Part four of "Little blue world" - an AU series
by Jinny W
April 2001
Disclaimer: Paramount owns all. I'm just playing.
Summary: Chakotay discovers that the Liberty may be harbouring a spy.
~~~
"Does the doc know when he's going to be able to move around again?" Tom asked, as he rubbed the dice between his palms.
"A few days, I think", Kathryn replied.
"It's been a week already".
"Give him a break Paris", B'Elanna cut in. "He's not exactly working with state of the art material here. And would you hurry up and roll already?"
Tom pulled a goofy face. "I'm just giving them a lucky charm".
"Trying to delay your inevitable defeat, I'd say", she shot back. "And since when do you care about Tuvok? Everyone knows the two of you don't get along."
"Hey, can't a guy be concerned about a fellow officer?" At B'Elanna's raised eyebrow he added, "Can I help it if I'd rather be flying a ship than maintaining its weapons systems?"
The half-Klingon woman snorted. "Somehow I knew you'd be the type who hates getting his precious hands dirty."
Kathryn couldn't help smiling as they bickered back and forth across the game board. Since her talk with Kes a week ago she had been making a real effort to involve herself with the crew on a more personal level. It made for quite a different experience to any other time she'd spent on a star ship. Not that this was any ordinary trip. This wasn't a Starfleet ship, for one thing. It was a battered old craft, manned by a mixture of Maquis rebels and a handful of Starfleet officers. Added to that, they were 70,000 light years from known space, stranded in the Delta Quadrant. What could be normal about that?
She eyed each of the players in turn. Kes, the young Ocampan, continued to surprise her with a wisdom that belied her age. Kathryn had come to genuinely enjoy their regular conversations. Earlier in the week, they had spent a fascinating hour exploring the progress of the hydroponics bay. Despite her scientific bent, Kathryn had never been very interested in botany or ecology. Kes' passion for all living things brought the subject alive, and she had listened with real curiosity to the young woman's explanations.
Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres also seemed to be handling their new situation well. Despite B'Elanna's obvious disdain for all things Starfleet, Kathryn could already see that underneath her prickliness lay an extremely bright, loyal and dependable woman. For his part, Tom's own defence mechanism - his use of humour - couldn't completely cover his own vulnerability, or his need to prove himself capable and reliable.
Next to Tom sat Harry Kim. The young Ensign looked like the proverbial fish out of water. Of all the Starfleet crew, he seemed to be finding it the most difficult to adapt to life on the Liberty. His ideas about how to bolster their defensive systems revealed a clear talent for ships operations, but he was nervous about putting himself forward. Uncomfortable around authority figures, Harry reacted tentatively to her friendly advances. Still, he had finally (after four weeks) managed to stop blushing painfully and calling her Captain whenever she addressed him directly. That was a definite change for the better.
B'Elanna's whoop of delight interrupted her thoughts.
"That's a double bonus for me," she declared, reaching over to move her token sixteen spaces around the board.
Tom sighed dramatically. "I never did understand how Bajorans came up with this game. It's a pity we don't have a pool table. I could clear you all out."
"I wouldn't count on that", Kathryn remarked, taking the dice from B'Elanna's outstretched hand. "I used to be quite the pool player in my day".
Tom looked intrigued. "Well, I'll have to challenge you to a game. Next time we're anywhere near a table, that is."
"You've got a date", Kathryn replied, a definite glint in her eye.
The arrival of Chakotay interrupted the groups' laughter. He hesitated in the doorway, scanning those present until his eyes fell on Kathryn. Her smile slipped from her face as she looked up at him. She instantly returned her gaze to the board, an awkward gesture that didn't go unnoticed. Tom looked from one to the other, his mind working quickly.
"Sorry to break up your game", Chakotay began, "but I need a word with Kathryn. Ship's business," he added, as though sensing Tom's scrutiny.
She glanced up at him again and caught the serious cast of his features.
"Go on without me", she told the group, dropping the dice back onto the board with a clatter.
"Well well well", Tom muttered under his breath as they departed. "How very interesting."
"What's interesting?" Harry asked.
"Come on Harry, are you blind? Something's obviously going on between the two of them."
As Harry shook his head disbelievingly, Tom glanced at the others. He noted that both Kes and B'Elanna were avoiding his eyes.
"Do either of you know anything you haven't told us?" he asked.
Kes merely shook her head, but wouldn't hold his gaze. B'Elanna pursed her lips thoughtfully, scrunching the dice in her fist.
"I don't know anything about the two of them", she admitted after a moment, "but if I was Kathryn I'd stay well away from him."
"Oh?" Tom's eyebrows shot up at the prospect of some juicy details about Chakotay's undesirability. "Why's that?"
B'Elanna stared at him for a while before responding. "Seska", she said shortly.
"I thought they were an ex-couple".
Harry looked puzzled. "How did you know that?"
Tom waved him off with one hand. "I talk to people."
"They aren't together anymore", B'Elanna confirmed. "But I know Seska. She's the jealous sort. And it wasn't her decision to end it."
"Not that this is any of our business", Harry put in.
"Or course it's our business Harry", Tom countered. "We're living in a shoebox here. Bad vibes from the top are bound to affect us all."
If the others agreed they didn't say so. Kes continued to appear extremely interested in the swirling patterns drawn on the game board. B'Elanna sighed and tossed the dice on top of them.
"Three again", she groaned. "That's bad luck."
~~~
"What's up?" Kathryn asked, as they left the common room.
Chakotay shook his head. "Not here", he said shortly. "My room."
Kathryn eyed him curiously but didn't comment. They walked in silence back to his quarters. Chakotay didn't speak again until the doors slid shut behind them. Kathryn perched on the edge of his chair, trying not to think about the last time she had been in this room.
"I don't know how to say this", Chakotay said, sinking down onto the edge of his mattress opposite her. "So I'll just spit it out."
He fell silent and stared down at his hands. Kathryn watched his bent head, her mind racing. Ship's business, he had said. Was that a euphanism? Perhaps he wanted to clear the air. They had both been avoiding each other since their embarrassing encounter a week earlier. It was a difficult thing to do on a small ship like the Liberty, and they had bumped into one another awkwardly several times. Now in this tiny cabin, he was sitting so close to her that she could easily reach out her hand and stroke his dark hair.
"Go on then", Kathryn said after a long pause.
Chakotay ran his palm through his closely cropped hair and sighed. "Sorry", he said, with a rueful smile. "This is difficult." He sighed again and went on. "I was just down in engineering talking to Michael Hogan."
So it wasn't a personal conversation. Kathryn bit back her disappointment, silently chastising herself over her priorities. "And?" she prompted.
"He's found a number of secret transmissions, made from this ship to a Kazon vessel."
Kathryn stared at him dumbly.
"We don't log messages in the same way as a Starfleet vessel", Chakotay continued, "but we do have a recording protocol. These messages weren't even sent through the usual communication channels. They were rerouted and disguised by our waste disposal system. It's quite ingenious actually."
Kathryn found her voice. "Who on this ship would be contacting the Kazon?"
Chakotay shook his head. "I don't know. A disgruntled crewmember, maybe. Somebody who's not happy being on Maquis ship."
It took Kathryn a moment to realise the full implication of his statement. "Or someone who isn't happy having Starfleet crewmembers aboard their ship", she pointed out.
"Could be", he allowed.
"But why? What could they possibly have to gain by contacting the Kazon?"
Chakotay shrugged but didn't reply.
"If it's someone who isn't happy on this ship, then maybe they're trying to find a way off of it," she suggested.
"Or a way home".
They stared at each other. "Technology", Chakotay breathed.
"Exactly."
"We've both made it clear that we don't want to trade our technology with the Kazon. Some of the crew did have problems with that."
"But what would they have to gain by going over our heads?"
"An alliance?"
Kathryn's voice took on a hint of steel. "I don't like the sound of that."
"Neither do I".
"Does anybody else know?"
Chakotay shook his head. "No. I told Hogan to keep it under his hat for now. I trust him," he added.
"Alright. But we need to think about who might be responsible for this."
Chakotay scratched his chin thoughtfully. "It's difficult to tell. Most of the crew wants to get the hell out of the Delta Quadrant. The sooner the better."
"Can we tell how many people had access to the systems that were used?"
Chakotay nodded. "I'll draw up a list of suspects."
"I don't like the sound of that either. Suspects."
"Neither do I, Kathryn." Chakotay shuffled forward on the edge of the bed so that he was even closer to her. "But we need to put a stop to this before it gets out of hand."
Kathryn nodded, trying to ignore the odd sensation that his proximity was producing in her stomach.
"I agree", she said, holding his gaze.
"Kathryn," he began, his eyes still serious, "there was something else that I wanted to talk to you about."
"Yes?"
"I don't want to speak out of place, but-"
"What?"
"I thought you should know that I think-" He broke off again, clearing his throat nervously.
"You think what?" Kathryn couldn't take her eyes off his face. His brown eyes were flickering around agitatedly as he searched for the right words. She pushed back a stray lock of hair from the side of her face and waited for him to speak again. The movement caught his eye, and he smiled.
"You have lovely hair, you know?"
Kathryn felt a warm glow rising on her face at the compliment. "Do you think so?"
"Uh huh. But that isn't what I wanted so say. I wanted you to know that I'm not-"
Whatever he was about to say was cut off by the door chime.
"Come", he called out, his voice betraying his annoyance.
The door slid open to reveal Seska. She strode into the room, stopping short at the sight of Kathryn. Her lip curled up derisively but before she could speak Kathryn stood.
"I was just leaving", she said awkwardly, making her way to the door. The last thing she wanted to see now was the two of them sharing a moment of closeness.
"We'll talk soon", Chakotay called after her. She paused in the doorway and looked back at them. Seska had already moved to sit familiarly on the bed beside him. Kathryn nodded quickly at Chakotay, then turned and left the room.
~~~
"Captain", Tuvok's voice was weak but clear. "I was expecting your visit at about this time."
"And I was expecting that you'd call me Captain yet again", Kathryn crossed the space to Tuvok's bed and sank into the chair beside it.
"I believe humans have a saying, that 'old habits die hard'," Tuvok observed.
"So they do." Kathryn cast her eyes over her old friend fondly. Since Tuvok's injury a week earlier in a Kazon attack he had been confined to sickbay. The doctor's lack of equipment (or as he called it his "primitive working environment") had delayed what would have ordinarily been a much quicker recovery. Tuvok's condition was yet another reminder of how different life was outside a well-equipped Starfleet vessel.
"How are you today?"
"The doctor informs me that my recovery is proceeding apace", Tuvok reported. "Within a few days I will be able - and I quote - 'to malinger in my own quarters instead of occupying limited sickbay space'."
"That's good to hear."
"Indeed."
Kathryn chuckled under her breath. "It seems our doctor has quite a unique bedside manner.
"Indeed", Tuvok repeated. "I commented on his lack of good cheer - not that I find such a thing necessary, but I understand many feel it to be a desirable quality in a medical practitioner - and he informed me that he always thought it more important for doctors to occupy their time studying medical techniques rather than wasting time developing better interpersonal skills."
Kathryn laughed.
"I believe he was engaging in hyperbole at the time, however," Tuvok concluded.
"I'm sure he was."
"May I inquire about the functioning of the ship?"
Kathryn smiled wryly. "Oh, we're all doing fine. I can't vouch for Mr. Paris' future career as chief tactical officer, though."
At that Tuvok appeared to wince slightly. "I'm sure Mr. Paris' efforts have been... competent. Has there been any further friction among the crew?"
"A few squabbles here and there, but nothing serious," Kathryn replied, not meeting his eyes.
"Captain", Tuvok began, "I mean, Kathryn, I believe you are not being fully honest with me."
She nodded. "I believe you are correct. You're supposed to be resting," she added, by way of explanation, "not worrying about the rest of us."
"I am not worried, Cap- Kathryn", he replied. "But the level of tension in your body suggests that there is a matter of grave concern that requires resolution."
Kathryn sighed. "Sometimes I forget how well you know me."
"Am I right in assuming you are concerned about your relationship with Captain Chakotay?"
Kathryn glanced at him sharply. "What makes you say that?"
Tuvok regarded her impassively. "It is a logical conclusion."
"Is it?"
"You have been Captain of your own vessel for some time now", Tuvok went on, "but now have effectively suffered a reduction in rank. Simply put, you are no longer in charge. Given your preference for command, and the unease most crewmembers appear to be experiencing in adjusting to our altered situation, I concluded that you are also having difficulty in negotiating your new relationship with the ship's Captain."
Kathryn let out a small sigh of relief. "Oh, *that* relationship."
Tuvok titled his head slightly. "Did you think I referred to something else?"
"No, Tuvok, you're right," she lied quickly. "It is difficult to adjust to being second in command again."
"Do you have other concerns you wish to discuss?"
For the briefest of moments Kathryn was tempted by the offer. Tuvok might not understand her confusion about her attraction towards Chakotay, but he would be a great help in tracking down a potential spy.
"No", she said eventually. "We're all a little on edge, worried about the Kazon attacking again in force. Nothing that a bit of tactical finagling won't fix."
Tuvok regarded her steadily for few seconds. Kathryn was sure he was about to call her bluff.
"We are fortunate then", he replied, "that the tactical stations are under the competent administration of Mr. Paris."
Kathryn chuckled. "Yeah. He misses you too, Tuvok."
~~~
"Harry Kim?"
"Yes."
"You're joking."
"I'm afraid not."
"Harry would not do something like this. He wouldn't go against our wishes, he's a trained Starfleet officer."
"He's also very young and impressionable."
Kathryn glared at Chakotay, feeling anger rising in her gut. When Chakotay had said he'd come to her with a list of suspects, the last person she expected to see on it was Harry Kim. Now he had presented her with that list, containing only two names. One was Kim's, the other was Seska.
"He's been working his heart out boosting our defences for the past three weeks," she argued.
"Which is why he had access to this panel during the crucial time periods."
"And so did Seska".
"I know Seska. She wouldn't do something like this." At Kathryn's incredulous look he went on. "Alright, I know she can be a little hot headed at times. And she has voiced her disapproval about not contacting the Kazon. But she's been on my crew for a long time. We've been through a lot of scrapes together, and I trust her."
Kathryn tried to ignore the warm tone in his voice as he spoke about the Bajoran. "And I trust Harry Kim."
"You barely know him!"
"He has an impeccable record of obeying orders from superiors. Seska is a declared rebel-"
"So am I", Chakotay cut in, his voice dangerously quiet. "And so is every Maquis on this ship. Does that make us all suspects? Are we all not to be trusted?"
"No, I just meant-"
"Harry Kim barely has a record," he went on, "He's straight out of the Academy. I'm not saying he isn't trustworthy, but he isn't a tested officer either."
Kathryn was silent, unwilling to admit he was right.
"I know you like him Kathryn," he went on more calmly. "Hell, I like him too. But he had the opportunity. And he has the motive. You've seen yourself how uncomfortable he's been this past month. How much trouble he's had fitting into life on this ship."
Kathryn stared at him dumbly, as she pictured Harry's recent behaviour. Chakotay was right. Harry had been uneasy since the moment he set foot on the Liberty.
"What should we do?" she asked eventually. "Confront them both?"
"No. I don't think that will get us anywhere. They'll both just deny it."
"What then?"
Chakotay shrugged. "We'll just have to watch them both carefully. See what happens."
"Couldn't that be dangerous? If they've been in contact with the Kazon-"
"I know. But we need to wait until we've thought of a way of getting the person responsible to incriminate themselves further."
Kathryn thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. We'll do it your way."
She slipped off the chair and made her way to the door. "And let's agree to keep this between ourselves for now. The last thing we need is for the crew to think we're suspicious of them all."
"Alright". Chakotay watched her, his dark eyes thoughtful. "Kathryn, while you're here I was wondering if we could talk-"
"I'm in a hurry right now", she interrupted him. "Whatever it is, can it wait until later?"
As she was already stepping out of the door, it didn't seem to be a matter for debate.
"Sure", he mumbled, as the doors slid shut behind her.
~~~
Chakotay pummeled the punching bag relentlessly, letting himself slip into a smooth rhythm. Usually as he trained the exercise cleared his mind, almost as though the sweat trickling from his face could literally carry away the concerns of the day.
Today it wasn't working. With every left jab he could see the indignant expression Kathryn had displayed at the thought of Harry Kim betraying them. With every right he could see the mortified look in her eyes when she had stumbled into his quarters last week, and found him locked in an embrace with Seska.
Seska. He pounded the bag fiercely at the thought of his ex-lover. He'd thought that by ending their relationship he would be able to extricate himself from her thorny embrace. Not that he hadn't loved her, he had. But with Seska everything was so complicated. She was a skilled lover, a valiant fighter, a loyal friend. She was also jealous, obstinate and stubborn as a mule. She couldn't just be with him, she wanted to possess him. She had questioned his independence, his decisions, his religious beliefs. She used to display their relationship like it was a token, as though being his lover gave her special privileges over others in the crew. He bristled at the thought even now.
He couldn't imagine Kathryn Janeway wanting to own somebody else. She was too independent herself. He shook his head in irritation at the thought and picked up the pace of his workout. Janeway wasn't his type anyway, he thought, as he pounded the bag. She was intelligent and beautiful, sure, but so what? Then why do you keep thinking about her? a small voice asked from somewhere in his mind.
"Chakotay!"
He spun around to see B'Elanna standing in the gym doorway.
"Didn't you hear me calling you?"
He rubbed his face with the back of his forearm and shook his head. "I was concentrating", he gasped.
"There's been an accident in engineering", B'Elanna went on rapidly as though he hadn't spoken. "Kathryn and I were replacing some of the older components with the parts we picked up from those Talaxian traders the other day. One of the consoles exploded".
Chakotay's stomach lurched. "Is she alright?"
"She's fine. Luckily she was three meters away when it happened. She only has minor burns and bruises. The doctor's treating her now."
Chakotay shrugged off his gloves and grabbed his towel. "I'd better go see her".
As he rushed down the corridor B'Elanna hurried along beside him.
"The thing is, Chakotay, this really shouldn't have happened."
"Of course it shouldn't have."
B'Elanna shook her head vigorously. "No, I mean, some of the others think it was caused by a burnt out relay sparking. But I checked all of those relays myself yesterday when I was deciding which ones needed replacing. There was nothing wrong with that console. We weren't working on it because it wasn't due to be repaired."
Chakotay stopped so suddenly that B'Elanna slammed into him. "What are you saying?" he hissed, grabbing her by the forearms.
"I'm not certain, but I have a gut feeling that somebody tampered with that console before we went in there this afternoon." She tried to wrest her arms free from his tight grip. "Which means", she looked around them quickly then went on, "that we have a saboteur on board."
"Oh gods", Chakotay let her arms drop, and slumped back against the corridor wall.
"I know", B'Elanna continued quietly. "It's horrific. Who would do something like that? And why?"
"It's not just that", Chakotay muttered. "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but..."
"What?"
Chakotay glanced along the empty corridor. "Someone on board has been sending messages to a Kazon ship."
B'Elanna stared at him in astonishment. "You're joking!"
"I wish I was."
She put her hands on her hips angrily. "Who the hell would-" she trailed off abruptly, as though coming to a conclusion, then quickly looked away from him.
"What? What are you thinking, Torres?"
"Nothing", she lied.
"Come on, I know you better than that."
"I was just thinking that it had to be someone who wants us to trade with the Kazon", she said quietly.
"You mean you were thinking it was Seska", he accused.
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to. It was pretty obvious who you meant."
"Think about it Chakotay, she hasn't exactly been happy here."
"A lot of people haven't been happy here."
"But they're not all mouthing off about giving the Kazon our technology. And you know that she hates-" she broke off again and looked away.
"Kathryn", Chakotay finished for her. "You were going to say she hates Kathryn."
B'Elanna shrugged but didn't meet his angry gaze. "Well, she does."
"Even so, that doesn't mean she would deliberately try and hurt her. It also doesn't mean she's the one sending the messages."
B'Elanna opened her mouth to argue but Chakotay held up his hand. "I don't want to hear any more about it. And you're not to tell anyone about the transmissions, understand?"
B'Elanna glared at him sullenly, but nodded.
"Good. I want you to get back to engineering. Check over the debris again. I want to know exactly what happened down there."
The half-Klingon nodded curtly as he strode away.
"Chakotay", she called out.
"What?"
"Don't let your feelings get in the way of the truth. Any of your feelings."
He ducked his head in acknowledgement and continued on his way to sickbay. B'Elanna watched him leave, her face thoughtful. Maybe Tom Paris is right after all, she mused. Stranger things have happened.
~~~
Kathryn was perched on the edge of a sickbay bed as he entered. One sleeve of her shirt was torn away, and she sported a large red contusion on her left cheekbone. The look she gave him was inscrutable.
"Ah, Captain", Doctor Zimmerman said, as he ran a dermal regenerator over her bare shoulder. "I trust you haven't come here for burn treatment too".
Chakotay glanced from Tuvok's bed to Kathryn, then shook his head. "No doctor, I just came to see your patient."
"Have a seat. She can leave in a minute. These injuries aren't serious." He turned the regenerator up a notch and began running it over her cheek. "Hold still."
Chakotay slipped into a spare seat and watched him work. What if B'Elanna was right? What if the explosion wasn't an accident. Could it be the work of the same person? If so, did they deliberately target Kathryn, or could they merely have been seeking to damage one of the Liberty's systems, forcing them to slow down or stop? He glanced over at Tuvok, who appeared to be sleeping. Perhaps they needed to recruit more help to find out what was really going on.
"There, you're done."
The doctor moved away, allowing Chakotay to drag his chair closer to the bed.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Kathryn shrugged and ran her fingertips over her newly healed skin. "I appear to be in one piece."
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"I don't know. I wasn't working on the console which exploded, I was replacing a few parts on one that was opposite it. I heard a small sound, some sort of beep, and turned around. Then there was a flash and a loud explosion." She shrugged again. "That's all I remember."
Chakotay frowned. "You heard a beep?"
"Sure." She ran a hand through her hair which had fallen loose from its ponytail, untangling knots with her fingers as she spoke. "What does B'Elanna say?"
"She's working on a report right now," he replied evasively.
"We can compare notes soon", Kathryn said, "I won't be here long. What is it?"
She had glanced up to see Chakotay staring intently at her.
"Your hair", he said slowly. "It's shorter."
Kathryn made a face. "I know. The ends got burnt off. It stinks like... well, like burnt hair. Kes offered to trim it off for me when I'm done here." As he continued to stare at her she added more quietly, "Not so lovely now, huh?"
He met her gaze but didn't reply. Kathryn shrugged again and let her hands drop into her lap. "It's only a few inches off anyway. It's not like I'm cutting it all short. Not that it matters anyway", she trailed off lamely, playing absently with her fingers.
"No", he echoed stupidly. "It doesn't matter."
They sat in silence for a few moments. Chakotay could hear his exchange with B'Elanna echoing in his ears. He'd sensed Seska's animosity towards Kathryn before. He would have to be dense not to have. But that didn't mean... he shot another quick glance at Kathryn, trying to remember exactly when and where he'd commented on her hair. Surely Seska couldn't have heard him. And even if she had, what did that prove?
As the doctor looked over at them quizzically, Chakotay gathered his thoughts.
"Well, I'll leave you to it. We'll talk later about- you know what."
"Okay", Kathryn said softly.
As the doors slid shut behind the retreating Captain, Doctor Zimmerman couldn't help asking. "That all sounded very intriguing. What's 'you know what'?"
Kathryn sighed. "Nothing interesting, doctor, I'm afraid. Just... ship's business."
~~~
End of part four
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