Series: From A - Z
Part: 11
Title: Knowledge
Author: Chuckles
Feedback: chuckles_cpfic@hotmail.com
Pairing: C/P
Disclaimer: Paramount's, not mine!
Summary: A reprimand and a surprise.
Janeway walked slowly across her quarters, her fury just barely under
control. She stopped in front of her two silent officers, and looked
Chakotay squarely in the eye."Just what the hell were you two thinking?" she angrily asked the First
Officer. "I've never been so embarrassed in my entire life! There I was
giving our guests a tour of the ship, hoping that it would placate them
enough to allow us to keep the supplies we collected, and what do I find?
Two of my senior officers having sex on the floor of an unlocked holodeck! I
want an explanation, and I want it now!""I'm sorry for the embarrassment that we caused you, Captain, but it wasn't
intentional. And I must admit it wasn't the way I expected you to find out
about the relationship between myself and Tom" Chakotay replied calmly."I already knew about that" Janeway remarked curtly. "You told me yourself.
Don't you remember?""No, I don't" Chakotay replied with a puzzled look. "When did I tell you?"
"In sickbay, when you contacted me through the computer. You told me that
you were in love with Tom. But that's not the issue here. I want to know why
you felt it necessary to be intimate with each other in a public place.
That's not the sort of behaviour I expect from either of you""No, it isn't, but we weren't expecting anyone to walk in on us. We
initiated a privacy lock, but it obviously disengaged without us being aware
of it. We wouldn't intentionally put ourselves on display""Then how do you explain this?" Janeway said, gesturing towards her computer
terminal, where the poorly defined visual recording that Seven had supplied
was continually replaying. "The two of you appear to be in a rather
compromising position, wouldn't you say?"Chakotay and Tom moved to the terminal, and stood in shocked silence as they
gazed at the image of themselves sitting in the Commander's chair.
Fortunately for all concerned, Seven had only managed to retrieve the
beginning of their activities, and both men were still fully clothed.Chakotay glanced at Tom, and a look of relief passed between them as they
communicated silently and without Janeway's awareness./ That was a close call, Cha /
// Yes, but we now have to add Seven to the list of people that know of our
relationship /// That still only makes three, but we'll talk about it later. Right now I
think the Captain expects an explanation from you /// Yes, I think she does //
"Well? What have you got to say about that?" Janeway asked, looking from one
man to the other.Chakotay faced the Captain, and looked her in the eye as he spoke.
"You have to understand, Captain, that we had no idea what had happened at
that point. The entire experience of seeming invisible to the crew was very
unnerving for both of us. We were just trying to reassure each other that we
existed. We believed that we couldn't be seen, so assumed that our intimacy
wouldn't offend anyone. I'm sorry that we were proven wrong"Janeway's anger cooled a little, as she conceded that neither indiscretion
had been intentional, but she was still far from pleased."I accept what you say about the bridge incident, but your carelessness in
checking the holodeck's privacy lock will most probably result in us having
to return the supplies. That's something we could definitely have done
without""I understand that, Captain, and I'm sorry. If there is anything that Tom
and I can do to rectify the situation, then you know that we'll do whatever
it takes" Chakotay answered apologetically."Well, I appreciate the offer, Commander, but I think you and Mr. Paris have
done more than enough already" Janeway stated. "But anyway" she continued,
looking Chakotay up and down. "You're obviously back to full health now, so
I'll see you on the bridge tomorrow. Both of you" she added, turning her
gaze on Tom. "And in your own chairs. Dismissed"Janeway turned her back on the two men, and went to turn off her terminal.
Chakotay and Tom left without a word.Once they were in the corridor, and the door to Janeway's quarters had
closed behind them, Tom finally let out the breath that he'd been holding."You handled that really well, Cha" he said with admiration. "I know I
wasn't much use, but if I'd opened my mouth I'd have probably put both feet
in it""Don't put yourself down, Tom, you would have done just as well" Chakotay
stated, as they walked away from the Captain's cabin."You say the nicest things, Chakotay" Tom grinned. "But they're not always
true. You're a better diplomat than I am, and you know it""Maybe, maybe not. What I do know though, is that we're both in need of a
shower. I suggest we do that, then go and get something to eat""Okay. Do we shower at your place, or mine?" Tom asked with a cheeky smile.
"You're incorrigible, Tom Paris" Chakotay stated with a laugh. "And I love
you" he added quietly."So, your place then"
"Yeah"
---------------------------
---------------------------"Hi, Neelix"
"Ah, Mr. Kim, now what can I get for you this evening?" the Talaxian asked
as he put down the pot he was carrying and greeted the Ensign. "Would you
like to try tonight's special dish? It's very nutritious. Of course, it
would've been even better if I could've used some of the roots that are on
the shuttle....""I'm sure it's fine, Neelix" Harry interrupted as the other man threatened
to go on at length. "By the way, has Tom been in yet?" he asked, picking up
a bread roll to go with the meal that Neelix was dishing out."No, he hasn't. Perhaps he's still on the holodeck with the Commander.
Although, come to think of it, he probably isn't. It must be almost two
hours ago that Tom was seen going in there..""Hold on, Neelix. Who saw Tom go into the holodeck, and how do you know the
Commander was there too?""Well, I don't think I ought to divulge names, but I have it on good
authority that the Commander entered the holodeck first, and after Tom
arrived there was a privacy lock put on the door. Now why they would want a
privacy lock, I have no idea, but it does seem a little odd, doesn't it? But
here they come now.... perhaps you could ask them yourself" Neelix said
cheerily as he nodded towards the mess hall door.Tom and Chakotay entered and, oblivious to the scrutiny of Harry and Neelix,
made their way to a table on the opposite side of the room. Harry watched as
Chakotay took a seat and smiled up at Tom. The two men shared a short
conversation, before Tom crossed to the food counter and finally noticed
Harry."Hi, Harry" Tom said with a smile. "Neelix - you're back on duty quickly. I
thought the Captain would've given you the night off. I mean, we only got
back from our mission a few hours ago""Oh, she did say I didn't need to work tonight, Tom, but I wanted to. I was
hoping to try out some new recipes with the food we brought back; such a
shame that we might not be able to keep it after all""Yeah" Tom agreed quietly.
"So, how did the mission go, Tom?" Harry asked as Tom surveyed the meal
choices."Pretty routine - nothing out of the ordinary" Tom answered distractedly.
"Nothing remarkable about the planet then?"
"No. Should there be?" Tom answered, frowning at Harry.
"I was just wondering what makes it so sacred to the Derzai and the Dergaj"
Harry replied. "How about telling me all about it over our meals?"Tom was silent a moment before responding to Harry's suggestion. "Yeah,
okay" he said with a smile. "Chakotay and I are sitting over there; go grab
a seat""Oh. I thought we'd have a table to ourselves, Tom. We haven't had a proper
chat for ages" Harry answered with disappointment."I'm sorry, Harry, but I promised Chakotay that I'd sit with him. He won't
mind you joining us y'know. Come over, and we'll arrange to do something
together another time, okay?""Yeah, okay" Harry agreed reluctantly.
"Good. You go and sit down and I'll join you in a minute" Tom said before
turning to Neelix.Harry wandered across to Chakotay's table, leaving Tom to order his food.
Chakotay smiled at the ensign as he approached."Have a seat" he said, pointing to the chair opposite him.
"Thanks, Commander" Harry replied, placing his meal on the table and
sitting. "Tom said you wouldn't mind if I joined you both""And I don't" Chakotay confirmed. He was about to continue when Tom arrived
at the table, carrying two plates of food."There you go, Sir" Tom said with a smile as he placed one plate in front of
Chakotay. "I hope that meets with your satisfaction""It's exactly what I wanted, Lieutenant" Chakotay grinned. "However did you
know?"/ That would be telling now wouldn't it , Cha? /
// Yes, it would //
Tom took his seat next to Chakotay, as Harry sat baffled by the two men's
interaction. He was perplexed by how friendly they appeared to be lately,
but decided to put it down to their recent unusual experiences"So, Tom. I've got some holodeck time booked for tomorrow - how about
joining me?" Harry asked."Yeah, sure. What time?" Tom enquired before tucking in to his food.
"19.00hrs. Are you free then?"
"I should be. What program are you gonna run?"
Harry was about to reply, but the chirping of Chakotay's comm badge stopped
him."Janeway to Chakotay" came the hail.
"Chakotay here, Captain. What can I do for you?"
"I need to see you straight away. I presume you still have Mr. Paris in
tow?""He's here, yes"
"Good, then I'll see you both in my ready room immediately. Janeway out"
"I wonder what we've done now?" Tom said, turning to look at Chakotay. "She
still sounds annoyed""Yes, she does, so I suggest we get to the ready room before she gets any
worse" Chakotay replied, rising."Yeah" Tom agreed. He turned to look at Harry, who sat with an expression of
curiosity on his face. "Sorry, Harry" Tom apologised as he stood up. "I'll
see you tomorrow, okay?""Yeah, sure Tom. 19.00hrs, don't forget"
"I won't" Tom assured him.
Chakotay and Tom disposed of their virtually untouched meals and left
quickly. A few minutes later, they were entering the ready room to find
Janeway still looking displeased with them."Have a seat, gentlemen" she said. "Our guests will be here shortly"
"Guests?" Chakotay enquired.
"Yes, the ones I was showing around earlier - Zay and Azai. They contacted
me a short while ago to arrange a meeting. Apparently your holodeck display
has been reported to the other Derzai - that's their equivalent of Holy Men
- and Azai wishes to speak to you two about it. He is also Derzai, and he
insists that their laws regarding incidents like these are carried out""Did he say what their laws entail?"
"No, all he said was that something of this nature is taken very seriously.
I presume there will be some kind of penalty to pay, and the supplies will
probably be part of it""We're very sorry, Captain. If we could change what happened we would, I
hope you know that""Yes, I do, Chakotay. But you'll understand it when I say I'm very
disappointed in both of you. Although we can stretch what supplies we have,
it would have made life a little easier if we didn't have to"Before Chakotay could respond, the door chime sounded. At Janeway's command
to enter, Tuvok appeared accompanied by the two aliens."Azai, Zay, welcome" Janeway greeted her guests. "Thank you, Tuvok" she
said, turning to the Vulcan and dismissing him.As the door closed behind Tuvok, Janeway gestured towards two chairs.
"Please be seated" she said to Azai and Zay."Thank you, Captain" Zay replied, as they sat down. He turned to Chakotay
and Tom then. "You are the two that we saw" he stated."Yes, we are" Chakotay confirmed. "I am Commander Chakotay, and this is
Lieutenant Tom Paris" he said, nodding towards Tom. "We wish to apologise
for any embarrassment that we caused you earlier; I assure you it wasn't
intentional""Why would we be embarrassed?" Azai asked. "There was nothing in your
display that would have caused that. Your performance was excellent and we
wish to thank you for that""You do?" Janeway asked incredulously.
"Yes, Captain" Azai said, turning to the Captain. "Your men honoured us
greatly, and according to our laws should be rewarded""I'm not sure that I understand, Azai. I thought you were upset by my
officer's actions?""On the contrary, Captain. When we first encountered your ship, we did not
realise that your species was so similar to the Dergaj; and that some of
your kind are as different from you as I am to Zay. To witness the moment
when two that share this difference complete their bond is an honour and a
blessing"Azai turned his attention back to Chakotay and Tom and looked at them
appreciatively. "Thank you for allowing us to witness such a special moment"
he said, rising. "For the honour that you granted us, I am obliged by our
law to give you the gift of knowledge, and would be further honoured if you
would accept it""What form does this gift take, Azai?" Chakotay enquired as the alien moved
to stand between him and Tom. "Do we have to do anything?""Just open your minds and allow me to place the gift within. It is not
dangerous, I assure you""Captain?" Chakotay said, looking across at Janeway.
"I leave the decision to the two of you, Commander" Janeway replied. "If you
are unsure about accepting, then don't; I'm sure our guests will understand"// Tom? //
/ Let's do it, Cha. Perhaps they'll let us keep the supplies as well then. /
Chakotay looked at Azai and smiled. "Thank you for your offer; we accept
gladly" he said."Then I give you knowledge" Azai said, and placed his hands on the two men's
shoulders.
TBC