• 1-A Reason
• 2-Part 2

Title: A Reason ( Pt1)

Author/Pseudonym: AtieJen

Email: atiejen@ureach.com

Pairing: C/Tu

Rating: PG

Series:"I>"It's okay, I'm talking to the few who have spoken to me, but you know that there is only so much I can do with being stuck in Engineering and let's face it, some people feel that since I am in the 'so-called' chain of command, they can't talk to me.  You are the only one who can nip this in the bud and I think you have your work cut out for you."

He didn't have a response to that so he told her to try what she could.  As she was leaving he asked where she was going.

"I'm going to the mess hall.  It's late and the gamma shift is about to go on, so I'm going to eat, sleep and hope that we have no more crisis till morning because I think I'd take my bat'leth to the next crisis." They laughed at that decreasing the tension.

"Are you coming with me to the mess hall? I know that you haven't eaten and after that program, 'A briefing with Neelix', you need to come out and not stay away from the crew."

"I don't think so B'Elanna, I'll see you for the early meal tomorrow.  I need to meditate anyway.  See how things are going and if they haven't calmed down by the time you are ready to sleep, please tell Dalby and Ayala to see me at 1000 hrs in my office then drop me a memo letting me know okay.  Go on, enjoy your Leola root," he teased, trying to leave B'Elanna with a good feeling.

She nodded, and then left smiling and as the door closed behind her she bumped into Harry Kim.

"Hey Starfleet, are you heading my way to the mess hall?"

"If that is an invitation, Maquis, then I accept.  Want to share the joke?" he asked her then noticed how her face tightened for a moment before she changed it and continued smiling but the smile was tight and his heart dropped. He too had heard the rumors but put no stock in them; maybe he shouldn't have dismissed them out of hand so quickly.

"Oh no, Its nothing. Lets go." She said pulling him along.

"I notice you came out from Chakotay's quarters. Is he okay?" he asked, testing the waters to see what her reaction would be.

"Yes he is fine.  Why do you ask?"

"Oh, he is my first officer, I am just asking."

By now they had reached to mess hall and were on the line to pick their food.  A casual look at the crew eating in the mess hall it seemed like their worries were unfounded but a deeper look showed them that their initial assessment of the way things had been going was a spot on observation.  They saw Tom sitting by himself and went over to join him.

"Hi, what's on today's menu after Leola root?" Harry asked as they sat down.

"Hi Harry, It is purple and it is blobby giving you the impression of being jelly but try it and see.  Hi B'Elanna" Tom responded and greeted them both simultaneously.  The happy expression on his face was a good cover for what was going on in his mind.  He too had heard some of the rumors and who would have thought that such a simple thing could get so out of hand.  Well there was nothing he could do about it than to ride it out as usual.

"Look guys, I was working on the Captains orders and couldn't tell you anything okay.  I didn't have any choice in the matter or I would have told you, please understand."  He said to them after a little silence, hoping they would understand and continue to be his friends.

"It's okay. You should follow orders like everyone else. Right B'Elanna." Harry said looking at B'Elanna who had been uncommonly silent through the whole discussion."

"Right." She said to them both and continued eating.  This was why she left Starfleet.  Following orders, she growled internally.  She noticed that Tom didn't apologize but just offered what he thought they needed to hear, a rounded explanation that he thought was enough.  It said nothing, yet was to explain everything.

After they had eaten, they left together and B'Elanna quickly left them at the door to the mess hall saying she'd see them in the morning.  They said goodnight to her and went on to Sandrines together to play some pool and relax.  When they got there, it was full but the grouping of the people was aryovryover from what had happened in the mess hall.  They were well into the game when Sue and Megan Delaney walked up to them and started talking.

Sitting at the bar, Ken Dalby watched all that was going on with a hard gleam in his eyes.  He had noticed Chakotay's absence at the mess hall and at Sandrines.  He thought of going to Chakotay's quarters, but even though they were friends, the delta quadrant had put a slight strain on how things happened.  He could still remember the punch that Chakotay had given him in the mess hall so many months ago and even though he apologized, it still smarted sometimes.  It was hard for him to believe that Chakotay had known nothing about what had been going on.  After they had discovered that Seska had been a Cardassian spy, he had spent the evening drinking and reminiscing with Chakotay about the Maquis and what it had been like. Thinking back he couldn't remember there being any discontent from the man who had been his Captain…

*************Flashback*****

Ken Dalby was relaxing in his quarters after the rigorous training that he had gone through with Lieutenant Tuvok.  After this, he was doubly glad that he had not attended Starfleet Academy.  He remembered when some of his friends in their home colony had been so geared up to join and it hadn't been possible for him to do so. Now, he didn't envy them and all they went through.  He wondered how his friend Chakotay had gone through it all and achieved so much only to leave when his own home was invaded.

"Chakotay to Dalby" Speaking of the devil and he appears. He thought to himself.  I wonder what he wants now?

"Dalby here, Commander"

"If you are free Ken, I wonder if I can see you in my quarters."

"I'll be with you in thirty minutes Commander."

He was surprised but not deterred as he changed into some comfortable clothes before going to the Commander's quarters as he had been invited or should he label that summoned.  When he got there, he stood for a moment before pressing the buzzer.

"Come." He heard and then prepared himself for whatever he was to face.  What he didn't expect was to see the Commander sitting on the floor of his quarters wearing a T-shirt and some jumpsuit pants with a small table in front of him and resting his back on the couch.

"Slumming Commander?" he asked with a smile in his voice. &;To ;To which Chakotay lifted his face and answered him with a smile also in his voice

"Ken, come on in.  I had some time and thought that I might celebrate your graduation from Starfleet, such as it is. So have a seat and Congratulations." Chakotay said to him while pouring him something to drink.

"Thanks Chakotay.  Now I am beginning to understand a little of what you went through.  You left that to join the Maquis?" he asked Chakotay as he also sat down and picked up his drink.

"It wasn't like I had a lot of choice then, Ken. Remember how it was.  We were dying and there were a limited number of things that could be done to help the colonies. It was a time of peace that knew no peace so I had to leave and help my people.  Cards?"

Chakotay asked him as he lifted his deck of cards that he still had left over from his days in the Maquis.  Dalby responded in the affirmative and they started playing.  Chakotay felt that he had to say something about their altercation in the Mess hall so in the middle of the first game he began

"Ken, I know that you were upset about my hitting you in the mess hall and I apologize about that but there were things that I wouldn't have accepted in the Maquis and I had to let you all know that there is still a chain of command here and certain things would not be tolerated."

"I understand that but, Darn it Chakotay I am your friend and I expected you to understand."

"I was still your friend in the Maquis and you accepted my command as the Captain.  You have to do the same here.  I am no longer your Captain but there is one here whom we serve under."

"Would you have ever thought that things would change so much for us when you joined the Maquis?"

"Not even in my wildest vision quests, that is for sure." Chakotay answered while they both laughed.

"Chakotay, I know that you were upset when you had to join up with us but are you okay now that you are back with Starfleet?" Ken asked even as the game continued.

"It's not like I had a lot of choice here.  It was either go down with the crazy horse or join Janeway and Voyager so I chose the lesser of two evils."

"Do you trust her?  I mean, we are out here alone and it's a long time to get home and anything can happen to us.  It is the same Federation that gave away our homes."

"I can't really answer that for you Ken.  The same as I can't answer for anybody but myself, but what I can tell you is that she is one strong woman and she is determined to get back to the Alpha quadrant. Our fight with the Federation will have to wait till we are where the Federation is aware of us.  Anything else defeats our purpose of getting home."

Ken nodded his head and started grinning.

"What, why are you smiling so much.  What did I say?"

"You fancy her"

"No! I do not."

"You forget Cha, I know you.  I know when you fancy a woman and you fancy her."

"I don't fancy her.  I just like her that's all and I think she has the indomitable will to get us home.  But can you imagine if we were not here and Seska was still with us?"

"Yes, who would have thought that she would turn out to be a Cardassian and a spy at that?  I still remember the first time that we met her."

"Yea.  That was some fight that we had on our hands.  Then it seemed like we had a good deal but looking at it now, it seems so contrived.  They set us up Ken; they set us up bad."

"Then I guess that there has been something good to come out of our stay in the Delta."

"Yes.  One thing about Voyager that I am grateful for is this.  Imagine being stuck in the delta with the Crazy Horse and having Seska on board.  She would have sold us many times over.  Did we ever think of selling people off in the Maquis?" he asked laughing.  They laughed at that and Chakotay then continued

"Speaking of fancying, I noticed that you had grown closer to Gerron during the training sessions. Have you done anything about that attraction you had for him while we were in the Maquis".

"Yes, I have told him that I am attracted to him but he wants to take it slow.  You know that he had just joined the Maquis when we got trapped here and that was his only family but he has been spending time with me and we are taking it slowly."

"I wish you all the best with him.  I know that he will be happy with you but If you don't treat that boy right, then what happened with Zakriah will seem like a piece of cake."

Ken winced when he remembered the series of punches that Chakotay gave him when he had a one night stand with a young man from the colonies who had been a virgin and in love with him. He hadn't been aware of that fact at the time and when he left the boy, he took it really badly and a lot of people noticed.  Chakotay took him to one side and beat him senseless for not taking the boy's feelings into consideration.

He remembered thinking at the time that though this man could be very fierce and scary to people who met him, he had a kind streak that ran a mile wide and sense of honor that it would be wise not to cross.

"Relax warrior, I'll be careful.  This time I feel something for him and I'll allow it to grow.  I could love him Chakotay."  Ken said this with a reflective tone in his voice.  Chakotay heard this and thought to advise his friend.

"Do go slowly this time Ken. Matters of the heart shouldn't be taken lightly and I know that you know how to love.  This time you may have too teach someone else without loosing yourself at the end of it. Love him, yet love yourself as well."

"I'll teach, Chakotay, maybe I'll learn this time at well."  This was in keeping with some bad experiences that the two men had in the past.

"pe wpe we both learn.  I certainly learned from Seska."

They both laughed at that.  Seska had known that Chakotay was bisexual but preferred the company of men so while in his cell, she tried all she could to get him to stay with her but Chakotay would not.  He had only spent a night with Seska when he decided that it wouldn't work but Seska had not taken him seriously when he said that he would not have a relationship with her.  He told her the score but she had been determined to change his mind and had tried all manners of 'feminine wiles' and it had become a running joke between Ken and himself to think up what the next move she'd make before she would.  He had definitely learned about what the feminine mind could come up with.

When they finished that bottle of Synthenol, Chakotay replicated another one and then continued their talk reminiscing about the past and their fight.  

"Do you think that we will win this fight with the Federation Chakotay?  I mean, we are not there to help them and they are really chasing us to the ground.  Think we will get home in time?"

"What I know Ken is that my father, Kolopak of Dorvan V died for his tribe and his colony and I have picked up the fight in his name and will not stop.  The Federation betrayed us and we have to make them listen and see this truth."

They continued on that vein until it was late, and then Ken lifted his last glass and proposed a toast "Here is to the end of our fight with the Federatand and a quick return to the Alpha."

"Here, Here."  Chakotay responded standing up.  He had enjoyed the evening but they had to bring it to an end.

"Thank you for coming Ken.  I know that it seems hard and I had to be especially tough on you but things are different in the Delta and we have to make the best of things okay. I hope that we can do this again some other time and then maybe you would bring Gerron along."  They walked to the door and Chakotay said,  "Good night my friend and take it easy."

"Goodnight Chakotay. I had a nice time too and as for Gerron and myself, I guess we'll see you when we see y"