Sequel to Fortune's Foe, Fortune's Dream, and Fortune's Creed. The episode additions starting with the last seven episodes of season 4.
Disclaimer: Paramount owns all...and probably have stock in a foam rubber factory too. We should all know by now this is not how they want the characters to behave...
The Fight has an advantage--I saw it after Think Tank, so I was able to bring in certain elements.
Janeway looked at the Doctor with a smile. "So, Chakotay is considered fit to return to duty?" She ignored her first officer's grunt behind her.
"Yes, Captain he is...If he would stop with his pugilistic program. And I thought Ensign Paris's Klingon exercise program was bad." He sighed. They both turned and looked at the commander lying on the bio-bed.
"Hey...He didn't lay a glove on me."
"And the gene?" Janeway continued with her conversation with the Doctor, ignoring Chakotay.
"I have been able to resuppress the gene with my superior medical knowledge." He looked at Janeway. "Commander Chakotay will need to come in on weekly basis until I am satisfied with his progress."
"Thank-you, Doctor," Janeway said. "I don't know what we would do without you."
The Doctor beamed at her comment. "Captain. I'll be in my office. Commander Chakotay, you are free to leave."
"About time..." He looked over toward Janeway. "You enjoyed that didn't you?"
"I just want to make sure you are all right." She waited until the Doctor shut the door to his office. "I missed you." She placed her hand on his chest. "Very much..." She leaned closer. "I missed your advice...your hands..." Her voice became softer and more sultry. "You still have twelve hours off...What were you planning to do?" Her hands were running over his uniform.
He gulped several times. "I...umm..." His hand grabbed one of hers. "I have an idea."
"Involving catching up on reports?" Her smile grew as he shook his head. She used her free hand to stroke his cheek. "Good. I've assigned myself to make sure you are properly rewarded for saving the ship..." She stepped away from him. "Computer, run transporter program Janeway two-alpha."
The Doctor shook his head as he watched them shimmer away.
#
Tom stared at the figurine B'Elanna was holding in disgust. "What is that thing anyway?"
She laughed. "It's Chakotay's...now anyway." She placed the statuette on the counter. "He loaned it to me when...well..." She sat down on the bed. "It was our good-luck piece in the Maquis."
"I never saw it." He studied it carefully, then sat down beside her.
"No...You weren't with us that long." She bit her lip to keep from crying. "Chakotay loaned it to me. To help me remember the good...Kurt found it at a flea market on Earth before he joined the Maquis. He said it was a figure of some god from ancient Meso-america." She smiled slightly. "On his first raid, the ship was captured...and well...the statue fell on the Cardie commander killing him..." She laughed at the story. "He escaped and...well...it became our mascot."
Tom laughed. "That sounds like a Kurt story...I can hear him telling it..."
B'Elanna nodded as she leaned into his arms. "I still can't believe they are all gone..."
"It wasn't your fault, Be...Even if you had been there..."
"I know, Tom...really I do. But..."
He stood and pulled her up. "Come..."
"Where?"
"The holodeck...You need to beat-up some demons." She hesitated a step before following him out of her quarters.
#
Harry leaned over slightly, blocking the Vulcan's view again. "See...there's this blip on the screen."
"I cannot see through your head, ensign."
Harry straightened quickly. "There." This time he just pointed.
"Curious. A ship?"
"Could be. It's been matching our movements for the past few hours. It could be a sensor shadow."
Tuvok read through the data and did the Vulcan equivalent of a frown. "Continue to monitor the situation. I shall inform the Captain of the situation."
#
Janeway stared at the astrometrics screen and muttered a few curses before turning her attention back to Seven. "Nothing?"
"There are several planets with minor deposits of dilithium in this sector."
"But not enough to warrant our effort."
"That is correct, Captain. I have started a survey of the next sector."
"Very good, Seven. Keep me informed." It had been an afternoon of dismal news. After leaving the region of chaotic space the other day, the relative good mood had been tempered by some disturbing new information. The chronic supply shortage and the mysterious ship that apparently was shadowing them. She had a headache.
Still she smiled. The morning activities had at least been pleasurable.
#
Chakotay held the akoonah in his hands and stared at it. It had been many years since he'd thought of his grandfather--and of that day long ago, when the crazy old man had taken off to find where his spirit lived.
He'd been twelve at the time and responsible for *babysitting* his grandfather. He'd hated the chore...like he'd disliked so much of his life--at the time.
He placed the device on the ground and started the chant. Perhaps after three decades it was time.
"Forgive me grandfather." He said as he entered the spirit world.
"For what, my grandson?" The old man stood on hill staring at the stars.
"If I had followed you that day..."
The old man turned to face Chakotay. "The world is full of ifs. It was my time, if you had been with me that day, it would have happened anyway." He placed his hand over Chakotay's heart. "I am here..." The vision swirled and vanished.
Chakotay stared at the akoonah for a minute, then carefully put his sacred objects away.
Chakotay had to laugh as he described the scene in sick-bay to B'Elanna. She just shook her head. "Now there is a problem truly worthy of great intellect."
"What?" He asked.
"Just what does it take to make a Vulcan laugh." They both chuckled. "Do you think they survived?" B'Elanna asked. The mood sombered quickly.
"Probably." Chakotay looked out the window. "We may have made an enemy."
"We've made plenty of those." B'Elanna moved to stand beside him. "It's incredible just how many. Sometimes I wonder just how the Hell did we make it this far."
"Luck, great engineering, good brains, fast thinking, fast talking..." He pointed at a grotesque figurine. "You forget..."
"Our good luck piece." B'Elanna reached out and touched the black stone carving of some ancient Olmec god. "It's not even original."
"It's over a hundred years old." Chakotay tried to sound insulted, but he chuckled slightly. "Yes, I know...It's a copy of something over a thousand years old."
"But he's seen us through a lot." She paused. "He was on the list."
"I know." Chakotay glanced at the carving then out the window. "Kathryn told me...The list seemed so simple."
"Until we got to Seven." She paused. "A year ago I would have flown her over to the tank personally. Now..."
"A year ago there would have been a line of volunteers to pilot that ship...Myself included."
"She's been...useful. There are just times I don't understand her at all."
"I know. Sometimes I think Naomi and Kathryn are the only ones who do understand her." Chakotay smiled. Describing how Seven fit into the crew could be difficult at the best of times.
B'Elanna smiled. "You may be right. I have a question on another subject."
"Sure. What?"
"Does the Captain know you call her Kathryn?" She smiled wickedly at him. "I've got a date. See you at the morning briefing."
#
Jenny rolled over and looked at her sister. "I thought these guys were supposed to be smart?"
"Very smart. But apparently not culinary experts." Megan sat down on the light lavender chair. "I was telling Susan that we should have left the recipe and the primary ingredient with them."
"That would have violated some law...Poisoning aliens or some such thing." Jenny giggled. "They would have been doing us a favor."
"Taking our leola root supplies," both said while laughing.
Jenny sat up on the bed and pushed the pillows up behind her back. "I still can't believe what they did."
Megan smiled. "It's a major topic of discussion. Outside of the rumors about a certain high-ranking couple that is." She laughed. "The pool is now at even odds that they are."
"Poor Tom..."
"He's not the only one with a pool..."
"I know." Megan stood and walked over to their window. "It's been a long time. There are times when I'd like to see the same stars for more than a few days." Jenny walked over to her sister and place a hand on her shoulder.
"I dream of Earth--but not like I used to."
"We've passed so many Class-M planets, where we could..." Megan bit her lip.
"And lose our dream?" Jenny pulled her sister into her arms. "We've all thought about it."
"And the Think Tank...We could have asked them..."
This time I don't think it was another missed opportunity. The price they would have charged would have been too high..." Jenny smiled sadly. "Anyway, I want to get home on our own ingenuity. I don't know...but it just seems important somehow."
Megan pointed to a star. "Polaris. I know the names of the stars, the same ones we see from Earth. Yet..."
"Yet...I know, Meg...I know."
#
The Doctor leaned back in the carseat and stared out over the Martian horizon. It had been nearly three years since he last saw her. He didn't think about her like he used to. In fact he'd hadn't thought about her for several months. Funny thing that.
But when the Captain had told him about the Vidiians he had thought about her--a lot. And wondered if Denara Pel had been one of the survivors. He hoped so. He'd seen what the phage could do the body and the mind.
"Here's to you--" he whispered. "--Denara. Live long and prosper." He waited a few minutes. "Computer end program." It blinked out of existence.
#
Janeway entered a few more numbers into the PADD then stared at it as it calculated the answer. Her frown deepened. "Damn..."
"Captain?"
She looked up quickly. "Oh. Commander Tuvok. Is there a problem?"
"No, Captain, except it is now two hours since your shift has ended. I was concerned that perhaps you'd had an accident."
She barely shook her head. "I was wondering how the Think Tank traveled. They traveled from Vidiian space to here in the same amount of time, without the help of...Kes and the slipstream technology." She looked down at the PADD. "I had an idea..."
"Captain Janeway, I believe Commander Chakotay and the Doctor are correct in their concern for you. If you do not stop work now and get some sleep, I shall use force."
Her eyes opened wide. "A neck pinch?"
"No Captain, I shall contact the Doctor." He reached out and took the PADD. "The problem will still be here in the morning. Not working on it will not cause the ship to breakdown." He started to turn. "Good night, Captain."
Kathryn watched him leave--with her PADD. "Oh well, it wasn't working anyway." She'd give the problem to Seven.
Seven. She wondered just what Seven was thinking right now. If the former Borg truly understood what she'd given up. Or exactly what she'd kept.