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Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and its characters are copyright of Paramount Pictures.
Author's note: This story was written for VAMB Secret Valentine. Big thanks to Ibagoalie, my beta.
Rating: PG
The Ritual by Eos
"Kathryn," a male voice resonated in a large, empty, stone-walled chamber.
"Chakotay, you startled me," answered a female voice.
"Sorry, you haven't said a thing for five minutes. I just wanted to see if you're still awake."
"Well, I am," she answered with irritation, trying to make out her companion's silhouette in the darkness.
They were both sitting on a bench in a very large and very dark room. The Brents, inhabitants of the planet the Voyager had stumbled upon after a two months journey through a particular dense star cluster, were very friendly, and their planet was rich in minerals and dilithium. However, the aliens highly valued their beliefs and sophisticated traditions. They wouldn't agree to any trade with another race, until two leaders of the newcomers went through Krann'ha, a purification ritual. Tuvok had thoroughly scanned the planet, made sure the Brents weren't posing any threat, and deemed going along with the aliens' wishes as the most logical alternative. The officials explained to them that the ritual involved spending couple of hours in a Meditation Chamber. They said the darkness and isolation made it easier to look inside oneself, confront any unresolved matters, and reach the necessary conclusion. Kathryn felt strangely unsettled the moment she heard about the tradition, and the hours spent 'meditating' hadn't made her any more comfortable. She was starting to consider a possible way out when her First Officer's voice interrupted her again.
"Good. We don't want to offend our hosts."
She turned in his direction. "This is ridiculous, Chakotay."
"I know, you made it clear enough ten minutes ago," he answered with barely contained amusement.
"How can you tell the time?" Kathryn decided not to take the bait.
"Let's just say it's an acquired ability from my Maquis days."
"So, how long have we been in here?"
"Three hours and thirty five minutes, give or take two."
She stood up and started pacing. "Not possible. It feels more like THIRTY hours. Besides, all of this is ridiculous."
"Come on, Kathryn. Since when haven't you enjoyed a little challenge?"
"A little challenge? You call this a LITTLE CHALLENGE?" Her eyes narrowed, despite that he wasn't able to see her glaring at him. "You're making fun of me, aren't you?"
"Not at all. I'm just trying to make you talk. Conversation makes it easier, don't you think?"
"Well, I have only one thing to say - it's ridiculous."
"Try to look at it from a different perspective - when it's all over, we're going to have enough dilithium to last us a decade."
"Which is the only reason I've agreed to this."
"Tell me, Kathryn, why does it bother you so much? We're not in any danger, the ship is safe, and all we have to do is sit here for some time. I know you have a restless spirit by nature, but it seems to me you're overreacting."
She sighed and sat down.
"You're right. I'm overreacting."
"It's the ritual part that bothers you, doesn't it?" The teasing, friendly banter disappeared almost instantly.
"I don't understand it, Chakotay. How on earth can sitting in an almost complete darkness doing absolutely nothing, 'purify' us or help us reach a 'conclusion'?"
"Well, I guess we're supposed to just talk and resolve our differences."
"We've resolved our differences couple of years ago, Chakotay," she looked pointedly in his direction.
"Are you sure about that?" He asked quietly.
"What do you mean?" Kathryn answered warily.
"Just that there might be some issues between us that haven't been resolved."
Despite the darkness she could feel his eyes on her, and blushed. She didn't understand why he brought out this 'issue' between them after so much time. Or maybe she just misunderstood him... Kathryn decided to play it safe.
"Don't tell me you actually believe in this 'purification'."
"An honest conversation can help much in understanding another person. I guess it can be called 'purification'."
"I guess it can be."
"You're afraid of something, Kathryn, aren't you?" He sighed. "There's always been an honesty between us. Whenever we talked, we never lied to each other. And yet it seems there are things we can't talk about."
"Do you think of New Earth sometimes?" Both of them were equally surprised at her question.
"Sometimes, yes, I do," he paused for a moment, then decided he wouldn't get another chance and said quietly - "What I told you there - it still stands, you know."
"I'm sorry, Chakotay."
"Don't be. I know," he reached out to her. She sensed the movement and grasped his hand.
"It's difficult enough as it is, please don't make it any harder," Kathryn pleaded.
"If you don't acknowledge something, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. You know that."
"What do you want me to say, Chakotay?" She suddenly became angry. "Not everything is about you. You were a captain, you should understand."
"From my point of view it seems you're trying to convince yourself, not me. And the truth is, no one can live your life for you. Not me, not the crew and certainly not Starfleet."
"I'm the captain, Chakotay. My choices affect the entire crew."
"Of course, but they are still your choices."
"And they say Vulcans have the inclination to state the obvious," she answered dryly.
He smiled and began to answer her, when suddenly an intense, yet pleasant light filled the chamber.
"Captain Janeway, Commander Chakotay, you have successfully completed the Krann'ha Ritual," answered a deep voice of a Brent official. "You will be transported back to your ship now, along with all supplies you requested. We wish you a safe journey."
Before they managed to respond, they'd found themselves back in a transporter room.
*****
"That was weird," said Kathryn, stretching her legs on the sofa after dinner.
"We haven't finished our talk," Chakotay reminded her, while sitting down opposite her.
"I've been thinking about the ritual. It ended quite abruptly, don't you think? We haven't reached any 'conclusion'."
He looked at her. "I'm not so sure about that. Maybe all of it was just about an honest conversation."
She looked out the viewport. "And the question is, what are we going to do with it."
"You know my heart, Kathryn."
Her eyes misted over. "And you know mine. But it doesn't change a single thing."
He knelt before her and took her hands. "What do you want, Kathryn? It's all that simple. Whatever you decide, the ship will be still on course to the Alpha Quadrant, the crew will respect you as always and I'll still be your first officer."
"I love you, Chakotay," she whispered, looking straight into his eyes.
"And I love you, too," he answered, his heart suddenly soared with joy. "We don't know what the future will give us. We can be home tomorrow or in twenty years. Let's not waste any more time," he pleaded. "We can worry about the admirals when we get back, but do you seriously think our relationship will be such a problem?"
"If it will be, we'll deal with it then, together," she said suddenly with conviction. "I think we've done enough talking for some time, don't you think?"
Any answer he might have given her was lost in a deep and passionate kiss.
The End
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