Recourse

The turbolift halted and the doors gave way as Commander Chakotay stepped out onto Deck 6. A cheerful grin came to his face as he rounded a corner, making his way down the winding corridor toward Holodeck 2.

He looked down at his expertly taped hands and twisted them together.

He had spent the past few days accompanying new intriguing guests around the ship. Had spent hours rearranging the ever-changing duty roster, bending it to meet the will of his Captain, and her intrigue for exploration.

But now with the promise of a few days of easy flight from Astrometrics, it was time for the crew to seek out some much needed relaxation.

Or in his case – a few new conditioning drills.

It had been several weeks since he had visited his favourite boxing program, and he was anxious to work up a good sweat. He was grateful for Neelix who had traded his allotted holodeck time so he could get two solid hours to himself. He was ready to let loose. He was ready to feel the burn in his shoulders; the rush of blood in his body.

He rounded the final corner and slowed his pace. A frantic noise was coming from the doorway of Holodeck 2, and it startled him slightly with sounds of clanging. He edged toward the door hesitantly.

Captain Kathryn Janeway was crouched low, a plentitude of tools littered the ground at her feet in discarded array. A panel open, he heard her curse quietly to herself as she reached within the holodeck's wall.

She was dressed in a black-laced, beaded gown which was cut low across her chest, clinging tightly to her body just below her shoulders. The bodice was form fitting to her waist which flared out gradually into a large, pillowy skirt. Her hair was pulled up with curls neatly piled on top of her head. It was apparent his Captain had just been to late 19th Century Ireland; to an event clearly more formal that her usual trips to Fair Haven.

She turned her body toward him, reaching her arm fully into the panel. She braced herself against the wall as she grimaced.

He looked down at her, at the dress which hung perfectly across her chest. His eyes moved across milky skin and the faint line of her cleavage.

"Commander," she greeted looking up at him, unaffected by his stare. "Remind me to discuss the ship's protocol with Harry and Tom and that any alterations to MY ship need to go through ME."

Chakotay smiled slightly at his Captain's displeasure. He placed his towel and boxing gloves on the floor as he crouched beside her. He cocked his head attempting to look past her arm, avoiding the skin which rested inches from his face. She was wearing perfume, and her scent hit him suddenly. He blinked, fighting to control his thoughts.

"Would you like me to discuss this with them now?"

"I don't think that is necessary at this point."

"We could call them down here."

She grimaced again as she looked in at her work. "I think I may have it."

She reinserted an isolinear chip into the system's panel and the holodeck beamed with a busied roar of life. Fair Haven's street burst with a midday's commotion, and Chakotay looked out over the scene.

A horse and buggy rode by near them, shaking the ground at their feet. A priest walking by, tilted his hat at Janeway. She smiled politely as she continued in her work. A woman with a basket of flowers nearly walked into them. She stopped, looking down at Chakotay and at Janeway with her hand in the rear wall of the pub.

"What on Earth?" the woman said, looking down her nose at the pair. She shook her head and carried on her way.

Janeway pulled a wire out of the panel and the holodeck program vanished before them. The wire was attached to a larger chip and she brought it up to her face, examining it closely.

Chakotay watched as her expert fingers moved the device over in her hands. Finally, she pursed her lips and blew into it. He raised an eyebrow as Janeway looked at him, smiling.

"Works every time." She reinserted the chip into the panel and the holodeck flickered.

Instead of the busy daytime scene they had just witnessed, a quiet evening in an empty pub materialised before them. Chakotay stood, and looked out onto the romantic scene.

The air was warm in the pub, comfortable and inviting. The sound of crickets could be heard just over the gentle burning of a fire in the corner which cascaded the room in a soft glow.

On a small table in front of him, sat a candle lit dinner. It was clear by what remained on the plates that the dinner had been interrupted by the malfunction.

He heard his Captain curse slightly again below him, and there was another blip. Standing before him, the sharply dressed figure of Michael Sullivan materialised before his eyes. He was slightly distorted, arms outstretched, frozen in place.

"I think we blew an optical transceiver," Janeway called from the panel. "There could be damage to the memory here."

Chakotay looked down at her. "You sure you don't want me to get Tom?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "No, Commander. I can fix it." She motioned toward the tools near his feet. "Would you hand me that optical screwdriver?"

Chakotay searched for the tool and handed it to her. "I hope this malfunction didn't ruin your evening. It seemed like you were having a nice time."

"It certainly put a damper on the night's events." She grunted slightly as she fidgeted within the panel.

"Not that it's any of my business, but did I see a candle lit dinner? And Sullivan was certainly dressed smartly." He offered a reassuring smile. "Seemed like quite a lovely evening you had planned."

Her lips rose at the side of her mouth. "Not that it's any of your business..."

"No," he raised his hands slightly in defence. "It isn't. It's just nice to see you getting some much deserved R and R."

She narrowed her eyes, and her lips pressed together. "Right," she said as she turned back to her work. "I guess I just needed to get out of my head. Get out of that uniform."

"And a mighty fine job you did with that too." He lowered his eyes to his hands.

Ignoring his comment, she quickly turned back to her work. He looked up to see her grimace again as she twisted her arm to get at a control. Sparks flew and the holodeck burst with a quickened speed. Outside the pub, night quickly turned to day, which quickly turned to night again. Time, as it seemed, was speeding forward.

Sullivan seemingly unaffected by the quickened motions around him, turned toward them, and with outstretched arms, motioned toward Janeway crouched on the floor. "Oh my darling, Katie. I can no longer wait. I must have y-"

Janeway jumped to her feet. "Computer, end program," she commanded.

The confused look on Michael Sullivan's face vanished before them in an instant, leaving behind the walls of the holodeck and an eerie, echoing silence. The room brightened and Chakotay slowly turned toward his Captain.

"Well, Katie," Chakotay mocked in a fake accent. "'Twas quite the night indeed."

A redness quickly rose to Janeway's cheeks. "Please. You can't honestly think-" and when Chakotay continued to look at her, her cheekbones began to rise. "He's a hologram."

Chakotay continued to stare.

Janeway became more flustered. "He's a photonically-based projection made up of light, energy, and force fields."

Chakotay began to offer a slight chuckle as the definition rolled off her tongue.

Janeway rolled her eyes and knelt down to put her tools away.

Chakotay crouched with her and began to help. "You don't have to be embarrassed," he offered. "And you are right - it is none of my business." He handed her the an optical driver and for an instant, their fingertips touched.

Without looking at him she stopped, and took a slow, steady breath. "I'm not that kind of girl," she whispered.

"Hey," he reached for her hand, and when she did not pull away, he took the opportunity, and slowly began to entwine his fingers with hers as they stood. "I have no judgement. I know how lonely it can get."

She lowered her eyes from him, and looked down at their hands, at their fingers now moving together, fingertips dancing. "Incredibly so," she returned quietly, exhaling.

"Listen," he began as he reached forward to take her other hand. "Seeing how your night ended in complete and utter malfunction, how about I skip the gym, and we take in a nighttime stroll? Say along a beach in Talax."

She cocked her head, shaking it slightly. "Oh, I don't want to take away from your personal holodeck time."

"It'll be fun. You can get one of those drinks with the little umbrella in it."

"I don't want to be a bother."

"You're never a bother to me."

Slowly, she removed her hands from his, and he reached down to pick up his gloves and towel, attempting to avoid the awkward look in her eyes.

It was some time before she inhaled sharply. "I'll have to change."

"That's a given." He offered his arm to her. "What do you say, Captain?"

She smiled and reached for his arm, accepting his offer. "I'd say, it appears my night is improving."