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star trek xi - pavel chekov

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[Chekov knows that he shouldn't be surprised when his failed attempts to contact Captain Kirk lead him to the Hall of the Missing and, ultimately, the realization that the majority of the remaining crew of the Enterprise is no longer in the City. Disappearances frequently happen in groups. Spock, Kirk, McCoy, Uhura... most of them had come and gone before this, too. Chekov really should know better than to be surprised. Kirk might be able to bend the rules at home, but it was foolish to hope, even for a moment, that he would be capable of doing the same in the City.

It's tempting to stay off of the network and immerse himself in a project, but his crewmates were well-liked and it's only right to keep the friends they have made informed.]

Captain Kirk, Doctor McCoy, and Lieutenant Uhura are no longer in the City.

[Brief, formal, to-the-point. Unfortunately, one other party needs to be contacted.]

[Starfleet Comm Frequency // Unhackable]

Lieutenant Sulu and I are now the only officers of the Enterprise in the City.

[In other words: your orders, Captain Janeway?]

[ooc: The great Trexodus is upon us. Open to action in any of the places Chekov might usually be found--the cottage, the laboratories, you name it.]

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[ relax, man. this is why this guy is the liaison between his crew and his captain.

either way, chakotay's got the door propped open. b'elanna's somewhere today, probably the labs, but who knows, and there are two cups of herbal tea on the kitchen table. chakotay himself is waiting somewhere between the kitchen and living room for chekov to knock or come in. he might not know chekov all that well, but he'll do his best to help out with that distraction. ]

[Chekov arrives ten minutes or so after sending his message, slightly ruffled from running most of the way. He knocks on the door frame out of politeness.]

Chekotay? Hello?

[ chakotay moves to pull the door open further, a gentle and warm smile on his face. he will forever think chekov is the nicest little ensign after harry. ]

Come on in. Don't tell me you brought work.

[ he's teasing, chekov. really he is. ]

Do you like tea? I took the liberty of brewing an herbal blend. It usually helps when I meditate or need to relax. It's probably not as good as the replicated version, but it's the best we've got.

[ and he is very obviously the 'make do with what you have' type. ]

[Chekov awkwardly shifts his messenger bag full of notes, smiling uncertainly.]

I may have brought some work.

[But he does leave the bag near the door where he toes off his shoes.]

Yes, I do, and I think that anything made from real ingredients is better than what we have on the Enterprise.

Then feel free to try the tea. We can deal with your work in a while.

[ he won't mind dealing with work. it might keep them both occupied and busy, and besides that, he's used to how kathryn copes with loss and stress. she dives into work, so chakotay is no stranger to that. ]

I'm sorry we haven't had much of a chance to get to know one another before this. I hardly know what else to suggest other than meditation, but that doesn't work for everyone.

Thank you, s--Chakotay.

[He perches on a chair by one of the cups of tea, staying on the edge as if in preparation to bolt. He's not usually so on edge when there are no monsters in the City. Maybe he does need to relax.]

There is no need to be. How does meditation work?

[ he knows how the explanation can sound to some people, especially as there are some things he can't tell chekov yet. maybe not ever. he can start with the basics, though. ]

First you have to understand my people and the way we view the universe. [ he takes a seat across the table and sips at the other cup of tea. ] We're a very spiritual people, meaning we believe in things like meditation, vision quests, spirit guides. These things help guide our lives and help us guide others. Meditation helps us focus and it can be a starting point in speaking with our spirit guides or even our ancestors. My people don't believe in technology the way Starfleet does, but I can understand how both sides work. I understand the scientific principles that guide the Federation and the spiritual ones of my people. [ meaning he can help bridge the gap here. ]

It's... complicated to explain and I haven't managed to perfect my technique here, but if you're interested, I could walk you through it sometime.

[Chekov is not spiritual. He believes in science and the miraculous mathematical symmetry of the universe. He's no stranger to religion, however, with a Jewish mother and an Eastern Orthodox father, and he is generally good at maintaining an open mind. His mind has, of course, grown more open in the City, and he respects Chakotay more than enough to be interested in the practices and beliefs of his people.]

If I may ask, who are your people?

[He fidgets a little.] I would like to learn more. I have not tried to believe in anything spiritual since I was very young, and sometimes... there is a gap that science neglects to fill. Does this make sense?

[ chakotay grew up a technological and scientific boy in a very spiritual tribe. he understands the value of both ways of life now and once his father died, he made a point of embracing his tribe's customs and beliefs. doing so has given him a sense of peace he didn't previously have, even if it took a long time to do.

he pauses for a moment, debating how much he can say. ] We're a tribal people who migrated to another planet from Earth. That's about all I can tell you. I wasn't always on good terms with my people. When I was a young boy, all I wanted was to be in Starfleet. I was a child who wanted technology and an easier life more than listening to his elders speak of the land and the spirits. It wasn't until a few years ago that I finally came to understand, accept, and respect the ways of my tribe.

To answer your question, I understand. Sometimes one isn't enough. I find they can be easier to compare and work together than one might think. For example, my people speak of life lessons as legends. I remember a lot of the ones that would come back to haunt me.

[ like the scorpion. thanks riley. ]

[The ensign listens intently, taking an occasional sip of tea. He still doesn't like it when people can't or won't tell him things, but, having been around Janeway's people for some time, he's becoming accustomed to it.]

When you began to respect your heritage... did you do this because you found that technology could not give you everything that you felt you needed?

Life legends. Old morality stories? My people have these, too, but they are for children, and I have never been haunted by one.

[ if it were up to chakotay and not a woman he loves and respects above all others who follows starfleet rules and ideals to the very letter, he would be telling chekov everything about everything.

with that question, chakotay pauses. he'd like to be able to admit to everything, wouldn't mind admitting to the part about the maquis and starfleet thinking he's a terrorist because he has a feeling chekov won't judge him. kirk would have, probably spock would have in his own vulcan way, and who even knows about bones or sulu. but chekov... chakotay can safely say he's more sure than not that a conversation between them would be intellectual more than judgmental. ]

I did it because my father died fighting for a cause he believed in, before we could reconcile. I took his place when I heard, but I wasn't able to find peace until years later. Technology and my own ambition couldn't give me the connection I was looking for and neither could show me how to live my life. I was happy in Starfleet, but I think I might have been happier had I gone in with a better understanding of my people and myself.

[ he gives a rueful smile at that. ] I doubt you renounced your family's way of life, either.

[Chekov isn't one to judge, but, until his last trip home, the whole idea of Starfleet considering a group of people terrorists would have been met with disbelief. Now that Starfleet has suffered at the hands of terrorism, he would know enough to determine that Chakotay isn't a terrorist. Not everyone with a different ideology is an enemy.]

I am sorry that he died while there were words unsaid between you, and that you did not know yourself sooner.

[He smiles--not ruefully, not not broadly, either.] Me? In some ways I have. My father's family is very old-fashioned, very Russian, and some of the Chekovs are too proud of their culture to learn Standard or ever leave Eastern Europe. I am proud, too, but I think that it is possible to be Russian and modern both.

[ in all fairness, the maquis are a special little bunch. or were, as last he had heard all the maquis in the alpha quadrant had been wiped out. he isn't looking forward to being greeted by that reality. ]

I think I've made my peace with him now, but... thank you.

[ somehow he thinks chekov understands in some way. ] The same way I think it's possible to live as one of my people while embracing the technology that Starfleet and the Federation have to offer. Maybe it's not good to live with just one while alienating the other. True, you've got to know your roots and where you come from, but you also need to be willing to move forward, to embrace the changing tides of time.

May I ask how you managed this? Making peace with him?

[It does seem as though Chekov and Chakotay are on the save wavelength where this topic is concerned.] Yes, I agree--a synthesis of two opposing ways of life is preferable to ignoring one or the other. Though I will admit that my friends in Starfleet find me too Russian and my family suspects I am too distant from our culture. Does this happen to you, with your culture?

It may sound strange [ especially to someone as science-minded as he thinks chekov is ] but I got to talk to him in a vision, after meeting the real counterparts to the people my tribe used to refer to as the "Sky Spirits." In a way, those people are my ancestors and this [ he indicates his tattoo ] is a mark of my tribe and a bond with the Sky Spirits.

[ as for the other question, he pauses, trying to come up with the best way to explain without doing more than bending the temporal prime directive. ]

I never really had a problem at the Academy. That was before I accepted my heritage. Now it seems like most people I know have accepted that I'm a bridge between Starfleet and [ the maquis ] my tribe's beliefs. I can be a Starfleet officer while still believing in what my tribe believes in and upholding their customs and traditions. I hope the same will eventually be true for you.

[It does sound strange. So much so, in fact, that he doesn't know how to respond.] If the result of this was satisfactory, that is more important than my inability to understand. [The tattoo as a mark of his cultural heritage, however--that's something Chekov understands.] You are the first person I have seen such a mark on.

A bridge? I like that--that you can belong in both worlds comfortably. I will aspire to that.

[ it's complicated at best and chakotay isn't doing his best to explain it. that would take too long. ] Don't worry. I didn't understand it for a long time, either. [ his smile is genuine, but it has just the slightest touch of sadness to it. ] If I had accepted everything as a boy, I might be able to speak the language of my people and the Sky Spirits. My father could, but he died before I was able to ask. [ and then he'd felt the guilt and slight measure of shame when he'd met the sky spirits and had to admit that he could not speak their language. he was not his father. ]

I think you'll have an easier time of it than you think. It may take time, but it'll be worth the effort and hard work in the end.

[Now that--that sounds terrible, being unable to speak the language that goes along with one's culture. Chekov can't even imagine not knowing the handful of Eastern European languages that his family speaks. The thought of not having that linguistic connection to culture probably bothers him more than it bothers Chakotay.] Is there still a way to learn? Surely there are databases...?

[He nods agreeably to the last.] Eventually. [And, as an afterthought:] You are the least intimidating commander I have met, and I mean this as a compliment.

If I made the time to learn, I'm sure someone would try to teach me. [ but it would be a lot of "i told you so" that he'd have to bear quietly. and he would. he dug his place a long time ago and now he's having to live with the choices of his youth. ]

I'll take that as a high compliment. [ clearly this means chekov should see him and b'elanna fight hand-to-hand or him argue with kathryn. ] On Voyager, we're a lone starship lost in a quadrant of space we know nothing about. All we have are the people on board and our crew has turned into a family. You learn to work together, from the youngest ensign [ hi, harry ] to the captain herself. There's a time for intimidation, but it has no place in the day-to-day workings of our crew and I believe that's the way of every place, even one like this. Maybe even especially a place like this. Our situation here is a lot like ours on Voyager. I don't see any reason to treat it differently.

[ which is why he and kathryn have patched up their working relationship in the wake of all that mistletoe crap. their command relationship is more important than anything else at this point, even their personal comfort. and this is also a way of welcoming chekov to the fold. chakotay has basically taken him under his wing, so to speak, and that means a lot coming from someone starfleet deems a terrorist. he's really not looking forward to that debriefing. ]

[Whether or not Chakotay attempts to form a linguistic connection to his culture is none of Chekov's business (neither was anything else he asked about), so the ensign lets that particular matter drop.]

That is how it is on the Enterprise, although less so there. [Some people are more central to the family than others. This isn't something that Chekov noticed before observing the way the Voyager crew conducts itself in and out of the labs. The eighteen year-old perks up at the intimation that, by virtue of their situation, he gets to be a part of their family.] Is there anything I might do to work better with your crew?

[He's almost embarrassed by how hopeful he sounds, just not enough to take it back. Yes, he got along in the City for over a year without any designated family, but after becoming very close to Nyota Uhura only to have her lose her memories reminded him that he misses those connections--connections with people from the same world and general experiences and understanding, people who are closer to home.]

[ the voyager crew is completely alone in the delta quadrant. unlike any other federation starship in any time, if they lose someone, that person is not so easily replaced and their job not so easily covered. every person is literally invaluable, every life lost means the safety of the entire crew is jeopardized that much more. tuvok would be able to calculate the exact percentage of jeopardy the crew is in at any given time, but ~~thank the spirits~~ the vulcan isn't here.

as it is, he pauses for a moment to think about that question. ] You know, maybe it's time for all of us to have a sit-down dinner together. You and Lieutenant Sulu would both be welcome to join in. It might be one of the only times we're all together. [ and it could be one a week or a few times a month. it'd be a good excuse for some inter-crew bonding. ]

[True story: it's basically impossible to like Vulcans when they're calculating the odds of someone dying or a ship blowing up.]

I wouldn't be opposed to this, and I doubt that Sulu would mind. [He's not as sure as he tries to sound. He feels like he doesn't know Sulu as well here as he did at home, and the lieutenant hasn't expressed an interest--to Chekov, at least--in joining forces with the other crew.] Would Captain Janeway approve?

[ or when they infiltrate your ship, lie, and then spy on you. that usually puts a damper on things. just ask b'elanna why chakotay's expression goes all sour every time tuvok's name is mentioned. ]

I don't see why she wouldn't. I'll ask her. Doing something together with both crews would be good for all of us, don't you think?

[ even if q is invited or decides to party crash, because one or the other is bound to happen. ]

[Maybe Chekov will avoid mentioning Vulcans altogether.]

Thank you, and I think that it would be beneficial for Sulu and I. Your crew, maybe not so much. I am not sure what we can contribute.

[Shh, Chekov likes Q.]

[ probably a wise course of action, but it's really only a matter of time before kathryn mentions tuvok. best friends and all. chakotay's sore points include vulcans and q. sob. ]

Your presence alone will contribute more than you think. [ it's all about the camaraderie, chekov. live in the moment, enjoy the friendship, etc. ] I'll see what time would be best for all of us.

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