Author's Note: This is my first major writing attempt in almost a year and a half. So send feedback, but be gentle.
Author's Note Two: THANK YOU ANGIE. Betas are wonderful aren't they?
Disclaimer: Hail Paramount. Blah, blah, blah.
Dedication: Anne Rose, kicker of muses' buts. :) And to Mriana, Happy Belated Birthday dear.

“Trials and Error”

Captain_Crystal

Kathryn Janeway stared at the goal she had reached with tears in her eyes. The brownish-tan landmasses giving way to the bright blue of the oceans was a sight that she thought she would never see again.
Earth. 
Home. She couldn’t possibly think of all the joyful reunions to be held on the surface. All the families reunited, all the people returning to their spouses, and Naomi Wildman meeting her father for the first time. And maybe, just maybe, some blossoming romances.
“We’re being hailed, Captain,” Ensign Kim called from the Operations console.
Harry Kim, not so much ‘Ensign Eager’ anymore. Apparently, he was considering starting a relationship with Jenny Delaney. That green ensign, fresh out of the academy had grown up so much.
“Open a channel, Harry,” she called quietly.
“Yes, Ma’am,” he answered with a smile.
Normally she hated being called Ma’am, but, under the circumstances, she allowed it. She couldn’t help but grin as Admiral Alayna Necheyev appeared on the screen.
“Captain, it’s good to see you again,” she smiled.
“Yes, Admiral. I’m glad we could drop in,” Kathryn smiled.
She felt Chakotay walk up to stand beside her as she talked to the admiral. He was very close, and she was sure she felt his fingers brush hers ever so slightly. After all this time, a relationship with him was almost too much to hope for. Maybe it wasn’t too late.
Then Alayna broke the news.
“Captain, I’m sorry to inform you, but Starfleet hasn’t resolved their issues with the Maquis. They’re planning to take all of your former Maquis crewmembers into custody for a hearing and possibly a trial.”
Her heart sank. The breath froze in her throat and she felt Chakotay freeze behind her.
“I won’t let them go.”  There was steel in her voice.
“I know. The brass won’t let you be their lawyer, but I can be. I’ll help you fight for them. Anyone with any relationship with any member of your crew is being told that they cannot help in the prosecution or defense of any crewmember. Admiral Paris can’t even help us.”
“Because of Tom?”
“Yes, because of Tom,” she sighed. “There’s not even a guarantee that he won’t face brig time. New Zealand wasn’t too happy when I told them I would be fighting for his release.”
“Thank you,” Tom said quietly from the helm.
Admiral Necheyev turned to Tom with a lopsided smile.
“Admiral Paris was a different person when you disappeared Tom. He was close to depression. He always pretended he was so furious at you, but he’s a big softy. He cried a lot, Tom. I won’t let them take you away again.”
Less than a minute later, twenty Starfleet officers appeared on her bridge, along with Admiral Smith. Smith was never a nice guy. Many years before she became a captain, Kathryn had beaten Smith out of a position that he had assumed he had gotten. When he confronted her about 'stealing his place', she had brushed him away thinking that she wouldn't have to worry about him after the ship left space dock.

'It's funny how things you do come back to bite you in the butt ten years later,' she thought to herself.

“Captain Janeway, I have orders to apprehend your Maquis crewmembers,” he said without even looking her in the eye.


“I’ll fight this.” Captain Janeway's eyes never wavered from the man on her bridge. Her voice was pure ice.

  He smirked back at her while pointing a phaser at Chakotay’s back. “Let’s move it, Maquis.”

Tom was rounded up as well. As they were all being taken off the bridge, a comm call came through from sickbay.
“Captain! Miral! They’re trying to take me from Miral!” B'Elanna's voice was shaking. Whether the shaking was due to fear or anger, Kathryn didn't know and wasn't sure she wanted to.

“B’Elanna, calm down,” she tried, but B’Elanna cut her off.
“I won’t let them take her! Captain, I want you to have her. Please, you’re the only one I would consider. You’re the only person I would trust with my daughter, please. Please, Kathryn,” B’Elanna pleaded, using the captain’s given name, something she had never done before.

“Of course,” Kathryn consented immediately. “I’ll take care of her, B’Elanna.”

“Thank you. Get off of me P’Tak!” B’Elanna screamed, Kathryn assumed, at the Starfleet security officers.

She watched her crew being herded off of her ship like animals and it enraged her. All of her Starfleet ideals and principles that she had held up for so long no longer seemed to matter.

“Captain?” Harry asked shakily after watching his best friends being led off of the bridge.

“Don’t worry, Harry. They won’t be there for long.”

~*~*~*~*~*~
Kathryn went home and tried to spend some quality time with her mother and sister, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Chakotay and the others. Their hearings weren’t for two more weeks, but she couldn’t get them out of her head.
“Kathryn, are you ok? You haven’t hardly touched your lasagna,” Phoebe asked her.
“I can’t stop thinking about them.”
Phoebe knew instantly whom her sister was talking about.  
“When’s the hearing?”
“Two weeks. God, Phoebe, they don't deserve this. They have changed so much since then.”
“Kathryn! Get in here, the news feed is talking about the case!” Gretchen cried from the living room.
Kathryn scrambled into the room to see the reporters on the screen.
‘In other Federation News, the Maquis prisoners brought back by Captain Kathryn Janeway were scheduled to have a hearing in the next few weeks. But in a strange turn of events, Starfleet Headquarters dropped all charges on every member of the Maquis except for this man, Chakotay, who will still be charged with Treason and Murder,” the reporter said showing Chakotay’s file picture.
“Why would they drop all charges against everyone but Chakotay?” Phoebe asked, confused. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Yes, it does,” Kathryn answered. “It’s a deal. He agreed to put in a plea of guilty if they would release the others. Damn him!”
After taking several moments to calm herself, Kathryn spoke again.
“If he enters a plea of guilty, then we’ll never get him out.” 
Phoebe mutely nodded her head in understanding.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The day of the hearing came and Janeway was nervous. Very nervous. Alayna had told her that with Chakotay’s guilty plea, their chances of getting him released were nearly non-existent.
This was not good news. She wanted him released so badly that it was killing her. She wanted him out. She needed him. She was determined to get him back. Even if it meant her career.
When Kathryn walked into the courtroom, she saw him up in the front with his plain gray prison uniform on.  At least they had trusted him enough not to make him wear shackles. As their eyes met across the room, she saw how this had affected him. His eyes were sunken and dull. They no longer carried the sparkle that she so clearly remembered. There was no smile on his lips, and no dimples to grin at. He looked so different.
She sat down in the row behind him, beside B’Elanna and Tom, and smiled gently at the child whom she was grateful to have just barely gotten to know. Miral was only with her for a few days before B’Elanna was released. Then she went back home.
Several Starfleet Officials entered the room and sat behind a large, almost oval shaped, desk.
“This hearing is now in session. Prosecution, make your opening statements,” the admiral ordered.
“Thank you, Ma‘am. Chakotay’s involvement in the Voyager Case does not replace the time he was supposed to spend in prison. He was given privileges that inmates serving prison sentences wouldn't have received. For example, an inmate would not have had access to a holodeck for personal use and other of the amenities available on Voyager.”
Admiral Clark nodded her head and motioned him to sit down.
“Admiral Necheyev could not be with us today as Chakotay’s defense attorney, so she has requested that Commander Amber Welch take her place. Commander, please proceed with your opening statements,” Admiral Clark ordered.
“Thank you, Admiral,” Amber smiled, standing. “I believe that there is sufficient evidence that Mr. Chakotay assisted the Voyager crewmembers with his expertise many more times than not. I have witnesses that will testify that Voyager would have been destroyed on more than one occasion if not for him.  Now, he may have had access to holodecks, but so do the prisoners in the work camp in New Zealand. The environment he experienced while serving on Voyager is similar to that in a prison, in a way. He was not able to have visits from family, and worked very hard, just as hard as any inmate. Thank you.”
“Very well,” Clark said. “Commander Gates, call your first witness.”
“I call Professor Eric Webber to the stand.”
There was a quiet murmur of voices while the professor stood and walked toward the center of the courtroom. When he was sworn in, everyone was silent once again.
“Professor, how do you know the defendant?” Commander Gates paced back and forth in front of Professor Webber.
“He was in my Federation History class.”
“Was he a good student?”
“One of the very best. He almost surpassed me in knowledge.”
“Really. Were you proud of him after he graduated?”
“Of course. He was one of my star pupils. I expected him to be on the Enterprise in no time.”
The mention of the Enterprise caught Gates off guard.
“Why the Enterprise?”
“At the time, the Enterprise-E was the most advanced starship in the fleet. The flagship if I’m correct. Jean-Luc only took the best and the brightest.”
“You referred to Captain Picard by his given name. Did you know him on a personal basis, Professor?”
“Of course I did. I’ve been teaching for a long time, Young Man. I was Captain Picard’s Federation History teacher as well.”
“Uh huh. And do you think that if you had asked him a personal favor that he would accept Mr. Chakotay aboard his starship?”
“Objection!” Welch called. “Mr. Chakotay was never assigned to the Enterprise, therefore ‘ifs’ are not reliable questions.”
“Sustained. Commander Gates, please move on,” Admiral Clark ordered.
“Yes, Ma’am. Did Mr. Chakotay ever cause problems in your class?”
“Only once.”
“I see. Would you elaborate, please?”
“Well, uh, he came in one afternoon for his class and he wasn’t in a very good mood. Some of the upper-classmen began picking on him, and he got a little loud.”
“How much is a ‘little loud’, Professor?”
“He began to curse some of the other students, calling them names and such. I don’t believe that he would have done that if they had just left him alone. He was always a very quiet boy and that outburst of his surprised me.”
“So when someone angered him, he became rowdy and violent?”
“Well, he never actually hit anyone..,” Webber began, but Gates cut him off.
“Yes or no, Professor.”
“Well, yes.”
“Thank you. Your witness, Miss Welch,” Commander Gates said as he passed by.
“Professor Webber, were you surprised at all when Chakotay joined the Maquis?”
“I was at first, yes.”
“Why only at first?”
“I was a little shocked, but I realized that if the Cardassians had done what they did to my family, I’d have done the exact same thing.”
The defense handed the professor a copy of Chakotay’s service record. “This is a copy of Commander Chakotay’s service record.  We’ll call it Defense exhibit A.  Does this look like the record of a troublemaker?  How about someone with anger problems?  Does this fit with what you remember of Commander Chakotay?”
"Well, it does fit with what I remember. He was never a troublemaker. Always a very well-behaved student."
"And does it look to you, like he has an anger problem?"
"Well, no. This says he only lost control of himself that one time in my class."
"Thank you. Nothing further."
“Very well,” Admiral Clark said. "Professor Webber, thank you. You may return to your seat now."
"Prosecution, next witness?"
"Aye, sir. Prosecution calls Andrew Block."
A stir of conversation came up and several looks in Chakotay's direction. No one present had ever heard of an Andrew Block, including Chakotay.
After being seated and sworn in, Mr. Block looked Chakotay dead in the face and smirked.
"Mr. Block, how do you know Mr. Chakotay?" The room was silent as the crowd waited for the response to the question.
"I was a gutsy citizen of the Federation during his early time in the Maquis. I infiltrated his ship and collected information regarding Maquis activities and sent it to Head Quarters. I thought I could get some good stuff to trade with Starfleet Intelligence for some useful credits."
"So you were a spy?"
"That is correct."
"Around what Stardate did you serve with Mr. Chakotay?"
"Oh around Stardate 49594."
"How did Chakotay not know that you were informing Starfleet of their activities?"
"I don't know. I thought I slipped up a few times, but he never knew that I wasn't a Maquis." Mr. Block's voice was strong and steady, almost cocky that he had never been caught.
"What was your experience with Mr. Chakotay in the Maquis?"
"He was extremely violent, killing for no purpose. If we attacked to gain supplies, he would destroy the ship even after we had the supplies and were safely back on the Phoenix."
Chakotay's head jerked sharply when the Phoenix was mentioned. He had never served on the Phoenix, never mind commanding it. This Andrew Block had never served with Chakotay.
"The Phoenix? Was that the name of the ship you served on, sir?"
The prosecutor thought he was helping to make his case by clarifying what ship Block was on, but in all actuality, he was assisting the defense.
"Yes, we were on the Phoenix together."
As the prosecution continued on with clarification of the circumstances of Block's supposed time served on the Phoenix, the Defense sent a message to the records database requesting any information on Chakotay's known whereabouts during that time.
"Can you give me an example of this extreme violence you spoke of?"
"Absolutely," he responded, smugly. "For instance, we captured a small supply ship running from Bajor to Vulcan. After we captured the pilot, we interrogated him. Chakotay decided that he hadn't told us everything he knew and that his cargo wasn't everything that he had access to. So, Chakotay unnecessarily beat the poor man until within an inch of his life."
"I see. I realize that you are not part of the deciding Admirals on the board, but in your opinion, does Chakotay's time on Voyager make up for his would-be prison sentence?"
"No. Like you said earlier, he had access to holodecks and replicators and he even had a cook. So I don't think it compares at all." Andrew Block's voice was sincere when it came to his opinion. He meant what he had said.
"Thank you, Mr. Block. I'm finished, Admiral." The prosecution simply grinned at Chakotay when he returned to his post.
At that very second, the officer working in the records department sent the Prosecution the startling fact that Chakotay was not accounted for in the Maquis during the specified Stardates. He was reported on Risa during that time and the Phoenix was destroyed before Chakotay was located in the Maquis by a Starfleet operative.
Admiral Clark nodded in response. "Very well, questions Defense?"
"Yes, actually. Mr. Block, about what Stardate were you serving with Chakotay on the Phoenix?"
"Oh, I suppose that it was probably around Stardate 49594."
"I see," Ms. Welch answered. "Are you aware that Starfleet keeps very close tabs on those who choose to resign their commissions just in case they have other intentions?"
"I suppose that's a good thing right? But, Chakotay must have slipped through your fingers, huh?"
"That would make it nice and easy for you if I believed your testimony at face value, however, I now know that everything you have said under oath is false," Amber smiled as she grasped the PADD containing the location information. "Please read the highlighted section, Mr. Block."
"Between Stardate 49592.1 and Stardate 49598.6 Chakotay of Earth was checked into hotel on Risa. Shuttle and transporter logs both verify that he never left the planet, and there were no unauthorized starships in the area. Documentation 4.0009.2, authorization Commander Aaron Martin, Communications."
"Did the Phoenix have a cloak Mr. Block?"
"No."
"So, if Chakotay didn't leave Risa by shuttle or transporter and the Phoenix had no cloak to enter the system, how could Chakotay have been commanding the Phoenix at the time you claim that he was?"
"He couldn't have."
"Thank you. No further questions."
"Please step down, Mr. Block," ordered the highest Admiral. "I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m ready for lunch. We’ll break and return in one hour. Adjourned.”
Everyone in the room began talking as they filed out, but Kathryn remained where she was. She just stared dumbfounded as the bailiff was taking Chakotay back to the detention center for his lunch.
He looked back at her and gave a weak smile before turning back toward the door. The bailiff smiled at her as well, before leading him through. He was barely in before the guard stopped him, whispered something to him, and turned back toward the courtroom.
He came out, looked around for his superiors and cameras, and finally walked toward Kathryn.
“Captain Janeway?” he asked quietly.
“Yes?”
“Please come with me.”
The bailiff led her toward the door where he had taken Chakotay a few minutes earlier. Just as they reached the door, she saw Chakotay waiting just inside for her.
“Look, you only have a few minutes, Ma’am. There are no cameras that can see you at this angle. Don’t leave either door until I tell you to. I could lose my job this way.”
“Thank you,” Chakotay smiled at the bailiff.
“You’re welcome. That horse you carved for my daughter made me a hero.”
The bailiff walked just outside and Kathryn ran to hug her friend.
“Kathryn, it’s ok. I’m not dead!” He grinned as Kathryn nearly crushed him.
“It’s almost as bad. Chakotay, I think they somehow dismissed Admiral Necheyev. She was going to fight for you.”
“Don’t worry. Amber is good too. I mean, I never would have thought to use my old record. It certainly can’t hurt me. I got almost as many commendations as you did!”
Kathryn smiled and chuckled a little through her tears.
“Hey, it’s ok, Kathryn. We’ll get through this.”
“I know. I just don’t want you to go to prison. You are a wonderful officer. Starfleet would be cheating themselves if they locked you up,” Kathryn said as she nearly choked on the words.
“It’ll be ok. I’m not sure how, but it will.”
“Chakotay, I want you to know, when you get out of here, there will be a place for you at my mother’s table. If you want to be there, that is.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the entire universe. Remind her that I’m a vegetarian, though. And I definitely want some of those caramel brownies that you were always whining about.”
“I’ll tell her.”
Before she knew what had happened, Chakotay’s eyes were asking permission to kiss her. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, deny him that. He saw her surrender to him, and gently pressed his lips to hers. They lingered together just for a moment, then he pulled back.
“I want that to happen more often,” he smiled.
“It will. Trust me.”
“I hate to interrupt this tender moment, but we need to break it up. Admiral Fox will be checking the Cafeteria for Chakotay any minute,” the Bailiff called.
“Alright, thank you,” Kathryn smiled.
“You’re welcome. Now, Ma’am, after Chakotay and I leave, count to fifteen and then walk out the other door, alright?”
“Yes, fifteen, I understand.”
As Chakotay threw her one more dimpled grin, she knew she would save that seat at her mother’s table forever.
~*~*~*~*~*~
One hour later the court reconvened.
“Prosecution, call your next witness,” Admiral Clark ordered.
“Prosecution calls Chakotay to the stand,” Gates said with his cocky attitude.
Chakotay slowly rose from his chair and moved to the front. After he was settled, Commander Gates began his questions.
“Chakotay, when and where were you born?”
“Stardate 33502.15 on Dorvan III.”
“Please restate that for reference to the Terran Calendar.”
“I was born February 15th, 2329 on Dorvan III.”
“How old are you now, Sir?”
“My 49th birthday is in two months.”
“And how old were you at the time of the attack on your home world?”
“I was 41 years old.”
“If you could return to that time, would you join the Maquis a second time?”
“No.”
“And why not?”
“If I could go back and do it again, I would take my family off that planet by force. Then I wouldn’t need the Maquis.”
The group gathered behind the oval desk chuckled at Chakotay’s comeback.
“You’re very sharp aren’t you, Chakotay?”
“I consider myself to be fairly smart.”
“Uh huh. Do you happen to remember the number of people you killed?”
“Objection!” Amber called out. “Relevancy!”
“Sustained. Prosecution will withdraw the last question asked,” Admiral Clark ordered.
“Of course. Why did you join with Captain Janeway and merge your two crews together?”
“It was the best option at the time.”
“Oh, really. Why?”
“Half of each crew were killed. We both had pretty weak chances of surviving very long separately, but if we worked together, our chances were greatly increased.”
“Why did you bring your crew onboard Voyager instead of keeping two separate ships?”
“If we were all on one ship, it lessened the chance of us getting separated and needing to rescue one another.”
“Why not pull the Federation Officers onto the Maquis ship then?”
“Captain Janeway would have better luck molding the Maquis into respectable Starfleet officers than I would have in making Starfleet officers into Maquis crew.”
“Uh huh. Why do you think Captain Janeway made you her first officer when Tuvok was available?”
“I think I was her token Maquis officer at first. My only job was to keep the Maquis in line and to make them follow her orders even if they didn’t agree with them.”
“Did you do this job?”
“Yes. I trusted Captain Janeway with my life and after, I’d say, six months, so did everyone else.”
“Even the Maquis crewmembers?”
“Even the ex-Maquis crewmembers.”
“Alright. Let me ask you something. When did you start trusting Captain Janeway that much?”
“Two weeks after I met her.”
“Why so soon?”
“She told me she would treat us all like her own crew as if they were assigned to her by Starfleet themselves. She told me that I would have to help her understand the new people so she could best find a way for them to adjust. And, on one of a Maquis crewmember’s first away missions, she took a phaser shot for him. I trusted her right after that.”
“So, you were never in love with her?”
“Objection!” Amber called.
“Overruled this time. I want to hear this. Chakotay, please answer the question.”
“Yes. I was in love with her.”
“When did you realize this?”
“About four months into the journey.”
“Did you ever tell her?”
“Sort of.”
“When?”
“When we were stranded on a planet together. We were literally the last people on the Earth.”
“Did you ever tell her onboard Voyager?”
“No.”
“And why not?”
“I didn’t want her to feel pressured or for her to think that she might be giving me some kind of special treatment.”
“Are you still in love with her?”
“Yes.”
“That’s very interesting. Did you ever have intimate relations with Captain Janeway?”
“Objection! That’s going too far!” Commander Welch called out.
“No! We didn’t!”
  “You were out of line, counselor.” Admiral Clark's voice was venomous
“Yes, Ma’am. No further questions.”
“Commander Welch, your witness.” Admiral Clark reseated herself after quieting the room.
“Yes, Admiral. Chakotay, did you respect Captain Janeway the time that you met her?”
“Yes, very much so.”
“But you had disagreements with her Starfleet standards on occasion, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“When you disagreed with her, how did you go about telling her?”
Chakotay sighed and thought for a moment on how to answer her question.
“I followed standard procedure. I waited until after the Senior Staff briefing before I called her on anything I didn’t agree with. That way she wouldn’t feel as though she was being proven wrong in front of her crew.”
“Why did no one else call her on those problems, specifically, Starfleet assigned crew?”
“Questioning and backing up the Captain’s orders are the first officer’s job. If they had disagreements with her orders, they came to me. If I agreed with Captain Janeway, I’d try to help them understand what she said.”
“And if it were the other way around, and you agreed with the officer?”
“I would take their concerns to the captain and argue the crewmember’s side until we got everything worked out.”
“Were there times when Captain Janeway chose to proceed with her plans and brushed off your concerns?”
“Of course. Every Captain does that.”
“I see. What did you do in those times, Sir?”
“She was the Captain and I was the First Officer. I followed her orders. It didn’t change my mind most of the time, but the captain always has the last word.”
“Thank you. Admirals, you’ll all see that Chakotay followed Starfleet protocol throughout Voyager’s journey home. ‘He was an upstanding officer of the first class,’ to quote Captain Janeway on this subject. Nothing Further.”
“Thank you, Ms. Welch. Prosecution? Next witness?”
“Prosecution would like to call Kathryn Janeway to the stand.”
The murmur of people started again. ‘Janeway? Why Janeway? They want her to sell him out, I bet,’ were some of the clearer comments that Kathryn could make out.
Kathryn quietly made her way to the witness stand as the presiding Admiral called the group to order again. She was sworn to the truth, and then she sat down. Commander Gates paced the area in front of her.
“Please state your full name and rank for the record, Ma’am,” Gates said.
“Kathryn Melanie Janeway, Captain, U.S.S. Voyager.”
“Alright. Captain, how well would you say that you know Mr. Chakotay?”
“He’s my best friend. I know him quite well.”
“And do you think that this same level of knowledge is held by him about you?”
“I believe so, yes.”
“Did Mr. Chakotay ever disobey your orders?”
Janeway thought for several moments, trying to recall a time that he did.
“I can’t recall that he ever did.”
Gates handed her a large PADD, containing several gigaquads of information.
“These are your official Captain’s Logs, are they not?”
“Yes, they appear to be.”
“Please read aloud to the court the entry marked Stardate 49683.6,” Gates ordered.
Janeway sighed and began to read.
“Captain’s Log: Stardate 49683.6. I’ve made a difficult decision to try and make a deal with the Borg. Their ongoing conflicts with Species 8472 have given Voyager an edge, and out here, we need all the help we can get. Regretfully, Chakotay does not share my optimism in this idea. He told me a parable from his people that certainly fits the situation. I chose to ignore his warnings and I plan to go ahead without his unconditional support. This decision was a difficult one, but it’s one I had to make. End Log.”
“Thank you,” he said taking the PADD from her. “Tell us what happened when you tried to make an alliance with the Borg.”
“Objection,” Welch called from her seat. “Captain Janeway is not being questioned in this hearing for her command decisions. How is this relevant?”
“I have a point, Admiral, I assure you,” Gates smiled.
“Very well. Proceed, Commander, but make it quick.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Please answer the question, Captain.”
“I worked on the Borg Cube on a weapon that could destroy an 8472 on the cellular level. During an 8472 attack, Tuvok and I were injured and the Cube was destroyed. Several Borg beamed onto Voyager and we worked from there.”
“I see. So you said that you were injured?”
“Yes.”
“What was the extent of your injuries?”
“I’m not a Physician.”
“I’m aware of that, but please, try your very best.”
“I suffered neurological trauma. The doctor feared that I wouldn’t regain consciousness after he put me under the induced coma needed to treat my injuries.”
“What did you do?”
“I turned command of Voyager over to Chakotay.”
“What orders did you give him?”
“To keep the alliance with the Borg alive.”
“And did he?”
“No.”
“So, if we were to get technical here, he disobeyed your direct orders, didn’t he?”
“I suppose he did.”
“Nothing further, Admiral,” Gates smirked as he walked back to his desk.
“Commander Welch?” Clark asked.
Welch stood up, smoothing her uniform.
“Captain, why do you think that Chakotay did not follow your orders while you were incapacitated?" Welch was hoping to justify not following an order because of situation changes.
"The point of the alliance was to get Voyager across Borg space as swiftly as possible. When the Borg cube that was escorting us was destroyed, the Borg worked on Voyager with Chakotay and the rest of the crew. From what I understand, while I was incapacitated, the Borg ordered Chakotay to reverse course and go deeper into the heart of Borg territory.  He refused, and the Borg attempted to take the ship back themselves. He ended the alliance by blowing all but one of the Borg out of an airlock."
"So circumstances changed from when you issued the order?"
"Yes."
"Would you have done the same thing he did?"
"I can't really answer that. I wasn't in the same position."
"Try to picture it though."
"I believe the alliance would have ended soon anyway, so I don't fault him for his decision. He did what he thought was best for the crew. That's what made him such a good officer."
"Thank you Captain, what are your thoughts on Mr. Chakotay’s work ethic?”
“I believe that he’s an excellent officer, worthy of a Captaincy.”
“Uh huh. And how much do you trust him?”
“With my life.”
“Has he ever personally saved your life, Captain?”
“Many times.”
“Could you elaborate on one of those many times please?”
“Chakotay and I were on a shuttle mission when Vidiians shot us down. I was badly injured and Chakotay kept me alive until the Doctor and the other shuttle arrived.”
“What did he say to after you recovered?”
“He told me never to do that to him again.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“Yes, he said that he had never been more terrified in his life. He had faced death himself many times, but the thought of losing his best friend scared him into tears down there. I’ll never forget that day.”
Welch smiled at Janeway and turned slightly to address the panel.
“He saved her life. What would have happened to her if Chakotay had not been there because he was in the brig for being a terrorist? Would she be here, speaking to us today? We don’t know. She may have assigned an officer who would have panicked under the pressure of saving her life to that away mission. But, she didn’t. She assigned Chakotay to go with her. He saved her life.”
Welch turned back to the officer on the stand.
“Could you describe ‘The Void’ to us, Captain?”
“It was an area of space that was completely devoid of stars. There was nothing there but black, empty, space.”
“Was it a depressing place for your crew, Captain?”
“Very.”
“How did you respond to the Void?”
“The Doctor felt I was in a depression.”
“Did he treat you?” Welch asked.
“I wouldn’t let him near me. I didn’t want any drugs.”
“You wanted to be left alone?”
“Yes,” Janeway answered.
“Who brought you out of that depression?”
“Chakotay did,” Janeway answered with a small smile.
“How?”
“He showed up at my door with a bottle of Champaign, a preprogrammed dinner on my replicator; courtesy of his rations, and an isolinear chip with home movies on it. Videos of me growing up, of my sister, of B’Elanna, Harry, Tom, Naomi’s first steps, her first word, and plenty of other firsts as well.”
“Anything else?”
"No, I think that's it."
“Do you think that you would’ve pulled out of your depression without Chakotay?”
“No,” Janeway answered without hesitation.
“Thank you. No further questions.”
Admiral Clark nodded to Janeway to retake her seat.
“We’ve heard quite a bit of testimony for and against Mr. Chakotay. I think we’ve heard enough. The Admiralty panel will adjourn for a short time to converse and return with a ruling on Mr. Chakotay’s fate.”
The panel left through the rear exit of the courtroom. Chakotay was told to stay put in his chair and not to speak to anyone. He just sat with his chin resting on his hands.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Two hours later, the Admiralty panel returned. A hush fell over the room as the officers seated themselves along the edge of the oval table.
"There was a lot of arguments on this case. But after reviewing the evidence many times, we were able to come to a unanimous decision. Chakotay, please rise."
Chakotay did as he was asked. Amber Welch, his attorney placed her hand on his shoulder to let him know she was still there with him.
"Chakotay, we the decisive board of admirals for Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, do hereby discharge you from Starfleet and sentenced to seven years, credited for time already served on Voyager. You're a free man. Release him."
The bailiff that had been assigned to Chakotay and who had allowed him to speak with Kathryn gave Chakotay a surreptitious smile.
"You are all dismissed," said one of the admirals as he stood with the rest of the panel.
Chakotay still stood behind the defendant's table in shock. He didn't honestly think he would have gotten away without a few years of New Zealand under his belt. But to his surprise, here he stood a free man with the love of his life standing in front of him, staring at him with concern.
Kathryn watched Chakotay blink several times before she questioned him.
"Chakotay?"
"Is it true, Kathryn? Am I free?"
Kathryn smiled gently. "You're free."
Chakotay looked deep into her eyes as if he could see in to the heart and soul that had already belonged to him for years.
"Is that seat at your mother's table still open for me?" he asked as he reached for her hand.
"Knowing my mother, she probably already has fifteen vegetarian dishes waiting for us," she replied, taking his outstretched hand.
They walked through the Federation Courthouse doors together, hand in hand, and as the gentle sunlight hit her face, Kathryn Janeway knew that as long as the man she loved stood beside her, she would always be complete.

The End
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