© October 9, 2000
Disclaimer: Voyager belongs to Paramount Pictures. No infringement intended.
Commander Chakotay readied the Delta Flyer II for launch, sighing over the fact that he had been given no choice but to tie Kathryn Janeway up. He took a chance and glanced over his shoulder. Yep, there she was. Death-glaring him as usual.
"I really had no choice, you know," he stated quietly as the shuttlebay was depressurized.
"There is always a choice, Commander," she stated knowing that by using his command title instead of his name, she would irritate the hell out of him -- considering their predicament. It was the only revenge that was available to her since her wrists, knees and ankles were bound with replicated rope.
"I don't consider 'A 'leave' of absence for the Captain from Starship and Crew' or 'A 'leave' of absence for the Commander from Starship and Crew to answer charges immediately' worthwhile choices, Kathryn," he stated bitterly. "That is what Starfleet specified to the both of us, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is. And I was willing to be the one--" she felt her body slide down further on the floor as the flyer jolted to life and whisked out of the starship and out into space. She wondered if Tuvok had spotted them yet, from the window of the messhall? No doubt his first, logical thought would be, 'Odd.'
"You're always willing to be the one to sacrifice it all--" Chakotay stated.
Kathryn knew he was given to moments of passion, given to moments of weakness and . . . and love . . . so she wasn't too surprised this was all happening. Then again -- he was in big trouble according to her books.
"Well, not this time. I'm tired of everything and everyone dictating to us how it's going to be. That we can't be in love, that we can't marry and that we can't produce a family of our own!"
She let his words carry out -- obviously there were things that needed to be said.
He continued, as he set the course for an orbit around Earth, "I'll be damned if Starfleet will decide for us that, after crossing the galaxy, any relations between their, forgive me Kathryn, 'prodigal girl Captain' and the 'damn rebel Maquis' take place."
Kathryn sighed as she remembered her disappointment and personal agony that Starfleet had pushed on her. Kathryn and Chakotay had covered ship's business, they had covered crew business and just about everything else that would have been Starfleet's business. But they had pushed it. They had trusted where trust couldn't be given or received. They had asked permission to be in love. A Starfleet Captain and A Former Maquis Rebel who still had to stand against charges incurred from his past.
Chakotay picked up on her sigh, and moved away from the piloting console to kneel beside her. "They gave you, *you* -- Kathryn Janeway -- an ultimatum. Either get rid of me or get rid of your Starfleet career. I know how much this rank, this lifestyle means to you . . . and I'm not about to let you sacrifice it. But, I'm hoping I also mean something to you -- that you wouldn't want to sacrifice me either."
Kathryn closed her eyes, "A choice has to be made Chakotay--"
"That's right," he stated and watched as she opened her eyes as if he had just given his agreement. "And that's why, this time, I'm going to make it for you." He sealed the words with a firm kiss to her lips, cutting off the protests that they had just started to form.
Admiral Owen Paris shook his head and wondered how it had come to this. He relayed the message again to his own PADD, to make sure it had come through correctly the first time. It had.
Starfleet Headquarters:
Message relay from Delta Flyer II, Federation Class Excursion Ship, Current Orbit Pattern - five, three zero nine, Earth.
Commander Chakotay of the U.S.S. Starship Voyager requests permission to marry Captain Kathryn Janeway of the U.S.S. Starship Voyager. Also, requesting that both Captain and Commander remain onboard U.S.S. Voyager to fulfill their duties to Starfleet and the Federation.
Reply within thirty minutes with negotiations.
"This has got to be some kind of sick joke!" Admiral Paris looked at the young Ensign who had delivered the PADD from Admiral Nelson who had said, quite frankly, that he just couldn't handle it any more.
"I'm afraid not, Sir."
"Fine," Paris stated. "He wants to play hardball using my prodigal student, then I'll play. I'm twice as old and ten times as much a hardball as that young thing is!'