@jhelenoftrek asked for this one. I had some time on my lunch break so I gave it a whirl. Enjoy.
Kiss # 19 – For Luck
I don’t know how I let myself get talked into these things.
Actually, that’s not true. I know exactly how I let myself get talked into these things, or at least this particular thing. Phoebe is family, after all. So when my only sibling called this morning in a panic because she has a gallery opening in Greenwich Village this evening and no one to watch the kids, I agreed to replace the babysitter in a heartbeat.
“Are you sure?“ she asked, but I could see the gratitude in eyes and hear it in her voice. “Liam’s almost old enough to take care of it, but it would be the first time for him and —”
Author: bekjaneway
so I want to start writing again
I think I’ll start with short pieces to get back into the swing of things… send me some JC prompts that I can try to write 100 words on?
Endgame
One thing I liked about “Endgame” was that the futures of our heroes were fairly realistic. The only ones still in Starfleet were Janeway and Kim. If Tuvok were healthy, he’d have been in Starfleet, too. But none of the Maquis were. I honestly wasn’t expecting that much realism.
I remember getting into long discussions about this, during the earlier seasons of Voyager. What would happen to the Maquis when – if – Voyager got back to the Delta Quadrant? Many fans thought all would be forgiven, and Chakotay, Paris, Torres, and all the rest of the Maquis would stay in the Federation.
But I didn’t think that was realistic. At least if Starfleet is anything like the US military. Yes, I know Tom Paris is a Starfleet captain or admiral or whatever in the post-”Endgame” books, games, etc., but I can’t accept that as canon. He was cashiered out. You’re not allowed back in after that.
Not to mention…it seems likely that many of the Maquis are just not Starfleet material. "Meld” reveals that not all the Maquis were rebels for a cause. Torres says, “We didn’t check resumes. Some were fighting for home and family. Others had their own reasons.“ Suder joined to indulge his bloodlust, and it’s implied that he’s not the only one.
So some of the Maquis killed, not for a cause, but just because they liked to. They may have committed crimes that cannot be readily forgiven. What if some of the Maquis were the equivalent of Timothy McVeigh? He was a former military man. Would he ever have been welcomed back in uniform, under any circumstances?
Even the ones whose names are in the opening credits have had less than stellar records. Just two years before “Endame,” Tom Paris committed mutiny in “Thirty Days.” Just a few months before “Endgame,” B’Elanna Torres violated the Doc for self-serving reasons in “Lineage.” (Even if you don’t think the Doc is a person, her actions were vandalism. And could have killed someone. What if there had been a medical emergency while the Doc’s subroutines were screwed up?)
I just can’t see Starfleet letting Paris, Torres, Chakotay, and other Maquis keep the rank Janeway gave them. Many view the Maquis as terrorists; it would be like telling a U.S. army unit that they were now being commanded by Osama bin Laden. Heck, the rest of the Maquis are in jail.
And even without the Maquis issue…how would someone who struggled through four years at the Academy to get their degree and their commission feel about having to take orders from, say, Torres, who dropped out in her second year?
Realistically, allowing the Maquis to stay in Starfleet would be very, very bad for morale. They can reward them in some other way. They can give them awards, pardon them, have the president of the Federation give a speech in their honor and invite them to dinner in what passes for the White House, but they have to cut them loose.
I’m also against total clemency the Maquis for dramatic reasons – for the same reason I’m against the reset button. The lack of real consequences for people’s actions is not only unrealistic, it’s a drama killer.
Chakotay was a Starfleet officer with a promising career. He chose to give that up and join the Maquis when his father was killed by the Cardassians. That is an incredible sacrifice, that will affect the rest of his life. And he knew it, when he made that decision.
But if they just wipe the consequences away – hey, you did a good job, let’s let bygones be bygones – that makes his sacrifice meaningless. Just as the reset button makes character deaths meaningless, this kind of total forgiveness makes personal decisions meaningless. Because there won’t be any consequences.
At one point, the Voyager writers were planning to have Chakotay take the fall for all the Maquis. He serves some jail time, and the rest of the Maquis get probation. That didn’t make it on screen, but I liked the idea. (So much that I stole it for my post-”Endgame” saga.)
Another possibility: do what the U.S. did in the aftermath of the Civil War. Some officers who left the U.S. military to join the Confederates were recommissioned. But they were required to serve in hardship posts that no one else wanted. They were weren’t fully trusted, and there were concerns that loyal soldiers would resent having commanders who had been rebels. So they put them out on the western frontier.
Though I wonder if any Maquis would want to stay in Starfleet that badly. It’s not like the post-War south, where people are starving. One gets the feeling there’s a hell of a safety net in the Federation.
Thank you for wording this so well because it’s something I think about a lot too. Especially in all of the fics that I’ve read, this is way too often the solution. It seems like the easy way out (which it is) and it is super unrealistic. And, as you pointed out, it doesn’t always make for the most interesting story telling.
Was in sci fi class today and my teacher’s playlist started playing the Voyager theme. Honestly? Highlight of my day.
Send me a Ship and a Number and I will Write a Kiss
I actually sort of reblogged this post by mistake, but since a couple people have tagged me with requests, I’ll give it a whirl.
@knittymcknitpants sent me:
4. … where it hurts.
For Janeway and Chakotay, of course. So here goes:
Where it Hurts
The girl skips along ahead of them down the tree-lined path, her braid flying out behind her. She stoops to sniff at a purple flower and then looks back at them with a delighted smile. “Banana pudding!” she says. “This one smells like banana pudding!”
They both smile in return and wave her on down the trail.
They stroll along behind her, Captain and Commander, shoulder-to-shoulder on the narrow path. She veers slightly toward him to step around a large rock in the middle of the route; he brushes a hand down the middle of her back to steady her. When she looks up at him with a curious expression, he lets his hand drop, but she has seen the longing in his eyes, and the hunger. Her steps falter. For a breathless, agonizing split-second, she thinks he might lean down, look into her eyes and …
Ahead of them, the girl gives a sharp cry of pain. They step apart and then hurtle down the path to where the girl has tripped over a root jutting up from the hard-packed earth. She is clutching her bent knee in both hands and sniffling a little.
The Commander bends and wipes a tear from her dirt-smudged face. “What happened, sweetie?”
“I tripped on the root and skinned my knee. Oh, I wish my Mom was here!”
The Captain stoops beside the girl and gently pries her small hands away from her knee. They all examine a scrape in the girl’s otherwise unblemished skin. The Captain brushes dirt and twigs from the small injury. “It’s just a scrape, Naomi. Nothing to worry about.”
“It hurts,” the girl whines.
The Commander soothes her with a hand on her cheek. “I’m sure it does. But I know what will make it better.”
Naomi looks up at him with pleading eyes. “What?”
“What my mother always did for me when I had a scrape,” he says, and presses a soft kiss to the girl’s knee.
Naomi giggles through her tears. “That tickles.”
The Captain chuckles. “It’s his whiskers, Naomi. The Commander needs a shave.” She gives him a sidelong glance and then she kisses the place his lips have just touched.
Beside her, the Commander closes his eyes for just an instant, and smiles.
“Better,” Naomi sighs.
“Think you can go on now, Naomi, or should we call ahead and tell the Ambassador to give away the Qh’onan Fudge Cake he promised you?”
The girl jumps up, her pain forgotten. “No! I want the fudge cake!”
Still kneeling in the dirt, the Captain watches her dart down the sun-dappled path. The Commander simply gazes at the Captain until she, too, rises and resumes her stroll in the girl’s wake. When she realizes the Commander is not beside her, she turns back to find him still kneeling in the path. Their eyes meet. She gasps when, holding her gaze, he slowly raises his fingertips to his lips.
She hesitates for an instant. Then, little by little, so that he cannot miss the significance of it, she raises her fingertips to her own lips. She closes her eyes.
The wind sighs in the trees, bringing with it the scents of alien flowers, sweet and heavy with perfume, and the cry of a distant bird calling for its mate.
When she opens her eyes again, a lifetime later, he is standing on the path just a meter away from her. He gives her a wistful smile. “We should go,” he murmurs. “Before she gets back to the gathering and Sam realizes we’re unfit babysitters.”
The Captain nods and smiles. She places a hand in the middle of his chest. “And before the Ambassador gives away your fudge cake.”
He laughs quietly. “I’ve been looking forward to that cake all day,” he says.
“I know.” She gives his chest a pat and then turns and resumes her stroll. He falls into step beside her, his fingertips light on her back as they navigate the path ahead of them.
###
😍
captain-kathryn-janeways-coffee:
It’s seriously so hard to be objective when I write about Captain Janeway, I just love her so much, all alone in the delta quadrant in need companionship but constantly having to pull back to be a captain too, no back up just manuals and her principles and a crew she promised to get home and shes compassionate and empathetic but in control and determined and will defend her crew till the end if she had to and she gets them home shes the best
The Nicrean
Dust swirled in
the air as the smell of fire wafted from what seemed like everywhere. In the
middle of it all stood Anaris. Her five-foot four-inch frame seeming tall
against the decimation around her. The place she stood used to be a capitol
city and was normally teeming with busy people. That was no longer the case.
The buildings lay in ruin, the once marvelous cobblestone streets were
destroyed, and even the sun seemed dimmer. As she looked around her, Ana felt
lost and hopeless. This was her home, and now there was nothing left. She was
shocked out of her reverie by a massive explosion a few blocks away. Over her
right shoulder, she saw a new onyx colored plume of smoke rising through the
sparse cropping of trees that were left. Her heart sank as she smelled the
fresh fire that had erupted. The Arconis had probably just destroyed the last
hope of saving Nicrea.There
were no longer any civilians left on the surface of Nicrea. The only ones left
were Anaris, and the military. They had issued the evacuation notices five
sunrises ago and had been able to hold the Arconis off until now, when the
reinforcements came. Anaris’ deep blue eyes scanned the skyline looking for any
sign that the Arconis were heading for her. She then shifted her gaze to the
spaces where buildings, homes, and trees once stood. Nothing in their places
was a good thing and a bad thing. Either way, Ana knew she wasn’t getting out
of this alive. The question she asked herself was, My way, or theirs? She knew if the Arconis caught her, they would
torture her and kill her.With
a shudder, and fear and resignation in her soul, she turned to look at the
violet waters of the Nicrean Sea. The beach between her and the water held so
many memories. The summers spent digging for shells with her mother, kite
flying in the spring with her father, and watching the surfing competition with
her cousins. All the memories were gone. The sand was empty, and the upper
layers blowing about in the wind. She had long ago run out of ammunition, so
she knew she had to take her chances on the Nicrean Sea being her final resting
place.Barely
paying attention to anything but her thoughts, Ana almost missed her right ear
twitching. Her ears were short but pointed on the upper edge and could hear
things far away from her. If her ear twitched, something was much closer than
she wanted it to be. As she looked behind her, Ana knew what was coming. Just
as she saw light reflect off the first Arconis’ armor, she began unbuckling her
boots hurriedly. She decided to keep her armor, the weight would drag her to
the ocean floor quicker. The Arconis wouldn’t follow her into the water (she
hoped), and as soon as her last boot was free, she tore across the sand like a
marathon sprinter to the water. The water was almost frigid to her and she
breathed in sharply. She never looked back, she kept her eyes forward, and
could feel the water soaking through her clothes, making them heavier, and
beginning to drag her down. Ana couldn’t hear the Arconis behind her anymore,
and her ears were filled with the sound of the tide breaking around her. Her
armor began pulling her under when the water was halfway up her breastplate,
and she didn’t fight it. She took one last breath and gazed around her as she
closed her eyes for the final time. Or so she thought.Tom
hated doing inventory checks. He only accepted this because the Captain was
furious with him. He had tried to make things better but made them worse
instead. The Captain had every right to just eject him out into space and watch
him die. Instead, she assigned him these menial tasks that made his brain bleed
of boredom. At least he was still alive though. As he entered the cargo hold,
the lights were dim, and he could easily make out the shapes of the crates he
was looking for. As he sighed and set down his equipment belt, he caught a
whiff of something he hadn’t smelled in almost ten years. His brain quickly perked
up and tried to place the smell. Saltwater?!
How would saltwater be on the ship? They were 80 years from earth. He pushed
the smell to the back of his mind and filed it under wishful thinking.Anaris
opened her eyes. She was no longer in the ocean, but instead in what seemed to
be a cargo hold, not unlike the ones she had been in on the Nicrean ships. Her
ears told her that there was someone else in the room with her, so she tried to
hold in the overwhelming urge to orally expel the water she had intentionally
swallowed. She failed miserably and expelled the liquid contents of her
stomach. Gasping for air and wiping her mouth on her sleeve, she nervously glanced
around the large crate that concealed her and saw him. Tom heard the familiar
sound of vomiting coming from behind him and turned to see an almond shaped
blue eye watching him from between the crates. Keeping her ears trained on the
humanoid, she began to remove her armor as quietly as she could, leaving the
dagger her grandfather had given her on her hip. She ran her fingers through
her almond colored hair, and quickly put it into a battle braid. Then she sat
on her haunches and tried to figure out the humanoid.Tom,
in his laidback manner turned back to his gear, which included two drink tubes,
a hand-held inventory tracker, and his communicator, holding a small handful of
tiny screws. “It’s amazing that without this tiny screw in the right place all
hell will break loose.” He said it more to amuse himself about his current
plight than for any other reason. He was putting the screws back in the box
when he heard a sharp thud that sounded heavy, and metallic. Automatically
drawing his weapon, he spun around to the same place he had heard the vomiting
from before.“I
know you’re here! I won’t harm you, as long as you don’t harm me!” There was no
response. “Look! I will even put my weapon away! Just come out! If you’re hurt,
I can help you!” Tom was putting his weapon back in its holster when he saw
something move in between the shadows cast by the crates from the corner of his
eye. When he looked at her, his jaw dropped. She was a humanoid figure, and a
biped. Remembering himself, he asked her to stop when she came within a foot of
him, and they could clearly see each other. Anaris and Tom stood looking at
each other for a bit before Anaris spoke. “Where am I, and who or what are
you?” She knew it sounded harsh and crass but she didn’t care. She had wanted
to die. Not end up wherever this was. Tom leaned up against a large cargo case
and tried to look relaxed to show he wasn’t a threat to her. Anaris didn’t
change her posture, and Tom saw the dagger on her hip.“Well,”
he started. “Currently you are on a ship in space headed back to Earth. I’m
Tom, and I’m supposed to be doing inventory as a punishment. I am also a
human.” Tom let his answer hang in the air for a moment, and then hoisted
himself up on top of the crate and sat. “What about you? Who, or what are you,
and how the hell did you get on board?!” Tom let her take her time in
answering, and as he took the first swallow of his drink tube, she responded,
“I think I died.” Tom immediately choked on his drink, and after a few seconds
of sputtering, he was able to choke out, “Excuse me?” Anaris replayed the
events of her last moments on her home planet to Tom, who stayed quiet,
listening intently. Just as Anaris finished, A huge wave of space interference
hit the ship, and rocked it massively. Tom fell off the crate, and Anaris fell
to her knees. When all was quiet again, Tom looked around, and moved to help
Anaris up. He extended his hand, and she looked at it, and at him
questioningly. “I told you, I won’t hurt you.” He said coaxingly.She
took his hand and stood up. Tom saw that in the fall, her dagger had sliced her
leg and fallen out of its scabbard, and immediately pushed the wrist unit he
wore. “Bridge” came the reply. Anaris realized it was a woman’s voice and
didn’t know how to feel. “Captain, what was that space wave? It was felt all
the way down here!” Tom said, watching Anaris’ blood drip to the floor. “We
aren’t quite sure, but it seems like a planet nearby exploded.” Came the
Captain’s cool reply. Anaris quickly turned and ran away from Tom. Not because
she was afraid, but because she no longer had a home, and she didn’t want him to
see her cry. Anaris heard Tom ask the Captain and First Officer to come down
immediately. Tom found Anaris again and tried to coax her out again. She
wouldn’t budge. “Come on, I promise no one will hurt you here.” Tom said
calmly, extending his hand again patiently. “How do I know?” she cried, “That
you aren’t like them?!” Ana decided to
face whatever was coming and stood up abruptly. Before anyone could say
anything to her, Ana sharply said, “It was a planet that exploded. It was my
Nicrea.”The
Captain and First Officer looked her over as they entered the hold, “Why did it
explode?” She asked this of Ana like she was asking about the weather, and Ana
couldn’t take it. “We were attacked!! The Arconis destroyed EVERYTHING!!” It
was then the Captain’s heart softened. It was palpable in the room, and it even
disarmed Ana’s apparent anger. This time when the Captain spoke, it was soft,
and heartfelt. “How did you end up here?” Ana glanced at Tom, and Tom nodded.
“I tried to drown myself in the Nicrean Sea and ended up here.” Ana said as she
registered for the first time that there was pain in her right thigh. Ana’s
vision began to waver, her legs refused to hold her up. As her vision darkened,
and she began to fall, Tom caught her. Without missing a beat, Captain Janeway
ordered him to take her to see the doctor.“An
exploding planet, a stowaway, and all of this started because Tom had to do
inventory.” Chakotay stated as he smiled and chuckled. “Yes, it seems that she
is as lost as we are, whoever she is.” Kathryn responded as she walked beside
her first officer out of the cargo hold. “You know, lately there have been a
lot of new beginnings on board this ship. I believe we may have another to add
to our expanding list.” Janeway nodded, smiled, and said, “I am all for new
beginnings.” Making their way to the bridge, Chakotay and Janeway discussed
multiple things. Ionic polarization shifts, anti-matter waves, and ship repairs
to be made once they could find a small corner of space to be “safe” in. To
Chakotay’s dismay, nothing too personal. Nothing about their kiss, nothing
about what she had said in the Ready Room. Was she trying to forget? He hoped
not. As they entered the bridge, he was brought out of his reverie by what they
were seeing on screen. A large cloud of what seemed to be gas, detritus, and
some sort of moisture was in front of them.After
a second’s long pause, Kathryn asked, “Nicrea?” Chakotay realized she was
talking to him. “Probably, which adds validity to our stowaway’s story.” They
nodded in agreement and stood staring for a few moments. Something about the
cloud was oddly beautiful. If you hadn’t known it was a planet, and countless
souls had just died, it could be mistaken for art. Chakotay knew he had to pull
his head out of a romantic mind set so Kathryn wouldn’t give him that look that
she gives when Tom frustrates her. He hated that look and tried his best not to
earn it. There were times that he couldn’t avoid it though, and he smiled to
himself as he thought about it.
Wow. I really love the imagery at the beginning. Can’t wait to see where this goes!
INTIMATE ASKS
(Reminder if you reblog, you answer only the ask you are comfortable with. No one can force you to answer a question. If someone spam, block without mercy. ANSWERING IS ALWAYS OPTIONAL.)
- Cheese Cake – How old are you?
- Chocolate Muffin – How old were you when you had your first kiss?
- French Toast – Have you ever looked at the star with someone you love?
- Strawberry Jello – When was the last time you stared at the clouds?
- Cotton Candy – Are there any of your friends you would date if they revealed they have a crush on you?
- Lemon Cake – If your s/o or crush went through sex change, how would you feel?
- Eclair au Chocolat – Do you fear you missed your soulmate along the way?
- Vanilla Pancakes – Is there someone you never spoke to you would have sex with?
- Bubble Gum – Is there a location you always wanted to go to, to have sex?
- Sugar Pie – Have you ever had sex in another country?
- Red Velvet Muffin – What are your body measurement?
- Caramel Square – What is the prettiest part of the human body in your opinion?
- Pink Popcorn – What is your favorite part of your own body?
- Pudding – Would you have surgery if you could and it was seemless?
- Orange Ice Cream – How many partners have you ever had?
- Raspberry Granola – Have you ever regretted having sex with someone?
- Oatmeal – Did you go through the awkward moment of sex ed from your parents?
- Mango Smoothie – Which star would you marry instantly if you could?
- Blueberry Pie – If you could marry the person you want, where would you want to live with them?
- Banana Bread – Are you LGBT?
- Milkshake – Would you date a trans person?
- Cherry Popsicle – Do you know where your very first crush is?
- Caramel Apple – Are you single and if you are, are you actively looking for someone to date?
- Chocolate Chip Cookies – Would you date someone if your current crush doesn’t come true?
- Watermelon Sour Candy – What would you wear if you could go to the Emmy Awards and which star would you go with?
ASK AWAY!
Encouragement?
I have the very beginning of a new character written. Her first Voyager encounter is when she meets Tom, Chakotay, and Janeway. However I am nervous as hell to introduce her. I’m currently cleaning up the text, but what say you? Should i show her? She is not human, her planet exploded, and now she is looking for a new home. So I figure she fits in with Voyager. Let me know what you think
I agree, this sounds really fun 😀
bekjaneway 