Disclaimer: Paramount is the legal owner of the characters of 'Star Trek: Voyager'. I just borrow them for my own nefarious purposes and to give them real lives."
Ladies - Since my last story showed how we hope it ends, this is my version of how it started. Enjoy - Andra
"If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand."
Mark 3:25
Captain Kathryn Janeway sat behind her desk inside her Ready Room, grimly reviewing the final list of casualties provided by Tuvok. Letting out a sigh, the captain placed the data padd on the desk and got to her feet, then crossed over to stand by the window.
So many people... she thought to herself. So many lives lost. I wish there were a way to tell them I'm sorry.
A chime at the door shattered Janeway's train of thought, and she retreated to her position behind her desk before bidding her visitor enter. The door opened, and the Maquis commander Chakotay strode into the room.
"You wanted to see me, Captain?" he prompted.
"Yes, Mister Chakotay," Janeway confirmed. "Please have a seat."
Obviously unsure of her intentions, Chakotay cast the captain a guarded look as he settled himself into the chair in front of her.
"How is your crew?" Janeway inquired politely.
"Rather well, all things considered," Chakotay answered.
"Good. What about you?"
Surprise at the question flickered across his handsome features for the briefest of moments before Chakotay responded with a simple, "Fine."
"All things considered," Janeway added, earning her a faint smile from the man in front of her.
"I appreciate your concern, Captain, but with all due respect you didn't invite me here to engage in small talk."
Janeway responded to the borderline insolence in his tone with a smile of her own, and she fixed her dark blue eyes on him in assessment. He's certainly forthright, she observed silently. That will take some getting used to.
"We seem to have gotten ourselves into a bit of a quandary, Mister Chakotay..." she began.
"That's an understatement if I've ever heard one," Chakotay interjected dryly.
Janeway let the light jibe pass uncontested. "We're stranded in an unknown region of space, seventy thousand light years from home, and we've both lost close to half our crew. There's nothing either of us can do about the first two problems, but there is something we can do about the third."
"That being?"
"I'd like your crew to join mine."
It took a moment for Janeway's request to register, and when it did, Chakotay's dark eyes widened in surprise. "Did I hear you correctly?"
"We need to work together if we're going to get home, Commander, and the trip will go much smoother if it's done as a single crew. Whatever professional and/or political differences we had are now, out of necessity, obsolete."
"I can't argue with that," the Maquis conceded. "Under the circumstances, Captain, it's quite a generous offer, and definitely one worth considering."
"While you're considering that offer, there's another one I'd like you to consider as well," Janeway replied. "I would like you to accept the position of my First Officer."
Chakotay's surprise turned to shock. "Excuse me?"
The captain smiled at his obvious astonishment. "'If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand,'" she quoted softly. "The same principle applies to this ship. What better way to unite our two crews than by uniting their commanders?" Chakotay held her gaze as a shadow of some unidentifiable emotion passed across his face and settled in his eyes for a brief moment before vanishing. "That's a lot of trust to place in someone you barely know, Captain," he responded carefully. "Especially someone who less than forty-eight hours ago was your enemy instead of a potential ally."
"We my have our differences, Commander, but we were never - and will never be - enemies," Janeway countered firmly. "As for the issue of trust, I believe we started down that road the moment you chose not to interfere with my decision to destroy the Array." Her point made, Janeway fell silent, waiting in curious silence for Chakotay's response.
In the meantime, the Maquis leader was silently making his own assessment of his Starfleet counterpart. Fire and ice, he thought to himself. She's got the cool headedness of a natural leader, but underneath the icy exterior lurks a fiery temper. Intriguing combination. Shaking off his wayward thoughts, Chakotay at last responded to Janeway's offer. "Does an affirmative answer mean I have to call you 'Sir'?" he asked innocently.
"Not unless you want to walk home," Janeway returned. "Captain will do just fine."
"In that case, Captain, I thank you for your offer, and I accept."
"Excellent."
Janeway stood, as did Chakotay, and the two captains exchanged a handshake.
"Welcome aboard, Commander. I sincerely hope you never have reason to regret your decision."
"As do I, Captain, as do I."
The End.