, and what I've learned is- it's a choice that you make every day about who you want to be and who you want to be it with. It means you appreciating what's happened in your life to bring you to this point and letting go of it." -'Life UneXpected'
Looking into the mirror, Chakotay reached up to finger the metal rank insignia on the collar of his new uniform. It was a familiar sight, but one that he had thought lied in his past. The only way he had ever thought he would be involved in Starfleet again was in a Starfleet brig. A short time ago the officers of this ship were his enemy and now he was their first officer. It was a twist of fate that he never would have anticipated.
Still, he had to admit that he felt comfortable in the uniform. He hadn't made the decision to leave Starfleet to join the Maquis lightly. At the time, he had felt a duty to his people to help them in their fight. Giving up all he had worked so hard for, had defied his father to pursue his dream in the first place, he had deemed a necessary sacrifice. He was not ashamed to say he had been Maquis but that part of his life was over now. Once again he was a Starfleet officer, serving onboard a Starfleet vessel. His loyalty was to Captain Janeway and the crew.
Turning from the mirror he headed out of his quarters. He may have been on the bridge before but he was anxious to now step foot onto it as Commander Chakotay.