"Whose brilliant idea was this, anyway?"  Her words conveyed her boredom and frustration but did not seem to expect an answer. 

"Yours."  Chakotay's answer and cheerful smile were met with a glare.

"Don't remind me."  Kathryn motioned Chakotay to join her on the only piece of furniture in the cell.  He sat down before checking that the ensign on duty was at his station and could not see them, then put his arm around Kathryn.  Kathryn wrapped both arms around him.  "I miss you, Chakotay." 

"I miss you, too.  Why did you have to pick now to start taking my advice about dealing with new species?"

"Well, I finally took your advice about getting on with my life in the Delta Quadrant and that has turned out pretty well so I figured some of your other ideas might be just as good."

"Pretty well?"

"Fine, if it makes your ego feel better, wonderfully well.  You were right.  I should have abandoned a few of those guidelines a long time ago."  Kathryn's bantering tone was rewarded with a full-blown grin so she kissed Chakotay's cheek before she adopted a more serious tone.  "Now, do you miss me or just the captain?"

"Definitely you.  I could get used to being the captain of Voyager."  He smiled at her indignant look but spoke before she could.  "But it's not worth having you locked in the brig out of reach."

"You sure about that?  You managed to give someone the impression you were the captain."

"His name is Mram a'Jduk and I barely spoke to him."

"You only had time to gloss over the high points when you told me about this situation and suggested this lousy solution.  Can you stay long enough to fill in the details now?"

"Mram is on a tour of the shuttle bays and cargo holds with Tom so I should be able to stay for a little while.  When they are finished, Tom is going to take him to Tuvok for a tour of our environmental systems including airponics and hydroponics.  That should give me time to give you a detailed report about Mram and maybe a little extra.

"It all started when we detected a ship moving slowly into sensor range…

Chakotay was in the ready room when Harry called him to the bridge.  Kathryn was working with B'Elanna on some changes to the antimatter containment fields.  Harry's initial report about the ship made it seem harmless enough.  It had only its navigational shields up and was on a course to cross Voyager's path in about thirty minutes.  It was much smaller than Voyager and was armed with standard phasers and something similar to some outdated Romulan weapons but nothing that Voyager's shields couldn't handle.  Its engines seemed to be more powerful than such a small ship would need but Tom suggested that the extra power might enable them to maintain high warp for sustained periods without straining their systems.  They could only detect one life sign and a great deal of the ship's interior was devoted to its computer systems.  Chakotay decided not to call Kathryn to the bridge.

"Open hailing frequencies."

"Aye, sir.  Hailing frequencies open."

The alien that appeared on the screen almost made Chakotay smile as Tom had a coughing fit at the helm.  He had a longer face than most humanoids, was taller than anyone on Voyager's crew but his most remarkable trait was his resemblance to a Terran basset hound.  Chakotay decided later that it was the ears more than his features that gave that impression.  Those ears were shaped just like a basset hound's ears, were covered with what looked like soft fur and hung below the alien's shoulders.  Masking his amusement, Chakotay spoke.

"I am Commander Chakotay of the starship Voyager."

"Greetings!  I am Mram a'Jduk of the Pilobon Imperium."

"Have we intruded on your space?  If so, my apologies."

"No apologies are necessary.  You are simply crossing one of our less traveled trade routes but we do consider this Imperium space.  With your permission I will adjust my course to travel with you until you leave our space."

"Of course."

"Might I inquire why you are traveling here?  I have no knowledge of your species or your technology."  Mram a'Jduk's curiosity was clear.  Knowing Kathryn would want to meet him in person, Chakotay invited him to come on board Voyager.  Mram was quick to accept and arrangements were made for him to beam aboard in ten minutes.

"Commander, may I meet our guest and bring him to the bridge?"  Tom's request startled Chakotay and his surprise registered on his face.  Tom hastened to explain.  "I want to ask about his engines, sir."

Having no good reason to turn down his request, Chakotay agreed.  "Tuvok, have a member of security meet Mr. Paris in transporter room one so they can escort our visitor to the ready room."

"Aye, sir."

Tom quickly turned the helm over to another crewmen and left to meet their guest in the main transporter room.  "Thank you, Commander."

Chakotay waited until Tom had turned over the helm before advising Kathryn about their visitor. She was on the bridge in only a few minutes looking like she had just crawled out of an overheated Jeffreys tube, which she had.  Chakotay never did find out why she was in a Jeffreys tube when she was supposed to be working on antimatter containment fields.

"Report."  Kathryn listened to Chakotay's succinct report.  "You let Tom meet him?"

"Tom was interested in his propulsion system and it's only for a few minutes.  Shall we introduce him to the senior officers in the briefing room or would you rather greet him first in your ready room?"  Chakotay's tactic to change the subject worked.

"Ready room first, I think.  Would you mind waiting for him out here while I clean up a bit?"

"Of course not, Captain."

The door to the ready room had barely closed behind Kathryn when the turbo lift arrived with Tom, Mram a'Jduk and a security guard.  The guard caught Tuvok's nod of dismissal and remained on the lift.  Tom and Mram were in the middle of a conversation about Voyager's arrival in the Delta Quadrant.  Chakotay could tell that Tom was trying to avoid saying anything but Mram a'Jduk was clearly enthralled with what he had learned.   An unaccustomed urgency in Tom's eyes caught Chakotay's attention and he determined to find out the cause of Tom's concern.

"Welcome to Voyager, Mram a'Jduk.  Mr. Kim, please escort our guest to the ready room.  I will join you momentarily."

As soon as the ready room door closed, Tom spoke.  "Commander, he's not what he appears and neither is his ship.  From what I could gather those engines are to power weapons we can't detect.  He seems friendly enough but he does not understand why there are female officers and crew.  His culture seems to be more patriarchal than the Ferengi if that's possible.  I don't know how it happened sir, but somehow he got the idea that you are the captain of Voyager and that you took over the ship from Captain Janeway.  He's very impressed with you doing that when you were outnumbered.  I'm sorry, sir.  I had no idea how to correct him without making it worse."

Chakotay sighed.  This was not going to be a pleasant encounter after all.  "It's all right, Tom.  I doubt anyone could have done better.  At least you found out about his engines.  You have the bridge.  When Harry comes back, have him scan that ship again.  Tuvok, I'm going to need you in the ready room."

Chakotay entered the ready room to hear Mram a'Jduk discussing harmonics with Harry.  Mram a'Jduk broke off his comments to greet Chakotay.  "Commander.  Your ship is wonderful and your crew delightfully well informed on a variety of subjects.  I am honored that you have brought your prisoner here for me to see and I am amazed by your confidence in your control over her. Leaving her in here by herself is truly impressive though I am still unclear why you haven't executed her.  Oh, and please call me Mram.  It's so much more friendly."

Tuvok had moved towards Kathryn and when she started to move forward to correct Mram a'Jduk's misunderstanding, he touched her arm and nodded for her to remain quietly where she was.  Kathryn's eyes met Chakotay's and his concern about her response was clear.  Whatever was going on, they agreed.  Until she knew what they knew, she would trust them.

Harry had been shocked to silence momentarily.  Before he recovered, Chakotay spoke.  "Thank you, Mram.  Mr. Kim, return to your station.  Mr. Tuvok, please escort the lady to your office and wait for me.  I'll join you there."

An hour later, Chakotay sat in his office with Kathryn and Tuvok while Harry entertained Mram in the ready room providing him samples of food and beverages favored by Voyager's crew.  Tom was making the rounds of various departments instructing all the women to stay out of the corridors unless escorted by a male.  Tuvok had hurriedly assigned security teams to all major departments with instructions to act as escorts if needed.  He had also found a partial explaination for the misunderstanding about Chakotay's rank.  For some reason, the universal translator used the same word from Mram's language to express 'captain' and 'commander'.  Kathryn was pacing Chakotay's office.  She did not like their situation but further scans of Mram's ship at close range had confirmed most of what Tom had learned and added some additional concerns.

Ensign Jurot of Betazed had been one of the females Mram had noticed.  She had contacted the bridge after encountering Mram.  She reported what she had felt from him.  She had been extremely unsettled by the encounter because her normal method of blocking the thoughts of those around her had been insufficient to mask Mram's feelings.  When she felt his hostility, she had tried to get more details but has been unable to clearly read his thoughts.  His attitude was sincere but if he was angered he was capable of great cruelty.  He had been trailing them for more than sixty hours and knew far more than he should about the ship's capabilities because he had evidently accessed at least part of their technical database. That had given Mram great confidence in his ship in the event he had a confrontation with Voyager.

The only encouraging things they had learned was that they were only four days from the edge of the Pilobon Imperium space and that Mram approved of Voyager, her crew and command structure even if the female component was contrary to his personal experience.

"Options, gentlemen.  I want options."

"Captain, we have taken all the steps we can to prevent further misunderstandings.  We have done everything we can to prevent further breaches in our security.  All female crew are being escorted in public areas.  At this point the only pending risk is Mram discovering you are actually the captain."

"I concur, Captain."

Kathryn glared at both men.  "I said I wanted options, not a status report."

Tuvok stared at his captain.  "There are three options, Captain.  One, we tell Mram the truth.  Two, we do not tell him the truth and you remain in your quarters.  Three, we maintain the fiction Mram has created and you spend the next four days in the brig.  In my opinion the first option is foolhardy at best.  It serves no constructive purpose and could endanger Voyager.  The second option is not so risky but if Mram discovers our deception the results could be the same.  The third option maintains the fiction Mram has created and makes it much more unlikely that he will discover the truth."

"Chakotay?"

"I agree with Tuvok.  The third option is the best solution to the problem."

"Gentlemen, perhaps someday you can explain to my why the first time you are in complete agreement, your recommendation is to put me in the brig.  Tuvok, go back to the bridge and let the crew know what we've decided.  Send someone to escort me to the brig.  I want to talk to Chakotay a minute before I give up my ship."

"Aye, Captain.  There will be someone waiting in the corridor for you."

Kathryn waited until the door closed, then walked over to Chakotay and wrapped her arms around him.  "I don't like this solution.  I never would have liked it and I like it even less now."

"I know.  I'll miss you, too.

"…and the rest you know."

"You still think this was the only solution that would avoid us going around Pilobon space?"

"Not the only option, but the option with the least risk to Voyager, yes.  We are still trying to assess some of Mram's weapons systems.  It's a lot easier to do that if they are actually used.  You heard Ensign Jurot's voice when she described what she learned from Mram, so you understand why I was reluctant to test those weapons against our shields.  If we had known exactly what files and specifications he had accessed, maybe I would have suggested an alternative."

"Has he given any indication that he suspects he has made a mistake?"

"No, but he wasn't really very pleased with my reason for not killing you when I took command.  It seems it's a sign of weakness to allow a former commander to live.  I think I managed to convince him that it was a show of confidence on my part since allowing you to live poses a threat to my command.  Knowing now what you didn't before, would you still have agreed with my suggestion?"

"You gave me no time to think of alternatives but to be honest, I agree with your assessment of the situation.  Once he had made the assumption that you were captain and given the standards of his culture, it would have been very risky to correct his misunderstanding."  Kathryn grew quiet.

"Tell me what you're thinking."

"That just as we were getting comfortable in our new relationship, this Mram has to show up and the only way we can safely avoid adding six more months to our journey leaves me confined to the brig."  Kathryn moved to sit on Chakotay's lap.  "I meant what I said.  I really do miss you.  I have nothing to do except think and all I can think about is you. "

"Really?"

"Well, you and whether you're taking good care of my ship.  Either way I just think about what I'm going to do with you when I get out of here.  Four days is a very long time when all you have to do is worry or think about…"

Chakotay leaned his head down for what he intended to be a gentle kiss but which quickly turned into much more. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.   Kathryn could feel his arousal against her and that was all the encouragement she needed.  She moved one hand down to caress his growing bulge as she undulated her hips on his legs.

Chakotay stood and backed into the corner.  He slid down the wall until he was sitting, then pulled Kathryn to her knees and buried his face against the crotch of her pants. He blew hot puffs of air against her eliciting a groan from deep within her throat.  Chakotay pulled away. "Shhh."

Kathryn smiled and allowed him to continue, trying to keep as quiet as she could. Never had she imagined she would do this in such a public place, yet there was nothing that could convince her to stop. The sensations he was creating were amazing and they hadn't even touched skin to skin.

He reached up and undid her pants, drawing them and her panties down past her hips. He groaned at the sight of her.  It was hard for him to remember when he had gone years without having a woman. Here he was, only a few days without Kathryn and already it felt like an eternity.

Chakotay moved his head between her legs, pausing to enjoy her scent before snaking out his tongue to taste her. As his tongue made contact with her hot center he felt her jerk, the contact momentarily startling her.  Her hands wound into his hair, gripping tightly as he dipped one finger into her aching wet sex and let his tongue work magic over her clit. Her eyes danced over him, watching him as he continued his assault. She loved to watch him pleasure her; rapture would overtake him and he would lose himself completely in her. 

His free hand had already released his erection and was now wound loosely around it, stroking himself as he pleasured her. Kathryn smiled at the sight and reluctantly pulled herself away realizing that this couldn't be a slow sensuous time for them.  She moved away from him and sat on his legs, reaching under his aching organ and grasped his balls. She kept the grip soft, allowing her grasp to create only a slight pressure knowing too much would hurt him, yet just the right amount…

It was Chakotay's turn to moan as Kathryn's nails began to lightly graze the sensitive sacs. She let out a soft laugh and then warned him. "Shhh."

Chakotay pulled Kathryn's hands away, stood and dragged her to her feet.  She toed off her boots and pants before he turned to place her against the wall. He positioned his organ at her wet entrance and plunged in to the hilt; she pulled both legs up to tightly wind around his waist. He began a fast pace immediately, knowing they were both close to the edge. He could feel the beginning of her orgasm as her walls began to contract, each time with more force, nearly pushing him out.

Chakotay knew Kathryn well and could tell a scream was about to erupt from deep within her throat, so he covered her mouth with his as their orgasms simultaneously flowed through them. His body jerked as he emptied his seed within her.

Tuvok entered the main brig and did a brief review of the ensign's work and records for his shift.  Satisfied, he went to the captain's cell to find Chakotay to discuss a few changes in the list of systems they would allow Mram to view.  His sensitive hearing alerted him to unexpected activity in the cell.  His initial interpretation of those sounds was confirmed as soon as he reached the door.  Logic failed him.  He knew without a doubt that neither of the cell's occupants wanted to be disturbed at the moment.  He also knew that he could not turn and leave the brig without arousing the ensign's curiosity.  Logic held him immobile.  He turned his attention to the padd he carried and tried to focus on improving his latest report.

So successful was Tuvok on blocking out his surroundings that he didn't notice Tom and Mram enter the brig.  They were nearly at his side before he realized they were approaching.  Mram was talking with great animation to Tom and walked directly to Tuvok's side and peered into the cell.  Tom was close enough to see what had stopped Tuvok earlier.  The captain and Chakotay were in the corner of the cell.  While their view of the commander's back was quite clear, all they could see of the captain were her bare legs wrapped around his hips and her arms around his neck.  The top of her head was barely visible over his shoulder.

Mram stopped talking abruptly.  He took one look at Tom's face and knew his suspicions about the significance of their activity were true.  Tom barely noticed Mram's reaction.  His mind was racing.  He was going to make a killing in the betting pools; last time he had checked, no one had picked the brig so the house kept it all.  He finally became aware of Tuvok's stare and dragged himself back from dreams of how to spend his rations.  Following Tuvok's lead, the three turned and headed for the exit from the brig.  As they were leaving, the ensign heard Mram speak.

"Gentlemen, you should tell your captain that keeping an enemy alive for that reason is completely understandable and quite honorable."

Mram's voice drifted back to the cell where its occupants were finally becoming aware of the rest of the universe.

"Did you hear someone, Kathryn?"

"No.  Why?"

"I don't think we're going to have to sneak around anymore."

"You don't mean…"

"I'm afraid so."

"Well, then, once we're out of Pilobon space, we're going to be celebrating."  His puzzled look made her chuckle.  "I placed a vote in Tom's pool this morning – for the brig.  If I have to face my crew every morning knowing they know what we were doing the night before, I will at least do it with a cup of coffee using their rations."