The Counter-Maneuver
By Elorie Alton
Rating NC-17
Summary: Seska’s "Maneuvers" in season two were too obvious to make certain aspects of "Basics" believable. In this AU her maneuvers are answered.
Disclaimer: All Voyager characters are the property of Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended.
Part One – New Earth
Chakotay sat studying the computer terminal screen in front of him. After a few moments he leaned in to input one last item in the program.
"There, Kathryn. Lets see what you think about this." Smiling, he headed for the door.
He stepped outside to see his perfect Starfleet Captain stretched out on the ground. She was digging in the dirt with her hands, her trusty cup of coffee at her side. The late afternoon sun sent long shadows over her.
He paused for a moment admiring her. Her softly braided red hair hung down her back and she was wearing his favorite blue dress.
"How are they coming?" he called out to her as he walked over to her side and sat down beside her.
"Very nicely," she said as she wiped her hands together, rubbing the dirt from them. "We should have vine-ripened Talaxian tomatoes in a couple of months, unless this planet has the equivalent of tomato bugs." Kathryn took a long drink of her coffee. "Ugh. They’re awful."
She smiled up at him. Her blue gray eyes flashed happiness and a hint of something else. She seemed more relaxed, and more at peace with herself. He had been seeing that look a lot lately, since the plasma storm: a look of genuine affection. He thought that maybe their relationship was moving to a different level. He certainly hoped so.
"I would never thought of you as a gardener." He smiled.
"I grew up around farmers. My parents insisted we learn some basic gardening skills."
"Did you hate that as much as camping?" he asked, remembering her earlier confession.
"Of course! Who wanted to muck around in the dirt when you could be studying quantum mechanics?" She smiled at his laughter as she once again started to wipe the dirt from her hands. Then she softly sighed "But I find it very satisfying now watching the seeds sprout and grow."
She flashed him that look again. "Yes", he thought, "Something is changing." He had hope for their future, such as it was. They might be stranded here but at least they would be together.
"If your tomatoes can spare you for a minute, I’d like your opinion on something in the house." Chakotay stood.
Kathryn stretched up getting her feet and arms under her, pushing up from the ground and standing beside him. "You come to the right person. I always have an opinion!"
"Really!" He chuckled as they both turned to walk in the house.
Inside, Chakotay turned the terminal so Kathryn could see the display. She walked over wiping the dirt from her hands with a small towel. The image on the screen was a simple boat design, slowly turning so it could be seen from all sides.
"What do you think?" He asked smiling hopefully.
Kathryn stopped wiping her hands and gestured at the screen, happiness in her eyes. "A boat!"
"You said you wanted to explore the river. I think I could build this."
"We could go on a camping trip." The prospect brought an unexpected longing to her. "Maybe that would be the right time." She thought.
"I’m not sure we could fit the bathtub in the boat." His pleasure mirroring Kathryn’s. "Maybe that would be the right time." He thought.
"That’s all right, I’ll have the river." Kathryn laughed.
Suddenly a low static sounded and a voice could be heard.
"To Captain Janeway, do you read me."
"Do you hear that?" Kathryn asked Chakotay, praying that he hadn’t. That the sound had been her imagination.
"Yes," was all he said. He walked across the room, and collected their combadges from the shelf. He turned back laying them on the table before Kathryn. She gingerly picked her badge up. Her lips thinned slightly and her skin paled.
"To Captain Janeway, do you read me, this is Tuvok calling Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay, please respond."
Kathryn took a breath and swallowed. "This is Janeway."
"Captain, it is good to hear your voice, we have news."
"What is it."
"We have medicine which we believe will effectively treat your condition. We plan to be in orbit within thirty hours."
Suddenly Kathryn felt as if walls were caving in on her, a trap closing, and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. She looked up at Chakotay seeing all the regret that she now felt reflected back at her in his dark eyes. She wanted to scream no, to tell Tuvok to leave them alone. All she could think was not now! "NOT NOW!"
She quickly stood, knocking her chair over, and ran out of the house heading down towards the river.
Chakotay was stunned; this was the last thing he had expected from Kathryn. The emotions flashing from her eyes conferred regret certainly, but also loss, fear, and a lot of anger, confusing him.
"We will expect to hear from you then, Tuvok." He hoped that he was covering for Kathryn. "Chakotay out." Then he left the house hurrying to search for her.
=^=
He caught sight of her ahead of him. She was running blindly, and he sped up wanting to catch her before she hurt herself. Almost at that thought she caught her foot on a tree root and went tumbling. When Chakotay reached her she was laying still on her stomach, her dress twisted about her body, her face buried in her hands, her breath ragged. She was taking in air in great gulps.
"Kathryn" Chakotay softly called to her, rolling her over and pulling her up into his arms. He could tell she was on the edge of hyperventilation.
"Kathryn, what’s the matter? Calm down, Voyager is coming to get us. Aren’t you happy? Kathryn, talk to me," His voice calming her, gently rubbing his hands up and down her back.
"I can’t do that again. I can’t live like that again, alone. I can’t do it. I can’t breathe, she’s suffocating me." Tears begin to form in Kathryn’s eyes and roll slowly down her cheeks. She looked up at Chakotay, but she didn’t see him.
Chakotay could see that she wasn’t here. She was in some place of torment, and it tore at him. He held her close, and continued to rub her back, murmuring quite calming words.
Slowly her breath evened out, and she seemed to come back to herself. She looked up at Chakotay again, this time actually seeing him. Kathryn didn’t pull away from him, as he half way expected, in fact she put her arms around him and moved closer, her face buried in his chest.
"I can’t go back. I can’t be captain again. I can’t. I’ll die, she’ll suffocate me. She’ll kill me! Oh, Chakotay, I love you, she’ll make me give you up, I’ll die and only the Captain will be left."
Chakotay’s eyes closed for a moment. He gave a small prayer of thanks to the sprits, that he had finally heard her say these words. He had been attracted to Captain Janeway from the beginning of their voyage. He harbored a burning desire after seeing her in only a towel, damp from her bath. Now, somewhere between the plasma storm and just day to day living, the Captain had retreated. Kathryn had emerged and Chakotay had fallen in love.
"Kathryn, you’re not alone. We’ll work this out. Let’s go back to the cabin, we will decide what to do. We have time. You know that I care for you too. Everything will be ok."
Kathryn let Chakotay help her up, untwisting her dress in the process. He pulled her close to him, almost holding her up, and they slowly walked back to the house.
Kathryn let him lead her, leaning into him, softly crying.
When they neared the cabin Chakotay stopped, slowly sinking down on the ground in the clearing they had made. He leaned his back against a large tree trunk and let Kathryn relax against his chest. He slowly begin to rub her back as she continued to cry softly.
"Come on Kathryn, sweetheart, let it all out. Tell me everything, it will be ok, we’ll work it out, but you have to talk to me. Who is She?"
Kathryn tilted her head up at him, her mouth giving a week smile, tears slowly traveling down her face. "Oh I don’t really know, the fates, the powers that be, Captain Janeway. I understand that she is a part me, but she keeps me alone and all I know is that I cannot live that way again. Chakotay, tell me how you feel about me, really feel? The Angry Warrior Legend is beautiful, and I hope that it means that you care for me. Tell me."
"Kathryn, I love you, as simple and as complex as that."
She sighed, and closed her eyes, her head resting on his chest. "I love you too. So much of this is emotional; let me see if I can explain it to you.
"There have been three times in my life that someone has frightened me. That even the possibility of a relationship with that person frightened me so, I wanted to run and hide. There was you, and before that Justin Tighe."
"And Mark Johnson," he finished for her.
"No, Mark never frightened me. We were old friends. We were comfortable, but no, he never frightened me."
"The first time was while I was in the Academy. My roommate fixed me up on a blind date. His name was Wil Riker, and I ended that evening as fast as I could. All I knew was that there was something overpowering about him, and I had to leave. He must have thought I was crazy!
"I’ve told you a little about Justin. That relationship surprised me. I was already into it when the fear kicked in and it was too late. He wouldn’t let me retreat. Mark was safe, no fear. I do love him, but I know now that it was a safe love. In any case, I know that it’s over. Too much time has passed and we’ve grown apart. I have realized lately that he is and always will be a friend, but what ever we had, whatever could have been is gone.
"With you, I was frightened immediately. You kept me off balance, the love crept in anyway, and I couldn’t stop it. I told myself about protocol and Mark waiting in the Alpha Quadrant. None of it did any good, and then you told me about the crew pairing up, and that part about needing replacement crew in about thirty years, really got to me. I started to think about children, and babies, my babies.
"There is one thing about Justin that I haven’t told you about. I was pregnant when the accident occurred. I not only lost my love and my father but I also lost my son. I’ve learned to live with the loss and move on with my life but I don’t think that I’ll ever completely get over it.
"When the Caretaker pulled us here, I thought for a while that I would force the fates to get us back. I just couldn’t believe that they would leave me alone again. I wanted to scream at someone, anyone that it wasn’t fair that Mark was so far away, and here I was with you, and what I was feeling for you scared me all the way down to my toes.
"I made a promise to our crew and myself that I would get us home, and tried to push what I felt for you away. I thought that if I let myself, I would drown in you. I had to get us home and you would be too much of a distraction. Then we got stuck here. After that plasma storm destroyed everything, I started to feel free, and it felt so good, I started to dream again and I dreamed of children, our children. Beautiful little dark headed girls and boys, and I felt the life come back into me. It felt so good and now it’s gone. What am I going to do?" She turned her face into his chest and quietly sobbed.
Chakotay drew in a quite breath, stroked Kathryn’s back slowly and said, "Well I can tell you one thing; if we are to have children - and believe me I want to give you children - then we have to go back. You haven’t thought this all the way through. We can have each other here and a pretty good life but we cannot have children. Could you really conceive a child knowing that you would eventually leave that child alone?"
"No," Kathryn sobbed brokenheartedly her face still pressed into his chest.
"Then we will go back, but we will be together and when the time is right we will have children."
"But what about Starfleet?"
"What about Starfleet, Kathryn? Their rules and protocols didn’t stop you from making the Maquis a part of your crew, making me your first officer. They are seventy years away, what can they do to us? Hell, Kathryn, by the time we get back they won’t even care. I told you that I refused to give up today for a tomorrow that might not happen; a tomorrow that is so far away that nobody will even care.
"Starfleet’s rules and protocols don’t necessarily fit here. We have to make our own rules, and the first rule is that we have to have a life, we are owed a life, and starting now we have a life Kathryn, with each other. She, whoever she is, will have to step aside, we deserve this. I love you and I want you and I cannot spend another minute without you." He tilted her face up to him brushing her hair with his lips.
"I don’t know how this is going to work, but I won’t fight our love anymore, because I can’t stand being alone anymore." She looked up at him as his lips softly claimed hers. She breathed a sigh of relief, slid her arms up around his shoulders, and ran her fingers through his hair.
Chakotay felt her relax into his arms and he deepened the kiss. His mind focused inward until all he was aware of was her lips on his, and the softness of her body pressed against him
He broke the kiss and pulled back, looking into her blue eyes seeing her longing, love, and desire shine out, rejoicing in the disappearance of the anger and fear.
Kathryn returned his gaze, looking into his deep brown eyes and saw love, tenderness, and his desire for her. She knew that she was safe, the fear was gone. She still didn’t know what exactly they would do, but she did know it would be together, and she would not be alone again.
Chakotay stood pulling Kathryn up with him. He picked her up and cuddling her close carried her into the cabin, into his room and gently laid her on his bed, his eyes asking, her eyes answering. They would begin their new life here in this place.
Their mouths met, soft lips melting together, opening, and releasing tongues that danced together. Their eyes closed, their mouths savoring the feel and the taste of each other.
He caressed her calf with his hand slowly stroking up past her knee, taking the hem of her dress up her thigh. He wanted so much to take this slow and gently, treating their first time together as a reverent beginning, but his desire was building rapidly and he didn’t know how he would last.
Suddenly Kathryn sat up, pushing Chakotay back. He opened his eyes to see his burning desire reflected back at him from her eyes.
With a groan from deep inside her, she took hold of her dress and pulled it up and over her head, and began to desperately remove her underwear and sandals. It only took Chakotay seconds to see what was happening and he answered Kathryn with his own groan pulling his shirt and vest off at the same time and quickly sweeping his pants, underwear, and boots next.
In moments they were back on his bed, side by side, mouths locked together, arms around each other. Kathryn’s leg was draped high over Chakotay’s hip. They both knew that this first time would not be a slow virginal seduction, but the powerful passion of two people who knew exactly what they wanted. They were two desperately thirsty people wandering in a desert, suddenly seeing an oasis, and knowing that only now could they drink their fill.
Kathryn moaned quietly as Chakotay shifted over her, his fingers brushing against her body, and his tongue tracing down between her breasts. He looked up into her eyes, seeing the arousal that burned deep within her. His fingers swept down stroking between her legs, up against her hot core. He found her wet and ready for him.
She reached down to softly stroke him, his sex hard and ready for her. Her only words to him were a keening cry. "Now, oh please now!"
He shuddered, his whole being now concentrated on control. He moved completely over her and quickly buried himself deeply within the warmth of Kathryn.
She moved her knees up and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him deeper within her, wanting all of him, wanted to press him entirely into her, needing him there. Her mind singing as higher and higher her soul soared.
He gave her all of him, pulling out and then pushing deeper and deeper wanting nothing more than to drown in her, pushing his hand under her hips, lifting her to him, wanting her, all of her, needing her there. His whispers were in rhythm with hers, and his soul rose up too, connecting with hers, binding them together forever.
She came hard, her hips trembling, holding herself firmly to him, her vaginal muscles clenching tight around him. It was enough to send him flying after her as he pushed deep one last time and spilled his seed, groaning out his release.
They began the slow spiral down together. Chakotay rolled to his side pulling Kathryn with him, his face in her hair. He began to whisper love words to her as she whispered back to him.
Kathryn looked up into his velvet eyes, as Chakotay gazed down into azure blue, both seeing and reveling in the simple joy found there. Both knew that they were home, no matter where in the galaxy they were, and both were delighted to be there.
As the world slowly returned to them, they realized that the day was done and twilight was settling down around them, and their sweaty bodies began to cool.
"You know what we need?" Kathryn softly laughed. "A bath. Do you think that my tub is big enough for two?"
He grinned back at her, "Yes, that thought occurred to me while I was building it!"
=^=
Later in the quiet darkness they sat together in Kathryn’s tub, the water running in rivulets down their bodies as they slowly washed, stroked, and pleasured, knowing that soon they would come together again before sleeping. Their content was a quiet joy.
Each knew that tomorrow they would get ready to return to Voyager. Once again they would take up their journey, but this time together.
=^=
Kathryn looked over at Chakotay as he piloted the shuttlecraft away from the planet they had called home for several weeks, returning to Voyager, in orbit above them. She sought his eyes and held them with her own long enough to see his assurance and love. She reflected the same back to him, then took a deep breath, and opened the comlink to Voyager.
"Voyager, this is the McCool. We have a visual on you and are on approach, open the shuttle bay doors."
"This is Voyager, McCool. The bay doors are open, and the force field has been modified to allow your entry. Welcome home Captain Janeway, welcome home Commander Chakotay." Harry answered. "We have beamed aboard the supplies and equipment from the planet. Do you want me to beam your personal baggage to your quarters?"
"No, we packed so fast that things are pretty jumbled up, and the Commander and I will have to sort things out before we know what goes where" the Captain laughed. "And Harry, it’s good to hear your voice." She cut the comlink.
"I’ll meet you back here at the end of the shift, and we can decide where everything goes" Kathryn laughed looking back at the cumbersome bathtub in the rear of the shuttle.
"I cannot believe that you would bring that along." He smiled at her.
"And I cannot believe that you would even think about leaving the best present I ever got. Besides how could we leave behind an artifact like that! You know the directives against compromising primitive environments. I couldn’t stand to destroy it. It will be ok, we’ll put it in the corner of one of the cargo bays," she said as the shuttle entered the bay and set down on the deck.
Kathryn placed her small bag of personal items alongside Chakotay’s and beamed them both to the Captain’s quarters. Then turned to him, stretching up and kissed him.
=^=
Kes and the Doctor were waiting for them in the shuttlebay as they exited the McCool. The Doctor stepped up to Kathryn pressing a hypospray to her neck and injecting the contents into her body, as Kes did the same for Chakotay.
"I cannot tell you how good it is to see both of you again." Kes said, smiling at Chakotay as she turned to the Captain.
Kathryn gave her a brilliant smile; "It is so good to see you too." She surprised Kes with a hug. "I am so happy to be here."
She used her command glare at the Doctor, "Where did you obtain this medicine?"
"Mr. Tuvok had me contact Danara Pel."
She turned to Chakotay; "Shall we check the bridge, Commander? I think I need to speak with a certain Vulcan."
Together they left the bay, leaving a startled Kes and Doctor behind.
=^=
Everything looked fine as they exited the turbolift, walking onto the bridge. Harry and Tom gave them both welcoming smiles. Tuvok moved in front of the command pair.
"Welcome back Captain. Commander."
Kathryn looked up at her old friend with a stern look. "The Doctor tells me that you contacted the Vidiians after all."
"I disobeyed your orders, Captain. I am prepared to accept the consequences."
"You and I, old friend, will have a talk later. If I didn’t know you better, I’d say your decision was almost emotional," she said, moving over to the command seat. As she sat down Tuvok nodded his acceptance and returned to his station.
The Captain quickly directed Tom to set course for the alpha quadrant, and was dividing the review of the ship’s systems with Chakotay when she was hailed by Neelix.
"Captain, we would like to have a little welcoming reception for you and the Commander this evening at 1900 hours in the Mess Hall. We would all like to see you and the Commander."
Kathryn signed silently and looked over at Chakotay. "Neelix, we will both be there. We are looking forward to seeing everyone too."
She quickly typed in a private message to Chakotay’s console, "Well, I guess our plans will have to wait until tomorrow night."
He gave her a slight smile that only showed one dimple, nodding to her in agreement as he read her message.
=^=
They enjoyed seeing everyone again and catching up on the ship gossip at the reception. Neelix had outdone himself in the preparations. Some of their favorite dishes were replicated and there was no sign of leola root anywhere.
Kathryn and Chakotay realized again just how much these people meant to them, and how glad they actually were to be home.
The evening had turned into early morning when the party ended. Kathryn and Chakotay discreetly entered the captain’s quarters. The room seemed bare without her personal items. No one lived there yet.
"Well I guess we won’t be unpacking tonight," Chakotay laughed. He pulled Kathryn into his arms and kissed her for the first time since this morning in the shuttlecraft.
He kissed her deeply, as she pressed into him. He moved them both to the bedroom, to quench their thirst for each other. Giving and receiving pleasure, already comfortable, and yet enjoying the newness of their relationship they gently dropped down on Kathryn’s bed. It was their bed now, their future now, and nothing could ever come between them again.