Star Trek Voyager: Frontiers of Exile

Star Trek Voyager: Frontiers of Exile (Chapter 5)

Seven felt her heart quicken in anxiety for a split second as she woke to find that Chakotay was no longer beside her in bed, but her worries were banished as the familiar soft tones of his voice reached and caressed her ears. A small smile of relief settled on her lips as she recognised, without fully understanding, the words he intoned. He was praying. Slowly, she twisted around to watch him; easily finding the outline of his tall, muscular frame crouched on the floor even in the dim grey light of early morning. She kept still, her eyes fixed on him as she drew her own calm and reassurance from watching him seek his. She had, from the earliest stage of their relationship, rapidly become loathe to interfere with or even accidently interrupt him while he sought spiritual guidance. It would’ve perhaps shocked strangers, or even Voyager crewmembers who still remembered her as a completely desensitised drone, ignorant of everything from insults to compassion, that she had gained so much respect for spirituality, but she for one was glad of it. It wasn’t that she had lost her belief and trust in science, far from it, but in finally opening her heart to all emotions she’d learned to accept that relying on bare facts alone brought neither comfort nor a sense of purpose. By “soul searching” in the way his beloved father had taught him, Seven knew he could find the strength and courage he’d need for what they were going to pursue, and with him at her side she knew she could find those too whether she prayed or not.

Right now though, she didn’t feel the need to analyse their motivations for anything. She was content to just let the melodic tones of Chakotay’s native tongue flow over her, his rich voice lost all of the constraints of the harsh notes of English and had a soothing effect on Seven, almost like a lullaby. A deep sigh from Chakotay broke the spell though and it took a few seconds for him to remember where he was. It hadn’t been a full vision quest, he hadn’t wanted to have to dissect one of those today, but what he had seen in the quiet of his mind had unsettled him. Darkness intermingled with light, mirroring his own confusion about the path he was about to take, but his hope and self-belief had also grown during the hour of contemplation. As his full attention returned to the familiar bedroom he found that it was Seven’s words from the night before, rather than the wisdom passed down through his forefathers, which repeated again and again in his mind, “You want to help these people”. None of his inner debates about risk and right and wrong held a candle to that point and he wouldn’t want them to. He smiled to himself as he began to stand up; Seven certainly had an unnerving knack for getting to the crux of an argument. It was a trait that would serve her well in life and hopefully himself as well.

He turned as he stood to see Seven’s eyes, the pale blue of a cloudless sky, focused on him entirely and felt a real smile break across his face. “How long have you been there?” he asked softly.

Seven quirked an eyebrow in amusement, “In this bed?” she asked wryly, “All night, as you should know.”

Chakotay chuckled as his padded quickly over the carpet to return to her, “Oh, I do remember now…” He teased as he reached her and put his warm hands firmly around her slim waist, “How could I forget?”

Seven smirked as he leaned in for a kiss but tightened her hand on his shoulders as they broke apart and she peered into his face in concern, her gaze serious. “Do you feel better now?” she murmured.

“Much better.” He assured her, fondly brushing her cheek with his fingers. “Actually I feel ready, amped up, almost as if I’m prepping a boxing match.” This was true, now that he’d settled on a decision his body felt wired with nervous energy.

“If you feel in need of physical activity I would be happy to help you.” Seven said earnestly, her smile becoming sheepish, “I will study the rules of boxing in more detail this time.”

Chakotay chuckled heartily at the memory. On one of their more adventurous dates, he’d decided to show Seven how to do the basics of his favourite sport, an opportunity she’d jumped at, but at one point she’d taken the core objective of knocking a person to the floor a little too literally and rather than deflect his punch had flipped him over her shoulder like a sack of flour. His pride had been mildly bruised as well as his back, but at least he’d never need to worry about his wife’s ability to defend herself. “Well, I should have known better than challenge a Tsunkatse champion!”

“True.” Seven agreed with a laugh of her own even as she blushed, “I seem to have unconsciously retained those instincts…” She looked at Chakotay guiltily but he hugged her tightly in response, still laughing.

“There’s nothing wrong with that! Besides, it made a great anecdote at the wedding.” His lips twisted wryly, “Even if I did get a lecture from the Doctor about introducing you to “barbarism” as he calls it…” Chakotay snorted, making Seven giggle.

“What the Doctor doesn’t realise is that I’m much less barbaric than when you both met me.” Seven replied, her tone soft and light-hearted but her eyes regretful.

Chakotay immediately cupped both of his hands tightly around her face, gently lifting it up towards his to meet her eyes forcefully. “That’s not true.” He told her firmly, “You were never barbaric Seven, and now you’re one of the most humane people I’ve ever met.” He whispered these last words fervently and Seven let her body curl against his for a quiet minute or so before she kissed the sensitive spot in the crook of his neck gratefully and pulled back with a sigh.

“Even so, I think we will need to prepare ourselves for a battle of sorts when we meet with Admiral Keralova.” She finally said with quiet seriousness.

“Definitely.” Chakotay agreed, “Anyone who can rile Kathryn Janeway like she apparently did is better to be approached with caution.”

Seven nodded and with new focus in her eyes slipped reluctantly out of Chakotay’s arms and off the bed. “In that case, we should get ready to go to Starfleet Headquarters.”

A/n: PLEASE REVIEW! :D