The Tuesday Club
By Emily
They were gathering in secret to keep their cause alive.
They had started in their first week in the Delta Quadrant, a chance meeting with ten of the former Maquis. They gathered in someone’s quarters, nobody remembers whose, and they talked about their situation. They were on the wrong side of the galaxy, 75 years away from the cause they had given up everything for, and they were on the enemy’s ship. Their Captain was now a Starfleet Captain and they were wearing Starfleet uniforms.
It could’ve been worse, somebody had commented; they could have found themselves on the wrong side of the galaxy on a Cardassian ship. Or with a Starfleet Captain less friendly to the Maquis.
Truth be told, none of them could really feel hatred towards their new Captain. Of course this was something that no one present at that first meeting would admit to. But they all knew that Chakotay trusted Janeway. And they trusted Chakotay.
So they kept meeting; in the beginning it was for survival. To join together with former comrades just to ensure that their cause was, somehow, still there. They knew their fellow Maquis were still fighting back in the Alpha Quadrant. So they met up every Tuesday and thought of them. They also reminisced, recalling personal experiences. They talked of things they had never discussed while living the renegade life. They cried, they laughed, and sometimes they went to the holodeck and fought with holograms, just to let of some steam.
The nature of the meetings changed on stardate 51501.4, when news reached them of the fate of their fighting comrades. The cause they had fought for was no more. They all watched as Chakotay repeated the news to each and every one of them. By the time they all knew, he seemed to have retreated inside himself. They all worried.
But however much they all wanted to help him and each other, nobody really knew how. It was too difficult to since they didn’t know how to help themselves out of the grieving, the hatred, and the pain ... much less somebody else.
That Tuesday, the club didn’t meet. Some said that they had no wish to reminisce about a cause now dead, others just didn’t want the reminder.
It took two weeks for the meetings to begin again. By that time, they had come through the initial shock. It was clear to them that Captain Janeway had helped Chakotay through it.
But the meetings still weren’t the same. There was a more serious tone to them. Over the years they had gotten diffuse, subjects had varied. After the news they once again began talking of their cause and now, more than ever, they saw themselves as the Maquis of the Delta Quadrant. They had lost sight of their cause momentarily, but now they were back. They were the Maquis, and they swore to keep their cause alive.
But through out it all, they kept it a secret from the original Starfleet crew. And also from two of their former Maquis crewmembers who were now senior officers: Chakotay and B´Elanna.
It hadn’t been discussed, it was just a silent agreement. They wanted this for themselves, and however much they liked and trusted Chakotay, they knew that he might feel obligated to tell the Captain. And however much they had come to like and trust Captain Janeway; they didn’t want her to know.
So the Tuesday club, as they came to call it, remained a secret for six years.
It all changed when they were under the influence of a man name Teero.
None of them had given a second thought as to what they were discussing. On the bridge, in front of people who hadn’t known, they talked. Someone had mentioned casually that the day was Tuesday and asked, right up front, if they were meeting with the Tuesday club.
The others had answered that there wasn’t any point, now that they were real Maquis again. No need to hold secret meetings anymore.
Those on the bridge who hadn’t known, Chakotay, B´Elanna and Tuvok, didn’t give it a second thought. It wasn’t until after they had regained control of themselves that they remembered what they had heard.
Tuvok was the first of the three to ask about it; calmly, in the Commanders office, he asked about the Tuesday club. Chakotay answered that he knew nothing, which was the truth, and promised the Vulcan that he would look into it. Then he ordered Tuvok not to tell the Captain.
Tuvok, only raising an eyebrow at this request, nodded and left the room.
Chakotay breathed heavily, trying to sort out his thoughts. Then he went to see B´Elanna.
B´Elanna, who also had been kept in the dark, was just as curious about the Tuesday club as Chakotay, albeit a little less worried.
So the two of them assembled the former Maquis. Chakotay said that he wouldn’t order them to come clean, he would however not let anyone leave the room until he knew something.
So they talked. For an hour the story of the Tuesday club was unfolded. They spoke of the first meeting all those years ago, how it had been a life line of sorts, and how it had developed into something much more, a link to their past.
When they were done there was silence. Their secret was out; the question was, what was Chakotay going to do about it.
He sighed heavily, walked up to the window, and watched the stars. The silence continued and the nervous crewmembers began to grow restless, shuffling their feet and looking at each other nervously from one to the other.
Finally, Dalby had had enough. "Come on Chakotay, don’t leave us hanging like this. What are you gonna do about it…you aren’t gonna tell the Captain, are you?"
"Why would that be so bad!?" Chakotay turned abruptly and glared at them.
"Why are you all guarding this with your lives? Why have you kept it a secret from me, B´Elanna…"
B´Elanna, who had been keeping unusually quiet, shot up her head and looked at Chakotay, wondering a little why he had brought her into this. This would make them feel guilty and she didn’t really want that…well okay, she admitted to herself, she wanted it a little. But for Chakotay to bring it up just like that annoyed her though she wasn’t quite sure why.
She didn’t say anything though, nobody did. Chakotay sighed again and sat down on the arm of a chair.
"Look, I suppose I’m not surprised you kept it a secret in the beginning. But now, after all this time, why do you still feel the need to?"
If possible, the crewmembers standing in front of him looked even more guilty. Henley finally spoke up.
"I guess we just didn’t want you or the Captain to worry, to think that it’s some kind of uprising or rebellion. It’s not, not against anything that goes on here anyway."
"It’s a way to remember who we were." Ayala said.
Chakotay nodded. He understood, he did. But he couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that it had been going on unbeknownst to him. He stood up and said. "I understand; and it’s okay don’t feel guilty. Really. I understand why you’ve had the meetings, and I think in principle they are a good thing. But you should have told me. Anyway, now it’s in the open. You go on and have your Tuesday meetings."
"What about the Captain?" Jor asked. "Are you going to tell her?"
"I don’t know yet, but whether I do or not, believe me when I say that it will change nothing."
The crewmembers nodded and began filing out of the room. Chakotay sat on the edge of his chair and watched them. His former crew, his Maquis; Ayala, Doyle, Gerron, Carlson, Henley, Yosa, Jarvin and all the others. He wondered about the Maquis who weren’t with them anymore ? Hogan, Suder, who had betrayed them. And Chakotay´s good friend Kurt Bendera. Had he known, had he even debated telling him about it? And what about Seska? If she had known, wouldn’t she have used it? But if she didn’t know, why did the others keep her in the dark? Had they always suspected that she was untrustworthy; was he the only one who was blind to her?
He sat alone; he wanted to talk about it with Kathryn. Now, more than ever, he wished he could speak to her only as Kathryn, his friend, without wondering whether the Captain would be listening. He wanted to talk to her about the meetings, about what it meant that he hadn’t known. About his worry that he had come too close to Starfleet for his former crew.
He once again felt torn between two worlds: his Maquis world and the world of Starfleet that Kathryn had shown him on Voyager.
There was no way he could understand any of this without her. He needed her input, and to use her as a sounding board.
"Computer, is there a holodeck available?"
Affirmative, holodeck two is available until 18.00 hours., the voice replied.
"Reserve it for Commander Chakotay for two hours, starting now. Chakotay to Janeway…"
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Thirty minutes later, the two of them were sitting on a bench by a lake, sipping some coffee that he had brought. Perhaps he hadn’t needed the coffee, however, for Kathryn had agreed quickly. He had said that he needed his friend’s help and she must have seen how worried he was since she had agreed immediately. He had asked her to change out of her uniform-- which had awarded him a questioning glance from her--but she had done as he asked.
Sitting there, he told her about the Tuesday club. About how it had been going on ever since their first week in the Delta Quadrant and how it had been kept a secret.
He told her about the meeting he had had with the Maquis crewmembers and what they had said.
When he was done, they sat silently for a moment.
"How do you feel about this?" she asked.
He sighed and shook his head.
"I don’t know. On the one hand, I wonder why I wasn’t involved in the club, why they didn’t want to tell me about it. Then again I’m glad they started having these meetings. It’s certainly proven to be a source of strength for them. And it’s good to know that even out here they still remember who they were. I’m just worried that they’ve forgotten who I was, and that I've forgotten myself."
She looked at him compassionately. "You haven’t forgotten Chakotay. Remember what you said to me when we got that communiqué from Starfleet? They wanted to know about the status of the Maquis."
He nodded. "I said that you might have forgotten, but that we haven’t."
"This club proves that, and even if you weren’t an active member, I know you well enough to know that you haven’t forgotten either."
He didn’t say anything. Just looked out across the lake. He couldn’t quite say what was bothering him. As if reading his mind ,she said softly,
"Do you think you’re reacting this strongly because you are afraid that it will seem like the crew’s divided…that the Maquis should remember, but not act?"
Chakotay nodded slowly. "Yes, maybe that’s it. I’m afraid that if this were to reach Starfleet, it would be seen as an uprising, as if they were sitting there making plans to take over the ship! Maybe that’s why they didn’t tell me. They didn’t know how far it would go. And you know something, if I´d heard rumours about these meetings in the early days, I probably would have thought so too."
"But now you don’t?"
"No. I know they don’t feel that way anymore. They’re still devoted to the cause but this…" he waved his hand around the room indicating the ship. "this isn’t what we were fighting against. And they’ve all come to look at Voyager and the crew as their home and family."
They smiled at each other and their conversation ebbed. They sat together on the bench and looked at the setting surrounding them, hearing the birds chirp and the soft wind. So real was the simulation and the peace that came with it, that they both forgot they were on a starship sailing through space.
They sat together on the bench and looked at the surrounding nature, heard the birds chirp and for a while they both forgot they were on a starship floating in space so real was the simulation and their peace.
As time passed, they slowly came back to reality and ended the program. Before they left the holodeck, Kathryn took hold of Chakotay´s arm.
"Chakotay, maybe you should ask to sit in on some of these meetings they have. Not as Voyager’s first officer, but as their former Maquis Captain?"
He looked down at the ground debating.
"Think about it. You don’t have to tell me your answer if you don’t want to." She added.
He looked up at her and smiled. He brought his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a hug. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest. They stood like that for a minute until he eased back just enough to be able to look at her face.
Grazing her cheek with his thumb he said. "Thank you Kathryn."
"Anytime Chakotay."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Two weeks later, on a Tuesday evening, the chime rang on the door of Chell´s quarters. A minute passed until the door finally opened the door.
"Chakotay!"
Surprise was evident on his face, and Chakotay smiled a little.
"May I come in?" he asked. Chell simply nodded and took a step back to reveal a dimly lit room. The room was packed with several of the crew, all casually dressed, sitting on chairs, sofas, and couches eating the snacks laid on the table. It was, Chakotay thought, a very homey comfortable environment.
"I uh…I wondered if maybe I could join you." He said to the group staring at him.
Their faces varied from shock, to disbelief, to glad surprise.
"Of course!" He heard a voice say, and realised it was B´Elanna. He looked at her and smiled, glad that she had been included as well.
So more drinks were poured, snacks were eaten, and conversations were held. Later in the evening someone discreetly asked him whether or not he had told the Captain. He said he hadn’t. He had told Kathryn. The Captain hadn’t been there. But he didn’t tell them that, knowing they wouldn’t see the difference.
So the Tuesday club meetings continued through the highs and lows of the journey and beyond. They were, after all, Maquis.
THE END
May 2002
Rating: PG-13
Summary: While being controlled by Teero´s mind control the Maquis crew unwillingly reveal a secret they have kept hidden for six years.
Disclaimer: Paramount owns everything Star Trek. I own this story.
Authors note: The title “The Tuesday club” is taken from an actual club formed in Sweden in the 1940´s that fought against Nazi ideas taking root. The club was started by the authoress Amelie Posse. They met on Tuesdays.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
The meetings were never spoken of, never mentioned. The time always varied, so as not to cause suspicion, and was passed on to the members secretly and with no reference to why they were gathering.
This story has been entered in Simple Math´s I am Maquis contest
