Story Notes: Fifth in the "Payments" series, following " No
Deposit, No Return ."
VOID WHERE PROHIBITED
The captain was absolutely livid but did her best to contain herself. She surveyed the assembled officers in silence. To a man, they all flinched visibly as the death glare passed over them. Well, Tuvok didn't flinch, of course, but even the Vulcan looked faintly uneasy.
"Whose idea was it?" she snapped.
"Ma'am?"
Janeway didn't bother correcting the form of address. It was definitely crunch time. The question was what percentage of her senior staff was going to be crunched up by the time she was finished with them.
She said again, "I want to know whose hare-brained idea it was to let the Commander--against the direct orders of Starfleet Command--take out a shuttle." Just saying it aloud gave her a headache. She stepped in front of Paris. "Was it you, Tom? Is this your idea of a sick joke?"
"No, ma'am," he said, but didn't quite meet her eyes. She watched him carefully. If she saw the slightest hint of a smirk on his face, she was going to bust him down to crewman.
She swung over to her next victim. "How about you, B'Elanna?"
"Not me," the chief engineer said with conviction. "I'm the one who has to replace the crashed shuttles, remember?"
"Don't look at me," added the Doctor hastily as Janeway's hand hovered dangerously close to his mobile emitter. "I have to repair damages of a different sort."
Tuvok cleared his throat. "Captain--"
Janeway turned to him in astonishment. "Tuvok, you?"
He gave a quick nod.
"Why, for Pete's sake? Can you tell me why you'd do something so incredibly stupid?" Her voice rose precipitously.
"Who's Pete?" whispered Neelix but quickly subsided when Torres poked him in the ribs.
Tuvok looked straight ahead. "Captain, we are currently in another of those regions, so common to the Delta Quadrant, that are utterly devoid of any celestial phenomena. No planets, no stars, no nebulae, no asteroids--"
"Nothing for Chakotay to crash into or crash land onto," put in Paris helpfully.
"In other words," continued the Vulcan as if there had been no interruption, "It was logical to assume that the Commander would encounter no difficulties and therefore there was little or no risk in allowing him to go."
Janeway counted to ten. Logical. Yes, Tuvok's assessment was indeed logical. But as circumstances all too often proved, it wasn't reasonable. Somehow, some way, the combination of Chakotay and shuttles always, always added up to trouble.
"You went against an express order, Tuvok!" she said, deciding this would be an easier point to argue. "How could you just disregard regulations like that?"
"The Commander outranks me."
"As chief of security aboard this vessel, it is your responsibility to uphold the captain's orders and ensure the safety of this crew."
"Commander Chakotay gave me his word that all would be well."
"I suppose next you're going to tell me he said please," the captain said sarcastically.
"He did, as a matter of fact."
Janeway waved his words away. "What it comes down to is that you knowingly let that man go off on his own in a shuttle--"
"Excuse me, Captain," Tom said, somewhat hesitantly. "But Chakotay isn't alone. Harry went with him."
The Doctor looked as though he was about to react to that statement, but Janeway beat him to it. "Oh, great. You let the 'Ensign of Death' go, too?" She slapped her hand against her head and moaned.
"Mr. Kim was promoted to lieutenant shortly after our return to the Alpha Quadrant," Tuvok reminded her.
"He's still the 'Ensign of Death' as far as I'm concerned," retorted Janeway. She came to a decision. "This is getting us nowhere. I want that shuttle back and I want it now." She strode out of the conference room.
The rest of them followed quickly and took their bridge stations. "I have the shuttle on sensors," said Tuvok after a few moments.
"Is it intact?"
"Yes, Captain. The shuttle is functioning perfectly."
"Life signs?"
"Two. Both human."
Janeway was silent, considering her options. Hail him and read him the riot act over subspace, or wait and do it in person?
"Would you like a tractor beam, Captain, or perhaps simply a transporter lock?" Tuvok asked.
Janeway bit her lip. "No, I suppose that won't be necessary." She stood. "But if they're not back within fifteen minutes I want you to get them here by any means necessary. I'll be in my Ready Room."
The bridge staff exchanged relieved glances as the door closed behind her.
"Whew!" said Paris. "I'd hate to be in Chakotay's shoes."
Tuvok nodded. "Indeed."
Chakotay summoned his most charming smile as he stood at attention in the Ready Room. But if the look Janeway was giving him was any indication, this was a situation that even dimples couldn't help.
She circled around him, her eyes set to heavy stun. He could almost feel the hair on the back of his neck beginning to singe.
"Would you like to tell me just what you were thinking?" she asked, her voice dangerously low. "Or were you even thinking at all? Tell me, Chakotay, it's not enough that Starfleet is already out for your blood because of all the shuttles you crashed on our last mission? Nine hundred and sixty million credits isn't a big enough debt?"
"I paid off part of the debt," he pointed out. "I only owe--"
"Enough to keep you and me and our descendants in hock for the next 3 generations," she finished sardonically.
Chakotay decided it was time to take the initiative. "Are you through?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
"Are you finished chewing me out yet, so I can have a chance to defend myself?"
"I haven't begun to chew you out yet, Mister!" she shot back. "I gave my word to Starfleet that you wouldn't be permitted to pilot any more vessels. That was one of the conditions for your being allowed on this mission! And you agreed. Maybe you don't take your word very seriously, but does that give you the right to make light of mine?"
So that's what this was all about. He should have known. "You're right," he said, raising his hands in supplication. "Captain, I'm sorry. I meant no disrespect, to you or to Starfleet. Especially not to you. I know you take your duty very seriously, and I would never, ever, expect you to go back on your word."
"Then how do you explain your little stunt this afternoon?" she said, sounding only slightly mollified.
"It was a simple survey mission. I knew I could pull it off without any mishaps, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to show you that I could be trusted."
"You snuck out behind my back and stole a shuttle to prove you could be trusted?" she said incredulously.
"Exactly."
She had no answer for that. He pressed his advantage. "Come on, Kathryn. Even you have to admit, all's well that ends well."
She sighed. "You were lucky. This time. And there'd better not be a next time, you hear me? When you get the urge to sit at the controls again, go play on the holodeck. Or wait until your captain assigns you to a mission--as part of a shuttle crew, but not the sole pilot. Do I make myself clear?"
"Loud and clear, Captain."
"Good. Now get out of here." She picked up a padd from her desk. "Oh, and you're relieved of all duties and confined to quarters until further notice."
He nodded. At least it wasn't the brig. A sudden thought made him halt just short of the door. "Whose quarters, Captain? Mine," he flashed her a grin, "Or yours?"
The padd narrowly missed his head as he beat a hasty retreat.
FINIS