Disclaimer: Star Trek
Voyager and all of its characters are the property of Paramount. No
copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: Of all Janeway's
actions in the Delta Quadrant, the only one I found myself incapable of
justifying was the 'incident' with Noah Lessing in the cargo bay during
"Equinox." So I suppose it was inevitable that I would one day write
this story. Many thanks to Seema for her wonderful beta work and
invaluable suggestions. Any remaining flaws are mine alone.
Time frame: Our story begins six
months after Voyager's return home.
In Pursuit
of Justice
By Rocky
1.
Janeway stared out the window as the words of her Judge Advocate
General representative, Captain Simon Gaines, receded into a dull
background buzz. The small office afforded a fine view of the grounds
surrounding Starfleet Headquarters. Outside, a gentle breeze ruffled
the trees, their branches in full bloom against a deep blue sky. Even
after half a year on Earth, the simple daily rhythms of the planet's
rotation, let alone the seasons with their weather and temperature
fluctuations, continued to fascinate Janeway. It was all so different
from the cold unyielding stars in the endless night of space...
"Captain Janeway, are you listening?" The hint of irritation in Gaines'
voice reminded her of the matter at hand.
She gave him an apologetic if perfunctory smile. "Of course. You're
detailing the various approaches to take for my defense."
"I'm glad you're paying attention; a charge of attempted murder is no
laughing matter." Janeway opened her mouth, but he waved her silent.
"Even though the alleged crime took place years ago in the Delta
Quadrant, the official records of the incident, not to mention several
eyewitness, still exist. The logs and recollections of your senior
officers, the victim himself--there's no disputing what transpired: you
threatened to expose Ensign Noah Lessing to attack from the nucleogenic
aliens, knowing such an act would almost certainly result in his
death."
Gaines' cool gray eyes met hers. He knew as well as she did that she
hadn't stopped at threats.
"What we can do, however, is
offer a different interpretation of those events than the prosecution
is going to present. One possibility is that you and Commander Chakotay
arranged this 'ploy' in advance--"
"Playing 'good cop, bad cop' falls under the umbrella of coercion, and
consequently would be considered unlawful," put in Lieutenant Jamie
Perry a bit hesitantly. His very youthful appearance, combined with his
tentative manner, did not inspire Janeway's confidence. "Assuming
that a state of war existed between Voyager
and Equinox, the rules
of engagement specifically say the military have an obligation to
protect prisoners of war from torture, whether physical or mental, as
well as death."
"As I was saying, it was a bluff, a simple interrogation tactic to get
the information of Captain Ransom's whereabouts from Lessing," Gaines
said, shooting Perry a warning look. He did not seem the type to take
kindly to being interrupted, even by his assistant. "The only question
is if Chakotay will go along with this."
"I'm quite sure he won't," Janeway said immediately.
"Chakotay hasn't given a deposition yet," Gaines said, leaning forward.
"There's a good chance he might support--"
Janeway held up her hand. "I can tell you right now it won't work.
Chakotay heartily disapproved of my actions in the cargo bay, and he
let me know in no uncertain terms." Unwillingly, she recalled their
ugly confrontation afterward. "As punishment for disobeying my orders,
I removed him from duty and had him confined to quarters."
Gaines' disappointment was obvious. "All right, we'll cross that option
off for now, pending Chakotay's statement upon his return," he said,
picking up another PADD.
"Chakotay may be facing issues of his own," Perry said, darting quick
looks at Gaines. "Not because of something he did during the incident
itself—he went by the book, questioned an unlawful order, objected on
moral grounds, and tried to stop said action. It's what he didn't do, namely report it to
higher authorities."
"He never reported the incident due to Voyager's presence in the Delta
Quadrant; communication with Starfleet Command was impossible," Gaines
said, a bit testily. "He's certainly not going to be held liable."
"He had an obligation to report the incident once regular communication
became possible via Pathfinder," Perry said, clearly uncomfortable with
contradicting his superior officer but persisting nonetheless. "Or
failing that, once Voyager
arrived back at Earth." He paused for a moment. "Then again, he did
record everything in his official logs so perhaps—"
Janeway lost the thread of their conversation as Gaines and Perry
started debating technicalities, too startled by the suggestion that
any of her crew could be held liable in the 'Equinox Incident' as well.
She thought back to Gaines' earlier statements. "Return?" she asked.
Both men looked at her. "You said something about 'after Chakotay's
return.' Where is he?"
"He's off world, on his honeymoon," Perry said.
Janeway nodded slowly. "I see." The news was hardly surprising, but her
mouth still tightened at the reminder of how out of touch she was with
the members of her former crew.
In the months since Voyager's
return, once the excitement died down, the crew had scattered, eager to
pick up the threads of their former existence. The expected struggles
over the Maquis and their questionable status had never materialized.
After so many years away--and the massacre of most of the Maquis in the
Alpha Quadrant during the Dominion War--full pardons were issued
without much debate. The field commissions Janeway had granted were
honored, and citations given for valorous acts above and beyond the
call of duty. They were all hailed as returning heroes, which made the
upcoming trial so difficult for her to comprehend. How did everything
change so quickly?
Pushing those unwelcome thoughts from her mind, Janeway asked, "What
else are you considering?" She took a sip from her now-cold coffee and
put it down again with a grimace. Perry brought her a fresh cup at
once, which she accepted gratefully.
"Our only other option is to plead not guilty by lack of mental
responsibility," Gaines said.
Janeway stared at him uncomprehendingly. "What did you say?"
"That you temporarily went around the bend due to the exigencies of
life in the Delta Quadrant. Ransom's attack on Voyager, kidnapping members of your
crew, disabling your defenses and leaving you open to attack by the
aliens, was just too much." Gaines tapped his stylus thoughtfully.
"It's too bad we don't have any hard medical evidence to support this
contention, considering your Emergency Medical Hologram wasn't on board
at the time, but I'm sure we can use previous episodes of depression,
like your behavior in the Void as further proof--"
"No," Janeway cut in, looking from one to the other of the officers.
"There is no way in hell I'm going to plead insanity. It will ruin my
career."
"Your career is in shambles already," Gaines said brutally. "The odds
against your ever commanding another ship again are astronomical." He
let his words sink in for a moment. "But it can get worse. If you don't
follow my recommendation, you could be facing even more severe
consequences."
"I'd rather go to prison."
"That's exactly what's going to happen." Gaines then tried again in a
more reasonable tone of voice. "Captain, there is a stack of evidence
that can and will be used against you. This is your only way out."
"I said no. I will not allow you to use that tactic in my defense."
Janeway stood, her hands balled into fists on her hips. "Unless you
want to have me declared incompetent to participate in my own case."
Gaines exchanged glances with Perry. "Well, Lieutenant, do you have
anything to offer?"
"Self-defense might be an option here," Perry said, almost stammering
in his eagerness. "Captain Janeway is accused under Article 128 –
assault – and self-defense is a viable defense if Lessing was
apprehended under the reasonable grounds that the accused was about to
suffer wrongfully from bodily harm, if she believed the force used
against Lessing was necessary for protection from bodily harm, and the
force used was less than reasonably likely to cause death or other
grievous harm."
"As you know, the actual circumstances rule that out," Gaines said,
somewhat impatiently. "Anything else?"
"What about defense of another?" Perry said. "The accused acted in
defense of another person—in this case the crew of Voyager--provided that the force
used was lawful. Lessing represented a danger to the ship, and the law
states that if the accused believed someone would be harmed if she
didn't act immediately – "
"The apprehension, the fear of imminent harm, must continue throughout
the act, and so it doesn't apply here either," Gaines said. "Lessing
was no longer capable of harming Voyager
at that moment, and Janeway had every opportunity to avoid this line of
interrogation."
Perry looked suitably crushed.
Gaines continued, "So you see, Captain, lack of mental responsibility
is the only possible defense."
"Voyager was in a state of
emergency, under attack by an enemy after having sustained severe
damage and been rendered virtually defenseless by another Starfleet
vessel," Janeway said, striving to keep her temper in check. "Why is
this so hard for you to understand? Under the circumstances, I did what
I had to do, because the safety of my crew and ship were at stake. Some
of those actions may have appeared harsh, but they were absolutely
necessary." She took a deep breath. "Lessing's information about Ransom
was crucial. I questioned him, tried reasoning with him, and then
pressed him when he remained uncooperative."
There was a long silence.
"That might work," Perry said at last to Gaines, not looking
Janeway. "Focus on the war aspects, the extenuating circumstances."
"Torture of prisoners during interrogation is frowned upon, to put it
mildly. Even in this post-war political climate." Gaines smiled
briefly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "All right, Captain, we'll play
it your way. For now."
2.
Admiral Mishpat U'Tzedek, the presiding officer at the court-martial,
picked up the small silver gavel and tapped three times on the podium.
U'Tzedek was an Anjehelian, an avian species whose slender wings and
delicate, almost ethereal features naturally gave rise to the common
shortened form of their name. As U'Tzedek fixed her glowing red
eyes on the defense table, Janeway started involuntarily. An angel of
justice, not mercy. "Are you ready to begin, Captain Gaines?"
Gaines rose and addressed the panel of seven who would be deciding
Janeway's fate. Janeway recognized only three of the officers, T'Lara,
Lemech and Alexander Kaiser, who had been the ones to originally review
the charges against her during the article 32 hearing and decide they
warranted going to trial. The others—Getz, Serug and Tirkar—were
unknown entities.
"I would like to begin by describing the exact circumstances Voyager found itself in," Gaines
said, his deep voice resonating clearly throughout the chamber, "as
well as provide background on the 'Spirits of Good Fortune' who played
a key role in the Equinox's
crimes, as well as the incident for which this trial is being held.
"On Stardate 53035.2, Voyager
came across the badly damaged Equinox.
Jubilant at finally seeing another Federation vessel after long years
in the Delta Quadrant, Captain Janeway immediately offered aid and
succor to Captain Ransom and his people, encouraged a free exchange of
supplies, technology and even of personnel. She held nothing back,
listened sympathetically as Ransom and his first officer, Commander
Burke, explained how Equinox
had been under almost constant attack by a particular species of
aliens." Gaines paused for a moment. "But Ransom left out key details
of his story, gave orders to keep Voyager's
officers away from his own ship's labs and engine room, lest their
secret--a systemic use of a race of sentient beings for fuel, a calculated campaign of
genocide--would be revealed."
The jurors' attention never wavered, but one or two allowed a pained
expression to cross their faces.
"The crew of the Equinox,
from the commanding officers on down, engaged in a coordinated and
deliberate attempt to deceive Voyager.
And when the truth was ultimately revealed, Ransom ordered the
deliberate sabotage of their benefactor's ship, the theft of key
equipment necessary for Voyager
to defend itself against attack--attacks provoked by the fact of their
helping Equinox--and left
their fellow Starfleet officers to what they were convinced was certain
death. As a final parting shot, Ransom kidnapped two members of Voyager's crew, and left behind
their own Emergency Medical Hologram to serve as spy and additional
saboteur." Gaines gestured dramatically. "If that does not constitute
an act of war, an opening of hostilities, I don't know what would.
"Equinox was long gone, and Voyager was left exposed and
defenseless. But contrary to Ransom's expectations, Voyager was not destroyed. They
managed to beat off the enemy, jury-rig the shields to protect against
further attacks. And then instead of allowing Ransom to get away with
his heinous acts--or abandon her crew to his tender mercies--Janeway
set off in pursuit.
"Make no mistake: it was Equinox
which began this conflict, set these events in motion. Janeway's
actions were calculated to elicit information to help her ship, recover
her missing crew members, and finally, bring Ransom to justice.
"Voyager tracked Equinox to a small planet. Ransom
was able to elude Voyager--he
had superior firepower, not to mention inside information about Voyager's weapons and capabilities.
Ransom and his ship got away, but Voyager
managed to capture one of the Equinox
crewmen on the planet—Ensign Noah Lessing."
Gaines took a sip of water. "Try to imagine, if you can, the situation
on board Voyager at that
time. The ship was crippled, under attack. Ransom and the Equinox were gone, but there was no
guarantee they would not return at a later date to raid Voyager once more, to prey on their
fellow Starfleet officers as they did the nucleogenic aliens, stripping
them of rations, of energy, of equipment, perhaps of their very lives.
Even if the stakes were not so high regarding Voyager's own survival, Captain
Janeway could not in good conscience allow the Equinox to continue on their
present course of action, charting a path of destruction and genocide
across the galaxy. To stop Ransom, she first needed to find him. And so
she turned to the obvious source of information, the recently
apprehended Equinox crew
member.
"However, through misguided loyalty to his own captain--the man who had
set Equinox on their
repugnant path--Noah Lessing refused to talk. He refused to assist
Captain Janeway, refused to cooperate in any way. By his own actions,
he clearly regarded himself as a prisoner of war. Perhaps over time he
would have reconsidered his situation, realized he had a chance to
break with the unspeakable cruelties of life on board the Equinox, of no longer having to
follow Ransom's sadistic directives. Perhaps Lessing would have decided
of his own volition to help stop the destructive and vicious cycle--in
time. But time was a luxury that Voyager
could not afford. And so
Captain Janeway was obliged to treat him as an enemy—a prisoner of
war--and interrogate him."
Gaines paused once more, and Janeway had the sense he was picking his
way very carefully. "The manner of this questioning, the methods
employed--it's all very easy for us now to judge Captain Janeway, to
look back from the safety of our own positions, from the comfort of the
Alpha Quadrant where lone ships are not forced to fend for themselves
for years in hostile environments, contending with tremendous forces
against them. Even our recent experiences in the Dominion War cannot
quite bring us to comprehend the dire circumstances Voyager was in. If Captain Janeway
was perhaps harsh in her manner of interrogation, it was because she
was driven to it by the situation. She needed the information Lessing
had, and it was imperative that she obtain it, by force if necessary.
Too many other lives were at stake."
Gaines glanced around the room, noting the few observers, and then
turned his attention back to the members of the jury. "The end result
of course, was that Noah Lessing did not speak. Was his life
endangered? Yes. But was it ultimately lost? No. For the duration of
the Equinox Incident--and for
the remainder of the years in the Delta Quadrant--Lessing was not
threatened again in any way, was not in any greater peril than any
other individual on board Voyager."
Gaines gestured toward Janeway. "These are not the actions of a captain
who harbored any ill will toward him--or anyone else connected with the
Equinox! The entire set of
regrettable events which transpired between Captain Janeway and Ensign
Lessing on that day were solely due to the captain's desperation--"
Gaines quickly corrected himself "--desperate need for information.
Nothing more.
"It is my hope, my belief, that this jury will find Captain Janeway's
actions, while they may perhaps be considered extreme, were caused by
the exigencies of war, and not out of a malicious or premeditated
intent to commit murder."
The prosecutor, Captain Sonia Mendez, was tall and her sleek black
hair, with just a hint of gray about the temples, was caught up in a
knot at the nape of her neck. Unlike her opponent, she chose to stroll
around the chamber as she spoke, as if to give greater weight to her
words.
"We have all heard the words of my esteemed colleague," she said in
slightly accented Standard, "but I intend to show Captain's Janeway's
actions went well beyond what has been described. She was not only
pursuing information, but an enemy. Yes, the Captain was seeking revenge for Captain Ransom's
deception, for the damages inflicted on her ship--and ironically
enough, his violation of his oath as a Starfleet officer." Mendez
smiled. "I say ironic, because by her actions, Captain Janeway showed
she wanted Ransom's whereabouts at any cost, didn't mind if it cost a
life or two to get it--as long as it wasn't her crew at risk.
"How else can one explain what she attempted to do to Noah
Lessing--what she very nearly succeeded at, the cold-blooded murder of
an innocent man. The Ensign was not privy to the private thoughts of
his commanding officer; he could not read Ransom's mind and tell
Captain Janeway where the Equinox was
headed, or what they intended to do next. In fact, Lessing could be
viewed as much as a victim of Ransom's cruelty as Voyager. A hapless victim.
"But to Captain Janeway, this man represented something else. He was a
symbol of the crimes the Equinox
had committed, of what Ransom had done to her ship and crew. Ransom was
out of reach, but Lessing was not."
Mendez inclined her head graciously toward the defense. "Captain
Gaines, in his eloquent statement a few moments ago, did not detail
just how Captain Janeway's interrogation was carried out. In a move of
stunning brutality, she threatened to expose him to the nucleogenic
aliens--and then did just that, blatantly ignoring the rules of
engagement, of civilized behavior, of sheer humane conduct. The fact
that Lessing survived this 'interrogation' is not to Captain Janeway's
credit, nor was it due to any actions of hers.
"It is clear beyond a shadow of a doubt if Lessing had not been removed
from that cargo bay, he would have been dead mere seconds later. No,
Captain Janeway did not fire on him with a phaser, she did not
viciously beat him. She just left him to what she knew was certain
death.
"Such an act would be considered cruel by any standards, but consider
what it meant to this particular victim. Noah Lessing had firsthand
knowledge what the nucleogenic aliens were capable of, what painful and
heinous death they inflicted. Lessing had spent years watching
crewmates die, seeing his ship attacked time and time again. Like the
other Equinox survivors, he
learned to avoid getting trapped in narrow or confined areas, to
constantly be straining his ears for the high-pitched sounds which
heralded another attack. Captain Janeway's threat to expose him was a
form of psychological
cruelty, exquisitely calculated to inflict maximum pain and suffering
by making his worst nightmares come true. Even if she had never
intended to leave him to be murdered, the threat alone clearly
demonstrates an intent to torture him, to break him in the most
devastating way possible. But as I have already said, Janeway did not
stop at threats."
Janeway glanced involuntarily at the jury, but none of the members met
her eyes. Beside her, Perry put a steadying hand on her arm.
Mendez went on. "The desperate situation Voyager found themselves in doesn't
excuse torture and attempted murder. Captain Janeway blamed Ransom for
behaving contrary to how a Starfleet officer and captain was supposed
to act, but by her own behavior she herself sank not just to his level,
but worse. She deliberately, and cold-bloodedly, left Noah Lessing to
die."
U'Tzedek's silver gavel rose and fell once more. "Captain Mendez,
please call your first witness."
"The prosecution calls Lieutenant Del Butler."
Butler, a short, barrel-chested young man, took his seat. Clearly
nervous, he cracked his knuckles and faced the prosecutor after he was
sworn in.
"Please state your name, rank and serial number for the record," Mendez
said pleasantly.
"Lieutenant Del Butler, j.g., serial number 656-5827B."
"Current assignment?"
"I'm on leave at present, ma'am--I'm due to ship out aboard the Potomac in ten days."
"Your department?"
"Security."
"You previously served as a security officer on board Voyager, is that correct?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Were you a member of the original crew that left Deep Space Nine on
Stardate 48315.6, or were you a member of the Maquis?"
Butler glanced at Janeway. "I was a member of the Voyager crew from day one."
Mendez nodded. "Please state where you were assigned on Stardate
53049.2."
"I was on the bridge during Alpha Shift."
"At the tactical station?"
"No," Butler said. "Commander Tuvok was at tactical. Lieutenant
Parks and I were ordered to take up additional positions on the bridge.
I was stationed next to the turbolift."
"Was it common practice to have a security guard posted on the Bridge,
in addition to the Chief of Security?"
"No, but we had extra security personnel all over—everyone was pulling
double shifts while we were in pursuit of the Equinox; we were expecting an
attack at any time."
"You were expecting an attack from the Equinox?"
Butler nodded. "Also from those--creatures."
"The Spirits of Good Fortune?"
Butler's lip curled. "Yeah, that was one name for them. We'd just
managed to get our shields up so we wouldn't have to worry about any
fissures opening up for them to come through--but we hadn't been given
the order to stand down from the heightened state of alert yet."
Mendez's demeanor changed slightly; her tone became more brisk. "All
right, Lieutenant. How did you end up in Cargo Bay Two?"
"Captain Janeway received word Ensign Lessing had been apprehended on
the planet. When she left the Bridge she ordered me to accompany her."
"Did you actually go inside the cargo bay with Captain Janeway?" Mendez
asked.
"Yes. Morrison was outside, but the Captain told me to go in with her."
"Just the two of you?"
"No," Butler said. "Commander Chakotay was there as well."
Mendez glanced down at a PADD on her table. "Please describe the
setting in the cargo bay. Lessing was standing?"
"No, ma'am. He was sitting down."
"On the floor?"
"In a chair."
Mendez came to stand in front of the witness stand. "Was he able to
move around freely?"
Butler shook his head. "No, ma'am, his arms and legs were bound."
Mendez said, "Were you armed, Lieutenant?"
"Yes, ma'am." His surprise at the question was evident. "Security
officers on duty are armed at all times, especially during an emergency
situation."
"So you weren't carrying a phaser because you were afraid of what
Ensign Lessing might do, or to protect your captain."
"No, ma'am. He was a prisoner of war."
"If he was a prisoner of war, why wasn't he in the brig?" asked Mendez.
"The brig hadn't undergone any damage, had it?
"Not that I know of."
Mendez consulted her notes. "The brig is shielded, is it not? More so
than the rest of the ship?"
"It's supposed to be impervious to beam-outs, if that's what you mean,
ma'am, to minimize the risks of any prisoners escaping."
"I see," Mendez said. "But shouldn't Ensign Lessing have been in the
brig? Didn't that strike you as odd?
Butler shifted uneasily in his seat. " I...I don't know, ma'am."
"Wasn't it normal procedure to keep prisoners in the brig?" Mendez
repeated. "Why do you think the Captain gave orders--"
Gaines rose to his feet. "Objection. The witness has already answered
the question. He doesn't know."
"Sustained," said Admiral U'Tzedek. "Move on, Captain Mendez."
"You said earlier, Lieutenant, that you were armed?" said Mendez.
"Yes."
"What about Captain Janeway?"
"Yes, ma'am, she had a weapon." Butler added, "We all did, everyone on
board. Because of the attacks by those aliens, you see. There wasn't
much warning when they would show up and it took phaser blasts to drive
them off--"
Mendez leaned forward. "But the shields had been restored, hadn't they,
all over the ship? The danger of imminent attack wasn't there any more,
was it?"
Butler gulped. "No, ma'am."
"So there you were, you and Captain Janeway, both heavily armed,
confronting a man who was bound hand and foot." Mendez's lip curled
slightly. "Did the Captain tell you what she was going to do?"
"She wanted to question the prisoner."
"Did Captain Janeway clearly state to Lessing what she wanted from him?"
"Yes. Tell her how to find Ransom and what his tactical status was or
suffer the consequences."
"What was Lessing's reaction?"
"He refused."
"What did Captain Janeway do then?"
"She increased the threats. She told him exactly what was going to
happen if he didn't cooperate."
"Was she bluffing?" Mendez asked in an almost conversational tone.
Gaines rose once more. "Objection—once again, how can Lieutenant Butler
purport to know the defendant's state of mind?"
"I'll rephrase the question," Mendez said. "Based on her demeanor, did
she look like she was serious?"
Butler hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, she was deadly serious.
There was no question in my mind the Captain meant what she said."
"Did Lessing believe her?"
"I don't know," Butler said slowly. "Lessing looked at Commander
Chakotay, asked if this was where he was going to come in and save him,
advise him to give it up. But Chakotay said no, the Captain was on her
own."
Mendez let the words hang in the air for a moment. "What happened next?"
"The Captain walked out, giving orders to remove the shields."
"Did you comply with those orders, Lieutenant?"
"Yes," Butler said, uncomfortably.
"Why?"
"She's the Captain," Butler said.
"She's the Captain," repeated the Mendez. "Rather similar to Equinox's sit--" seeing Gaines
begin to rise from his seat yet again, she quickly changed what she was
about to say. "You followed the Captain's orders even though you knew
what was likely to happen next?"
"Yes."
"What was going to happen?"
Butler glanced at Janeway again. "We were under almost constant attack
by those creatures, thanks to the Equinox."
"Thanks to their treachery, you mean?"
"Yes--they unleashed those monsters on us and then crippled our systems
and left us to fend for ourselves!" he said heatedly.
Mendez looked at Butler for a long moment. "So, in your opinion,
Captain Janeway's decision to expose Lessing to them was justified?"
"Objection," called Gaines, a hint of exasperation in his voice.
Mendez said, "Withdrawn. But Voyager
was able to get the shields working again, isn't that correct? You were
no longer at risk?"
"We were able to rig something," Butler said grudgingly.
"In every part of the ship?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
"You were safe at that particular moment in time, isn't that correct?"
"As long as the shields stayed up."
"What happened in unshielded areas?" Mendez asked.
"The creatures came," Butler said.
"Right away? Or was there a period of time in which you knew you were
relatively safe?"
"Our experience had been it was only a few seconds, maybe half a minute
at most."
Mendez nodded as if satisfied. "So Captain Janeway, as she promised,
willfully exposed Noah Lessing to almost certain death." She looked at
Gaines. "Your witness, Captain."
Gaines approached the witness stand. "Lieutenant, you said earlier that
there were others present in the cargo bay, other than yourself and
Captain Janeway?"
Butler gave him a questioning look. "Lessing was there."
Gaines smiled. "Yes, of course. What I meant was, other than the
prisoner and Captain Janeway and yourself, was there anyone else
present?"
"Commander Chakotay."
"I see. And did he say anything during Captain Janeway's interrogation?"
Butler thought for a moment. "I don't think so, sir. I mean, not more
than I already mentioned, that Lessing asked the Commander if he was
going to intervene and he said no."
"Nothing Commander Chakotay said or did made much of an impression on
you? Or seemed to have any impact on how things were proceeding?"
"It was Captain Janeway's show to run."
"So you don't recall if Commander Chakotay made any objections to what
she was doing," Gaines said.
"No, sir."
"To all appearances, he was in complete agreement with the Captain?"
"Yes."
"Thank you, Lieutenant," Gaines said. "I have nothing further for this
witness."
Admiral U'Tzedek said, "You may step down, Lieutenant." She then tapped
the gavel three times. "Due to the lateness of the hour, we will
adjourn until tomorrow morning at 0800 hours."
Janeway glanced at Gaines, unconcernedly slipping PADDS inside his
briefcase. "What was that about?" she asked.
Gaines snapped the lid shut and stood, straightening his uniform as he
did so. "What are you referring to?"
"That bit about Chakotay," Janeway said, standing as well. "I already
told you, it won't be possible to show he was complicit in my actions,
that it was all part of an elaborate charade the two of us concocted—"
"Please, Captain." He gave her a sharp look.
Janeway lowered her voice, remembering they were still in a public
area. "I don't understand what you hope to gain. Are you trying to
discredit Chakotay? Getting Butler to admit he saw no reason to
interfere or disobey orders is a far cry from—"
"A court-martial is like a chess game," Gaines said, interrupting her
once more. "These were just the opening moves. We'll see how it plays
out tomorrow."
3.
Chakotay glanced at Janeway only once as he took the stand, and then
didn't look in her direction again. He seemed distinctly uncomfortable
during the preliminary phase of testimony. Janeway wished she knew what
was going through his mind.
"I thought I was making progress in communicating with the aliens,"
Chakotay said, in answer to Mendez's latest question.
"Did the Captain tell you she was satisfied with your efforts?" asked
Mendez. "Or otherwise let you know how much importance she placed on
the attempt at communication?"
Chakotay hesitated. "The Captain was more intent on finding the Equinox."
"Even while Voyager was still
under attack by the aliens?" Mendez feigned surprise. "Would you say
that was a rational course of action, one you agreed with?"
"No, but I can understand her motivation."
Janeway's head came up sharply. At her side, Gaines leaned forward
intently waiting for the next exchange.
"And what would that motivation be, Commander?" Mendez asked. "Revenge?"
"Objection," called Gaines. "Did Captain Janeway actually say she
wanted revenge?"
One of the admirals—Tirkar--interrupted. "I would like to hear the
answer to that myself. Did Captain Janeway discuss her motives with
you, Commander Chakotay, for pursuing the Equinox?"
"She spoke of the necessity of reclaiming a member of our crew,"
Chakotay said, "an individual who had been abducted from Voyager by the Equinox, right before they fled."
Mendez recovered quickly. "This was the former Borg drone Annika
Hansen, known as Seven of Nine?"
"Yes," Chakotay said. "At the time we didn't realize that our EMH had
been taken as well."
Mendez picked up a PADD from her table, scrolled down and handed it to
the witness. "Would you please read the highlighted section?"
Chakotay took the PADD. "'I don't blame you for being angry, but you
can't compromise the safety of this ship for the sake of your
vendetta.'"
"Do you recognize these words, Commander?"
"Yes, I said them," Chakotay said softly.
"To the Captain, yes? When?"
"Shortly after Equinox
sabotaged our ship and left us vulnerable."
"'Vendetta' is a strong choice of words, Commander," Mendez said
sharply. "It sounds like at the time, you thought Captain Janeway's
motives were quite different than those you stated a few moments ago."
"No, I--"
Gaines stood. "I renew my objection to this line of questioning--it has
no relevance to the matter we are here for."
"On the contrary," Mendez said, before U'Tzedek could respond. "It
does--this goes to Captain Janeway's state of mind regarding the Equinox and her crew, even before
she managed to take Noah Lessing prisoner."
U'Tzedek nodded. "I'll allow it. Objection overruled."
Mendez didn't pause to savor her victory. "Did you continue to press
the idea of communication with the aliens instead of chasing Equinox?"
"Yes."
"You submitted this in writing, as a formal report, Commander?" At
Chakotay's nod, she went on, "Was that your usual way of communicating
with the Captain?"
"No."
"Then why?" At Chakotay's hesitation, Mendez prodded, "Look at the next
section on the PADD, Commander. Captain Janeway also asked why you took
this unusual step. Please read your answer."
"'You weren't exactly receptive.'"
"'You' meaning the Captain, is that correct?" Mendez said.
"Yes."
"And Captain Janeway answered she wasn't receptive this time either,
that it was an interesting idea but not feasible. Instead, she was
studying Ransom's service record as a means of predicting his next
move."
"She figured Ransom and the Equinox
would be hiding somewhere close by," Chakotay said.
"Was this correct?"
"We were able to track them, and ambushed an away team on the surface
of a small planet."
"Is this when you captured Ensign Lessing?"
"Yes. The others got away."
"Was this ambush part of a strategy to force a prisoner exchange with Equinox, or even compel their
surrender?"
Chakotay rubbed his hand over his face wearily. "I believe that was
part of it, yes."
"Part?"
"At the same time, we were also engaged in a space battle with the Equinox herself."
"Who emerged the victor in that conflict, Commander? Was it Voyager?"
"There was no clear-cut victor," Chakotay said. "We didn't manage to
capture their ship, if that's what you mean."
"In other words, Equinox
escaped?"
"We had to let them go," Chakotay corrected Mendez. "If Voyager hadn't been sabotaged--we
realized only later the full extent of what Burke had done to our
systems--we would most likely have been successful. As it is, we had to
stand down and let them go."
"Did Captain Janeway want to break off the attack?"
Chakotay hesitated once more. "Not exactly."
"Not until you forced her to realize she had no choice," Mendez said,
an edge to her voice.
"Yes."
"So Equinox got away, yet
again, and you were left with a prisoner."
"Yes."
"Did you say anything during Captain Janeway's interrogation in the
cargo bay, about the feasibility of her approach, or method of
questioning?"
"Lessing had valuable information--"
"Did you say anything during the interrogation itself, Commander,"
Mendez repeated, "or object to Captain Janeway's methods--her threats
to expose Lessing?"
"No."
"You waited until afterwards, when the shielding on the cargo bay had
been taken off-line and a fissure was beginning to form."
"I hoped--I thought it was only a bluff," Chakotay said uncomfortably.
"Or that Lessing would give in?" At Chakotay's nod, Mendez said, "But
it didn't happen that way, did it?"
Chakotay swallowed. "No, it didn't."
"What happened next?"
"I begged the Captain to reconsider."
"But she didn't, did she?"
Chakotay was silent.
"I'll take that as an affirmative, Commander. So, you took matters into
your own hands, and dragged the prisoner to safety." Mendez waited a
moment. "If you hadn't gone in after Lessing, what would have happened
to him?"
"He would have died," Chakotay said quietly.
"Thank you, Commander." Mendez sat down.
Gaines strode over to the witness stand. "Commander Chakotay, could you
please tell us why you didn't relieve Captain Janeway of command
immediately following the incident in the cargo bay? If her actions so
disturbed you?"
Chakotay shifted in his seat. "There were other issues to deal with,
namely trying to contact the aliens once more, this time through the
mediation of the Ankari, the species that had first introduced the
aliens to the Equinox."
"Did you attempt to discuss the incident in the cargo bay with the
Captain at your first opportunity?"
"Yes," Chakotay said.
"And?"
Janeway held her breath. Gaines was treading on dangerous ground.
But Chakotay did not go into specifics of their exchange. Instead, all
he said was, "Captain Janeway relieved me of my duties and had me
confined to quarters under guard."
"Did you submit without a struggle?"
"Yes."
"But you had just seen your captain behaving irrationally--" Gaines
broke off as U'Tzedek gave him a penetrating stare. "I mean, acting
contrary to what you found acceptable. You'd just defied her orders to
'rescue' Mr. Lessing. You had a phaser. Why did you submit?"
"It wasn't my intention to remove her, or act in any manner that could
otherwise be construed as a mutiny. My actions earlier--my only
objective was securing Lessing's safety."
"But weren't you concerned that as soon as your back was turned,
Captain Janeway would order Lessing back into the bay, exposing him to
the alien attack once more?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Chakotay didn't hesitate. "I didn't think she would do it again."
"Even though she had done it once?"
"You don't understand," Chakotay said. "That wasn't like her--the
Captain wasn't going to commit cold-blooded murder."
"But she had placed Lessing in danger a short time earlier--with your
silent agreement."
"I don't think she meant to do it, the situation got out of hand--"
"It was a momentary lapse on the Captain's part?" Gaines asked.
"Yes, I think it was. All she needed was to be pulled back from the
brink," Chakotay said emphatically, then added, "I can't believe she
really would have gone through with it, even if I hadn't stopped her."
Janeway's eyes met Chakotay's briefly.
Gaines gave no indication that his client had just dodged a potentially
fatal bullet. "After the entire Equinox
'incident' was over, what happened to the members of their crew?"
"The survivors were integrated into the Voyager crew."
Gaines nodded. "Just like the Maquis had been years earlier, along with
various Delta Quadrant natives." He paused for a moment. "Were there
any further repercussions, any punishment or way in which the Equinox crew was singled out?"
"They were demoted in rank," Chakotay said.
"Anything else?" At Chakotay's shake of the head, Gaines went on, "Was
any reference ever made again regarding their actions against Voyager's crew?"
"Only that one time. Captain Janeway spoke to them, told them they were
being given the opportunity to start over again, to make up for their
past mistakes."
"Did she sound angry, or vindictive in any way?" Gaines asked.
"Stern, that was all. She told them they had a debt to pay but other
than that, they'd be treated no differently than anyone else."
"And were they?"
"No," Chakotay said.
"Thank you," Gaines said before sitting down.
Mendez immediately rose. "Redirect. Commander Chakotay, you said about
Captain Janeway's actions toward Noah Lessing, 'all she needed was to
be pulled back from the brink.' Were you confident that Captain Janeway
realized that was indeed what had happened?"
Chakotay appeared confused. "Yes, of course."
"What do you base this on, her behavior afterward?"
"Yes."
"What about immediately after
the events in the cargo bay, Commander? Did Captain Janeway appear to
realize she had made a mistake in how she handled Lessing?"
"Not then, no."
"What about in the briefing room after you had spoken of finding the
Ankari? I believe you discussed what had just taken place in the cargo
bay." At Chakotay's hesitation, Mendez said, "As the Captain relieved
you of duty at the end of that conversation, it can be assumed she had
not come around to your way of thinking. How would you characterize her
state of mind?"
Gaines objected once more, but was summarily overruled.
Mendez continued inexorably, "Did she seem happy with you, or
relieved you had prevented her from making a terrible mistake?"
Chakotay didn't respond.
U'Tzedek leaned forward. "Answer the question, Commander. Was Captain
Janeway happy with your actions, or did she seem angry?"
Chakotay shifted uneasily. "I believe that given time, she would have
realized--"
"At that particular moment, Commander," Mendez interjected. "What, in
your opinion, was her state of mind?"
"She was furious," he said quietly.
4.
That evening Janeway stood on the balcony of her apartment, looking out
over the twinkling lights of the city. The events that had taken place
that day in the courtroom had been no more than she expected; what was
surprising was to feel the same sense of shock as she did long ago at
Chakotay's objections. She shivered in the cool night air, hearing
their voices in the briefing room once again:
"You almost killed that man today."
"It was a calculated risk and I took
it."
"It was a bad call."
"I'll note your objection in my log."
"I don't give a damn about your log!
This isn't about rules and regulations. It's about right and wrong. And
I'm warning you--I won't let you cross that line again."
"Then you leave me no choice. You are
hereby relieved of duty until further notice."
"What's happened to you, Kathryn?"
"I was about to ask you the same
question."
Of all the decisions she'd made in the DQ, this was not the one she
expected to come back and haunt her years later. She'd seen herself in
front a review board, trying to justify other actions--the alliance
with the Borg, for example, or places where she'd skirted the Prime
Directive, hell, the decision to destroy the Caretaker's Array to begin
with, or incorporate the Maquis into her crew. Instead, those issues
had been raised only briefly, and then dropped. But the interrogation
of Noah Lessing-- Somehow she hadn't expected to be called to justify
what happened in that cargo bay.
You almost killed that man.
Whenever she'd recalled that incident afterwards, she had shied away
almost immediately. Not from guilt, not exactly. She had never doubted
the necessity of her actions, but she was uncomfortable remembering how
the situation had played itself out. Lessing had been an impediment
standing between her and Equinox,
and inexplicably, he had refused to yield.
With distance granted by time, she could acknowledge now that she had
lost control, allowed her emotions to get the best of her. If only
she'd been calmer, if she'd had time to think, perhaps she and Chakotay
could have orchestrated their efforts. Instead--
The expression on Chakotay's face in the courtroom, more than anything
he actually said, had brought the entire incident back to her, in full
chilling detail. She remembered her emotions at the time, the cold fury
that had gripped her upon realizing what had been done to her ship
and crew, the utter frustration that Ransom could remain beyond her
reach--and her frustration was compounded by the actions of those
closest to her, who impeded her efforts rather than helped.
Only much later had she realized that the anger reached both ways.
With a sigh, she acknowledged it had taken a long time to heal the
breach between herself and her first officer--if indeed it had been
healed at all.
5.
"I want you to reconsider our defense strategy," Gaines said abruptly,
as soon as the door to the small anteroom closed behind them.
"Why?" Janeway asked. It was just the two of them; although Perry would
undoubtedly be present in the courtroom later, he was not there now.
"Because your trial is not going well," Gaines said, slamming his
briefcase on the floor as if to emphasize his words. "The guard's
testimony was bad enough, but Chakotay's was far more damaging. And in
a short while, we're going to be back inside that courtroom and another
one of your senior officers is going to take the stand against you."
"Tuvok won't say anything that's going to hurt me--"
"Why, because you're counting on his loyalty to you?" Gaines gave a
short laugh, though the expression on his face was anything but
amusement. "It didn't work as far as Chakotay was concerned, though to
give the man credit, I do think he tried not to make it worse than he
had to."
She let his comments about Chakotay pass; she wasn't going to try to
guess her former first officer's motivations. "Because Tuvok wasn't
anywhere near the cargo bay, had no firsthand knowledge of what
happened to Lessing. You said yourself you didn't know why he was
included on the prosecution's witness list."
"That's beside the point. As Mendez showed us yesterday, she excels at
finding damning information from seemingly innocuous details. Who knows
what incriminating evidence there is to be gained from Tuvok's
testimony?" Gaines shook his head. "Reckless endangerment, callous
disregard for sentient life, assault, misbehavior before the enemy,
cruelty and maltreatment --she's made a convincing case against you
already. And there's more to come, much more. If the prosecution puts
Lessing on the stand..." He didn't need to say anything further.
Janeway pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to relieve the pressure
she felt building up behind her eyes. Tension and lack of sleep were
taking their toll. "What did you have in mind?"
"There are grounds for the insanity plea." He held up his hand. "Hear
me out, before you say anything. Your state of mind has come up more
than once. Mendez has already portrayed you as being out of control,
driven by a lust for revenge--" He stopped. "This is our only hope."
Janeway didn't answer.
"Further, there's precedence. Consider the example of your EMH."
"I have no idea what you're getting at," Janeway said coldly.
"You weren't the only one who committed a crime during the Equinox
incident, Captain. Do you recall what your Doctor did to Seven
of Nine
on board Ransom's ship, as he was trying to extract information from
her? He carved her up like a Sunday roast. She could have
died--and even though she didn't, it was hardly a pleasant experience."
Gaines leaned forward. "Torture, attempted murder--does any of this
sound familiar, Captain?"
"Ransom disabled the Doctor's ethical subroutines, just as he did those
of his own EMH," Janeway objected. "He was not responsible for his
actions. At any rate, it's not the same thing at all. He's a hologram."
"A hologram who has been declared sentient by the courts since your
return," Gaines said. "Held to the same strictures as any other form of
intelligent life." He paused. "The EMH was cleared of any wrongdoing,
because his matrix was impaired at the time. I'm surprised you didn't
know about the legal proceedings."
"I did know, but I fail to see how this is relevant to my case."
"You were also temporarily--"
"I was not insane," Janeway
cut in. "I knew exactly what I was doing."
"You admit you deliberately put a man in a position to be killed?
That's premeditated murder!" Gaines looked at her incredulously. "Oh,
that's really going to go over well with the jury, Captain."
Janeway didn't react to his sarcasm. "I had every confidence that
Lessing was going to break down and give me the information. There was
nothing to suggest he was going to refuse." She remembered how grateful
the Equinox crew had been
when they'd first made contact with Voyager,
how they'd spoken of their own privations; they had clearly viewed the
other Starfleet vessel as paradise. Who would have known they'd choose
to remain in hell?
"Nothing, except loyalty to a captain who'd kept him alive all those
years," Gaines said. His lip curled in distaste. "Lessing called your
bluff, Captain--only you weren't bluffing, were you?"
Janeway met his gaze. "I never meant for it to go so far."
"Then you must be one hell of a poker player, because anyone else would
have folded a lot sooner." Gaines glanced at the chronometer. "They're
going to call us in a few more minutes. Last chance, Captain--look.
Temporary insanity is not the same as having you declared wholly
incompetent, it shouldn't impact too much on your career as it stands
now. We can make every effort to show it was an aberration--"
"No."
"Damn it, I'm trying to salvage something for you!"
Janeway shook her head. "I won't hide behind a tenuous claim like this.
I was certain Lessing would concede first; it turned out to be a bad
call, that's all."
Gaines' comm badge chirped. "That's our cue." He reached down and
picked up his case. "You know, there's one thing I don't understand."
Janeway was already moving toward the door and was not pleased when
Gaines stepped in front of her. "And what's that?" she said, anxious to
be done with this futile discussion.
"This isn't like you, to willfully head down a path of almost certain
defeat. According to your reputation, you don't give up--ever. But by
pursuing the present strategy, it's almost certain that you're going to
be found guilty." Gaines stopped suddenly, blocking her path.
"Unless this is what you want, of course."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I've read your logs pretty thoroughly, Captain. You have what could be
called an over-developed martyr complex. Perhaps it's your guilt
speaking, but you obviously feel a noble self-sacrifice here can
atone--"
"I hope you're a better advocate than you are a counselor," Janeway
said, her voice icy. "Because you're pretty pathetic as the latter. "
Gaines gave her a brief smile, and then made a show of moving aside so
she could pass. "That remains to be seen, doesn't it? I'll tell you one
thing, you'd better hope I am, because I'm all that's standing between
you and a life sentence at the penal colony on Maru Prime."
6.
"Commander Tuvok," said Mendez, "You were named Acting First Officer
after Commander Chakotay was relieved of duty?"
"That is correct."
Gaines interrupted, "Admiral, I would like to renew my objection to
this line of questioning. Commander Tuvok has already stated that he
was on the Bridge during the incident in the cargo bay; the only
information he can give us pertains to events that happened afterward,
events which are irrelevant to these proceedings."
"They are not irrelevant," Mendez said calmly. "Based on what
transpired, it can be shown that Captain Janeway's behavior toward
Lessing was part of an overall pattern, her anger toward and quest for
revenge upon Captain Ransom and the entire Equinox crew."
"I'll allow it," U'Tzedek said. "But be sure that we do see, Captain
Mendez."
Mendez nodded and turned back to the witness. "As Acting First Officer,
Commander, you accompanied Captain Janeway when she made contact with
the 'Spirits of Good Fortune.'"
"Yes."
"What did Captain Janeway say to the aliens?"
"She asked them to stop attacking Voyager."
"What reason did Captain Janeway give? Because you were not the ones
who were murdering their people?"
"Objection," Gaines said. "The prosecution is leading the witness."
"I'll rephrase," Mendez said quickly. "Did Captain Janeway emphasize
that Voyager had not
participated in Equinox's
genocidal campaign?"
"Yes."
"I see," Mendez said, taking a stroll about the chamber. "Did the
aliens accept the Captain's assurances? Were they suddenly more kindly
disposed to Voyager?"
"No, they did not accept her argument. The aliens stated, correctly,
that Voyager had rendered aid
to Equinox, and had allied
ourselves to their enemy. They viewed us as one and the same."
"So Captain Janeway told them she, too, had a grievance against
Ransom?" Mendez asked.
"She told them that Captain Ransom's actions were abhorrent, totally
contrary to our laws or codes of behavior, and that she had been
unaware of any wrongdoing until much later," Tuvok said. "The Captain
expressed regret over what the Equinox
had done to the other nucleogenic beings."
"What else did Captain Janeway say about Ransom?"
"She told them of Equinox's
sabotage of our ship, and subsequent attack, which was why we ourselves
were in pursuit of Ransom's ship."
Mendez looked at Tuvok for a long moment. "Did she also offer to hand
Ransom over to them when she found him?"
A low murmur broke out among the members of the jury. Admiral Getz in
particular looked agitated.
Tuvok did not deny the charge. He said, "That may have just been a
negotiating tactic to gain their cooperation--to stop the alien
attacks."
"Ah, a 'negotiating tactic.'" Mendez nodded and smiled wryly. "Captain
Janeway seems to do that often, doesn't she?"
"Objection," Gaines said, his mouth a tight line.
"Sustained." U'Tzedek turned to the prosecutor. "Captain Mendez, you
will rephrase your question in a more respectful manner."
Mendez didn't miss a beat. "Captain Janeway offered to turn Ransom over
to the tender mercies of the nucleogenic beings, knowing full well what
they would do to him?"
"Captain Janeway did not make the suggestion. The aliens did,"
Tuvok pointed out.
"But she didn't refuse, did she?"
"Captain Janeway did not agree right away."
"Did you raise any objections, Commander Tuvok?" Mendez asked curiously.
"I did."
"What did you say?"
"I did not approve of this course of action."
"Your exact words, Commander?" Mendez pressed.
Tuvok's face retained its implacable expression as he said, "I told her
she was acting irrationally."
Mendez didn't keep the pleased note out of her voice. "So you're saying
Captain Janeway's anger toward Ransom blinded her to all else?"
Tuvok shook his head. "The purpose of our meeting with the aliens was
to get them to stop attacking Voyager,
not to offer to help them avenge themselves on the Equinox. That was not the Captain's
objective."
"But that's what it quickly became, isn't it?"
"Objection," Gaines said, with a hint of exasperation.
"Withdrawn," Mendez said. "Commander Tuvok, you stated you did not
approve of the agreement Captain Janeway arrived at. At any point were
you threatened with removal from duty if you did not comply with the
Captain's wishes?"
"Yes," Tuvok admitted.
"As you weren't removed, unlike Commander Chakotay, we can assume you
did in fact comply?"
"Yes."
"Why did you back down, Commander? What about the principles that were
at stake? Or weren't those important any more?"
Tuvok did not respond to Mendez's mocking tone. "The principle at
stake, Captain Mendez, was obedience to Captain Janeway's orders. She
was in command. In a crisis situation such as the one in which we found
ourselves, following orders could be the difference between life and
death."
"Even if you felt she was wrong, that those orders were unlawful?"
"I did not 'feel' anything, Captain Mendez," Tuvok said quietly. "Nor
could I say of my own volition that Captain Janeway's approach was
wrong in any way. The aliens did
agree to break off their attack. To arrive at that settlement, they did
not seem amenable to anything short of being promised the Equinox."
"But Captain Janeway had just agreed to hand over Ransom to what would
undoubtedly be certain death at the hands of the aliens!" Mendez said.
"You have no problem with that course of action, Commander? The
injustice of it?"
"On the contrary," Tuvok said. "Considering Ransom's crimes against the
nucleogenic beings, their request was not without merit." He looked
directly at the jury for a moment. "We already established that the
nucleogenic beings were sentient; there is ample precedent in turning
over an accused criminal to an alien justice system."
"Justice, or murder?" Mendez snapped. "Do you honestly think the aliens
would give Ransom a fair hearing before--" With an effort, she stopped.
"Why not hold Ransom for Starfleet justice? He also committed crimes
against a fellow Starfleet vessel, contravened several laws of the
Federation. Under our legal system, those take precedence. Captain
Janeway could have convened a court-martial on board Voyager, if
'justice' was her primary concern."
"That was a distinct possibility," Tuvok said, "but it was not my
decision to make. The job of the First Officer is to provide the
Captain with alternate courses of action and then, once she has made
her decision, to follow her orders."
"And if those orders are questionable—or dare we say, unlawful,
Commander?"
"On board a vessel, it is impossible for the senior officers to
continually second guess the captain or question her orders. If the
captain is unable to rely on her subordinates, or if the crew has no
confidence in the captain, the ship cannot function. Additionally,
after serving together, a crew comes to know and trust the captain
implicitly." Tuvok's eyes met Janeway's. "I have served with Captain
Janeway for many years, and I trust her judgment. Specifically, I trust
her to do what is right."
"Did you agree with Commander Chakotay's demotion?"
"That was not my decision to make."
Mendez smiled wryly. "If you had been the first officer at the time,
would you have done what Commander Chakotay did, disagreed with
the Captain's orders?"
"I cannot say."
"Did you agree with Captain Janeway's actions toward Ensign Lessing? Or
was that 'alien justice' as well?"
"Objection," Gaines said.
"I'll rephrase," Mendez said. "As Chief of Security, did you agree with
the conditions of the interrogation?"
Tuvok hesitated. "No, I did not," he said finally. "However, it was the
Captain's belief that such measures were--"
"Thank you, Commander Tuvok," Mendez said. "I have nothing further."
"Commander," said Gaines, slowly rising from his seat. "During your
tenure as Acting First Officer, did you ever see Captain Janeway
threaten Noah Lessing?"
"No, I did not."
"Did you see her interact with him at all?"
"No," said Tuvok once more. "Captain Janeway concentrated all her
efforts on the pursuit of Captain Ransom and the Equinox."
"What happened to Lessing after the cargo bay incident? Was he placed
in the brig?"
"He was confined to quarters," Tuvok answered.
"Hardly punitive measures," Gaines said dryly.
"Mr. Lessing had given us valuable assistance in locating the Ankari."
Gaines allowed a look of astonishment to cross his face. "You mean Mr.
Lessing was cooperative, after the incident in the cargo bay was over?"
"So it appeared."
"Do you think that was why Captain Janeway didn't threaten Lessing
again?" Gaines asked. "After all, if she was so angry at him,
determined to take revenge against him in lieu of Ransom--"
"Objection," Mendez said.
"Sustained," U'Tzedek said. "We have established that Captain Janeway
made no further attempts to harm the victim."
Gaines inclined his head in acquiescence. "Just one more question,
Commander Tuvok. Did you feel at any time that Captain Janeway's
actions warranted removing her from command, or fell outside the pale
of command behavior?"
"No, I did not."
"Thank you, Commander," Gaines said. "You've been most helpful."
7.
The waves rolled in to the shore, their crests breaking in frothy white
lace a few meters from where Janeway and her companion stood. The beach
was deserted except for the two of them, doubtless due to the slate
gray skies overhead.
"I'm not sure if I'm happy to have a break for two days, or if it would
be better to have the court-martial continue uninterrupted," Janeway
said, her gaze fixed on a white sail near the horizon. Unconsciously,
she rubbed the spot in her arm where the security transponder had been
implanted; without it, she would never have been permitted freedom of
movement.
"Taking the weekend off is a Human custom, but one that Admiral
U'Tzedek appears to have adopted," Tuvok remarked. "Knowing you,
however, I suspect you would prefer to forego custom and 'get it over
with.'"
Janeway smiled briefly. "You know me too well."
"As I mentioned during my testimony, I have served with you for many
years."
"But length of service has nothing to do with whether or not you really
know someone," Janeway said. "It's possible to work with a person for
many years and yet..." She resolutely changed the subject. "Your
granddaughter's bonding ceremony is soon, isn't it?"
"Yes, in another eight days," Tuvok said.
"I still remember when we received the communication from home--it was
one of the earliest ones, as I recall—in which you first learned of her
birth."
Tuvok exhaled softly. "As I recall, Mister Neelix was quite insistent
on reading the letter to me at once. He could not fathom my intention
to wait until I was unoccupied."
Janeway smoothed an errant lock of hair back from her face. The wind
was picking up, a sign that the impending storm would not hold off much
longer. "I almost think Neelix was more excited at the news than you
were."
"Considering I am a Vulcan and do not become 'excited', that is
undoubtedly true."
"Dear Neelix," Janeway said, thinking fondly of the faithful companion
they had left behind in the Delta Quadrant. "I wonder how he is doing?"
"He is making a new life for himself among his own people," Tuvok said,
as they slowly began moving back up the beach.
Janeway absently watched the antics of two gulls, fighting over a crust
of bread. With a harsh scree of triumph, the victor took off. "Which is
basically what all of us are doing, I suppose, regardless of where we
ended up."
"With varying degrees of success."
Janeway looked at him in surprise for a moment. She had not imagined
the criticism implicit in his words. "These things take time," she said
somewhat defensively.
"Yes, and often the circumstances are beyond our control. However, we
must adapt to the best of our abilities." Tuvok paused. "I regret that
I must return to Vulcan at this time. I had hoped to remain until at
least the conclusion of your--"
"Don't be ridiculous--it's your granddaughter's bonding," Janeway said
immediately. "Of course you have to be there. You've missed too many
family events as it is."
"Over the years, I have been absent from home on numerous important
occasions," Tuvok said, nodding. "An inevitable consequence of my
decision to serve in Starfleet. But I consider my presence here at this
time no less an obligation."
Janeway slipped her arm through his. "I appreciate the sentiment,
Tuvok. Your support has meant more to me than I can say."
"My original deposition, Captain, contained some material which did not
come out in the courtroom, and which I wish you to be aware of," Tuvok
said quietly. "I was asked about the possibility of removing you from
command during the set of events concerning the Equinox."
She did not allow her pace to slow. "You mentioned this when you were
on the stand. Gaines asked if you would have been in favor and you told
him no."
"I did not, however, have the opportunity to elaborate further, about
the effect your removal would have had on the ship and crew. It is my
belief it would have been a major blow to morale, and been quite
detrimental to the success of our mission."
"Thank you for that, Tuvok."
"It is a statement of fact."
She squeezed his arm gratefully. "Of course, if you had deposed me, you would have then
been stuck with the problem of what to do with me for the next few
decades. Put me under house arrest, confined to the brig, or perhaps
dropped me off on the nearest planet..."
"It would have presented quite a dilemma," Tuvok agreed gravely. "Of
course, it was always our experience that there were no easy solutions
in the Delta Quadrant. I am sure we would have come up with something,
eventually."
Janeway rolled her eyes, and then caught sight of the black storm
clouds rapidly moving in.
"It would be advisable to turn back," Tuvok said, glancing up at the
sky as well. No sooner had the words left his mouth when Janeway felt
the first drops hit her hand.
"An excellent idea," Janeway said as they broke into a run.
The raindrops grew larger, began falling faster. Within seconds, it had
turned into a downpour.
"Whew!" Janeway said as they climbed into the flitter. "It's a good
thing we didn't have too far to go. I'm soaked through."
Tuvok turned on the heat, and then began maneuvering the controls,
heading back to the city. "As am I. But we should be dry shortly."
"We would have had to return soon anyway. I'm sure you've got a lot to
do before your shuttle leaves this evening." Janeway watched as the
flitter banked sharply to the left and emerged for a brief moment into
dazzling sunlight. "I got a message from Chakotay," she said suddenly.
"Indeed?"
"Yes, it was rather surprising. I hadn't heard anything from him in
months, let alone seen him," –she did not mention their brief moment of
wordless communication when he was on the stand a few days earlier—"and
all of a sudden, he wants to meet."
"Did the Commander give any indication what it was about?"
"No, he didn't."
"Then you will have to wait until you see him to find out."
She shot him a look, wondering how Tuvok knew she was hesitant to meet
her former first officer. "I suppose I will," she said at last.
8.
The trial resumed on Monday, with a further parade of prosecution
witnesses. Janeway watched with greater trepidation than before, thanks
to a casual remark by Gaines.
"Mendez has certainly been busy," he said. "She's added to the witness
list again. Looks like the entire security department of Voyager is going to be called to
testify."
"Most of these people weren't on duty at the time," Janeway said,
perusing the PADD he handed her.
"It doesn't matter," Gaines said. "Mendez is proceeding under the
logical assumption that they were all aware of
what was going on—both during the actual incident in the cargo bay, as
well as your meeting with the aliens when you offered to hand over
Ransom. Under article 78, they can be charged as accessories for not
objecting to your orders."
"That doesn't make any sense!" Janeway said heatedly. "Surely they
can't be held liable—"
"For your actions?" Gaines said. "Of course they can. Lieutenant Butler
has already been charged, along with Ensign Morrison, and I wouldn't be
surprised if Commander Tuvok is next in line."
"It's not right," Janeway said, striving to remain calm. "I alone am
responsible for what I did. I alone made the decisions regarding
Lessing and the Equinox. No
one else should have to answer for what I did."
"That's very noble of you, Captain, but I doubt it will make a
difference." He smiled briefly. "I wouldn't worry too much, I'm sure
they'll get something in return, some type of deal, in exchange for
their testimony against you."
Now, watching Michael Ayala take the stand, she could only repeat to
herself, this isn't right.
9.
Chakotay moved the sugar bowl closer to her. "Here you go," he said.
Janeway made no move to take it. "Thank you, but I prefer my coffee
black."
He smiled. "That's right, I'd forgotten." He paused in the act of
stirring his own sweetened and milky brew. "You don't like anything
coming in between you and the pure taste."
Janeway picked up her cup, the warmth welcome in her hands, and took a
sip. She glanced around the café, nearly empty now that the
lunchtime rush was over. The only other patrons, like Chakotay, were
clad in civilian attire. She felt conspicuous in her uniform.
She took a deep breath. "Why did you want to see me, Chakotay?"
If he regretted the cessation of his attempted small talk, he didn't
show it. "I've been meaning to call you for a while," Chakotay said.
"See how you're doing. But once I was served with the subpoena--as a
witness, I wasn't allowed to contact you--"
"So there wouldn't be the appearance of any tampering on my part,"
Janeway said.
"Yes." Chakotay grimaced, then went on in a rush, "About the other day,
Kathryn, what I said on the stand...I'm sorry."
"About what?"
"What I said." He sighed heavily. "I didn't agree with your actions,
the way you handled Lessing. I thought you'd gone to the brink, but--"
"I heard your testimony." Forcing her thoughts from Chakotay's
statements, as well as the other prosecution witnesses, Janeway gazed
at him for a long moment. "What I don't understand is why you're here
now."
He made as if to reach across the table for her hand, then stopped. "I
just want to help you," Chakotay said quietly. "That's all I ever
wanted."
She glanced down at the smooth laminate finish of the table surface.
"You don't owe me anything, Chakotay."
"Yes, I do," he insisted. "And even if I didn't, I don't like to see
you going through this ordeal."
Janeway gave a bitter laugh. "Even though it's justified, from your
perspective?"
Chakotay winced. "I'm not here to pass judgment on you."
"But you think I'm guilty. You thought it then, and you still think it
now."
"That's not the issue." Chakotay sighed again, more heavily this time.
"Regardless, I feel terrible about this whole business. And I
can't--you shouldn't have to go through this alone, without anyone
there to support you." Now he did take her hand. "Where's your family,
Kathryn?"
"My mother died two months before Voyager's
return," she said quietly and disengaged her fingers from his grasp.
"And your sister?" he persisted.
"She's living off-planet, a minimum of two weeks' journey from Earth."
"Haven't you seen her since you got back?" Not giving her a chance to
answer, Chakotay continued, "Even if you have, surely she'd want to be
with you now."
Purely by chance, Phoebe had
been on Earth when Voyager
returned home, still dealing with the details of their mother's estate.
As glad as she was to see her sister, it had been a bittersweet
homecoming for Janeway. Phoebe had left three weeks later, gone back to
pick up the threads of her own life which had been put on hold for too
long. Over the next few months, the two women had kept in regular
contact, but Janeway had been adamant about not notifying Phoebe about
the Article 32 hearing and then later, the court-martial -- she,
couldn't bring herself to selfishly disrupt her sister's existence once
again. Phoebe's presence might have brought some measure of comfort,
but practically speaking, there was really nothing she could do. Better
to leave her where she was.
As these thoughts went through Janeway's mind, she saw the dawning
comprehension on Chakotay's face, along with more than a hint of
compassion. A sudden, unreasoning fury rose in her. "I don't want your
pity, Chakotay, or to be a sop for your conscience."
"What are you talking about? All I meant was—"
"It's a little late for regrets," Janeway said harshly. "You don't owe
me anything, Chakotay. You did what you had to do--just as I did."
Chakotay opened his mouth, then closed it again. An awkward silence
fell.
The waiter approached. "Will there be anything else?"
Janeway shook her head. "No, thank you. Just the check, please." She
watched his retreating back, then looked again at Chakotay, who was
regarding her sadly. She searched for something neutral to say.
"How is Seven, by the way?" Janeway said at last. "I meant to ask you
earlier."
"She's fine."
"How was the honeymoon?"
Chakotay looked startled. "What?"
"I heard you were recently off-world on your honeymoon," Janeway said,
feeling vaguely foolish.
"No, I went back to Dorvan to look up some family members and friends,"
Chakotay said, shaking his head. "Seven wasn't even with me. She was in
Stockholm, with her aunt. Irene hasn't been too well lately, and Seven
felt she should stay nearby."
"I see," Janeway said. "Is her aunt doing better?"
"Yes, fortunately, but she's still rather frail. Seven was ready to
cancel her trip to Starbase Four for the Astrometrics symposium, but
finally decided to go after all, when Irene insisted. She'll be back in
another ten days."
That explained Seven's absence. "Is a wedding in the works?" Janeway
asked curiously.
"We haven't really discussed it," Chakotay said, playing with his
spoon. "We're still adjusting to being back home. It hasn't exactly
been an easy transition, for any of us."
"No, it hasn't."
With relief, Janeway saw the waiter returning. She handed him her
credit chit and rose. "Please give my regards to Seven the next time
you speak to her, Chakotay," she said.
"I will." Chakotay rose as well. "Kathryn, I meant what I said earlier,
if you need a friend to help you through--"
"I appreciate your offer, but that won't be necessary," she said
brusquely, then turned to go. "I need to get back to the courtroom for
the afternoon session."
She strode away rapidly, never looking back.
10.
The court-martial continued, seemingly at a snail's pace, though with
the start of the defense presentation, Janeway hoped things would speed
up.
"It's not usual procedure for it to take this long," Perry confided
during a recess. He quickly added, "Not that I've been involved with
that many cases yet."
"How long have you been practicing?" Janeway asked curiously.
"I got my law degree last year," Perry said, a bit self-consciously.
Janeway nodded; she'd guessed as much. Perry was forever coming up with
different theories, of possible tactics and defenses, that on closer
examination did not prove to be practical, or even all that applicable
to her situation. And yet his detailed knowledge of the law was clearly
evident. "Have you been working with Captain Gaines ever since?"
"I spent some time clerking for Admiral Costas—do you know him? Head of
the legal division of Interstellar Relations?—and transferred over to
Captain Gaines' office five months ago." Perry cleared his throat. "I
know I don't have much experience, but I can tell you Captain Gaines is
one of the best attorneys in the entire department. I know he's not
always that, uh, accommodating, or even, truth be told, all that
pleasant at times, but I've seen him in some really tough situations
and, well, he's very good."
Janeway repressed the urge to laugh. Things must be in a sorry state if
Perry felt the need to reassure her. "So you're saying I don't have
anything to worry about."
"Well, you are being court-martialed," Perry said, quite seriously.
"But with Captain Gaines in your corner, you've got a good chance of
acquittal."
"I wonder if he shares your optimism." At Perry's shocked expression,
Janeway realized she'd said it out loud. "What I mean is Captain Gaines
has been very quick to urge me to accept a plea, rather than fight."
"That's standard procedure," Perry said. "Especially in the pre-trial
phase, it's usual for the counsels to propose a deal. If they can reach
a satisfactory agreement, it saves having to go through the whole
arduous procedure of a court-martial."
Janeway recalled how adamant Gaines had been in suggesting she change
her plea, as well as how equally firm she'd been in refusing to even
consider it. "Do you think I should have listened to him, pled guilty?"
she said, then chided herself for asking. What difference did it make
what Perry thought?
But Perry considered the question carefully. "That depends," he said at
last. "If you truly believe what you did was right—if you had it all to
do again, you would without changing a thing—then no, you shouldn't
change your plea." Without a trace of irony, he added, "That wouldn't
serve the interests of justice, would it?"
11.
The Paris home was as stately and imposing as Janeway remembered it.
Years earlier, she and Mark had been here on many occasions, most of
them formal Starfleet functions. Owen and his wife had entertained
quite a bit in those days--when he was on the planet, that is.
"Kathryn, so nice to see you," Alicia Paris said as she opened the
heavy mahogany and glass door. "It's been far too long since you've
been by."
Janeway smiled politely. "It's good to be back. How are you?"
"Fine, just fine," Alicia said, ushering her down the hallway. "I'm
sorry, Owen is running late. He just called and said he'll be another
half hour."
Janeway nodded slowly, striving to keep her irritation from showing .
It had been a long day and she wanted nothing more than to go home and
soak in a hot tub of water, which would hopefully soothe her jangled
nerves. But an 'invitation'—more like a formal summons, for all that
Owen had specified meeting in his home instead of his office at
HQ--from her former mentor was not something to be lightly disregarded.
"Well, don't worry about entertaining me, I'm sure you have many other
things to do. I can just wait in the library."
"If you prefer," Alicia said with a smile. She threw open another door
and beckoned to someone within. "Or you might find some more congenial
company in the family room."
"No, really, that's quite all right," Janeway began, and then stopped.
"B'Elanna?"
"Hello, Captain," B'Elanna said, straightening up from the
playpen in the corner.
"Kathryn," Janeway corrected, as she came over and gave her a hug. "How
are you doing? I didn't expect to see you here."
"Tom is spending the day in Australia, seeing a friend about a possible
position in his company. So we thought we'd get some quality time with
Grandma," B'Elanna said, gesturing to the baby lying on her back inside
the mesh enclosure.
Miral regarded them both intently over the top of her bottle and
continued sucking noisily.
"She's gotten so big," Janeway said, leaning closer to peer into the
large dark eyes. "May I?" She lifted the baby, bottle and all, and
gently smoothed the curls off her forehead ridges. "Yes, you're a big
girl now, aren't you?"
"She certainly is," Alicia agreed. "And Grandma is loving every minute
of this visit."
Miral gave a playful chortle and batted Janeway's nose, then reached
for the captain's pips.
"Starting a little young," Janeway said, laughing. "You're going to
have to earn those for yourself, young lady."
B'Elanna unclenched her daughter's fist, prying out the small gold
discs. "No, sweetie, those don't go in your mouth."
"Here, I'll take her," Alicia said. "B'Elanna, would you like me to
give her a bath and put her to bed?"
"I'd appreciate it," B'Elanna said, relinquishing her daughter with
alacrity. "I think she's just about ready, especially as she didn't
really nap this afternoon. I'll be up in a while—"
"Don't worry about a thing," Alicia said firmly. "I still remember how
to do this!"
"I'm sure," Janeway said, smiling as Alicia took the baby out. She
turned to B'Elanna. "I remember my grandmother saying that considering
how much more she enjoyed them, she should have had her grandchildren
first! Compared to children, they're a pleasure instead of a chore."
"Tom's mother is definitely enjoying herself," B'Elanna agreed. "It's
been a while since she's had a baby to fuss over, as her other
grandchildren are a lot older."
"That makes sense, considering that Tom's the youngest of his
siblings." Janeway accepted the glass of pale blue liquid B'Elanna
handed her. "You look good, B'Elanna, like life is treating you well
these days."
"Thanks." B'Elanna sat down on the couch after first moving a stuffed
targ out of the way. "It's been a little odd, being out of Starfleet
after so many years, but we're doing pretty well."
"I heard you're working as a civilian contractor for the Corps of
Engineers?"
"More like a consultant, filling them in on the various modifications
we made to Voyager over the
years. And of course helping them make sense of all the alien
technology we brought back from the Delta Quadrant."
"That should be enough to keep you busy for a while."
"Several years at the very least," B'Elanna said.
"And Tom? What sort of company is his friend involved in?"
"The development of specialty shuttles, you know, modified for specific
environmental conditions."
"Would Tom be involved in the design aspect?"
"No, as a test pilot," B'Elanna said. "Though knowing Tom, I'm sure
he'll have plenty of engineering input as well."
"Sounds like an ideal situation for him," Janeway said. She took
another sip of her drink, savoring the slightly tart taste. "I admit I
was a little surprised neither of you decided to stay on in Starfleet."
"At this stage of our lives, it wouldn't be the right choice for us, or
our family," B'Elanna said quietly. "Neither of us can see taking
another deep space assignment, especially if we couldn't guarantee
being assigned to the same vessel. If Voyager
hadn't gotten back, of course, we'd have no choice but to raise Miral
on a starship."
"But since we did get back," Janeway said, nodding, "you want something
more."
"Yes," B'Elanna said. "Something more settled, a place where we can put
down roots and call home."
"It sounds nice," Janeway said. Home, a sense of permanence…when had
she ever known that? "No, I think you made the right decision."
"And what about you?" B'Elanna asked. "How are you doing?"
Janeway picked up the pitcher on the table and poured herself another
glass of tokra juice. "About
as well as can be expected."
"How much longer do they expect the court-martial to continue?"
"I'm not sure. Captain Gaines seems to think it will probably be
another few days at least before the closing statements."
"Tom will be testifying tomorrow afternoon," B'Elanna said. "At least,
that's when they told him to come in." She fell silent for a moment. "I
wish I had been of more help when I was on the stand."
Surprised, Janeway said, "You were in Engineering most of the time,
B'Elanna, and as a result you missed several of the crucial events that
occurred with Lessing. But your testimony about Max Burke and his
duplicity—in particular, the details of the sabotage--surely did some
good."
B'Elanna sighed. "I just wish I could have done more. All of us feel
that way, you know—"
"Yes, like Chakotay," Janeway cut in, and then wondered at the
bitterness in her tone. Where had that come from?
"Chakotay did not want to be a witness for the prosecution," B'Elanna
said quietly. "Nor did any of the other Voyager crew who were subpoenaed."
"I know he didn't exactly have a choice," Janeway said with a carefully
nonchalant shrug. "But as he was the one who witnessed my 'crimes'
first-hand, the prosecution would have been stupid not to call him."
B'Elanna put her glass down with a resounding ring. "Surely you're not
blaming him."
Janeway shook her head impatiently. "No, of course not. That's not why
I'm—"
"Angry?" asked B'Elanna softly.
"I'm not angry."
B'Elanna didn't question the last statement, but the corner of her
mouth turned down. "I'm a little confused here. What exactly is it
Chakotay did to get you…unsettled like this?"
"Nothing," Janeway said, then amended it to, "Nothing intentional."
B'Elanna waited while Janeway jumped to her feet and strode over to the
window, stared unseeingly at the garden in the muted light of the
setting sun.
"Have you seen Chakotay, other than in the courtroom?" B'Elanna said
finally.
"Yes, we met for coffee the other day, as a matter of fact." Janeway
said, still not turning.
"And?"
"He told me how sorry he was, that things had come to this." Janeway
grimaced. "Of course, if I had listened to him at the time, none of
this would have happened."
"Did he actually say that to you?"
Janeway laughed mirthlessly. "No, he wasn't pointing any fingers. He
just wanted to say he was sorry and he wished there was something he
could do."
"In other words," B'Elanna said, coming to stand beside her. "He
offered you sympathy and help. Definitely a hanging offense."
"You don't understand," Janeway shot back.
"Clearly, I don't," B'Elanna said, giving her former captain a
penetrating stare, "so why don't you explain it to me?"
Frustrated, Janeway cast about for the proper way of putting it. "His
timing is suspect," she said at last. "All this time he never--now,
when everything has come to a head, he decides I need someone to hold
my hand. Which I don't. I'm
quite capable of managing on my own, thank you." Almost to herself she
added, "God knows, I've been doing it for ages."
B'Elanna was quiet for a moment. "Whatever has gone down between the
two of you in the past is just that, in the past—" She took a deep
breath. "But he wants to there for you now." B'Elanna put a hand on
Janeway's shoulder. "That has to count for something."
Janeway jerked away, almost as if she had been burned. "Yes," she said
through clenched teeth. "But it's only because he thinks I'm incapable
of standing on my own." She exhaled sharply, willing herself to relax.
"Chakotay has always had a tremendous need to be needed."
"All things considered, that's not such a bad way to be," B'Elanna said
quietly.
12.
"I'm very sorry, Kathryn," Owen Paris said, pouring himself a brandy.
"My meetings at HQ ran much longer than I'd anticipated."
It had been much longer than the promised half hour, but Janeway forced
herself to smile. "That's all right, sir. I had a lovely dinner with
your wife and daughter-in-law."
"Good, good," Owen said, rubbing his hands together. He seemed in no
hurry to get to the point of her visit. "I have to say, I'm still
getting used to the idea of Tom married and a father. But it's good to
see. He's grown up a lot over the past several years, and I have you to
thank for much of that."
Janeway met his eyes squarely. "I'm guessing this is more than a social
call, Admiral. Perhaps something you'd prefer to speak about off the
record."
Owen smiled. "You were always very perceptive, Kathryn--that's what
made you such a fine officer in both science and command. It's stood
you in good stead over the years."
Janeway didn't rise to the flattery. "Apparently, my instincts have
failed me on at least one occasion, or I wouldn't be in my current
position," she said dryly.
Owen looked pensive at the reminder. "How are you holding up?"
"I'd be a lot better if people didn't keep asking me that," Janeway
said, shifting slightly in her seat and giving him an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, I'm just sick of hearing the same question over and over.
I'm not an invalid or dying of a terminal disease, I'm just on trial
for attempted murder, among other things."
"You're right, it is a stupid question." Owen fell silent for a moment.
"But seriously, Kathryn, how is it going?"
"It's not going well," Janeway said flatly. "Gaines won't say it in so
many words, but I don't think he expects a favorable verdict. Nor do I."
"As I said, you've always been very perceptive." Owen's brief
smile faded. "I won't sugar coat it for you, Kathryn. I've been
sounding out a few people and…" his voice trailed off.
"And?"
"Mendez has succeeded in making you look like a monster," Owen said
bluntly. "This court-martial--it's not doing you any good personally,
nor is it doing the 'Fleet any good."
"You didn't bring me all the way out here to point out what we both
already know," Janeway said, rising from her seat and coming to stand
before him. "What's on your mind, Owen?"
"I was wondering how you felt about a quiet resignation."
"You're asking me to resign my commission?" she said, surprised. "Leave
Starfleet? Even if I were to consider such a thing, what difference
would it make? That wouldn't change anything as far as the
court-martial is concerned."
"Actually, it would," Owen said. "Certain parties have indicated they
would be amenable to dropping the charges under the right
circumstances."
"This is unbelievable," Janeway said.
Obviously taking her attitude for acquiescence, Owen said, "So you
would be willing?"
"No," Janeway said, with a quick shake of her head. "Absolutely not."
"Kathryn, you're not being reasonable," Owen said, a hint of
exasperation in his tone. "We can make this whole thing go away. I
don't know why you won't consider it."
"Because it wouldn't 'make this go away,'" she said, allowing her own
irritation to rise. "I'd have resigned under a cloud, my career,
everything I've accomplished in over twenty years in Starfleet gone.
Everything positive cancelled out, just like that."
"Unfortunately, that's already happened, Kathryn. And short of a
miracle, it's only going to get worse. You were a damn fine officer,
one of the best. You're right, it's not fair that it should end this
way. But by resigning now, you can still retain something. Your freedom, yes. But
not your career. That's over and done with. I'm sorry."
"No," Janeway said. "Owen, I appreciate what you're trying to do for
me, really. But I can't. I'd rather go down fighting. Even for a lost
cause."
"Even for an 'unjust' cause?" Owen's eyes met hers challengingly. "Tell
me, Kathryn. Do you really feel your actions toward Lessing were
justified?"
"I don't know," Janeway said, looking away. "I…I was wrong, I realize
that. In hindsight, I would have approached Lessing differently."
"Hindsight." Owen shook his head. "You want to talk about what might
have happened instead? Would you have crossed that final line into
committing murder?"
"I'm not sure." Janeway closed her eyes. "I--it was very close." She
saw the darkness of the cargo bay, heard Lessing's defiant refusal,
then her own voice calmly giving the order. "Yes," she whispered. "I
would have probably done it, if I hadn't been stopped in time."
It was the first time she had admitted it out loud. She opened her eyes
to see Owen staring at her. He didn't say anything further. He didn't
need to.
13.
"Lieutenant Kim," said Gaines. "Please tell us what happened when Voyager caught up to Equinox the second and final time."
Kim shifted slightly on the stand. "We immediately engaged them in
battle. We were taking a real beating--our shield modulations were
being transmitted to the Equinox
by their EMH, though we weren't aware of it at the time. Our weapons
and warp engines were down, we didn't even have impulse. Then Ransom
hailed us, told us he was prepared to surrender but Burke had seized
control of the ship."
"How did Captain Janeway react?"
"She didn't say anything at first," Kim said, "but she let him keep
talking."
"Did the Captain suspect a trick?"
"Objection," Mendez said. "Was the witness privy to Captain Janeway's
thoughts?"
"Allow me to rephrase," Gaines said. "Did Captain Janeway indicate by
any act or word that she was suspicious?"
"I think so. It was highly
unexpected, after all," Kim said.
"Why was it unexpected? Was there a good chance Equinox would win the battle and
would get away from Voyager
for good? Or destroy Voyager?"
"I think so. We were in a pretty bad way. Of course, we had no idea
what was happening on board the Equinox
at that time."
"What happened next?"
"Captain Ransom asked that we take the Equinox crew--those that were still
alive. Captain Janeway gave the order to beam them over."
Gaines looked suitably astonished. "After everything the Equinox--and Ransom--had just put
you through, did Captain Janeway explain why she was willing to help?
Or to even trust Ransom?"
Kim nodded. "She said, 'He's still a Starfleet Captain. He may have
forgotten that for a while . . . but I believe him.'"
"So the 'vendetta' was over?" Gaines asked.
"I think so," answered Kim. "We still ran into some problems--the
aliens had their own ideas about letting the crew of the Equinox get away, plus Burke's own
actions complicated matters--but she tried to get Ransom himself."
"'Get' him how, Lieutenant?" Gaines said, looking intently into the
witness' eyes. "To punish him, or save him?"
"To save his life, of course," Kim said, a touch of surprise in his
voice than anyone could think otherwise. "Captain Janeway repeated she
was going to beam him out, but Ransom said his ship was about to
explode and he needed to get some distance between them. Janeway told
him to set auto-navigation and transport over, but he insisted he had
no time."
"Was that the end of their exchange?"
"Ransom made her promise she'd get her crew--and his--home. And she
did."
Gaines paused for a long moment, to give greater emphasis to his words.
"So to summarize, far from seeking to kill or capture him, at the end,
Captain Janeway tried to save Ransom."
"Yes," Kim said emphatically.
14.
"Kathryn!"
Janeway looked up and saw Chakotay hurrying down the corridor toward
her. She sighed impatiently. "What do you want, Chakotay? It's been a
long day, I'm exhausted--"
"I need to talk to you."
Janeway continued walking. "I think we said everything that needs to be
said--more in fact, than was necessary--the last time."
"Maybe so, but I want to know what's going on."
"What are you talking about?"
"There are rumors flying around HQ that you've been offered a deal,"
Chakotay said. "Resign, save the Fleet from further embarrassment, and
they won't throw the book at you."
She stopped, and drew him into an alcove at the end of the hallway,
away from the courthouse crowd waiting in front of the turbolift. "Not
that it's any of your concern, but if I have?"
"You can't give up the fight, Kathryn--I don't want to stand by and see
you go down like this."
In a detached part of her brain, Janeway found his attitude rather
ironic, considering how vehemently he'd disagreed with the course of
action for which she was being court-martialed. Aloud, she said,
"There's no need for me to do anything. In case you haven't noticed,
they're already crucifying me."
"All the more reason not to martyr yourself."
Janeway forced a smile. "Well, we both know I have a history of doing
just that." Abruptly, she leaned closer and said, "Why do you care?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why do you care what I do?" she repeated. "Or if I decide to change my
plea to guilty. Everyone seems convinced that my actions were out of
line--you were the first to tell me that--so why not just accept the
inevitable?"
"Because it's not right. You've always devoted yourself body and soul
to Starfleet," Chakotay said tightly, "At the expense of any and all
personal connections. You've given up so much already..." He looked
away, clearly embarrassed by his outburst. "I'm afraid of what will
happen if that's taken away from you as well. You'll be left with
nothing."
She stared at him incredulously, her mind refusing to accept what she'd
just heard. "But you never agreed with me!"
"No, I didn't," Chakotay said. She was suddenly very conscious of the
fact his face was only inches from her own, his dark eyes boring into
her. "But you seemed to feel that was the only way you could function
out there in the DQ, and maybe it was. Regardless of whether I agreed
or not, that's the way things were and are and there is no changing it
now." His voice dropped lower. "I let you down then, and I have no
intention of doing so again."
"You let me down?" She shook her head. "Chakotay, if anything, you're
the one who saved me. The only reason I didn't kill Lessing is
because you stopped me."
"I should have stopped the whole thing much earlier," he said heatedly.
"I should have seen how desperate you were and why, I should have come
up with some alternate solution and not let it get anywhere near that
point.
I should have insisted."
"You did insist," Janeway said. She passed her hand over her face
wearily. "But I didn't listen."
"I was supposed to be there for you, supporting you, and I let you
down. In this and so many ways."
Janeway turned away, unable to face the self-condemnation in his eyes.
"I didn't make it easy for you."
Chakotay gave a bitter laugh. "That's an understatement, but still, it
was my job as first officer--and as your friend."
She looked at him for a long moment, touched by his unexpected concern.
"Thank you." She cleared her throat. "So, as my friend, what do you
think I should do? Change my plea to guilty, and hope they're still
willing to grant me an honorable discharge?"
"You shouldn't martyr yourself, Kathryn," he said again. "Not if it's
to save Starfleet. Only do this if you really believe it's the
right course of action for you.
Because you accept that what you did
all those years ago was wrong." He paused. "Do you?"
"I—"
"Listen to your conscience, Kathryn. No one else can tell you what to
do." Chakotay's eyes met hers. "I know you'll make the right decision."
15.
Noah Lessing was as quiet and soft-spoken as Janeway remembered. Not
that she had had much contact with him over the years--even on a ship
the size of Voyager it was
possible, especially for the 'lower decks'
personnel, to avoid much contact with senior officers. Even during the
occasional meeting in the turbolifts or Mess Hall, she did not recall
ever exchanging more than a perfunctory word or two. Lessing, like the
other former members of the Equinox
crew, had kept his head down and his
mouth shut, doing the work that was required of him, but never
volunteering for more. It was as if he had wanted nothing more than to
be invisible, and had very nearly succeeded in that ambition.
"A rebuttal witness," Gaines had said, when they had heard Mendez would
be calling Lessing to the stand. "I should have expected this, after
Mendez declined to cross-examine Lieutenant Kim." He gave a wintry
smile. "We did a good job of exposing your 'vendetta' against Ransom
for the flimsy bit of fiction it was. So she's going back to the
foundation of the case, what cannot
be disputed: your actions against
Lessing himself."
Janeway watched as Lessing, clad in the bright orange jumpsuit of a
convicted felon, spoke about the events that day in the cargo bay. The
conversation played itself out word for word; Lessing neither
embellished nor omitted any of the details.
"Your witness," Mendez said, bowing her head graciously.
"Thank you." Gaines approached the witness stand.
"Mister Lessing," Gaines said. "What was the outcome of the recently
concluded trial in which you and the other members of the 'Equinox Five' were listed as
defendants?"
"We were convicted," Lessing said. A muscle in his jaw jumped.
"Of multiple counts of crimes genocide, the Crimes Against Sentient
Life Forms Act?"
"Yes."
"Referring specifically to your actions regarding the nucleogenic
beings, the 'Spirits of Good Fortune', in the Delta Quadrant?"
"Yes," Lessing said. "For what we did to them."
"Those actions were at Captain Ransom's behest," Mendez interjected
quickly. "Let the record show--"
"We've already established that the 'Equinox
Five' were following
orders," Gaines said, raising his voice. "But following the Nuremberg
Precedent, you were convicted anyway, weren't you?"
Lessing looked down at his hands in his lap. "Yes, we were."
"What sentences were handed down?" Gaines asked, in a conversational
tone.
"I received ten years at the penal colony on Omana Four."
"That's a medium security facility, isn't it?" At Lessing's nod, Gaines
went on, "what about your fellow crew members? What sort of sentences
did Angelo Tessoni, Brian Sofin, James Morrow and Marla Gilmore
receive?"
"They all got 25 years to life."
Gaines looked surprised. "Why the difference?"
"Objection," Mendez said. "I fail to see the relevance of this line of
questioning."
"The charges against Mister Lessing and the others were identical,"
Gaines said, "and yet the outcomes were not."
"Again, this is hardly relevant," Mendez said, before U'Tzedek could
reply. "Regardless, it is hardly up to Mister Lessing to determine
sentencing, or what was going through the minds of the judges."
"I suspect Mister Lessing knows exactly why his sentence was reduced,"
Gaines said.
U'Tzedek looked from one attorney to the other. "I suspect I know where
you're going with this, Captain Gaines, but be very sure that it is
relevant, and that your reasoning is based on solid facts as opposed to
speculation."
Mendez's eyes flashed angrily, but she sat down without another word.
"Mister Lessing," Gaines said. "Why the difference? Was there anything
that, say, Tessoni or Morrow did in regards to the aliens that you did
not? Or some aspect of sabotage on Voyager
that Gilmore committed that
you did not? You were on
board Equinox with them all
to the bitter
end, weren't you?"
"No," Lessing said. "I was captured by the Voyager away team on the
surface of the planetoid, during the battle."
"Which led to the events in the cargo bay for which we are here today!"
Mendez said impatiently. "Admiral, this has gone on long enough--"
"Yes, the events in the cargo bay," Gaines interrupted. "During which
time Captain Janeway interrogated you."
"When she tried to kill me!" Lessing said.
"When she interrogated you for information on Captain Ransom's
whereabouts and plans," Gaines said calmly.
"She tried to kill me," Lessing said again.
"Yes, so you stated in your official complaint," Gaines said. "Which
was filed, coincidentally enough, shortly before the penalty phase of
your own trial." Gaines leaned forward, his hands on the witness stand.
"Tell me, Mister Lessing, why did you wait so long to press charges of
attempted murder against Captain Janeway?"
Lessing gave him an incredulous look. "You mean I should have done it
while we were still on board Voyager,
back in the Delta Quadrant?"
"I can understand the situation would be somewhat awkward," Gaines said.
"Not to mention the question of whether Mister Lessing could hope for
any justice or any action whatsoever, with Captain Janeway in command,"
said Mendez.
"Captain Mendez," U'Tzedek said warningly.
"I apologize, Admiral," Mendez said, not looking at all penitent.
"As a point of clarification," said Gaines, "Voyager was back for
several months before you filed your complaint. The timing makes me
wonder."
Mendez rose. "May I remind the members of the jury that the records
clearly state that a Board of Inquiry was sifting through all of
Voyager's records, including
the official logs, for the first several
months after the ship's return. Any evidence of wrongdoing on the part
of Captain Janeway--or any of the other officers for that matter--would
be bound to come to light eventually. As it is, several of Captain
Janeway's command decisions--particularly those concerning possible
Prime Directive violations--received a great deal of scrutiny."
"But none of them resulted in an article 32 hearing, let alone a
court-martial," Gaines said. "In fact, most of the rulings clearing
Captain Janeway in those matters came early on in the inquiry
phase--specifically within the first six weeks after Voyager's return.
And those were for much more complex issues than a charge of attempted
murder."
U'Tzedek nodded. "Yes, the circumstances do appear curious. Mister
Lessing, were you offered a deal in exchange for your cooperation in
this matter?"
Mendez interrupted. "Admiral, even if true, I must again renew my
protest that this is irrelevant. In an ordinary murder trial, the
authorities manage to prosecute a defendant without testimony from the
victim."
"But this is attempted
murder," Gaines said. "If Starfleet had chosen
to prosecute without Mister Lessing's cooperation, they would have
found themselves with a much weaker case."
"But a case nonetheless," Mendez said.
U'Tzedek said, "Mister Lessing?"
Lessing said slowly, "I wasn't on board Equinox during the later
battles; my attorney told me I had a good chance at getting some of the
charges reduced, specifically the ones involving the attacks on a
fellow Starfleet vessel."
"Were you offered a deal?" Gaines said with a hint of impatience.
"Not in so many words, but I got the impression if I testified against
Captain Janeway, it would go better for me." Lessing then added, "Not
that I needed much urging."
Gaines looked at him for a long moment. "So you were eager and willing
to take the stand?"
"You bet I was," Lessing said. "She tried to murder me!"
"So you keep saying, Mister Lessing. But are you sure?"
Lessing looked at him as if he were crazy. "She sure as hell looked
serious when she said she was going to let me die if I didn't talk."
"Let you die? How?"
"By exposing me to the creatures."
"Yes, the creatures you were using for fuel, at Ransom's behest,"
Gaines said. "Captain Janeway gave you a choice to help her, to once
and for all reject the Equinox's
actions, Mister Lessing, but you
didn't take it."
"I wasn't going to betray Captain Ransom," Lessing said.
"Why not?" Gaines asked. "Why did Ransom deserve your loyalty? You knew
full well what he was doing to the aliens, and further more, you knew
it was wrong!"
"I had no choice but to go along with Captain Ransom and Commander
Burke," Lessing protested. "It bothered me, but I had to follow orders!"
"Yes, that's why you helped kill the aliens, but why didn't you tell
Captain Janeway where Ransom was so she could apprehend him? Why did
you help sabotage Voyager
instead of telling Janeway what was going on
so she could stop it, especially if it 'bothered' you what you were
doing? You did have a choice,
you could have stopped, but you didn't
take it!"
"Objection," Mendez said. "Mister Lessing is not the one on trial here."
"Sustained," U'Tzedek said. "Captain Gaines, be careful."
Gaines resumed. "By your actions, Mister Lessing, you showed you were
still firmly on Ransom's side. Captain Janeway had no way of knowing
that you were one of the 'good guys'; by refusing to talk, you
showed her you were just like Ransom!"
Lessing shook his head.
"You were," Gaines said softly. "You were just as guilty as Ransom. And
in your heart, you knew that one day you would have to pay for what you
did. So when Captain Janeway threatened to expose you to the aliens,
deep down, you knew it was just. Maybe you were even relieved, because
this way it would finally stop--"
"No! I never wanted to kill anyone, I didn't. I was afraid--"
"Afraid of the aliens, or afraid what Ransom would do to you if he
discovered you'd betrayed him?"
Lessing's face was shining with sweat. "If Rudy--or Max--ever knew--"
"They'd have killed you, wouldn't they?" pressed Gaines. "Just like
they did to one or two of the others on Equinox who'd protested against
the genocide, right? Just like they disabled the ethical subroutines on
your EMH, so no one would stand in their way... You knew what they were
capable of, and you were more afraid of them than you were of Captain
Janeway."
Lessing nodded. "Voyager--Voyager
wasn't a hard luck case like Equinox.
They'd never been through the things we had, the Kraatorian Guard or--"
he gulped. "Their ship was whole, they had food, supplies...Janeway
wasn't driven to the edge like Rudy. She was soft, all of them were
soft..." Lessing buried his head in his arms.
"So you really didn't think she was going to kill you, did you?" asked
Gaines gently.
Lessing raised his face, streaked with tears. "No. I swear, I didn't
think she'd have the guts to do it."
As soon as Gaines sat down, Janeway leaned over and spoke in an urgent
whisper. "Call for a recess."
"Why?" Gaines said in surprise. "We've got momentum on our side now—"
"There's something you and I need to discuss."
"Can't it wait?"
"No," Janeway said. "It can't. I've waited long enough."
16.
Mendez's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Captain Janeway," she said,
quickly recovering. "This is certainly fortuitous. I was just about to
contact Captain Gaines to set up a meeting, and here you are, with your
counsel in tow. Please be seated, both of you."
Gaines smiled politely as he took a chair on the other side of the
massive desk. Mendez's office, Janeway couldn't help noticing, was far
more opulent and lavishly furnished than Gaines's own.
"Now, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Mendez asked.
"I take it you were going to contact us to offer us a deal," Gaines
said.
"And you're here with a proposal of your own," Mendez said, nodding.
"I'm listening."
"My client is willing to plead guilty to the charges of reckless
endangerment and conduct unbecoming to an officer," Gaines said. "In
return, the charge of attempted murder is dropped."
Mendez considered him coolly for a moment and then focused her
attention on Janeway. "Assuming I decide to accept, you're not going to
get off with a mere slap on the wrist, Captain." Turning back to
Gaines, she added, "We're not just talking about an official reprimand.
Your client is going to have to serve some time in prison."
"Probation," Gaines said, leaning forward. "Or a suspended sentence."
"Three years," Mendez said.
"Eighteen months," Gaines said, "with the possibility of parole after
two thirds of the sentence has been served."
"That's acceptable," Mendez said. "But she serves in a medium security
facility."
"And I don't want you going after any of my crew in connection with the
'Equinox Incident'," Janeway
said,
speaking for the first time. "I am solely
responsible for what happened to Noah Lessing. No one else on Voyager
should be held liable."
Mendez considered for a long moment. "Agreed."
Janeway did not allow herself to breathe a sigh of relief. "Now I'd
like to discuss what happens after I serve my sentence."
"Afterward?" Mendez said, blankly. "What do you mean?"
Gaines frowned. "If you're speaking about your career in Starfleet,
Kathryn, surely you realize that after a dishonorable discharge you can
hardly reapply for reinstatement—"
"I want an honorable discharge," Janeway interrupted.
Mendez laughed. "Don't be ridiculous," she said. "Your actions hardly
warrant any such consideration. I'm willing to drop the major charge,
but that does not in any way take away from the magnitude of your
crime."
"Alleged crime," Gaines said softly. "Come on, Sonia. You obviously
aren't as sure of winning this case as you appear to be, or you would
not have been working on a deal of your own. What we're offering is
better than you could have hoped for. Captain Janeway is admitting her
wrong-doing."
"Is she willing to do so at the court-martial, in a public statement to
the jury?" Mendez asked.
Janeway swallowed. "Yes, I am."
Mendez nodded slowly. "Then we have a deal." She rose to her feet.
"I'll inform Admiral U'Tzedek."
17.
"I'm sure you'll be very glad to get the whole sordid business behind
you as quickly as possible," Owen Paris said.
Janeway shifted in her seat in the Admiral's well-appointed office at
Starfleet Headquarters. "Yes, I will be."
"Tell me, Kathryn, have you given any thought for your future?"
"It's a bit premature to consider that, don't you think?" Janeway said.
Owen inclined his head. "I know the court-martial isn't over yet. After
all, both sides have to present their closing arguments, but I'm sure
that once the verdict comes in—"
"It is over, Owen," Janeway said. She told him of her deal with Mendez.
"And so, sentencing is tomorrow."
The Admiral looked at her in disbelief. "But why? The whole tenor
changed the last few days. The defense made a very strong case, punched
holes in some of the main prosecution contentions. I don't understand
why Gaines decided to take a deal now."
"As opposed to earlier?"
"You had such a good chance of winning, Kathryn!"
Janeway slowly rose to her feet. "The last time we spoke, you told me
to resign—was that only to avoid losing? Because you were afraid of my
giving the Fleet a black eye?"
"That's not the point, Kathryn," he said, waving her words away.
"I think it is. Your whole emphasis was on avoiding embarrassment for
Starfleet, that one of their esteemed captains--your protegee—could
be found guilty of such reprehensible behavior. That's all you ever
cared about. Not about justice, about right and wrong."
"I was also looking out for your best interests. As you are aware, Captain, justice has different
meanings under different
circumstances," Owen said angrily. "I fail to see what justice is
served by your going to prison—"
"I was wrong, Owen," she cut in sharply. "I deliberately put a man's
life in danger, and so help me, I would have killed him if it weren't
for the actions of my first officer."
His mouth tightened. "Kathryn, you don't deserve—"
"Yes, I do. I'm facing up to what I've done, the crimes—yes, crimes—I'm
guilty of. One of the first rules of command is the captain must accept
responsibility." She smiled, a bit sadly. "You taught me that, you
know, when I served under you on my first shipboard assignment."
"I'm sorry." Owen rose as well. "There has
to be something I can do. Perhaps I can put in a good word for you—"
"No," Janeway said firmly. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but
it's over." She took a deep breath. "After all these years, it's
finally over."
18.
One year later:
There was a hint of crispness in the air, befitting early autumn,
though most of the trees in the park had not begun changing color yet.
Janeway took a deep breath. "It's a beautiful day," she said.
"Yes, it is," her companion said. "Fall has always been one of my
favorite seasons."
"Really? I thought spring was."
"Fall, spring, summer, winter," said Chakotay, laughing.
"Oh, you!" She punched his arm playfully. "I know what you mean,
though."
Through the trees, glimpses of the surrounding city streets could be
seen. This particular district of San Francisco hadn't been as badly
hit during the war as other areas, but had still sustained sufficient
damage. Now, a few years later, most of the affected buildings and
structures had been restored; only a close examination—by someone with
more than a passing familiarity with the way things had been—would
reveal differences.
Time really did heal all wounds, Janeway thought. And not just those
visible to the naked eye. She glanced at the tall man striding by her
side, his dark hair—a bit longer and grayer than it had been on
Voyager—blowing in the breeze.
"You started saying something about what you plan to do next?" Chakotay
prompted her.
"Now that I'm a free woman once again?" Janeway said. "Phoebe invited
me to visit, and this seems like the perfect time to do it. I'm looking
forward to meeting her family." She paused. "I also want to see Noah
Lessing, apologize to him personally. It's something I should have done
long ago."
Chakotay nodded, but didn't comment further on that last point. "And
then?"
Janeway stopped by a bench. "Do you mind if we just sit for a while?"
She waited for his quick acquiescence and then answered his question.
"It may be a long shot, but I've applied for reinstatement to
Starfleet."
"I can't say I'm surprised," Chakotay said. "Still, I thought maybe
you'd look beyond the service?"
"And do what?" she asked. "I recall your pointing out, quite
accurately, Starfleet's been my whole life. What else could I do?"
"Scientific research, for one."
"I've been out of the loop too long," Janeway objected. "Even the
advances in technology we brought back on Voyager—by now there's been
ample time for further developments. It would be very difficult to try
and catch up."
"There are any number of corporations and institutions that would be
happy to hire you, regardless."
"For the sake of my name on their letterhead?" She added, a bit
wistfully, "Not that I'd have any chance of that now, not as an ex-con."
"As a captain who stood up in what she believed in," Chakotay corrected
her. "As an officer who wasn't afraid to admit wrongdoing and accept
responsibility. You'd have a lot to offer."
"Which is another reason I want to go back to Starfleet," Janeway said
gently. "Because I might be able to still make a difference."
Chakotay was silent for a moment. "Are they willing to take you?"
"I've heard unofficially that they're considering it. One of the
reasons I pushed for an honorable discharge the first time around."
"Always looking ahead," he said with a smile.
"Though I admit sometimes my foresight has been sadly lacking."
Chakotay nodded. "So what else have they told you, unofficially, of
course? What happens if they do take you back?"
"Most likely I'll be assigned to a slot in HQ."
Chakotay looked at her in surprise. "I can't see you behind a desk,
Kathryn. I thought you'd be itching to go back in space again."
"You're right," Janeway said. "However, I've been given to understand
that it will be a long time, if ever, before I'm given another field
command."
"I'm sorry."
"But there's a lot to be said for being on a planet," she said gamely,
and closed her eyes and leaned back to feel the warmth of the sun on
her face. "I'm going to enjoy it as much as I can."
"I can certainly understand that," he said. "And not just any planet,
but specifically Earth."
She opened her eyes to see him gazing at her intently. "Voyager was
away for a long time, and then all the time I was in prison reinforced
the feeling of absence even more. Being back here now--I want a sense
of roots, Chakotay, of belonging somewhere, after being without it for
so long."
Chakotay didn't say anything, just squeezed her hand comfortingly.
"And what about you?" she asked. "You've been very cagey when it comes
to discussing your own plans."
"That's because so many things are still up in the air," Chakotay said.
"Even after all this time. I've been teaching some courses at the
Academy, but I don't really know if this is what I want to do with the
rest of my life."
"What do you want? I mean, really
want?"
"Honestly? I've had some vague ideas of building a quiet cabin
somewhere."
"On the edge of a desert, or maybe a forest?" she said with another
smile, a genuine one this time. "Yes, I can see that. Any specifics as
to which continent, or even which planet, you'll settle on?"
"Not really," he said quietly. "I haven't gotten past the preliminary,
abstract thoughts."
"Well, you can't stray too far from civilization—it'd be kind of hard
for both of you to continue with your careers if you did." Janeway
watched the antics of some children romping with a dog a short distance
away from where they were sitting. "What does Seven think of all this?"
"I'm not sure. I haven't discussed it with her."
It was Janeway's turn to look at him in surprise. "You haven't?"
"She's happy here, in San Francisco," he said finally. "Though it took
a long time for her to get settled. Not just the anti-Borg sentiment
she's encountered, but because she's still adapting to a changing world
and trying to find her place in it. I don't think Seven was quite
prepared for what was waiting for us when Voyager returned. Hell, I
wasn't, and I was born and grew up in this quadrant, had spent extended
periods of time on Earth before." His eyes met hers. "We're still
feeling our way, both of us trying to figure out what we want, but with
Seven it's more complicated."
"I understand." Janeway watched him for a moment. "It's going to take
time for everyone."
"It seems as though everyone from Voyager
has scattered," Chakotay said
after a pause. "Most of us clung together in the first year after our
return, but now…hardly anyone is still on Earth."
"Just Tom and B'Elanna," Janeway said. "I spoke to the Doctor this
morning, he's going to be setting up a new program in the medical
applications of nanoprobe technology at the Cochrane University on
Alphacent. He
expects to be gone at least a year, maybe longer."
"It sounds like a good opportunity for him," Chakotay said. "But I know
Seven is going to miss him terribly. He's helped her a lot, more than I
have, I sometimes think."
His face was carefully expressionless, but Janeway saw a flash of pain
in his eyes.
"Chakotay," she said quietly. "If you ever need someone to talk to, I
want you to know I'm here."
"Thank you," he said and gave her hand another squeeze. "I mean it."
"You were certainly there for me, whether I appreciated it at the time
or not." She smiled ruefully. "Whether I admitted I needed it or not."
Chakotay smiled as well. "You still need me, Kathryn. And I need you as
my friend as well. It just took us a while to see it."
"We drifted apart over the years," Janeway agreed. "Not just after
Voyager's return, but for a
long time before. That's something else
I've learned from the court-martial—not just acknowledging the
consequences of my past actions, but the importance of taking a step
back sometimes and reconsidering what my priorities are."
"I'm glad to hear it," he said, and stood, extending his hand to her.
"What do you say we go get something to eat?"
She rose and tucked her arm through his. "You know, Chakotay, this
looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
FINIS
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