CHAPTER 12
Why does the collar on every dress uniform I’ve ever owned feel like it was designed to strangle me? That and rub the skin off my neck. I’ll be a bloody mess by the end of the evening!
Pacing across the living area
of the suite
Opening the door revealed one of the hotel’s assistant managers holding a flat black velvet box.
“Good evening, Captain. This
arrived for you from
“Thank you for bringing it up,
“Happy to be able to help. Good evening, Captain.”
Janeway carried the box into the living area of the suite and gently opened it. Inside rested a magnificent necklace and matching bracelet of diamonds and sapphires. It had taken Tiffany and Company nearly a week to complete her order and Janeway again thanked her lucky stars that her commission had been completed on time.
For some reason described by
her sister only as ‘the WOW factor’, Phoebe and Seven had steadfastly refused to
allow Kathryn to see the clothes Seven planned to wear for the official
Starfleet ceremonies. It had taken all of Janeway’s formidable negotiating
skills to pry the color of the clothing out of her younger sister at Seven’s
degree ceremony the week before. When she had contacted
Closing the box she laid it on the table and resumed her pacing. She threw a glance at the room’s chronometer knowing her nerves were due only to her own insecurities. Seven would be prompt as always making sure their entrance to the festivities would be precisely on time. As she paced the plush carpet of the living room a soft smile crossed her lips at the memory of Seven receiving her degrees from MIT earlier in the week. The silver-gray gown with scarlet front panels and arm chevrons had made Seven look completely regal as the deep blue hood was placed over her shoulders. Janeway had grinned so widely in her pride at Seven’s accomplishments that her face hurt for two days after their return home. At the quiet sound of her name she spun to see the object of her reverie standing in the bedroom doorway. And for one long moment the Earth stopped spinning around the sun. Janeway suddenly understood ‘the WOW factor’ completely.
Seven’s garments were a
simply-cut pair of narrow slacks and matching square-bodice top. Over them she
wore a knee length, long-sleeved collarless coat of the same fabric. But what a
fabric it was! Deepest indigo with an almost iridescent finish, it shimmered and
glistened with a silver sheen as Seven moved and it caught the light of the room.
The classic lines emphasized her height and showed off her figure to its best
advantage. So breathtaking was the sight of her that
“To say you look beautiful is so inadequate. But I don’t have any better words, darling. You look exquisite – you take my breath away.”
Seven’s shy smile showed her
pleasure at the comment. “Thank you,
“Sufficient? That
has to be the biggest understatement my sister has ever made. My God, Seven,
you’re stunning! I’ll need a club to hold off all your would-be admirers tonight.”
Grabbing the velvet box off the table she walked over to where Seven was
standing. “I have something for you, my love. It took me almost a week, but I
finally pried the color of your dress out of
“
“Darling, it’s about time you
learned something about my family. We may live as Traditionalists, but my
ancestors knew a thing or two about commerce. Neither
Seven’s eyes widened at the
mirror’s reflection as she watched Janeway fasten the necklace around her throat.
Involuntarily, her fingers touched the necklace as
“Thank you,
“They only enhance
your beauty, darling. My love, you are going to stop traffic tonight. Now
come along, let’s get Mom and
* * *
A quarter of an hour later,
they stepped off the lifts with
“Good evening, Lieutenant, Ensign. Are you enjoying yourselves?” asked Janeway with a smile.
“Good evening, Captain and good
evening
“Thank you, Lieutenant. Should
we assume that you are not here alone?” Seven’s contingent of bodyguards was a
source of mild frustration to her and one of comfort for Janeway. The thought of
renegade Section 31 operatives still having access to Seven of Nine gave Janeway
sleepless nights, but the knowledge that Lieutenant Martin and his Fleet Marines
were close by and available allowed her to relax somewhat. Seven realized how
her abduction had affected Janeway but felt that she could deal with most
threats if there was no personal treachery involved. Since they were in a large
crowd of with unfamiliar Starfleet personnel she knew that Janeway would be far
more comfortable with the presence of
“Several of my friends are in
attendance this evening,
Janeway and Seven both laughed
and thanked him for his courtesy. They began to discuss Seven’s new position
with MIT-Daystrom and some of the security concerns involved. As they were
talking quietly,
“Good evening, Commander. I’m
“I need to speak with her, Ensign. Get out of my way.”
“I’m sorry, Commander, but the captain doesn’t want to speak with you this evening. If you still need to speak with her after the weekend, I can arrange a meeting time for you at Starfleet Headquarters Monday.”
“I’m not waiting until Monday to talk with her. I need to talk with her right now, so get out of my way before I bring you up on disciplinary charges.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Commander, so you go right ahead and charge me if you think you can. But you’re not going to talk to the Captain or Seven of Nine tonight unless they decide you can. And so far, I haven’t heard anything to make me think they want to talk to you.” As he finished the sentence, he sensed another presence behind him.
“What’s up,
“I don’t think so, Lieutenant. The Commander was just leaving.”
Deciding that neither of the men standing between him and Janeway was going to give an inch, Chakotay decided that a strategic retreat was in order.
“This isn’t over by a long shot,
Ensign. I have a right to speak with
“If they decide to speak to you, then I’m sure you will, Commander. You have a good evening now.”
Chakotay took the hint and
turned away abruptly.
When they turned back to
Janeway and Seven, the chimes sounded calling everyone into the adjacent dining
room and the medals ceremony for Voyager’s crew. The senior staff and their
guests were seated at two large round tables directly in front of the stage and
podium. The remainder of the crew and their families and friends were scattered
throughout the dining room.
“I do not know,
“Well, if he was the best there
was outside of
They were shushed by
Voyager’s senior staff formed a
line facing the room by rank with
The Council of the United Federation of Planets takes great pride in presenting the STARFLEET MEDAL OF HONOR to
STARFLEET, TERRAN SECTOR.
For Service as set forth in the following CITATION:
“For
conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of her life above and beyond
the call of duty as Commanding Officer of the Federation Starship Voyager,
registry number NCC-74656 in action against hostile forces while her vessel was
stranded in the Delta Quadrant from Stardate 48307.5 to 54973.4. Combining her
assault tactics with bold decisions for seven years without respite
Signed:
President, United Federation of Planets
As Nechayev read the citation,
“Don’t be afraid, we really did
know how much you contributed to Voyager getting home, and this small token is
the only way we can acknowledge your actions. But know this; more than a hero,
you will always be an inspiration to everyone who lost loved ones to the
“Thank you, Locutus…
“As you were!”
The entire room erupted in
cheers as the military personnel relaxed from attention and their families and
friends could finally hug and congratulate them all. As everyone began to sit
back down at their tables, waiters brought out the first course of the evening’s
meal. The room was filled with excited chatter and the clatter of dinnerware as
the meal progressed and the crew of Voyager recounted memories with their
crewmates, families and friends. Dignitaries made speeches during the meal
welcoming the crew home and lauding their performances. Seven was content to be
quiet and absorb everything going on around her.
When the meal was finished, the
crowd moved into the ballrooms and the party began in earnest. The orchestra
warmed up and began to play, the bars did a booming business and everyone
loosened up and began to enjoy themselves. Janeway, Seven,
Janeway smiled as she
remembered Seven and the EMH studying social skills together. At the time she
had thought the idea ludicrous, but had tempered her opinion with Seven’s
successes. There had been some notable failures too, but
When the dancers returned to
the table she refreshed Seven’s cider and handed it to her. They held hands and
watched
Chakotay had obviously been drinking, the flush of alcohol readily apparent in his dark features. He was demanding to speak with Janeway and Seven and getting louder in his frustration at not being able to do so. Seven frowned as she watched the large man attempt to bull his way to their table.
“
“You may have a point, darling.
The last thing I want him to do is make a scene here in front of all the
Starfleet brass. That won’t do much for keeping the events of your abduction
under wraps. I suppose we ought to meet with him.” She turned and quietly called
to her aide, “
“Well, Captain,
what would you like to discuss first? Why you’ve been avoiding me since you
stole my girlfriend or why you had me investigated and detained by Starfleet
Security?” The tone in his voice deeply disturbed
“Commander, this is neither the time nor the place for this discussion. If you have something civil to say then we’ll be more than glad to talk with you. If not, then I suggest that we reschedule for a time when you’re...more yourself.”
“’More myself?’ What do you mean by that, Captain?”
“Sober, Chakotay. I mean when you’re sober,” she replied with distaste. “Neither of those topics should be discussed with you drunk.”
“I am far from drunk, Captain. I’ve had just enough to see you for who you really are. To make it clear to me that you’ve not only been avoiding me, but poisoning the crew against me as well.”
“That is enough, Commander! Restrain yourself or I will have you removed!” The crack of command in Janeway’s voice was unmistakable.
“She hasn’t poisoned the crew
against you, Chakotay. That was Ayala and me,” commented
Chakotay looked at his former
Maquis partner in disbelief. She and Ayala had been his most trusted officers in
the rebel cadre. That they now spoke against him was unbelievable. Unseen by the
principals,
“Regardless,” he snarled, “I want to settle this tonight. There are things that need to be said before any of us can move on.”
Janeway stood up. “I agree, Chakotay. There are things that need to be said. So let’s find a private spot and say them.”
“Captain?
“
“The MIT-Daystrom Institute conferred Doctoral Degrees in Plasma Dynamics, Particle Physics and Astrophysics on me last Monday,” she replied in a clipped tone.
“Why didn’t you notify me? I would have been there for you if you had,” he said.
“Notify you? Why would I do that? I had no wish for you to be in attendance. The people I wished to be there were there.”
“But I…”
Janeway cut in. “
“I know just the place. If
you’ll all follow me please?” He turned, nodded to
“No one will disturb you until
you’re finished,
“Thank you, Lieutenant. We’ll
be fine.” With a nod, he turned and left the room, closing the door softly
behind him. He and
Janeway had turned to face her former second-in-command when the door clicked closed.
“So? What is it we need to say, Chakotay? Feel free to lead off,” she snapped.
“I understand you’re about to be married…to the woman I love. To the woman I was in a relationship with. Don’t you think I deserve an explanation?”
“Deserve an - ? Have you completely lost your mind? Did you really think that she would still have any feelings for you once you’d betrayed her to Section 31 and nearly got her killed?” Janeway said in amazement.
“I think that’s for her to say, not you. Nothing’s changed. You stood up for her on Voyager and never allowed any of us to discipline her when she asked for it. You’re still making excuses for her!”
“
“Then you didn’t waste any time once you sent that message, did you? It hasn’t even been two months and you’re getting married. What’s with that?”
“There was no reason to wait,
Chakotay. I had been in love with
“But what about us? What we had?”
“What we had, Commander, was an error in judgment on my part. I realized it shortly after we began dating, but was unable to do anything about it due to the sudden return of Voyager to Earth. Had I not been abducted I would have terminated the relationship very shortly anyway. You were not the one I desired, you were the one I settled for. It was unfair to you and I apologize.”
“’An error in judgment?’ That’s all I was to you? I loved you!”
“Which you demonstrated by handing me over to Section 31,” Seven shot back dryly. “It is difficult to believe that anyone could do that to someone they loved.”
“I didn’t hand you over to them! How many times do I need to say that?”
“According to the Section 31 logs and Seven’s eidetic memory, quite a few. Because we know differently.The only reason they were able to phaser her is because you grabbed her arms and shifted her focus off them. They shot her while she was trying to break free from you. If that’s not handing her over to them I’d love to know what is!” Janeway broke in angrily.
Chakotay’s angry gaze turned to Janeway. “You invented my cooperation with Section 31 just so you’d have an excuse to go after Seven! You always wanted her, even on Voyager! Admit it!”
“Of course I did you fucking idiot! Do you think that we’d be getting married after being together only two months if we hadn’t admitted to our feelings for each other on Voyager? Seven and I have worked through all that.”
“So you admit it! You set me up just so you could have a chance with her!”
“I set you up? What the hell are you talking about? We’ve got official logs from the operatives who recruited you; all of your meetings with ‘Rath Wilson’ leading up to Seven’s abduction, the so-called deal they were making with you, your comments on how you were using Seven to get back at me. Believe me, Chakotay, I’m not making anything up and I certainly didn’t set you up – you did a good enough job of that yourself.”
Chakotay snarled as he took an angry stride toward Janeway. “You bitch! I ought to…”
Janeway held her ground. “Stop right there, Commander, before you do something you’ll regret for the rest of your life. A physical attack on a superior officer will get you a long stay in the nearest penal colony. Think very carefully before you step any closer.”
“I should have known you’d fall back on your precious Starfleet protocols. You never would face me one on one. Too afraid of looking like you’re not omnipotent! Too afraid somebody else might wind up king of the hill! You were always afraid that I was more competent to command Voyager, that’s why you ignored my advice so often. Why I had to go against your orders so many times! I should have been in command! I should be the one marrying Seven! You’re just a…”
“Chakotay!” barked Seven of
Nine. As he spun to face her she hit him with a Borg-enhanced left that broke
his jaw and cheekbone and knocked him over the conference table where he hit the
floor with a loud crash. As he shook his head and attempted to focus his eyes
the door flew open and
Seven put her engagement ring
back on and took Janeway’s hand. “
As they swept past the two men
at the door Seven commanded regally, “Take him to the
“Yes, ma’am!” chorused
* * *
When Janeway and Seven returned
to the ballroom
“
“Mom, we’re just fine. Chakotay
needed a lesson in reality and he just got one.
“Medical?
“Of course not, Mom. That would be against Starfleet protocols and would leave me open to charges of conduct unbecoming. I didn’t hit him. Seven, however, punched his ticket pretty well.”
“Seven? You hit him?”
“Only once,
“Remind me never to piss you off.”