Would you have served under me?
The simple question haunted Kathryn for days. She corrected herself, it was no simple question, it was virtually overflowing with double meaning.
She had been quite shocked by his asking that question, it was so…controversial. Yet she had quickly learned that he was no ordinary officer, that’s what made him such a good one. She had however recovered quickly and laughed it of, saying that one of the perks of command was that you could keep some things to yourself. He understood and laughed it off with her. But she had a feeling that he might not let it go so easily. But really, what did he expect her to say? What would she have said if he had pressed on? She honestly didn’t know.
Would I have served under him?
Kathryn pondered the idea for a second. Probably not, she thought. Most likely she would have sited a number of reasons for why she should serve over him, even if Voyager had been destroyed. The fact that she had more people behind her was only one of the reasons she would have used had the situation arose.
But she would have been on his ship, on his territory. Would he have given up command of his own ship to me? I should have asked him that she thought turned the question around to him.
But she knew there was another, more personal reason for why her answer would have been no. It wouldn’t have been about trust, he had, after all, proven that he could command a starship. No, the reasons would have been purely personal, and selfish.
She had gone into this mission a captain. She was The Captain and she wanted to stay the Captain. She knew she was a proud person and she was sure she would have been able to give up command just like that, even if the situation had been critical.
In that perspective, he was a much bigger person that she was. He had seen the situation as it really was; they need to unite, the Maquis had to go over to Voyager. And they couldn’t be two crews, they had to be one crew. So he did what he had to do and his crew followed.
Yes she thought with a smile. Definitely a bigger man. And one day she would give him a proper thank you.
THE END
