Enemy of My Enemy - Change of Command

by Vicki James and Kath Tate

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and its characters are the property of Paramount. This story is not meant to infringe upon the trademarks or copyrights of Paramount.

EOME is a series of Voyager stories which are based on the premise that the Maquis ship was not destroyed in "Caretaker." Given that there is no name in canon for the Maquis ship, this series calls it "Fides," which is Latin for "Faith."

The order of the EOME series:
Confederation
Follow the Leader
Casualty and Confession
Food for Thought
Change of Command

Please do not distribute without Vicki or Kath's permission. Thanks.

*****

Chakotay was lying on his side on the lower bunk, half-asleep, half contemplating problems. The intercom buzzed obnoxiously, causing his eyes to open reluctantly and gaze upon it with dislike.

"Chakotay? You there?" It was Larson on the bridge.

"What?" asked Chakotay, wearily, wishing that just once there could be someone else they would call.

"Captain Janeway is hailing us. She's asking permission to come aboard."

Chakotay sat up so swiftly that he cracked his head on the upper bunk. A curse bellowed out of him as he swung out his legs and stood up.

"Chakotay?" There was amusement in Larson's voice. "Are you okay?"

"What does she want?" Chakotay asked sharply, rubbing his sore head vigorously.

"She says she wants to talk to you," Larson told him.

Chakotay turned in circles on the spot, his mind whirling around. Why was she coming here? Janeway didn't come to Fides; he went to Voyager. She hadn't ever boarded his ship. She had never requested permission to come over. She'd never even shown any interest in coming over. So what was she doing? Why now? What had happened?

While his sleepy mind was shooting all these questions at him suddenly another, more pressing problem squeezed itself to the front of his brain. Where was he going to put her?

There was no conference room on Fides. There was no Ready Room. The bridge was too small, and not private enough. The engineering room, while more spacious, was noisy and busy. His quarters were too cramped, and a little too private. Unconsciously Chakotay reached out to grab the bar of the upper bunk. He could lean across his quarters to place his other hand flat up against the wall.

"Sir?" Larson was waiting, not realizing the turmoil that Chakotay was experiencing at this unexpected turn of events.

Chakotay had just envisioned having a meeting with Janeway down in the cargo hold. He rejected the image by shutting his eyes. The only benefit of that would be her immediate appreciation for their low supplies. There was a lot of empty space down there.

"Sir? Should I grant her permission? Where do you want to meet with her?"

"The galley," blurted out Chakotay. "Give me a few minutes and then send her to the galley."

He was halfway down the corridor when he remembered that he hadn't put his boots on. Jogging back to his cabin Chakotay couldn't believe how this visit was unnerving him. He yanked on the boots and then did a quick check to make sure all other articles of clothing were in place. Satisfied that he was decently clothed he dashed out into the corridor again.

Fortunately the galley was empty when he got there. He did a quick tour around the small space and noted with some relief that the dishes had been cleaned so the place had a somewhat respectable look to it. He stood in the centre of the room, eyes assessing the area, and decided this was the best he could do.

For some absurd reason that he couldn't fathom, Chakotay was nervous having Janeway come aboard. His inspection of the galley drove it home to him. He was enormously proud of his little ship, but he knew she was no Voyager. Chakotay wanted Janeway to see Fides the way he did, not to see the Maquis vessel in terms of what was lacking, but in terms of what was flourishing. Maybe engineering would have been a better location after all. He couldn't greet the captain of a starship in a kitchen for crying out loud!

Wavering on indecision Chakotay gave himself a mental slap. Fides was Fides and if Janeway couldn't see the ship without making unfair comparisons to her Starfleet vessel, well, then that was Janeway's loss. If only Chakotay could so easily convince himself that Janeway's opinion didn't matter to him. But it did. More than he cared to admit.

Chakotay hit the intercom.

"Larson? Tell them to energize."

Seconds later, Captain Janeway appeared with her back to him, looking somewhat impatient with her hands on her hips.

"Captain Janeway," he said, causing her to whirl around with surprise. The hands dropped from the hips. He tried smiling, hoping that it would put her at ease and calm his nerves in the process.

"Commander," she acknowledged, her eyes taking in their surroundings.

"Welcome aboard," he added, drawing her attention back to his face.

"Thank you," she said.

"I'm a bit surprised by your visit, Captain. Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong," she said, looking around again with some curiosity. "Is this your mess hall?"

Chakotay felt himself blush a little.

"Yes, I guess so," he told her.

"So small," she murmured.

"It's a small ship," he said, a bit sharply. She turned back to him with surprise, noticing how uncomfortable he was for the first time.

She'd never seen him so uneasy. What a paradox this man was! He would willing walk into her own domain, suggest that he do so even, knowing that she was on a mission to arrest him. He had done so with the cool ease of one going for a stroll down a favourite path. Yet now, aboard his own ship, in his own territory, he was visibly nervous. Why?

It had not been her intention to cause him discomfort, in fact her motive behind visiting him on his ship had been just the opposite. She wanted him to know that she was trying to see them as equals in this alliance and she thought it might be prudent for her to take the opportunity to discuss a matter on his turf, so to speak, rather than summoning him once again to her domain. That and, she had to admit, her own curiosity at wanting to see just how he ran his ship, and what kind of condition he kept it in.

She was impressed, if good impressions could be made from viewing a kitchen. She wanted him to know that she found favour with what she saw.

"It's not the size that matters," she said. "It's what you do with it."

Coming from another woman, Chakotay thought, a statement like that could be construed as an innuendo. But from Captain Janeway? No, she wouldn't .... no. Would she? No!

"It's larger than most," he said, and then caught what meaning that statement could evoke. "Than most Maquis ships," he qualified hastily.

Janeway nodded.

"That's no doubt a compliment to your prowess ... as a leader."

Chakotay caught the ghost of a smile in her expression. Was she standing here, in his galley, teasing him? Part of him couldn't believe it, but another part, the part of him removed from Maquis rebel and even former Starfleet officer, the part of him that was beginning to understand more of what lurked beneath Kathryn Janeway's command presence, knew that she was.

"Would you like to see it?" he asked, the corners of his mouth quirking up in a slight grin.

A small laugh escaped Janeway as she gave in to a full smile.

"Commander, I would very much like to see Fides, but I think that will have to wait for another visit. I do have something rather pressing that I need to discuss with you."

"Another time then," he agreed. "What is it that brought you over here?"

Janeway's expression turned serious.

"Our long-range sensors have detected quite a bit of traffic in the sector of space we're moving into right now. Mr. Neelix has identified the ships prevalent in this region as belonging to a race called the Vidiians. Apparently these Vidiians . . ."

"THERE you ARE!" Janeway was interrupted by a voice coming from the doorway to the galley. "Chakotay, I've been ... Oh!"

Torres had taken a few strides into the room but was drawn up short when Chakotay turned towards her, revealing Janeway's presence behind him. The engineer cast a slightly puzzled glance between her captain and his Starfleet counterpart.

"Captain," she said, acknowledging Janeway's presence.

"Ms. Torres," Janeway replied, nodding.

"Can I help you with something, B'Elanna?" Chakotay asked.

"No, no, it's nothing urgent," Torres said, already backing out of the room. "It can wait." She nodded at Janeway and Chakotay with a tight-lipped smile and then walked back out the door.

"Sorry," Chakotay said. "The Vidiians?"

"Yes," Janeway continued. "According to Neelix, these Vidiians are not a people that we wish to have any contact with. The entire race has apparently been afflicted with some sort of devastating plague which causes the destruction of genetic codes and cellular structure. Their means of countermanding this phage is to harvest . . . "

"Captain Janeway! What a surprise to see you here."

Chakotay and Janeway both turned toward the doorway once again, this time to see Seska enter the room. As opposed to Torres, who had seemed rather startled by Janeway's appearance on Fides, Seska's stride seemed to hold purpose in it.

She sauntered up to Chakotay's side.

"Welcome to our ship." She placed a hand on Chakotay's arm, her touch casual, but both her tone and her actions seemed proprietary. And not of the ship.

Chakotay gazed at her with a stony expression.

"We're in the middle of something here, Seska."

"Of course," Seska said with a sugary tone. "I can talk to you when I see you later tonight." She smiled sweetly in Janeway's direction.

Janeway gave her a tight nod before Seska strolled back into the corridor.

Chakotay had an almost overwhelming desire to tell Janeway that he had no intention of seeing Seska later that night and that the impression the Bajoran woman had created was not the truth of their relationship. But he didn't feel he had the right to make his personal life part of the captain's business.

"Please continue, Captain," he requested.

Janeway hesitated a moment, as if she had to regroup her thoughts.

"Yes ... the Vidiians are reported to harvest body parts, from the living, not from the deceased. While they haven't found a cure to combat their phage, they are supposed to be rather medically advanced and have found a means of - "

This time the disruption was precipitated by the sound of a tune being whistled off key before the individual came through the doorway. Janeway exchanged a rueful grin with Chakotay.

"Hey Ch'kotay, Captain," Bendera said as he walked into the galley. He appeared to have a purpose to his interruption, as he went around the counter and opened the door to the cold storage unit.

"Don't mind me," he said amicably. "I just thought I should start to get some grub on before the hungry hordes descend." He peered into the unit before him.

Janeway shrugged.

"The Vidiians have found a means of grafting or transplanting the organs and epidermal layers of their victims to the bodies of those afflicted by the phage."

"Looks like vegetable stew's the special for the day," Bendera muttered to no one in particular, sounding resigned yet ebullient at the same time.

"Naturally, this results in the death of the donor, but extends the life of the Vidiian recipient."

"What the heck is this?" Bendera held up a violet-coloured stalk which vaguely resembled celery.

"Neelix tells me that almost the entire race of Vidiians have received such grafts, but it is only a stopgap measure in fighting the phage."

"Anyone know if I'm supposed to peel this?"

Janeway and Chakotay both turned to look at Bendera, who was critically inspecting a green tuber of some sort.

"Oops, sorry," he said, a good-natured grin on his face. "I talk to myself while I cook."

Janeway opened her mouth to try and continue her report but Chakotay forestalled her by holding up his hand.

"Captain, I appreciate your coming over here to discuss this with me, but maybe it would be better if we continued this on Voyager."

Janeway gave a small sigh in resignation.

"I think that might be for the best. Why don't you meet me on Voyager at 1900 hours? That will give me time to access the sensor data as well." She glanced over at Bendera, who was sniffing suspiciously at an unfamiliar plant, then turned back to Chakotay with a wry grin. "We can make it a dinner meeting."

"I think that would be an excellent idea," Chakotay acknowledged. "Considering..." He tilted his head slightly toward the makeshift cook who had invaded the galley.

Tapping her commbadge, Janeway called to Voyager requesting a beam out.

"See you at 1900 then. I'll get my tour of your ship next time."

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," Chakotay replied. He winked at her just before she was caught by the transporter beam.

Bendera had stopped talking to the food to affix his captain with a speculative gaze.

"Don't even think of going there, Bendera," Chakotay said, pointing a finger at the other man in mock reprisal. The fierceness of his expression was broken by a broad smile which crossed his face as he strode out of the galley.

*****

For a third time Janeway picked up the warming tray containing two dinner servings, this time to move it back to the coffee table from her desk. Of course, this was strictly a business meeting, but having dinner seated across her desk from Chakotay while discussing the Vidiian situation seemed just a bit too formal. She felt that she and the commander had made great inroads today in getting a bit more comfortable with each other; she wanted to encourage that sense of ease to continue.

That afternoon they'd even kidded around with each other, and she'd discovered that he had a wonderful, albeit a rather roguish, sense of humour. 'I'll show you mine...' Her lips quirked into a little smile. She could well imagine him being completely incorrigible with those he was close to.

Still, it wasn't as though she was welcoming one of her old Starfleet cronies to dine with her that evening. Maybe the desk would be the proper place to eat.

"Transporter room one to Captain Janeway. Commander Chakotay is aboard."

The call forced Janeway, still standing in the middle of her ready room with the warming tray in her arms, to action. She scolded herself for giving undue consideration to seating arrangements and walked over to the lounge area to set the tray down firmly on the coffee table.

"Janeway here. Please have the commander report to my ready room."

She reached down to align the dinner tray more precisely to the edge of the table. When the door chimed she was more than a little surprised to realize she had been humming when the sound interrupted her lighthearted tune.

"Come in."

Chakotay stepped into the room and let the door slide shut behind him. He paused there as it occurred to him this was the first time he had crossed that threshold without being accompanied by a feeling of wariness or anger or mistrust. Janeway was standing at the top of the stairs leading to the sitting area of her ready room and his face broke into a smile in way of greeting.

"Good evening, Commander." She returned the smile with one of her own. "I hope you're hungry." She gestured him over to have a seat on the couch and took her place toward the opposite end of the coffee table.

"I haven't yet tried this myself," she said, as she set a plate of pasta before him. "The sauce is made from a plant we picked up on that last planet we stopped at and I've heard from others that it's quite good." She lowered her voice to a conspiratal tone. "Though Neelix is quite adamant that it isn't something that he'd usually deign to serve from his kitchen."

Chakotay laughed.

"That might be a recommendation in itself."

The pasta was good and they both cleaned their plates as Janeway gave Chakotay a complete and uninterrupted run down on the information they had gleaned about the Vidiians and their presence in this sector of space. They analyzed the sensor data and together they discussed various ways of avoiding contact with the Vidiians, or if those methods failed, a contingency plan for any countermeasures that might have to be taken.

While the conversation centred on the business at hand, Janeway found herself delighting in Chakotay's company. She found him easy to talk to and was heartened to learn that his strategical thinking was not dissimilar to her own. If anything, his ideas complimented hers and she could see why he had earned so many laurels as a tactician during his Starfleet career.

The evening's discussions reached their conclusion far sooner than Janeway would have liked, but she had no genuine reason to forestall Chakotay's return to his own ship.

"I'm glad we had a chance to discuss this, Commander," she told him as she rose to bid him good night. "I hope the time won't come, but if we do run into trouble with the Vidiians, I believe we're now well prepared."

Chakotay halted at the foot of the stairs and turned to Janeway behind him.

"Thank you for inviting me, Captain. I thought this evening was very ... productive."

"I thought so too." She looked at him pointedly, but with a soft smile. "It was also nice to work towards a common goal without letting our differences interfere. I hope..."

Janeway's voice trailed off as she gave a sharp gasp and brought her hand to her forehead. She lost her footing on the steps as her knees suddenly buckled and she pitched forward.

Chakotay reached out strong arms to her waist to steady her, and she planted her palms on his chest to maintain her balance. Her complexion had suddenly turned astonishingly pale.

"Captain! Are you all right?" Chakotay asked with alarm. Concerned, he tightened his grip around her waist with one arm while he brought his other hand to her forehead in an automated response to check her temperature.

She kept her hands firmly clutched to his chest as though she needed to hold on to him to keep herself upright.

"I don't know," she said, her eyes wide as she looked at him, a hint of panic reflected from within. Her voice had become raspy. "I feel dizzy and it's getting hard to..." Her words were ceased by a choking noise and she began gasping for air. Her expression turned fearful seconds before her eyes rolled back into her head and she sagged in his arms.

"Captain!" Chakotay cried in shock. Her weight was slight but the sudden relaxation of her body bore Chakotay down to the floor with it, though he managed to lower her gently to the carpet. He slapped his commbadge with urgency.

"Chakotay to Transporter Chief. I need an emergency beam out to sickbay for two, now!"

As he waited for the familiar sensation of transport to take hold of him, Chakotay tried to position the captain's head in a way that would assist her intake of oxygen. It only took him a few seconds to realize that the transport should have occurred several seconds ago.

"Damn it, transporter room! I said energize, NOW!"

Instead of seeing the captain's ready room shimmer out of existence, he saw the door leading from the bridge open and Tuvok step inside.

The Vulcan assessed the situation before him and Chakotay heard him give the command to energize as the transporter beam finally whisked him and the captain away.

Chakotay tried to start moving even before the transporter buffer had stabilized his molecules into matter. When in seconds sickbay finally came into sharp focus before him and his body could do what his brain was telling it, he scooped the captain into his arms and bore her over to the nearest bed. Someone had already activated the Doctor's program, and he was immediately running a tricorder over Janeway's prone form.

"Her oxygen flow is being blocked by swelling in her esophagus," the Doctor assessed quickly. He reached to a nearby tray and grabbed a hypospray, injecting its contents into the captain's neck. "That should keep her breathing, but I need to know the cause of this in order to effect a treatment." He looked questioningly at Chakotay.

"I don't know," Chakotay said, responding to the Doctor but not taking his eyes off of Janeway whose breaths still came harsh and rasping. "She was fine during dinner and during our discussion afterward. It was just when I was leaving that she suddenly experienced some dizziness and then started gasping for air." He glanced up quickly at the Doctor. "Will she be okay?"

"As long as I can determine the cause I should be able to cure her. I am programmed with the entire Starfleet medical database, you know." The Doctor's fingers flew over his tricorder as he adjusted the settings. "Did you say you had dinner with her? Was the meal from the replicator?"

"No, she said it was a dish Neelix had prepared. Made from some vegetation picked up on the last planet we visited. But others have eaten it. Have you had other cases like this?"

The Doctor frowned at his tricorder and once more keyed in some information.

"The captain would be the first. However, every human has a different physiology so you each react individually to various foods and environments. That's what is so fascinating about working with humans - medically speaking, of course."

"I'm going to need to run a scan on the type of food that Mr. Neelix served to the captain tonight," he continued.

"I believe it may be prudent to also check for any outside agents which may have been introduced to the captain's system."

Chakotay looked up sharply as Tuvok gave that directive. He hadn't even heard the Vulcan enter sickbay. Now, he narrowed his eyes as he assessed Janeway's first officer.

"Are you implying something, Lieutenant?" Chakotay asked, an edge to his voice.

"I am in charge of the security of this ship and its personnel," Tuvok said levelly. "I must take into consideration that the captain's reaction may have been an attempt on her life."

"You think I tried to kill her?!"

"I have not made such an accusation, Commander. However, you were with Captain Janeway when this incident occurred."

"You're crazy!" Chakotay said, incensed. He gaped at Tuvok with disbelief and fury at his suggestion that he would harm the captain began slowly swelling within him.

"I assure you Commander, I am perfectly sane. I am merely proceeding with an investigation." He turned to the Doctor, for all intents dismissing Chakotay for the moment. "Doctor, I will contact Mr. Neelix and obtain a list of the ingredients used in the preparation of the captain's dinner."

Turning back to Chakotay once more, Tuvok advised,

"You will have to remain on Voyager until I can question you further, Commander. As it would be best for you to remain in sickbay in the event that you also encounter ill effects from your meal, I will be posting a security detail outside the door." With that, Tuvok wheeled around and began heading to the exit.

"No, you wait just a damn minute!"

Chakotay took two strides to reach Tuvok's side and then grabbed him by the arm, forcing him around. Tuvok glanced down at Chakotay's grip on him and then looked up at the commander's face, one eyebrow raised.

In Chakotay's current furor, the Vulcan's cool demeanor irritated him further.

"I'm tired of this Tuvok! I'm tired of your suspicions about me and about my crew! The Maquis are no happier about this situation than you are but we know that working together is our best chance for survival."

Chakotay leaned closer to Tuvok, his eyes blazing. He thrust out his arm in the direction of the biobed.

"That woman over there, your captain, has put some faith in me as the leader of my crew, and I think it's about time that you tried to follow your captain's example!"

From the corner of his vision, Chakotay could still see Janeway resting fitfully as the Doctor hovered nearby. The Starfleet captain could have broken her trust with him, and, he admitted, with good reason, and had him and his crew locked up as criminals for the long journey home. But somehow, she had perceived honour in him, and had brought situations that may have had more ruinous conclusions to peaceful endings. He owed the same respect to a member of her crew, and as much as he wished he could take a swing at Tuvok and wipe that imperturbable visage off his stoical Vulcan face, he would not get into a brawl in sickbay with Janeway lying only a couple of metres away.

He dropped his grip on Tuvok's arm and his voice calmed as he said, "You know me, Tuvok. You served under me on board Fides. You know I'm not a killer, that my people aren't murderers."

"You have killed, Commander. I have been witness to it on several occasions," Tuvok corrected.

"In battle, yes," Chakotay replied evenly. "When there was no other alternative I have fired a weapon or given an order when it meant our survival. But in such situations, you have killed as well."

"I have killed only in the line of duty to Starfleet and the Federation."

"And I have killed only in duty here," Chakotay said, placing his fist on top of his heart. "I don't expect you to be able to relate to that, but I think you understand it. I may be Maquis, but I don't condone premeditated, cold-blooded murder of anyone, regardless of species."

The two men stared at one another for a moment and then Tuvok gave Chakotay a barely perceptible nod.

"I would request that you remain on board Voyager, Commander, should I have any further questions for you. However, you are free to return to your ship if you wish."

Chakotay let out a breath.

"Understood, Lieutenant. I'm going to stay here until I can be sure that the captain is all right."

*****

Chakotay found himself standing on the precipice of a gorge, towering hundreds of metres above the dry bed of an ancient river. The surrounds were silent, save for a brisk wind which teased his hair and shirttails and danced through the branches of the trees which encroached almost to the cliffside. The place was familiar, with the red-gold canyon walls showing nature's intricate designs on their surface, the work of the wind and the rain over the millennia.

He took the step forward.

*****

SNAP!!!

"Commander? Commander!"

Chakotay's eyes flew open and he saw the doctor before him, clicking his forefingers and thumb together.

"I'm sorry to awaken you, but I believe I have determined the cause of the captain's ailment and I thought you would want to know."

Chakotay gave his head a shake to fully rouse himself, and the lingering memories of his strange dream began to evaporate to the mists of his mind. He must have been lulled to sleep while watching the lights dance on the equipment monitoring Janeway's vital signs as she lay, still unconscious.

"Tell me," he said to the Doctor.

"The captain suffered from a severe case of anaphylactic shock...essentially a violent allergic reaction to elements found in the dinner she ate. Naturally we do scan all food collected from planets for any properties which might be inharmonious with each crew member's system. However, as Captain Janeway's physiology had never exhibited any reactionary markers that would be indicative of a food incompatibility, there was no way of knowing that the components of the vegetation used as an ingredient in her meal would result in such a counteraction to her system. I have added this information to the database utilized when food is scanned for its acceptability for crew ingestion, so this should not be an incident which will repeat itself."

Chakotay lifted his eyes from Janeway's still form to the Doctor.

"So she'll be okay?"

"I have given her a hypo of epinephrine which will annul the effects of anaphylaxis. However, she will likely be fatigued from this experience and possibly somewhat disoriented. She will be required to remain in sickbay for 48 hours so that she can rest and I can monitor the effects of the epinephrine on her system."

Having summed up his diagnosis, the Doctor keyed his tricorder to reset the display for his next patient.

"Now that I've established the captain's condition was a result of a physiological reaction rather than an outside influence, if you'd like to return to your ship I can contact you when she awakens. I would imagine you are relieved to discover that her affliction was caused through innocent rather than intentional means."

Chakotay had not entertained the possibility that Janeway's ailment had been an attack upon her. But he was relieved to learn that she would be all right.

"I'd like to stay here until she awakens."

"Suit yourself. I have already relayed the information about my diagnosis to Lieutenant Tuvok. I myself am pleased that their was no foul play involved. While I am highly capable of determining the cause of physiological assaults against the crew's bodies, I would not like to be involved in the investigation of a willful assault against a member of the crew. I'm a doctor, not a detective. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a detailed report to prepare."

As the Doctor walked away, Chakotay turned his attention back to Janeway. Though her breathing had steadied as if in a relaxed sleep, she still looked worn, frail almost. An incongruity to the vitality that she usually exuded, Chakotay thought.

Despite his belief that there had been no nefarious attack against the captain, Chakotay felt a tension ease from his body. He had been worried, but that concern had been for her personal well-being rather than about any accord or disharmony between the Starfleet and Maquis personnel. He admitted, however, that it was Janeway who held the shaky alliance between the two crews together. If anything ever happened to her, he had no doubt that it would sound the death knell of the Voyager/Fides confederation.

His prayer to the spirits had not been for the well-being of the union. It had been for the woman who had instituted the association. Chakotay realized that beyond his admiration of the captain's skills of command and her sharp mind, he genuinely liked Kathryn Janeway as a person. The thought of losing her had disturbed him to a degree that transcended what would be expected grief at the loss of a colleague.

A wisp of hair had drifted over her cheek and the auburn lock appeared like fire against the icy pallor of her skin. Chakotay reached out to gently brush the hair back from her face. At the moment his fingertips stroked almost imperceptibly against her skin, Janeway opened her eyes.

Chakotay's hand wavered on Janeway's cheek. As she met his gaze, wide-eyed and slightly dazed, he became suddenly hesitant about the familiarity he had been assuming with her in her unconscious state. For a moment he froze, then relaxed and dropped his hand to her shoulder. At some time while he had slept, Kes or the Doctor must have removed her uniform, for his hand felt the warmth of her body beneath the thin blue sickbay gown she now wore.

"Welcome back," he said softly, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze before drawing his hand away.

"Ohhh," Janeway groaned, lifting a hand limply to her forehead. "What happened?"

"Neelix's cooking got to you," Chakotay advised with a warm smile.

The Doctor had been alerted to Janeway's conscious state via the monitors on her bed and he was now at the captain's side.

"The commander's attempt at humour notwithstanding, his diagnosis is essentially correct, although it was the food you ate rather than the preparation that affected you. You had an adverse reaction to properties contained in one of the plants that was an ingredient in your dinner. I've treated you with epinephrine which has countermanded the anaphylactic shock but you will still be feel debilitated for the next day or so. I'm keeping you in sickbay for the next 48 hours so that you can get the rest you require."

"That's not necessary Doctor." Janeway waved her hand in dismissal of the Doctor's orders. She grimaced slightly from the effort. "I'll be fine after a good night's sleep. Just let me return to my quarters."

"Ah-ah!" the Doctor remonstrated, waving his finger at her. "Your body just suffered a traumatic experience. You've been unconscious for almost five hours and you need to recuperate. In sickbay!"

"But I can - "

"Ah! No discussion captain. You're staying here."

"But..."

Janeway's argument trailed off as the Doctor regarded her with a stern look. A wave of dizziness washed over her, as if her body was attempting to corroborate the Doctor's orders. She heaved a heavy sigh and narrowed her eyes at him but did not continue with the debate.

Instead she turned her head to regard Chakotay.

"I've been out for five hours? Have you been here all that time?"

"Yes," he acknowledged. "I didn't want to leave until I knew that you were okay. You gave me quite a scare."

Janeway found herself touched by the concern for her well-being that was evident in his voice. She also felt a reciprocated warmth as her eyes met his soft look. She found that feeling to be somewhat disconcerting, but, she had to recognize, not wholly unwelcome.

"I'm sorry for troubling you," she said quietly. "But...thank you...for staying."

He smiled at her and picked up her hand to clasp it gently. However, they both pulled out of the grasp when they heard the door to sickbay whoosh open.

Tuvok entered and strode directly to Janeway's bed.

"Captain, I am most pleased to learn that you are recovering."

"Thank you, Tuvok. I'd prefer to be up and out of here, but the Doctor won't release me." She looked at Tuvok hopefully in the off-chance that he might want to prevail upon the Doctor to let her leave sickbay.

"You need your rest, Captain. I am perfectly capable of assuming command for the short time you are recuperating."

Janeway smiled in acquiescence.

"Yes, you are. But there are some things that I wanted to attend to that you should..."

A sudden bounce of the ship forestalled Janeway's words. Simultaneously, she and Tuvok hit their commbadges, though only Tuvok's link opened as Janeway's sickbay attire had not come fitted with the communications device.

"Tuvok to bridge. Report."

"Sir, we've got two ships identified as Vidiian pursuing us, and one just fired a volley across our starboard bow," came Rollins disembodied voice. "Fides has one on her tail as well."

Janeway and Chakotay exchanged alarmed glances. The captain struggled to sit up and Chakotay placed an arm behind her in assistance.

"Go to red alert," Tuvok ordered. "Have the senior staff report to their duty stations. I am on my way to the bridge."

Janeway swung around so that her legs were off of the bed, but before she could push herself to a standing position Chakotay grabbed her by the shoulders from behind.

"You're not going," he said sternly, the pressure of his grip on her forcing her to remain seated.

She whipped her head around to glare at him.

"My ship is under attack!"

"Tuvok can handle it, you're in no condition right now to be directing a counter assault."

"I promise to keep you apprised of the situation," Tuvok said, "but the commander is right. You need to remain in sickbay." He turned toward the door, effectively ending all discussion.

"But Tuvok, you're not familiar with all the intelligence we have compiled on the Vidiians!" Janeway cried. "You haven't gotten the full report!" She reached her arm toward the departing Vulcan as if it could halt his momentum. "We had only finished our analysis and tactical recommendations just before I passed out!"

Suddenly Janeway whipped her head around once more to stare at Chakotay with a measuring look. The ship jolted once again and Chakotay tightened his grasp on the captain, as much to maintain his own balance as to steady hers.

"Tuvok, wait!" Janeway called out. "I want Commander Chakotay in charge of our counter assault. Aside from myself he has the most knowledge of the Vidiians' armaments and tactical strategies."

Tuvok's gaze went from his captain to her Maquis counterpart. His hesitation was infinitesimal yet still obvious to the other two parties in the room.

"Yes, ma'am," he acknowledged.

Janeway glared at him, perturbed by his tone, though she had no doubt that he would follow her orders.

"I trust that you will ensure the crew is aware they are to heed all directives given to them by the commander without hesitation," she intoned, her voice hard.

Tuvok nodded once at her as the ship shook again, before he resumed his course out the door.

Janeway faced Chakotay once more, his gaze penetrating, but his thoughts indeterminable.

"Commander ... Voyager is yours."

"Aye, captain."

Janeway thought she detected a touch of awe in his response.

Chakotay strode over to a table where he had spied Janeway's uniform neatly folded. He plucked the commbadge from it and tossed it to her.

"I'll keep you informed."

He moved to the door but stopped just before the exit. Turning back to Janeway he made a soft promise.

"And I'll keep her safe."

As he raced out of sickbay Janeway questioned for a brief moment whether he had meant Voyager...or her.

She shook her head to dispel the flight of fancy her mind was wandering into and eased herself slowly from the bed. If the Doctor was busy preparing for any potential casualties of the battle, then he might not notice if she opened the channel to the bridge from his office.

*****

Chakotay ran along the corridor to the nearest turbolift. The door was just shutting as he arrived so he stuck out an arm to grab it. Such an action on Fides would be asking for serious injury as the safety measures on the doors of the Maquis ship had long ago stopped functioning. But Voyager was in much better shape and he had no doubt that rather than chopping off his arm, the door would reopen. It did.

He stepped in beside Tuvok, regarding the Vulcan warily. Tuvok stared directly ahead, nothing in his manner changed from the coldness that Chakotay had always known from him.

Tuvok was a mystery to Chakotay. It was probably how he'd been so easily deceived by the Vulcan. Chakotay was not someone who showed his emotions openly, or at least not as openly as many humans, but he felt things very passionately. Even knowing and understanding that the Vulcan people were not this way, he had a hard time accepting Tuvok's perpetual calm.

Still, one thing Chakotay did know and appreciate was that the same dispassionate nature he found annoying most of the time could be a definite asset during battle. He just hoped that Tuvok was going to be his ally with the other bridge officers.

Tuvok was turning over in his mind the logic of handing over command of Voyager to the leader of a band of rebels. While he resisted the reasoning, he could not deny that Chakotay was more familiar with the Vidiians than he was. Having served with Chakotay on Fides, Tuvok was also aware that the Maquis leader was very a clever and resourceful man in the middle of a battle. In the end, this knowledge gave Tuvok a certain degree of comfort with the illogic of having to defer command to Chakotay.

They exited the lift together and faced the bridge. Lieutenant Rollins was standing in the centre, in front of Janeway's seat. He moved, prepared to give the command over to Tuvok, as first officer. But Tuvok went to the tactical station instead, and Chakotay walked down the steps towards Rollins.

"Captain Janeway has been confined to sickbay with an illness," Chakotay told the bridge. "Because of this she has temporarily handed over command of Voyager to me. Please take your station, Lieutenant," he added to Rollins.

Rollins stayed his ground for a moment, looking over Chakotay's shoulder at Tuvok for clarification of this unexpected news.

"The commander is speaking the truth," Tuvok stated. "Commander Chakotay is in charge of this vessel and you will grant him the respect of his rank."

Chakotay stared at Rollins until the other man finally moved over to his station. Paris swung around to face the viewscreen again, but not before Chakotay noticed his expression. It was apprehensive. And Harry. He had looked a bit shocked, a bit scared, before lowering his gaze to the sensors. The other bridge officers were exchanging nervous glances. This was no way to be running a ship.

"What is our status?" Chakotay requested. Whatever they thought of him, he was very familiar with the command protocol of Starfleet. He'd been one of them for many years.

"There are three Vidiian ships; two in pursuit of Voyager and one firing on Fides."

Chakotay felt a strange twinge of fear for his own ship. He was usually on board Fides when in the middle of a fight. If anything happened to that ship ...

"Hail the Vidiians," Chakotay ordered Harry, who hastily complied.

"No response sir," Harry told him, after a moment. Chakotay turned from ops to face the viewscreen.

"Hail Fides then," he requested of Harry. In an instant Fides' tiny bridge filled the screen. Bendera was at the helm, Torres at the ops station and Seska at tactical. Her harassed expression turned to astonishment when she saw Chakotay standing on Voyager's bridge.

"Chakotay?" she asked. She smiled a coy smile. "And not even a shot fired," she murmured.

"No time to explain now," he interrupted. "The Vidiians have superior fire power to Fides, you'll have to execute evasive maneuvers."

"But ..."

Of all the times to have a disagreement with Seska! Everyone on the bridge was watching Chakotay, even Paris, who'd turned slightly to see the commander. Chakotay ground his teeth slightly.

"Seska! We can debate this later," he snapped. "For now do your best to stay out of range of their weapons!"

She nodded with a serious look and cut the link. Chakotay resisted the urge to sigh as he felt Voyager rock with the blast of another shot.

"Target their weapons array," he barked to Tuvok. "Fire at will."

"No effect," Tuvok informed him.

"Our shields are down to 78%," called out Harry.

"Send a couple of photon torpedoes at them," Chakotay ordered. He stood just behind Paris, with his feet spread out for balance as the deck rocked again.

"Sir, our torpedo compliment is limited ..." Tuvok said. Chakotay whirled on him.

"I'm aware of the weapons on this ship Lieutenant! Fire the torpedoes!"

Everyone, it seemed, was holding his breath. But Tuvok nodded acknowledgment of the order calmly and fired.

"Minor damage to their starboard phaser banks," he reported.

"Well that's something," muttered Chakotay.

"Our shields are down to 63%," provided Harry. Chakotay knew the kid was just doing his job but he wished the ensign would shut up. "Fides just took a bad hit to her propulsion system."

Chakotay's stomach lurched. He tried to remember that Kurt was piloting the little Maquis ship and no one could handle a ship like Bendera. Except maybe Paris.

"Ensign, hail them and tell them to execute the Cardassian Death Trap manoeuvre."

Harry looked perplexed.

"The Cardassian ... ?"

"They will know what it is," Chakotay assured him.

"Well, we don't," mumbled Paris, in front of the commander. Chakotay turned his attention to the pilot.

"You don't have to know, Paris, as you'll be doing something else!" His tone was like ice. Paris felt like wincing but resisted with effort.

Shields were failing, Fides had lost warp, only photons were affective against the enemy's shields, no planets or moons for cover.... Chakotay turned over all the data he and Janeway had examined earlier. It seemed like a long time ago that he'd been eating pasta in her ready room.

Duck and cover was a move the Maquis knew well. It was not so much a Starfleet strategy as Starfleet was more used to having the upper hand in battle. Still, Chakotay had taught a few tricks in his time at the Academy. When you couldn't run or fight or make peace with diplomacy, there were only a few options left, but they were usually the most creative ones.

"Mr. Paris," Chakotay leaned over the helm. "Are you familiar with a move called the Omega Cluster?"

Paris looked startled. He gave Chakotay a suspicious look.

"Sure, but it's not a battle move, it's for flight demonstrations."

"That's the one," Chakotay confirmed.

"But you need five ships to complete the ..." Paris stopped. There were five ships, if one counted the Vidiians.

Chakotay stepped back, preparing to have Harry send another message to Seska, but Paris swivelled in his seat and grabbed the commander's arm.

"You're nuts! You can't possibly mean to try some flight stunt in the middle of a fight?"

Chakotay pulled Paris's hand off his arm and looked down on the younger man coldly.

"I didn't ask you for an opinion, Lieutenant, I asked if you were capable of the move. If you don't feel up to it, I can take the helm myself."

Paris looked over to Rollins and Tuvok for some support, but Rollins looked away and Tuvok regarded him icily.

"You will obey orders Lieutenant Paris," Tuvok intoned.

'Gee, thanks for your support Tuvok,' thought Chakotay, turning to Harry once again.

It only took a few moments to get the Vidiian warships into a position to be used as three points of the star that formed the cluster. All five ships were running very close together at this point. If the enemy got off any shots at this range they'd be sunk.

"Now!" cried Chakotay, his hands clenched in fists.

Both Fides and Voyager pulled up and out in the formation. The unexpected movement of the Federation ships caught the Vidiians off-guard, as Chakotay had hoped. The result was that they fired on each other.

When the flash of light dimmed and the debris dispersed only one Vidiian warship was left. Fides took up position off Voyager's port. The warship seemed to hesitate as if reassessing the situation. Then it went into retreat.

Chakotay felt himself relaxing slightly. It had worked. Unconventional, dangerous even, but effective; it had worked.

"Damage report," he requested, his voice a lot calmer than he felt.

"Minor hull damage, a few minor injuries in engineering, and shield generators at half capacity," Harry offered. "Fides has major damage to the engines, and some minor injuries."

Chakotay nodded at Harry.

"Good work everyone," he spoke to the bridge, making eye contact with all of them. "Good job Paris," he added, trying not to sound bitter. Tom had executed the move perfectly, despite his obvious reservations about Chakotay's strategy. Chakotay doubted that he could have pulled it off so well, had he been forced to take control of the helm.

He sat in the captain's seat. He'd be lying to himself if he didn't admit that he hadn't thought about what it would be like to be in command of a ship like Voyager. Certainly, when he had been a Starfleet career officer he had been on the command track until he'd shifted to being an instructor. Since allying himself with the Federation vessel he had imagined what a joy it must be to have a ship with such capabilities, such speed and manoeuvrability. Hell, it would be nice to have a ship where the replicators actually worked all the time and the doors didn't close on appendages clumsy enough to be in their way.

He could command this crew, he knew that. But to do so would mean that Janeway was gone and that idea was very unsettling.

He tapped his comm badge. He hadn't forgotten his promise to keep the captain informed. Nor his promise to keep her ship in one piece.

*****

"...and this, as you've already seen, is the galley." Chakotay concluded his tour outside the door to that area of the ship.

"I must say, I'm impressed. You have a tight, well-run ship, even with everything she must have been through." Janeway smiled.

"She's seen her share of action," Chakotay said agreeably, pleased by Janeway's compliment to his command.

"Well...I suppose I should get back to Voyager," Janeway said, somewhat reluctantly. She had enjoyed her promised tour of Fides, and had found favour with the condition and capabilities of Chakotay's ship. She had been thoroughly delighted by the tales the commander had regaled her with about some of the predicaments he and his crew had found themselves in, which he had interspersed with facts about the ship during her visit.

However, she had no reason to prolong her stay. She had no pressing matters to discuss with Chakotay and they had already debriefed on the Vidiian situation the day before when the Doctor had released her after her requisite 48 hour stay in sickbay.

"It's about time for lunch. Would you like to join me before you go back?"

"As long as there's no pasta on the menu." Janeway beamed a smile at him.

Chakotay chuckled.

"I'll treat you to a fully replicated meal."

They entered the almost empty galley. It seemed that Fides was running on a skeleton crew, with more and more of her personnel either being assigned to duty shifts on Voyager or utilizing the Starfleet vessel's facilities for recreation or off-time relaxation. Janeway was pleased to see this was the case; if Chakotay's crew was becoming comfortable with spending more time on Voyager it could only benefit the relationship between the two crews.

"Order anything you want," Chakotay offered as they walked over to the replicator, which was for once functioning properly.

"Okay...let's see. How about Potato and Leek soup. And a cheese scone." The replicator complied with her order, recognizing the menu selections in the words she spoke.

"Vegetable soup," Chakotay ordered.

The scents of the warm and hearty soups wafted up to their noses as they sat down at a nearby table to eat.

"Umm," Janeway murmured appreciatively after sampling her first spoonful. "Much better than the consumee and dry toast the Doctor let me have last night."

"Much better than Maquis Medley," Chakotay quipped.

"Maquis Medley?"

He grinned.

"Kurt Bendera's term for throwing together whatever we happened to have on hand and calling it dinner."

"Kurt Bendera's the man who talks to the dinner ingredients, isn't he?"

This garnered a full laugh from Chakotay.

"Kurt's a good guy," he said. "He can be a bit of a jokester but I trust him with my life when push comes to shove."

Janeway nodded, noting that the dedication to their captain that she had seen in Chakotay's crew was returned by him as well.

"And he does seem to have a knack for employing great ingenuity when inventiveness is needed. Not only in the kitchen," Chakotay continued.

"Speaking of Maquis ingenuity, there's something that I meant to discuss with you." Janeway put down her spoon.

Chakotay was somewhat taken aback by her abrupt shift to a serious tone. He gazed at her questioningly.

"That flight demonstration move you used during the battle with the Vidiians. That was a very dangerous manoeuvre to use, Commander."

"It worked," Chakotay said bluntly.

He had no intention of apologizing for his decision to employ that particular manoeuvre. His time in the Maquis had taught him a few tricks that his tenure as a tactical instructor in Starfleet had not. He felt that the combined experiences gave him the basis to judge what situations required a bit of risk taking.

"Wait a minute," Chakotay continued, returning Janeway's hard stare with a questioning look. "How do you know we used the Omega Cluster manoeuvre? I didn't go into that much detail in my report."

Janeway's eyes widened, and face went from a piercing glare to a sheepish look in a second. She recovered her composure and relaxed her expression into a bland look.

"I overheard someone mention it," she said smoothly.

"No you didn't," Chakotay said decisively, shaking his head. He pointed his spoon at her accusingly. "You were listening in on the bridge during the battle, weren't you?"

Janeway was about to spit out a denial when Chakotay raised an eyebrow. Then she was going to protest that her eavesdropping had been due to her inability to distance herself from the bridge, rather than a lack of trust in his abilities. But she caught the quirk of his mouth and the hint of a dimple which he quickly suppressed in order to maintain a serious demeanor and realized that he was not upset that she hadn't had faith in him but rather was teasing her about her lack of restraint.

Her lips turned up in a rueful smile.

"Guilty as charged."

"I don't blame you a bit," Chakotay admitted. "I know there were a couple moments where I felt a little worried being on Voyager's bridge rather than on Fides."

Janeway nodded, acknowledging the common concern they shared for their individual ships. She picked up her spoon to continue eating her lunch.

"On that note," she said between spoonfuls, "I was thinking that maybe we should begin having you stand a weekly duty shift aboard Voyager, so you could get a bit more accustomed to commanding her, in case the need for you to do so ever arose again in the future."

Chakotay gave her a look filled with more than a bit of concern.

"I hope that need never arises," he said softly, sincerely.

Janeway was touched by his implication.

"I'm not talking worst case scenario, Commander. I just mean that if an emergency arose while I was off the ship with an away team or something, I'd like to know that you would be comfortable taking command of both ships."

"Wouldn't it be Tuvok's place to take command of Voyager?" Chakotay was flattered by her obvious faith in him and his leadership skills, but the Vulcan was her first officer and the relationship between Tuvok and him was tenuous at best.

"Tuvok is an able leader and the best security chief I've worked with. But his strength really is in security rather than in command. A good captain should be able to gauge the atmosphere of the ship, the feelings of the crew, and that is something that Tuvok is unable to do. But you're very in tune with those around you, Commander."

"Thank you," Chakotay said, his appreciation of her faith in his abilities evidenced by the sincerity of his tone. "I suppose I could manage a few shifts in the captain's chair on Voyager."

Janeway beamed at him.

"That's my seat," she jokingly remonstrated. "You can borrow the one to my left."

"Yes ma'am," Chakotay quipped.

"But Commander...no more stunt flying with my ship, okay?"

"Not unless it's absolutely necessary. Deal?"

Chakotay held out his hand and Janeway placed her smaller one in it to seal their pact. She glanced down at their intertwined hands, the darker skin of his fingers strongly enfolding the back of her paler palm. There were still many differences between them; they were still commanding and interconnecting two disparate crews. But despite the contrasts, she felt a harmony between them as well.

"Deal," she confirmed, giving his hand a firm shake.

"Don't worry, I'll always do what I can to keep Voyager safe and sound." His eyes held hers, steady in his promise.

"I know," she said, holding on to his hand for a moment longer than necessary before dropping her grasp.

She had faith in that promise. Because more so than just being an ally in an unknown quadrant, he made her feel safe, as well.

Go to the sixth EOME story Cracks in Time's Mirror

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