Mutiny and Consequences
By
Author’s
Note: This story is dedicated to Widgit
for being
such a great pal!
Chakotay glanced
around as lightning flashed high overhead. When he looked down again, he saw
his former crewmates below. A light rain started to fall as he walked down the
hill. The grass grew slippery, and he nearly fell several times, but, to his
relief, he reached the bottom without mishap.
“Chakotay,”
B’Elanna said, coming to stand at his side. The drizzle made her short hair
curl up and frame her face delicately. The result caused her ridges to stand
out and her eyes to look softer. As soon as she spoke, however, the effect
died. “He’s doing it again.”
“Who’s doing what
now?” Chakotay sighed.
“It’s
Chakotay
chuckled. “You make him sound like a child.”
“Well, he acts
like it!” she groused, crossing her arms.
Chakotay looked
at her, fighting the impulse to laugh. Her body language practically screamed that
she was the child here, despite her annoyance with the love-struck
“I’ll talk to him
about it,” Chakotay promised.
“Hmph,” she
replied, stalking off.
Chakotay watched
as
“Good afternoon,
Chakotay,” Janeway said, turning towards him cheerfully. She held a large
flower in one of her hands.
“Afternoon,
Kathryn,” he replied, sweeping a glance over the arrangements of plants. “How
are things here?”
“Wonderful,” she
said, placing the flower in a specimen jar. “We’ll have enough food for the
winter.”
“Good, good,”
Chakotay stated. A drip of sweat ran down Janeway’s forehead and she wiped it
away, leaving a streak of dirt. “Kathryn, do you ever regret it?” he asked
suddenly.
Janeway paused,
then turned to him. She didn’t bother pretending that she didn’t understand his
question. “I’ve learned to deal with it, for the most part,” she said in a low
voice. “Sometimes I miss the old days on Voyager,
but when I see what we’ve accomplished here…it seems worth it.”
“I’m glad you see
it that way.” He peered at a small tomato growing on a nearby stalk. “Not
everyone does.”
Kathryn sighed
and turned to lean against the counter she’d been working on. “Have we heard
from Tuvok recently?”
“Not for nearly a
week.” Chakotay mirrored her stance and leaned against a large ceramic pot.
“His attacks are becoming more erratic…sloppy even.”
“What about
Neelix?”
“Last message
said that they lost Kim,” Chakotay said softly.
Janeway was
silent, remembering the young eager ensign. “How?”
“Infection from a
wound.” He paused and added, “From the last attack.”
“Damn,” she
whispered. “What I wouldn’t give for the Doctor.”
Chakotay smiled
tightly. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that statement.”
“It’s not funny,
Chakotay!”
“I’m sorry,” he
replied, smothering the amusement. “Neelix said that Tuvok has been losing it
over the last few weeks. The descriptions make it sound like he’s unstable.”
“Should we pull
Neelix out?”
“I don’t think it
would be a good idea,” he replied. “Neelix is the only thing keeping Tuvok from
attacking again.”
“What are you
planning to do?”
“I’m going to get
a team together to take Tuvok.”
Janeway nodded
slowly. “How can I help?”
“I need some kind
of toxin that can knock him out,” he said. He pulled a small syringe out of a
pocket on the vest. “Using this.”
Janeway took the
syringe and examined it. “How will you deliver it?”
“Neelix is the only
one who can get close to him. I’m going to leave the syringe at the pick-up
site. He’ll know what to do.”
“When do you need
the toxin?”
“As soon as
possible.” He looked up as another bolt of lightning shot across the sky. “How
long will it take?”
“I can get it for
you by tonight—after dinner,” she replied.
“Good. Thanks,
Kathryn.”
“Anything for
you, Chakotay.”
Chakotay nodded
at her and left the greenhouse. The drizzle had turned into a full-fledged
rainstorm and he paused to enjoy it. After being in the hot and humid glass
building, the cool drizzle was refreshing. He puzzled about Janeway’s last
words. Ever since the mutiny, it seemed her stubborn spirit had died. Long
before, she had denied his advances on New Earth, but when they had made landfall
on this planet, Janeway had nearly thrown herself at him. He imagined that she
was acting, pretending to help him—to care for him—while the whole time, she
was plotting against him. He wondered if she was in league with Tuvok, or was
hoping to join the Vulcan.
With a deep sigh,
Chakotay began walking towards the houses they had built. He waved and greeted
the others in his small village. Some had chosen to build their homes in the
thick branches of the large trees. These homes were concentrated along the
perimeter of the village, so that they could also perform as guardians.
Chakotay paused to look at the complex
water collecting system B’Elanna had designed. They had brought the replicators
with them, along with a great deal of their technology, but they didn’t want to
depend exclusively on the machines. Instead, the first thing Chakotay had told
B’Elanna to do was find a water source. She had delivered in a grand
way—discovering a series of deep fresh-water wells. When he’d expressed dismay
in reaching the water, she showed him the designs she had for a system of
collecting the imperative liquid. Duly impressed, he’d approved and helped
build it.
Shaking his head at the memory, he
reached his own house and went inside. He dropped into his chair and waited for
the next crisis to hit. It took about twenty minutes—just long enough for him
to perform a quick meditation.
“Chakotay?” a small voice called from the
doorway.
Chakotay turned to look at the delicate
figure of Kes. She walked with a cane and hobbled along slowly. He jumped to
his feet and offered her his chair. Giving him a small, grateful smile, the
aging Ocampan sat daintily.
“What’s on your mind, Kes?” he asked,
unconsciously lowering his voice in deference to her frail physique.
“Your people are restless, Chakotay,” she
replied. She held her cane braced on the floor, both hands clasped on the
gnarled head. “Many were friends of Harry. They are in mourning, but at the
same time are wary of Tuvok’s next attack.”
Chakotay nodded. “I know. I’m hoping this
next mission will end it all.”
Kes stared at him, her eyes becoming hard
and penetrating. “Will it? His group might be small, but they are loyal.
Another could take his place.”
“Neelix’s reports say that most of them
are questioning Tuvok’s decisions. This uncertainty has made them reconsider
their loyalties. Some may fight us, but I believe in the end they will join us
willingly.”
Kes bowed her head and sighed softly. “I
hope you’re right.” She stood and peered up at him. “Bring Neelix back to me.”
“I promise,” Chakotay replied. He took
her small hand in his and squeezed gently. She smiled again and left him alone
with his thoughts.
That evening, after a community dinner in
the village center, Chakotay retired to his house and waited for Janeway to
show up. He climbed into his hammock and swung gently in the breeze. The
movement was soothing, but he did not relax. He was tense, knowing that this
night would change their way of living completely. Whether the change was for
the better or not was up to him.
“Hello?” Janeway’s voice said from the
doorway. He had no lights on and the small room was full of shadows. She began
to inch her way across the room blindly feeling the way with her feet.
“Chakotay, I have the toxin.”
Instead of replying, he suddenly lit a
laser-match and touched it to the lantern hanging beside him. The effect was
instantaneous; Janeway cursed and leapt into a defensive posture. Chuckling,
Chakotay pulled himself out of the hammock and tugged his vest into place.
“Right on time, Kathryn,” he said,
smirking as she straightened to stand normal. She huffed at him and held her
hand out. In it was the small syringe, now filled with a light green liquid.
“Ah,” Chakotay said, plucking it from her
palm. “How long will it take to take effect?”
“About 3 minutes, I’m not sure.” She ran
a hand through her short hair. “It’s pretty strong, so once it kicks in, he’ll
be out for about twenty hours.”
“Perfect.” Chakotay held the vial up and
peered at the liquid. He slipped it into his vest pocket and looked up at her.
“You can go.”
A strange expression passed over her face
and she smiled coyly. “Are you sure you want me to?”
Chakotay stared at her, knowing what she
was implying. He wasn’t remotely interested in taking her to his bed, but he was
intrigued by her forwardness. Taking his silence as an affirmative, she stepped
closer and ran a hand over his chest. When she reached up to stroke his face,
he grabbed it and pushed her away. She sighed and turned to leave.
“If you ever change your mind,” she said.
“You know where to find me.”
“Of course,” he replied wryly. Watching
her leave, he shook his head and laughed harshly. “Poor Kathryn. When will she
learn?”
Janeway stalked away from Chakotay’s hut,
breezing past former crewmembers. She felt dirty after throwing herself at
Chakotay and wanted a hot bath. Shuddering in disgust, she entered her hut. It
wasn’t nearly as nice as the one that she had shared with Chakotay on New
Earth, but it was enough. She stripped quickly and went to the large tub. She
climbed in, then turned on the hot water and leaned back.
“I can’t believe I did that!” she
muttered. “To think that once I had wanted him…and he’d wanted me.”
But that had all changed when he held the
mutiny on Voyager. He’d led his
Maquis crew, and some sympathetic Starfleet members, to Engineering. Torres,
who had become the Chief Engineer, had enabled a program that beamed the
Starfleet senior officers to the Holodeck and erected forcefields to hold them
there. Then Chakotay had appeared in the Holodeck and explained their demands.
“I want this ship,” he declared. “I want
to take my people to a planet where we can live peacefully. We want two
shuttlecrafts and some equipment, then you can leave.”
She flushed with anger at the memory of
his words, turning the water off with a fierce swipe. At the time, she had been
so humiliated, so full of wrath, that she had hardly been able to answer him.
She said no to him and watched as he faded from sight; a hologram after all,
not the real man. Just as well. She might have killed the actual man. When he
had held them in the Holodeck for several days, how many she wasn’t sure, he
reappeared with the same demands. This time she started asking questions.
“Why now? We all seemed to be doing so
well!” she’d exclaimed. “Our crews were working together. We had a goal.”
“You
had a goal. My crew was more lost than yours. We were ripped from the heat of
battle with the Cardassians. We were fighting for freedom, for our homes.” His
eyed snapped at her angrily. “You may have lost Starfleet and the luxuries you
were used to, but we lost more. We lost our souls.”
With that, he’d faded from sight again.
He fed them and had a program with plain beds running. Janeway and Lieutenant
Carey had tried to jimmy the holo-circuitry to allow them to create weapons and
tools, but Torres always seemed one step ahead.
Days—weeks?—later Chakotay came back.
“Why are you even bothering to demand
things from us?” she asked when he appeared. “You are in control of the ship.
You can go to your damn planet, create an entire colony, and we’d never be in
the way.”
“I want this to be a decision you make,”
he replied. “If you make the choice to allow us these things, you won’t come
after us once you have the ship again.”
“Are you so sure?”
“No,” he’d said, smiling slightly. “But
that’s why you’re locked in here.”
It took nearly six months for them to
find an appropriate planet. He showed up on the Holodeck again, this time in
person.
“We’ve built a small village on the
planet’s surface,” he’d informed them. “We’re beaming everyone down that wants
to go. If any of you here would like to join us, you may do so.”
To Janeway’s dismay, nearly two dozen of
her once loyal crewmen stepped forward and stood behind him. He had turned to
her with a sad expression, almost as if he regretted the whole thing.
“Is there anyone else?” he said softly.
Janeway considered this carefully,
weighing her choices. “Can I think about it?” she asked, putting just the right
amount of hope into her voice. He nodded, then left, his new followers in tow.
When the doors shut, Janeway turned to
Tuvok and what was left of her crew. She laid out a basic plan for them: she
and some of the others were going undercover by joining Chakotay. Tuvok would
lead a small band of his security people to take over the ship while Janeway’s
group sabotaged Chakotay’s efforts to take equipment and technology from the
ship.
She still wasn’t sure what went wrong.
One minute she was working along side Chakotay, loading equipment into the
shuttlecraft…and the next, she was ducking phaser fire from a nearby Jeffery’s
tube. Chakotay had grabbed her and tossed her into the craft, running in after
her. He took off, blasting the shuttlebay doors open and soaring for the planet
below. When she asked who it had been, Chakotay barely glanced at her and
barked one word: “Tuvok!”
She remembered sinking into the copilot’s
chair and staring at him in shock. “How?”
“He had a group
of people and he was trying to take over the ship,” Chakotay explained, firing
the phasers as another shuttle followed them. “We had them cornered and flooded
their atmosphere with drocylibene gas.”
Janeway gasped.
“Drocylibene gas causes dementia in humanoids!”
Chakotay fired a
volley of shots and swerved towards the planet again. “It was the only choice I
had at the time.”
“Like hell it
was!” she yelled, jumping to her feet. He’d swung the shuttle around, causing
her to fall back into her chair. They entered the atmosphere and the windows turned
white and blue. Janeway paused, waiting for another opening. Piloting a shuttle
into an atmosphere could be tricky and if she grasped the right moment…
“Don’t even think
about it!” Chakotay said over the roar of the rushing air. She glared at him as
a forcefield suddenly blinked into existence around her chair. He must have
planned this all along—forcefield generators weren’t normally installed
surrounding the copilot’s chair.
He fired several
shots at the ship following them and grunted when it twisted in midair and
crashed into the forest below. Janeway watched in horror, wondering who had
been inside. Chakotay muttered a curse and opened a hailing frequency.
“Chakotay to
B’Elanna,” he said as he set the shuttle to circle the crash site. “Any idea
who was in that shuttle?”
There was a pause
before Torres replied, “I’m reading Vulcan lifesigns…and Talaxian. Both alive,
but Tuvok’s lifesigns are weak. Neelix seems okay.”
“Damn,” he said.
“I’m going to land and see if I can help. Chakotay, out.”
“Now you suddenly care for their
well-being?” Janeway said sarcastically.
Chakotay turned
his face towards her, though his fingers continued to run across the console.
“I never wanted anyone to get hurt. This was supposed to be as peaceful as
possible.”
“As peaceful as
possible,” she repeated. “For a mutiny!”
“Look,” he said,
anger in his voice. “I don’t have time to debate this right now. We can talk
later.” She felt the ship shudder as it landed. “For now, you just sit tight
and I’ll go check on our comrades.”
He rose and
opened the back hatch of the shuttle, taking the medkit from the storage
locker. Janeway touched a hand to the forcefield and watched as it flashed and
sparked at her. With a last glance over his shoulder at her, Chakotay left.
Janeway jerked
awake from the memories, still in the tub. The water had grown cold and she
held her wrinkled fingers up in disgust. She hit the drain button and reached
for her towel. A warm hand handed it to her and she gasped in surprise. She
snatched it to her bosom and turned to see the intruder.
A dark scarred
face peered at her, squinting in the half-darkened room. What had once been a
proud and noble face was now covered in long thin scars and pockmarks. Ears
that had been elegantly pointed were now mangled; one of them was nearly torn
away.
“Tuvok!” Janeway
whispered. “My old friend!”
He stared at her
in silence, his dark eyes wide. “Old friend,” he hissed back at her. “You
betrayed us. And I am here to avenge those who have died because of your betrayal!”
He held a long
thin knife up, and the light glinted off of the silver. Janeway held up her
hand in defense.
“Tuvok, wait!”
she cried, her voice gravelly. “It has been an act! I’ve been working for you! Waiting for the chance to join
you!”
He stopped the
knife in midair and considered her words. “You have provided Chakotay with a
toxin to kill me.”
“No,” Janeway
whispered. “No, it will weaken you, perhaps cause unconsciousness, but it will
not kill you. It isn’t even as strong as he thinks it is.”
Tuvok lowered the
knife and grabbed her head in a vise-grip. He probed her mind with no warning
and no gentleness. She cried out and he slapped a hand over her mouth. Just as
quickly, he dropped her and moved away.
“You are telling
the truth.”
Janeway rubbed at
her temples—her face felt like it was on fire. “There was a time when you would
have believed me without…that.”
“I did what was
necessary,” he declared. He went into the next room, creeping around as if he
expected an attack at any moment.
Janeway grabbed
her clothing and pulled it on quickly, then joined him. She watched him
stalking around, never touching anything, but examining it all visually. She
crossed her arms, still a bit dazed from the brutal mindmeld.
“Chakotay is
planning to attack my people,” Tuvok said suddenly.
“Yes,” Janeway
replied. “Tonight.”
“He will be
disappointed.” Tuvok stopped his constant movements and faced her. “We are not
where we were.”
Janeway wasn’t
sure how to respond to that and she waited for him to continue. When he said
nothing, she asked, “How did you know to move?”
“I have known for
some time that Neelix was a double agent,” he replied. “He tried to use your
toxin…but I stopped him.”
Janeway felt a
chill pass over her heart. “Is he…”
“Dead?” Tuvok supplied.
“Not yet. But he will be killed if Chakotay goes through with his attack.”
As Janeway
considered this threat, Tuvok whipped around and rushed into the bathroom. When
she followed him, she found that the room was empty and the window open. Tuvok was
gone. Taking a deep breath, Janeway turned and ran out of the hut.
Chakotay was
kneeling in the brush surrounding Tuvok’s new camp. Unlike Chakotay’s small
established village, Tuvok’s group had been on the move constantly. This new
site was actually an old site, one they had lived in nearly two years ago, and
Chakotay had found them easily enough.
Right now, he was
watching as the guards in charge of Neelix ate their dinner. The Talaxian was
battered, with one eye swollen shut and a trickle of blood ran down his cheek.
His hands were tethered to a tall T-shaped pole, causing his body to stretch so
he stood on his bare toes. He was staring at the food hungrily with his good
eye. The guards pretty much ignored him, their weapons lying on the ground near
their feet.
“They aren’t
expecting an attack,” Torres stated softly from his elbow.
“I’m not so
sure,” he replied. “Why else would Neelix be beaten and strung out where all
could see him? No, I think Tuvok is giving us a warning.” He paused and shifted
on his knees. “And I don’t think Tuvok is around.”
Torres looked at
him sharply. “Why not?”
“Look how casual
they are—how unconcerned. Neelix has always told us that Tuvok is very strict
about protocol.”
“Maybe he used to
be, but Neelix also said that Tuvok was crazy!”
Chakotay stared
at Torres for a minute. “You’re right. We can’t be sure. Send someone down to
investigate and report back to me.”
“I’ll do it!”
Torres replied, stalking off through the brush silently. Chakotay smiled and
shook his head at her backside.
“Where is she
going?” he hissed, concern coloring his voice.
“She’s checking
to see if Tuvok is here or not.”
“Should she be
doing that alone?!”
Chakotay chuckled.
“She knows what she’s doing,
“You were
right—there’s no sign of Tuvok anywhere,” she admitted. She ran a hand through
her hair and sighed. “I overheard some of them saying that Tuvok found the
toxin on Neelix and attacked him. Then he tied him up and left camp an hour
ago.”
Chakotay nodded.
“I was afraid of that.”
There was a sharp
sound behind them and Chakotay whipped around, dagger in hand. Janeway came
around a tree and ducked as Torres’ own dagger struck the trunk beside her
head. She removed it and came towards them, gasping.
“I believe this
is yours,” she said, handing the dagger back to the Klingon. “Chakotay, Tuvok
is on his way back. He knows about your plans and he said if you attack, he
will kill Neelix.”
“So what,” Torres
retorted.
“B’Elanna!”
Chakotay admonished. He turned to look at Janeway, considering her sudden
appearance. “He didn’t hurt you?”
“No,” Janeway
said, tossing her hair and glaring at Torres. “He snuck into my house and told
me.”
“And he asked
nothing in return?” Chakotay still had his dagger out and now he held it at her
throat. “He just strolled in and told you his plans?”
Janeway
swallowed, but didn’t flinch. “Yes.”
“We should just
kill her,” Torres hissed.
“Is that your
answer for everything?” Chakotay sighed. “If in doubt, kill them?”
“Yes,” she
retorted and crossed her arms.
“We don’t have time to argue,” Janeway said suddenly. “Neelix
is in danger. Tuvok is insane. We need to get those people away from him before
he kills them all.”
“I agree,”
Chakotay stated. “Are you going to help us?”
Janeway almost
laughed. “What kind of question is that?!”
Chakotay had not
removed the knife from her throat. “A very important one. A potentially deadly
one.”
Torres kept her
mouth shut, watching them. Chakotay’s dark eyes were smoldering as he stared
down at Janeway. The former Starfleet captain stared back, ignoring the sharp
blade that dug slightly into the delicate skin on her neck.
“I don’t want
anyone to get hurt,” Janeway finally said. “I will help you stop Tuvok.”
Chakotay
hesitated, knowing the words she wasn’t saying: “When Tuvok is no longer a
threat to others, I will come after you myself”. He pulled the knife away and
replaced it in his belt.
“Good enough,” he
said softly. “For now.” He gave her a stern look to let her know his thoughts
and turned to the others. “We’re going to take Tuvok’s camp. But not until he
gets there and we can keep track of him.”
“Shouldn’t we do
it before he gets back? Then he can’t
do anything to anyone before we get there,” Janeway objected.
“If we’re busy
taking over, Tuvok could sneak in and start causing havoc without us knowing
until it’s too late.”
“What was it you
said about not having time to argue?” Torres pointed out.
“We do it my
way,” Chakotay stated, then turned abruptly. “Torres, you and Paris will lead
your team around the perimeter. Kathryn and I will head straight down and in.
When you reach your position, watch for Tuvok. As soon as you see him in the camp, send up a flare and attack.
We’ll attack at roughly the same time.”
Torres made a
face as
Soon Chakotay had split everyone up
evenly and gave Torres a quick nod. She looked over her team and pointed at the
village and made a half circle gesture. Then she plunged into the forest,
Chakotay hunkered down to wait for their
signal. Janeway copied his position, still seething over the way he’d brushed
her suggestions off. After a full minute, Chakotay heaved a sigh and turned to
look at her.
“Look,” he said. “People are going to get
hurt no matter what. I don’t like it, you don’t like it, but that’s how it is.”
“If you say so,” she replied evenly. She
glanced at his dagger. “I don’t have a weapon.”
Chakotay startled and looked her over. He
reached down to his soft-boot and pulled another dagger, this one with a
shorter blade, from a small sheath. He held it out to her, handle first. She
took it carefully, resisting the urge to yank it and cut his palm.
“Now you do.”
They sat in silence for several more
minutes until a small burst of light appeared on the other side of the small
camp.
“Let’s go!” Chakotay yelled.
Chakotay cried out wordlessly and led his
team down the hill. Janeway headed for Neelix and cut him loose. The
once-guards were in the middle of warding off Chakotay, who corralled them into
a corner. Once they were trapped, they surrendered and he handed them over to
two of his people. He spotted Janeway leading Neelix out of the battle.
“Chakotay!”
a harsh voice cried.
Chakotay whirled around to see Tuvok
standing not too far from him. The Vulcan held a large spear in the air, aiming
it at him. His eyes held none of the former calm and logic of his Vulcan
upbringing.
“You’re
mine!” he called, running at him.
Chakotay barely had time to use his
dagger to shove the spear away. Tuvok slammed into him and they fell to the
ground in a tangle. Chakotay felt the spear tip pierce into his shoulder and he
cried out. Tuvok, smelling blood, became feral and struggled for the upper
hand. Chakotay was able to get a leg between them and pushed him away as hard
as he could. The dark man flew into a nearby tree and fell to the ground.
Chakotay pulled himself up, flinching at
the twinge in his shoulder. He looked down to see a small river of blood
flowing down his bicep. Judging that it hadn’t hit any major blood vessels, he decided
to ignore it and he hefted his dagger once more. He snatched Tuvok’s spear from
the ground and approached the prone Vulcan.
Tuvok’s eyes were open and he was gasping
for air. His breathing was extremely raspy and Chakotay suspected he had broken
ribs, perhaps even punctured lungs.
“You must kill me,” Tuvok rumbled. Frothy
green blood bubbled at his lips as he spoke and Chakotay felt some pity.
“Tuvok,” Chakotay said softly, kneeling
beside the dying man. “It didn’t have to be this way. Why didn’t you just let
us go?”
“I could not,” he whispered harshly. “I
was under orders from Captain Janeway.”
Chakotay sighed at him. “I thought
Vulcans preferred the peaceful route, but you started the violence. Why?”
Tuvok didn’t seem like he was going to
respond and he concentrated on his breathing. He coughed and spit out some
green-blood phlegm. Chakotay looked away, seeing that most of the village was
giving up easily, with only a few fighting. When he looked back, Tuvok’s eyes
had drifted closed.
“Tuvok!” he called, grasping his shoulder
and shaking lightly. He saw that Tuvok was still breathing shallowly, so he
wasn’t dead yet. “Tuvok!”
“Did you kill him?”
Chakotay turned to see Janeway standing
behind him. “No,” he replied. “He’s alive, but his lungs are punctured. I don’t
think we can save him.”
Janeway considered this and stepped
closer. She still held the small dagger he’d given her. “Then you did kill
him.”
Chakotay’s gaze sharpened in anger. “He
attacked and I defended myself.”
Janeway tore her eyes away from her old
friend and met Chakotay’s coldly. She said nothing, but she pushed him aside to
kneel with Tuvok. Chakotay shook his head and climbed to his feet. He’d deal
with her later. For now, he was going to check on the progress of his
villagers.
“Chakotay!” Torres called from the center
of the small camp, near the large fire circle. There was a group of Tuvok’s
people—nearly a dozen—surrounded by Torres and her team. “Everyone else already
joined us…except for a few here.”
“Very good,” Chakotay replied. He looked
over the last of the resistance. Most of them were younger, and all of them
were Starfleet. They had been the easiest for Tuvok to take with him, they were
still impressionable and full of Federation ideals.
“Listen up,” he called to them. They
turned to him, eyes wide—some of them looked angry, but most of them just
seemed tired. “I can understand your loyalty to Tuvok. He was a great man at
one time, but he’s not the sane, logical Vulcan you once followed. You all know
that. I hope that you will come with us willingly, join us, and become part of
a thriving community. There is nothing here for you anymore.”
“I will never join you, Maquis!” one
young man cried. He looked only a little older than Harry Kim had been, his red
hair flung over his eyes and a grim expression set his jaw. “You will have to
kill me first!”
“I hope that it will not come to that,”
Chakotay stated solemnly. “I’m willing to open negotiations to start another
village. If you don’t want to join us, but still want to live peacefully, we
will help you. We’ll build your own village, in your location of choice. We
just want peace.”
“You should have thought of that before
you mutinied!” the same man called. “You say you want peace, but only when it
suits you! If something doesn’t go your way, you start fighting! What guarantee
would we have that you would actually help us? You could build a shabby
village, one very easy to attack and destroy!”
“Fine,” Chakotay said wearily. “If you
agree to live peaceably, you may build your own village in whatever location
and whatever manner and style you want.”
The others looked at each other while the
young man continued to glare malignantly at Chakotay.
“Do we have a deal?” he prompted.
The small group started discussing the
suggestion and finally the spokesman stepped forward again. “We agree to the
separate village.”
“Okay,” Chakotay said, glad to have it
ended. He turned to Torres. “Get everyone together and let’s go home.”
The trek back to the village was
uneventful; most of the people were concerned with watching each other or the
wounded. Janeway had made a travois for Tuvok and
Kes had been in charge of the few left
behind in the village. She had been busy, forming a triage and even a small
surgery. They had brought a small section of sickbay with them, and a power
generator that Torres supplied with hydropower. They had one biobed and plenty
of tools. What they lacked in medications, they made up for in creativity—Kes
had found many herbs over the years that performed the same functions as many
of their basic medicines. She stood in front of the hospital, waiting for
Chakotay to show up.
When the first people came over the hill,
she sent her medics to meet them. To her relief, they brought only five people
in—including her once-mentor, Tuvok. Seeing that he was the most critical, she
immediately started to work on him. She did what she could for nearly two hours
until he was stable and she was exhausted.
“How is he?” Chakotay asked from the
doorway as she shuffled out of surgery.
“Stabilized, for now,” she replied, sinking
wearily into her favorite chair. “If he makes it through the next day or so, I
think he’ll live.”
“Really?” Chakotay sounded shocked. “I
had no idea we had that kind of ability!”
Kes smiled at him maternally. “You mean
you didn’t know I had that kind of
ability.” She shifted in her chair. “He looked worse than he was. Broken ribs,
punctured lungs, yes, but his Vulcan physiology is stronger than yours or
mine.”
“But you said he may not survive…”
“He doesn’t want to live,” she said.
“Vulcan’s have amazing control over their own bodies. If his mind says to give
up, his body will.”
Chakotay considered this. “There’s
nothing I can do to help, then.”
She shook her head. “Seeing that you have
taken over completely could only make it worse, I think.” She glanced at the
closed door. “Kathryn is in there now. If anyone can get him back from the
edge, it’s her.”
Nodding thoughtfully, Chakotay turned to
leave. “I see that everyone else has been released,” he added, pausing at the
door.
“Yes, most were minor cuts and wounds.”
“Good,” he said. “Keep me posted.”
“I will, Chakotay.”
“Tuvok,” Janeway whispered to the prone
Vulcan. “Tuvok, wake up.”
He stirred slightly and his eyes
fluttered open. “Mm,” he groaned.
“Tuvok, old friend,” she said softly.
“You must live. There will come a time when I need you at my side again. To
fight Chakotay. To get my crew back.”
His eyes focused on her suddenly then.
“Chakotay,” he spat.
“Yes. I will retake my crew…and my ship.
I have discovered his secret, Tuvok.” She strained to keep her voice low. “Voyager was not destroyed. I found a
commbadge. I spoke to the computer. I don’t know where it is, but I will find
it. We will find it.”
“Yes,” he said hoarsely. He almost smiled
at the thought as his eyes stared up at the plain ceiling. “And we will destroy
Chakotay and it will be glorious…”
“Yes, yes!” Janeway said, glad to see a
goal forming in Tuvok’s mind.
“Glorious…” he whispered and then his
voice faded. Janeway leaned over him anxiously.
“Tuvok?” she said. Then she cried,
“Tuvok!”
The biobed’s alarms went off and the door
flew open. Kes ran in, moving faster than anyone had seen in years, with medics
behind her. Janeway stumbled away and watched, knowing it was too late. She
wrapped her arms around herself tightly and felt the small dagger in her belt.
She pulled it out and watched the light playing off of it. Kes worked quickly
and didn’t notice when the former Starfleet captain walked out, murder in her
eyes.
Chakotay walked leisurely through the
village, for the first time seeing the former Voyager crew united again. The sight was refreshing to him and he
smiled softly. To his surprise, he saw Torres sitting with
“He saved her life,” a voice said from
his side. He looked down to see Neelix hobble up to him. He still wasn’t
wearing shoes, since his feet were covered in small cuts. “She was knocked in
the head and fell into the path of a dissenter. When he raised his weapon,
“He finally proved his warrior spirit,”
Chakotay declared.
“I always thought they would end up
together,” Neelix admitted. “He just needed to soften her up a bit.”
Chakotay clapped a hand gently on the
Talaxian’s shoulder. “It’s good to have you back, Neelix.”
“It’s good to be back,” he said with a
smile. He blinked his good eye at him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date
with a lovely young woman.”
“See if she can do something about that
eye,” Chakotay suggested as the other man started to walk away. “You’ll be able
to see her loveliness even better!”
Neelix chuckled and Chakotay laughed
softly. He turned back to watch the village again. He didn’t hear the soft
footsteps behind him until it was too late. A small compact body slammed into
him from behind, knocking him to the ground. He managed to flip over and found
himself face to face with…
“Kathryn!” he exclaimed.
She head-butted him in the nose and he
saw stars, but he was able to throw her off. His shoulder started bleeding
again, but he ignored it and sprung to his feet. Janeway thrust with the dagger
and he automatically held up a hand. He was rewarded with a razor thin slice
across his palm. Janeway gave him a feral grin and laughed as he cursed.
“What’s the matter, Chakotay?” she
taunted. “Did that hurt?”
“Yes, damn it,” he said angrily. “What
the hell are you doing?!”
“I’m taking my revenge. For Tuvok’s
sake.” Her voice cracked and she wiped at her eyes with her free hand. “He’s
dead.”
Chakotay stared at her. “But, Kes said—”
“She was wrong. It was too late. He’s
dead. And you’re next!”
She jumped on him again and tried to stab
him in the chest. He grabbed her hands and kept the point away from his chest.
The blood from his palm made his grasp slippery and he struggled to keep his
grip. She added her other hand and put all her weight onto the blade. He cursed
again and braced himself. Before he could act, Janeway spun away from him and
fell to the ground. Torres stood over her with her bat’leth.
“If you want to fight, do it with someone
who has a weapon too!” the swarthy woman yelled down at her.
“I have no qualms with you!” Janeway said
gruffly.
“You’ve got problems with him; you’ve got
problems with me!”
“No, B’Elanna,” Chakotay interrupted.
“This has been a long time coming. It’s time to end this.” He turned to
Janeway. “Let’s end this.”
“Yes,” Janeway said with a small
dangerous smile. “Let’s.”
This time Chakotay was ready when she
jumped at him. He easily parried and sent her sprawling onto her knees. She was
up quickly and they began to circle. Chakotay blinked as the sky overhead
flashed with a sudden burst of lightning. Janeway took the opportunity and
lunged at him. He jumped back and felt the blade slice through his vest. With a
glare, he yanked what was left of the strips of cloth off and they squared off
again.
They circled for several more minutes and
the spectacle drew a crowd. They went back and forth, attacking and defending
until the both of them were panting and showing signs of exhaustion.
The sky was trying to lighten with the
rising sun, but the incoming storm clouds were keeping it in perpetual
twilight. Chakotay took several deep breaths, trying to energize himself and
stay alert. He was biding his time, hoping Janeway would tire and he could
knock her out without killing her. She was probably thinking the same thing
about him. He studied her face, seeing the blind anguish and homicidal stare.
Then again, maybe she wasn’t.
“Give up, Kathryn,” he called. “We won’t
hurt you.”
“Just like you weren’t going to hurt
Tuvok?” she snarled.
“That was self-defense!”
“So says you!” she cried and lunged
again. He turned sideways and hit her in the back of the head, stunning her.
Before she could recover, he grabbed her by the hair and held the knife to her
throat.
“Go ahead,” she said bitterly. “Kill me
like you killed Tuvok.”
“Why do you keep insisting that I killed
Tuvok in cold blood?” he asked. “You sound just as insane…” He froze, wondering
what Tuvok might have done to her earlier in the evening.
“I am not insane!” she screamed. Tears of
frustration and anger flowed down her face freely. “I’m not…I’m not,” she
sobbed.
Chakotay looked up as Kes approached with
a hypospray. Janeway looked up at her, then at the medical tool.
“Kes, my student,” she whispered. “You
had such potential…your mind could have explored so many planes of reality…”
Kes stared at the woman being held by
Chakotay. She took another half-step. “Tuvok?”
Chakotay gasped, finally realizing what
must have happened. Tuvok had somehow managed to mindmeld with Janeway and,
knowing he would die, had transferred his mind to her. He had heard of this
phenomenon before; something that Vulcans could perform. When they sensed death
was near, they would send their soul—what was it they called it?
“Katra,”
Chakotay said suddenly.
Janeway laughed; a very grating sound.
“You aren’t as dumb as you seem, Commander.”
Chakotay considered this. Kathryn never
called him “Commander” anymore; the only one who had since the mutiny was
Tuvok. This only confirmed his fears. He’d once read that if the katra receptacle wasn’t prepared and
trained properly, they could go insane. And having an already insane katra would be even worse.
“Tuvok, you must let her go!” Chakotay
said. He maintained his hold on Janeway’s hair, but lowered the knife slightly.
Tuvok-Janeway laughed again. “She isn’t
here. She’s retreated into the recesses of her own mind…too far for anyone to
reach ever again.”
“I don’t believe you!” Chakotay shook his
fist full of hair, causing Janeway’s head to bob. “I think that if we get you
to leave her, she’ll come back.”
“You can’t make me leave!” he-she
suddenly hissed. “I like it here just fine!”
“Tuvok!” Kes said firmly. She hadn’t
moved any closer, and still held the hypo at the ready. “What happened to you,
my friend? You were once so gentle, so kind. You wouldn’t hurt anyone
purposefully, unless you had to. And now, you’re attacking people malignantly,
hurting innocent people!”
“Not so innocent!” he-she cried. “You are
the only one we would not have harmed. You don’t know what you are doing;
you’re still a child…he’s manipulated you! Don’t any of you see that!” He-she
was screaming now, addressing anyone within earshot. “He’s got you all fooled! Voyager is still here! It’s not
destroyed! I know where it is and we can still—”
Kes leaned forward and pressed the hypo
against Janeway’s neck. The small woman fell limp and Chakotay set her down on
the ground. He sank to his knees wearily and stared at her. Paris and Torres
stepped forward and carried Janeway’s body back to the hospital. Kes followed
slowly with her hand on Neelix’s arm.
Chakotay was still resting on his knees
when the rain started to finally fall. He raised his face to it and tried to
gain strength from the water. A few minutes later, Torres reappeared and helped
him to his hut. He barely made it into the hammock before he was asleep.
The following evening, once he had
awakened, Chakotay held a small funeral for Tuvok—even though the essence of
what had been the man still lived on, in Janeway’s body. He said a few words;
then they cremated the body in a giant bonfire. Chakotay had sat nearby,
watching the flames consume his former comrade. Occasionally, someone would
walk up to the fire, pause a moment—perhaps saying a prayer or goodbye—then
would leave Chakotay alone again.
He heard a familiar shuffling footstep
beside him. “Hello, Kes.”
“Fair evening, Chakotay.” She held her
cane in white-knuckled hands.
“How are…they?”
Kes sighed. “It’s terrible. I can’t talk
to either of them. Tuvok only rants about Voyager,
and Kathryn…she’s given up total control to him.”
“So you were able to reach her?” He
turned to look at her.
“Enough for her to tell me it was her
choice.” She paused. “But I can’t believe that she would just allow an insane
person to take over like that!”
“Who knows what all he did to her in that
mindmeld. He could have made her believe it was the right thing to do. And he
was in her for several hours before asserting control. Maybe it took that long
to bury her.”
“That could be it,” she allowed. “Even
though he is insane, he is still brilliant and well trained in the Vulcan
mind-abilities. We may never get her back.”
Chakotay was silent, staring into the
flames. Tuvok’s body was nearly gone now. “There’s something else, isn’t
there.” A statement; not a question.
“Yes,” Kes replied softly. “Is it true?”
“About Voyager?” he asked, just as quietly. “Does it matter now?”
“It could. Everyone heard what he said.
Some of those who are still against you might try to find it and take it back.”
“Let them try. It’s a big planet and it
could be anywhere. They could look for years and be old and gray by the time
they found it.”
Kes studied him, considering his words.
“So, you didn’t destroy it.”
Chakotay sighed. “No, I didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know.”
Kes lowered herself onto the large hollow
log Chakotay sat on. “I think you do.” He looked at her, so she continued, “As
long as Voyager exists, there’s a
chance to get away; to escape. As a Maquis, you were constantly on the run,
always searching for escape routes, no matter where you were. Keeping the ship
around, and it’s location secret, ensures an easy out.”
“You’re right,” he said slowly. “Ever
since we landed here five years ago, I’ve been afraid of being discovered—by
the Kazon, or by some other race who’s just as blood-thirsty and looking for
battle.”
“So what now?”
“Now,” Chakotay sighed. “We continue with
our lives. I will follow through with the agreement for the other village. They
can build where and how they want. I won’t interfere. And if they decide to
forgo the village and want to start searching for Voyager—I won’t stop them. But I won’t help them either.”
Chakotay held a village meeting the next
night. The small group that wasn’t going to join them has grown, recruiting
most of Tuvok’s village back. He looked over the former crew of the U.S.S. Voyager together for the first
time since the takeover. To his surprise, the sight was almost nostalgic to him
and he swallowed the regret that threatened to overwhelm him. He explained the
situation, including what Tuvok had done to Janeway and laid out the plans for
their future.
“Those who will be building their own
village,” he called. “Have you chosen a leader?”
“Yes,” Joseph Carey said, standing. “I’m
going to lead us. We’re going to look for a place to build tomorrow. We would
appreciate any help you can provide, of course.”
“Of course,” Chakotay bowed his head to
him. “B’Elanna will work with you to find water and set up a retrieval system
like ours. Is there anything of concern that you want to discuss?”
“Actually, there is.” Carey glanced at
his people around him. “What happened to Voyager?”
Chakotay met his eyes evenly. “Once
everyone was on the planet, I went back to the ship and landed it on the
planet. Then I joined my people on foot.”
“So it’s walking distance from here.”
“Everywhere is walking distance…and I
didn’t say how long it took to get here.”
“And you aren’t going to say, are you?”
Carey smiled a little. “Don’t worry, Chakotay. We aren’t going to go looking
for it. Not yet, anyway.”
“Is there anything else?”
“Not at this time.”
Chakotay nodded and looked over the
people again. “Does anyone else have any concerns?”
“Chakotay!” Neelix cried from the
direction of the hospital. “Chakotay!”
“What is it?” Chakotay felt a sense of
dread as the Talaxian came running into the square.
“Tuvok…” Neelix gasped. “He’s gone! He
nearly killed Kes and ran off into the forest!”
Chakotay jumped up. “Which way?”
“Towards the mountain.”
Torres appeared with
“Let us help.”
Chakotay nodded solemnly and watched
Torres reluctantly pass out a few weapons to Carey’s people. With a final
glance at Neelix, they started into the forest. They walked silently, gesturing
and occasionally whispering as they followed Tuvok’s erratic path. Finally,
they reached the churning river and rope-bridge. They used to hunt on the other
side of the river, but it had been so long that the bridge looked unsafe. The
river was wide and always turbulent, giving Chakotay pause.
“Do you think he made it across?” Carey
asked, studying the tattered bridge with a critical eye.
Torres studied the ground near the
bridge. “It doesn’t look like it he attempted it.”
“Then he must be on this side somewhere.”
“Why would he head for the mountain?”
Carey asked, confused. He turned to look at Chakotay. “Unless that’s where Voyager is.” Chakotay didn’t answer.
“That’s it, isn’t it?”
“Voyager
isn’t on the mountain,” Chakotay replied. “I don’t know what he’s hoping to
do.”
“I’m hoping to do this!” a voice
announced from a tree. A figure sprang down, landing on Chakotay and rolling
towards the river. When they stopped, Chakotay’s head hung in midair, over the
roaring river. Tuvok-Janeway held a dagger at his throat. “I’m finally going to
kill you! Once and for all, for everything you’ve done to us, to me!”
He-she raised the dagger and held it
still for a dramatic moment. Chakotay waited for the deadly plunge, but when it
didn’t come, he looked up at Janeway’s face. It was in turmoil, emotions
running rampant across it and her lips twisted.
“Chakotay,” Janeway’s voice said tightly.
“Kill him now, while you have the chance. I can’t fight him much longer!”
“Kathryn?” Chakotay asked, fascinated by
the conflict shown on her features.
“Do it! Quickly!”
“You’ll be killed!”
“So will he—do it! Consider it my last
order!”
With a final glance at her tortured eyes,
Chakotay braced his legs and flung her small body over his head and into the
raging river below. There was a sickening crack
and he flipped to look down. Janeway’s body was broken on a large boulder that
had been revealed by the water.
“Goodbye, Kathryn,” he whispered. He
allowed Torres to pull him to his feet as they all stared at her. “It’s over.”
They went back to the village in solemn
silence. Chakotay went to the hospital to find Neelix hovering over a bedridden
Kes. She was watching the Talaxian with fondness as he fluttered around her
anxiously.
“Are you okay?” Chakotay asked, coming to
her side.
“I’m fine.” She took his hand into her
small one. “They’re gone.”
Chakotay nodded, feeling tears forming.
He closed his eyes and bowed his head. “Kathryn was able to take over for a
short time, just long enough for me to…”
“I know,” Kes said softly. “I was able to
reach her, the real her. Tuvok had truly buried her and it took a long time,
but she began to fight back.”
Chakotay nodded, sighing deeply. “I wish
we could have saved her.”
“She died saving you, perhaps saving us
all from Tuvok’s madness.” Kes studied his face. “She died saving her crew.”
Chakotay squeezed her hand. “I want to
honor her memory.”
“How?”
He looked at the Ocampan, glancing at
Neelix too, before speaking. “We’re going back to Voyager. I’m going to get her crew home.”
It was sunny and bright the day their
starship shook off a layer of dust and soared into the sky. As it left the atmosphere
and entered the dark of space, all aboard her looked towards the future. They
had been off course long enough…they had lost too many and could only hope that
they were wiser.
“Mr. Paris,” Chakotay’s voice said
quietly, echoing the words of their lost captain. “Set a course…for home.”
The End
