Course Correction Studio

Tag: Dani

  • A Love Less Ordinary – Chapter 6

    Dani Janeway opened her eyes at 7 a.m. sharp at the sound of her alarm blaring in her ears. As she slowly sat up, attempting to gather her thoughts for the day, an alarming thought hit her like a phaser jolt – it was the day after her and Dukat’s interview with Jake Sisko.

    She stood and wandered into her living room, not exactly knowing how she should feel or what she should do. What was on the other side of the doors of her quarters? Would there be an angry mob? Or would no one care? Would people be as cold as ice to her? Or would they treat her like they always had, only to talk about her behind her back they were sure she was out of earshot?

    Dani looked at her computer console. Maybe she should check her messages for the morning…

    She sat down at her desk to access her messages. The first one was from Jake, confirming that he’d posted the interview with the Federation News Service. He’d attached a copy of the finished article to his message. Dani opened the attachment and skimmed over the article. It seemed pretty accurate and balanced, to Jake’s credit. He’d actually presented them for what they were: two people who were in a relationship and merely wanted to live their lives with the same opportunities as others in their position. Maybe this whole thing wouldn’t be so bad after all. Maybe when people read this, Dani thought, they’d be more receptive to the idea of her and Dukat together.

    When Dani read the next message in her terminal, that optimistic thought quickly dissipated. “You should be ashamed of yourself, you Cardie-loving bitch,” the message read. “The uniform you wear would be better-deserved by a Romulan, you traitor! Get off that station and go to Cardassia with that spoonhead and all the others of his kind.”

    Dani quickly deleted the message. Maybe the article hadn’t had the effect she thought it had after all. It hadn’t if the previously opened message was any indication. Dani moved on to the next message. This one was from a familiar face – Emma Shale. Dani immediately rolled her eyes and accessed the message.

    “Well, what a nice surprise!” it read. “Dani and Dukat – has a nice ring to it, if I do say so myself. So, I guess this means you’ll be resigning your lofty position on Deep Space Nine. I always knew you wouldn’t make it. Thanks for proving me right!”

    Dani angrily deleted the message, a sense of dreadful foreboding of what the remaining 43 messages on her terminal were about. And it was only 0700 hours. The day hadn’t even started, yet.

    Damn, she thought. What she feared most was becoming reality.

    She rose from her terminal, intending to return to her room to dress, but paused when the door chimed. ‘Somebody’s here to confront me in person,’ she thought. And here she was in her pajamas, a skimpy shirt with no sleeves and a matching pair of shorts.

    The door chimed again, and she dismissed the issue of her clothing, or lack thereof. “Come in,” she said. The doors slid open, and Dukat glided in. “Marac,” Dani said. She was relieved that it was him and not some angry reader.

    Dukat noted her sigh of relief. A glance in the direction of her computer monitor confirmed his thoughts. “I take it you’ve read your messages for the morning,” he surmised.

    “Some of them,” Dani replied.

    “They weren’t encouraging,” Dukat guessed, again correct in his assumption.

    Dani merely shook her head to the negative. She took a few steps and sat down on the sofa. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so insulted so many times in such a small amount of time,” she said. “And that was just one message.”

    “I don’t mean to sound pessimistic,” Dukat said, joining her on the couch, “but I don’t think you’ve seen the end or the worst of it.”

    “I know you’re right,” Dani said. “And that sucks.”

    “Danielle – I’m here for you,” Dukat told her. “We will get through this. Together.” Dani looked at him, unsure. “We will,” he insisted.

    When Dani walked into Ops that morning, she had that feeling that everyone had been talking but had suddenly stopped when she’d stepped off the lift. She quietly and quickly made her way to her station. She logged in and began to review the sensor readings from the day before. She hadn’t even been working ten minutes when Captain August Bunche stepped out of his office. “Ensign Janeway, could I see you in my office please?” he summoned.

    Dani looked at Kira momentarily before making her way across the room to the Captain. She followed him into his office adjacent to Ops. She stood at attention until he instructed her to sit, which she did.

    “Ensign,” Bunche began, “I believe you know why I have called you here. It appears that your relationship with Dukat has become public knowledge, thereby making it official to some degree.” Dani nodded, wondering where the captain was going with this.

    Bunche continued. “I’ve known about this relationship for weeks, as has most of the station,” he said, “but command is just now only hearing about it. This whole scenario makes them nervous, Ensign.”

    “Sir?” Dani said. She didn’t quite understand what he meant. Nervous?

    “Ensign, I received orders this morning to relieve you from your duties until further notice,” Bunche revealed.

    Dani couldn’t believe her ears. “What?” she managed to say.

    “Personally, Janeway, I think an officer’s private life and what he or she does off-duty is his or her own business and does not necessarily have any bearing on that officer’s on-duty performance. However, as I’m sure you’re well aware, you are, by no means, just an average officer, and Dukat is…well, Dukat. Starfleet is afraid of a scandal, which is where this is headed.” ‘It’s probably already

    reached that point, Bunche thought, regretfully. “I’m sorry, Ensign,” he said, and he truly was. This was a good officer, and she had the potential to be one of his best eventually. “I’m going to have to follow through on these orders,” he informed her.

    Dani couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She’d barely been on duty a couple of months, and already she was being suspended. This had to be some kind of record for the shortest time on duty before being relieved of duty. “Am I to be confined to quarters as well, sir?” she asked, making every effort to appear to be taking the news in stride.

    “No, I don’t believe that’s necessary,” Bunche said. “I do hope you understand Headquarters’ reasoning behind this, Ensign.”

    “Yes, sir. I do.”

    Bunche nodded. “You’re dismissed.”

    And so that was it, Dani thought. Her Starfleet career was probably over. She nodded to the captain and rose. She left the office and Ops without so much as even a glance at anyone on her way out. It wasn’t because she was too embarrassed to look at them; it was because she was too mad.

    The lift doors slid open, and Dani steamrolled through them and down the corridor toward her quarters. Once she entered her quarters, it was apparent to her that she wanted, needed to throw something, kick something, hit something. She would go to the gym and work off all the pint-up rage she was feeling.

    How could headquarters dictate to her how she was supposed to live her life? Who were they to tell her who she was supposed to be romantically involved with?

    She unzipped her uniform jacket and peeled it away from her body. It was then that the communications beacon on her terminal started to beep. She walked over to her desk and sat down at the computer. The comm, the screen showed, was from her parents. As she activated the message, hoped it was a recorded message and

    not actually live, with someone on the other end. Immediately, an image of both Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay appeared on the screen.

    “Dani,” Kathryn said, “we were just about to give up on you.”

    ‘Damn,’ Dani thought. ‘If only I’d come in a few seconds later…’

    “Yeah,” Dani began, “Sorry about that. My shift in Ops just ended.” She studied her parents’ expressions. They weren’t giving up anything. What did they know? “What’s up?”

    Kathryn and Chakotay looked at each other and then back at Dani. “Dani,” Kathryn began, “there have been some rumors floating around Starfleet. Very disturbing rumors. Concerning you and,” Janeway swallowed, “Gul Dukat. I’m sure you had to have heard of them by now. They’ve been floating around now for about two

    months.”

    So they had heard after all. “I have heard them,” Dani replied.

    “And I’m sure you’ve heard of the article on the news service concerning you this morning,” Kathryn said.

    Dani nodded. “Yes.”

    Kathryn continued. “Well, Sweetheart, we just wanted to hear your take on this. I mean, is this something that began as a prank or joke that spun out of control? Something like that? Or…it’s just that we expected what people were saying to die out, but the stories keep coming, and the article this morning-“

    “You want to know if it’s true,” Dani interjected.

    “That’s right,” Chakotay said, speaking for the first time. “We want to know so we can put an end to these despicable lies. Tell us you’re not involved with Dukat so we can stop this.”

    Dani’s head hung. Her heart was beating like a mad drum. Her stomach was nothing more than a twisted knot.

    “Honey, it’s okay,” Kathryn said. “We know that words hurt, but it’s not the end of the world. It isn’t-“

    “They’re not just words,” Dani broke in. She rose her head and looked at her parents on the monitor. They were both speechless. They didn’t know what they were hearing. “I can’t tell you that I’m not involved with Dukat because I am. They’re not just stories. That article on the Federation news wire is real. I did the interview with Jake Sisko yesterday. The things that people are saying…are true.”

    Dani watched her parents and waited for some kind of response, but they just sat there in silence for a few moments. She wanted to say something, but wasn’t exactly sure that there was anything she could say that would make things any better. She opened her mouth to speak anyway, but before any words left her lips, her father suddenly reached over and angrily ended the transmission.

    Dani was left staring at a blank screen. Tears welled up in Dani’s eyes and didn’t hesitate to fall down her cheeks. The worst had occurred. And Dani hadn’t been prepared for it.

    Dani rose from her desk. It was official, now. If her parents had heard, chances were, everyone had heard. Her worst fear had come true. Her parents had found out about her and Marac, and her father’s reaction had been worse than she had expected. He hadn’t said a word. She’d expected him to say something, even if it had been to just yell, but he hadn’t said anything. Dani hadn’t expected that.

    She understood perfectly his reasoning for his actions, though, and she couldn’t blame him. She understood what he believed. He just didn’t understand what she believed.

    Two and a half hours later, Dani, who’d previously left for the gym for a nice long workout, returned to her quarters. The intense regimen she’d embarked on had been successful in helping her alleviate some of the stress of the situation. It could not, however, get rid of the pain she felt as a result of being virtually disowned by her parents, or by her father, at least. When she thought about the sadness, the anger in her rose again. When the anger rose, she felt like punching something. This was the process that had manifested itself throughout her workout, which was why she’d continued for so long. She could never completely get rid of the feelings, and if there was any remnant of any feeling, the process started all over again. It was all so useless. What she really wanted to do was crawl into bed, burrow under the covers, and hide from the universe forever.

    Dani sank down onto the couch and buried her head in her hands as the tears came. Her entire life was falling apart, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. Well, there was one thing she could do, and doing it would probably get everyone off her back. But she couldn’t go down that road. Not because everyone else dictated that she should.

    The door chimed, and Dani’s head sprung up. “Who is it?” she asked. She wasn’t used to asking that. She usually just told whoever was out there to come on in. She didn’t think it was such a good idea to be so open now. Whoever was on the other side of that door might wish she were dead or something.

    “It’s me – Marac,” Dani heard Dukat say from outside.

    She almost breathed a sigh of relief. “Come in,” she invited. She stood as Dukat entered.

    “I thought we were meeting for lunch,” Dukat said. “What happened?”

    “I was relieved of duty this morning,” Dani informed him.

    “What?” Dukat asked, walking over to her.

    “I went to Ops for my shift this morning, and the captain told me that he had been ordered, by Command, to relieve me of duty.”

    “Because of me?” Dukat asked. Dani nodded and reclaimed her seat on the sofa.

    Dukat sank to the couch beside her. “I didn’t realize such drastic steps would be taken,” he admitted.

    “Me either,” Dani said.

    “I can’t see you any longer, Danielle,” Dukat said suddenly.

    Dani’s head snapped around to face Dukat. “What?”

    “Your whole world is falling apart all at the expense of me. Getting rid of me is the obvious solution to this conundrum.”

    Dani studied Dukat. He was right. It was the most obvious solution. But it wasn’t the only solution. “I’d rather not do that,” she told Dukat. Dani realized that she wouldn’t be willing to put herself through all this drama if she simply cared for Dukat or merely liked him a lot. “I love you,” she revealed.

    Dukat looked at her. He couldn’t believe his ears. Only a few days ago, she’d said that she couldn’t say those words, that she couldn’t tell him she loved him. But now she could?

    “I realized,” Dani began to explain, “that I wouldn’t be letting myself go through all this if I didn’t love you.”

    “Are you sure you aren’t letting yourself go through all this merely to prove a point?” Dukat asked her.

    “What point would that be? My whole life is a wreck. Everything I’ve ever worked for is slipping away. I know I’m stubborn, but I don’t think I would go so far as to risk everything just to prove someone wrong.” Dani stood and turned to face the viewports. “I just wish I could get away from this all.”

    Dukat stood and joined her at the viewport. “I have to go away to Cardasssia IV for business in a few days,” he told her. “I’d like you to come with me.” She turned and looked up at him as he continued. “I could arrange for my ship to leave early, perhaps as early as tonight, if you wish.” Dani returned her attention to the viewport, as placed his hands on her shoulders and whispered into her ear, “I can take you away from all this, if only for a little while, a

    few days. We’ll go somewhere where we’ll be completely secluded, away from everything that’s troubling you. Danielle, come with me.”

    Dani turned and looked up at him again. “Can we really leave tonight?”

  • Graduation – Chapter 9. Party Time

    That had been yesterday. Just like that, four years had been washed down the drain. Dani wanted to cry, but she didn’t want to give Will the satisfaction of seeing that he had made her cry.

    Everyone listened to Rear Admiral Camden as he spoke.

    “And now, I’d like to present to you a group of cadets who have more than excelled in the areas of leadership, scholarship, and command. These students have proven that they have what it takes to lead others successfully. These Academy graduates are not only at the top of their class, but also Command School graduates. Cadets – as I call your name, please step forward.” And he started announcing the names of the command school graduates. It didn’t take him long to call out the names. Out of the class of 300, only fifty had applied to command school. Out of fifty applicants, only 23 were accepted. Out of 23, only 10 completed the program successfully.

    The admiral made it to Dani’s name, which was number five on the list.

    “…Cadet Danielle Janeway…” Camden announced.

    Will had been watching Dani even before she stepped forward to take her place with the other command school graduates. He couldn’t believe that she’d walked out on him just the night before. He’d wanted to cry then, and he wanted to cry now, but he didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of seeing him cry. He had always been close to Dani, even beforeVoyager had been stranded in the Delta Quadrant. But they’d grown even closer over the past four years. Joined at the hip almost…

    Xxx

    “Dani, where are my boots?” Will asked. He was running around his quarters frantically searching for his uniform boots. He was to attend a diplomatic function in twenty minutes, and he couldn’t find his boots.

    Dani, who had dressed at Will’s, was attending as Will’s date. Right now, she was putting her earrings in. From the bathroom, she yelled, “They’re in the closet.”

    Will searched the closet frantically but didn’t see them anywhere. “Where?” he yelled. “I don’t see them? Are you sure they’re here?”

    Dani put her second earring in. “I put them there myself,” she said. He is so clueless, she thought. “Check the floor, the right side.”

    Will looked on the floor of the right side of the closet and, surely enough, found his boots neatly waiting to be worn. He picked them up and then sat down on his bed. It was only when he went to pull his boots on that he realized he wasn’t wearing any socks. He looked over the bed. They weren’t lying out anywhere.

    “Dani-” Before he could even ask, she was out of the bathroom – and she had socks with her. She walked over to him.

    “Here,” she said, handing him one of the socks. The other in hand, she bent down and socked his bare foot. She picked up the corresponding boot and slid his foot into it. Standing up, she said, “There.”

    Will stood, now completely dressed.

    “Are you ready?” Dani asked, inspecting Will’s dress uniform. She absently straightened the jacket and brushed imaginary dust from his shoulders.

    “Do I look alright?” Will asked.

    “You look fine,” Dani said.

    Will looked at Dani. Instead of a dress uniform, which she wasn’t obligated to wear because she was not yet an officer, wore a long, sleeveless, royal blue gown. “And you look gorgeous.”

    “Thank you.”

    “Maybe we should just blow off this party and stay in tonight,” Will suggested, moving in on Dani. She stopped his advance with her hand.

    “No way. You’re not missing this and getting into trouble because of me.”

    “So by-the-book. Starfleet Academy is doing something to you.” Will smiled. “Let’s go. We’re going to be late.”

    Xxx

    Dani and Will walked into the Zikonian ballroom arm-in-arm. Neither of them had expected quite so many people to be in attendance at a diplomatic function, such as a dinner, but maybe diplomatic dinners were a big deal on this planet. Or in this city, at least.

    “I hate these things,” Will whispered to Dani, as he and she walked through the large room.

    Dani’s smile seemed frozen on her face as she whispered his reply. “Don’t worry – it’s only a few hours.”

    A man whom Dani and Will both took to be a waiter approached them. “Beverage?”

    Dani and Will each picked up a glass. Will nodded slightly to the waiter. After the waiter left, Will said, “At least they give us something to make it through the night with.” He took a sip. “Not bad.”

    Dani took a sip, as well. “Alcoholic?” she asked.

    “I think so. Whatever it is, it’s strong and highly potent. I’m already getting a bit of a buzz.”

    “Yeah, me too.”

    “I think that’s enough of whatever this is,” Will said. He dreaded the thought of what could happen if he and Dani happened to get drunk on this occasion. Dani handed him her glass, and he deposited both on a passing waiter’s tray.

    “Will?”

    Will turned at the call of his name. Captain Picard was making his way toward him and Dani. A Zikonian diplomat was with him.

    “Will – I’d like you to meet the Zikonian chancellor, Litus Spar,” Picard introduced. “Chancellor Spar, this is my first officer, Commander William T. Riker.” Spar and Will shook hands.

    “Pleased to meet you, Commander,” Spar said.

    “A pleasure,” Will said.

    Picard continued. “And from Starfleet Academy, Cadet Danielle Janeway.”

    “How do you do?” Spar greeted Dani, shaking her hand. Dani smiled and nodded.

    “If you all would excuse me,” Dani said. Will looked at her. She leaned into him and whispered, “I’ll see you at dinner.” Before Will could protest her departure, she was gone. She’d gone and left him to his own devices. He looked at the Zikonian chancellor and pasted a smile on.

    Xxx

    At dinner, 30 minutes later, Dani rejoined Will at a large table.

    “That was dirty,” Will said to Dani, as they sat.

    “I never agreed to stay with you the entire night,” Dani said. Will looked at her. “Besides, you did pretty well without me, didn’t you?”

    “I would’ve done much better with you by my side,” Will said. “You’re more of a diplomat than I am.”

    “Really? That’s news to me.”

    Xxx

    Will rolled onto his back, taking Dani with him. They had returned to the ship from the Zikonian diplomatic dinner over an hour ago. Dani now sat atop Will, kissing him. His fingers were immersed in her long, dark tresses.

    Dani sat up and leaned back down again to rest her head on Will’s bare chest.

    “Marry me, Dani,” Will said.

    “I will,” she said. “I already said I would.”

    “No. I mean sooner. Now.”

    Dani sat up. “What’s the big hurry? It’s not like I’m going anywhere. Are you?”

    “I just don’t want some younger guy to take you away.”

    “I don’t want a younger guy – I want you.” She once again place her head on Will’s chest. “You know you’re the only captain of my ship.”

    “Yeah. For now.”

    Dani sat up again. “What does that mean?”

    “In a few years, when I’m in my fifties, will you still feel that way?”

    “What about when I’m in my fifties? Are you sure you won’t want someone younger?”

    “When you hit fifty, I’ll be in my…let’s just say I’ll be pretty damn old. I’ll be lucky to have anyone.”

    “I believe that when you love a person, you never stop loving them, no matter what happens. No matter if they’ve sprouted a few gray hairs here and there, or they’ve formed a few wrinkles, or put on a little weight – you always love that person.” Dani leaned down so that her face was close to Will’s. “I love you, Will.”

    “I love you,” Will replied. Dani kissed him.

    Xxx

    That had only been a year before. Only a year. Will believed what Dani had said, about loving someone forever. He still loved her, and he knew that she still loved him. But sometimes, love just wasn’t enough.

    Will looked down at the field.

    “And now, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the graduating class of Starfleet Academy,” Camden said. “Cadets – Atten-tion!” The cadets snapped to attention. “Each of you entered this Academy cadets, and now each of you shall leave as Starfleet Ensigns. By the power invested in me by the United Federation of Planets and by Starfleet, I now proclaim you graduated.”

    The audience members stood and clapped and cheered. It had been a long road, but they had finally made it. Another chapter of Dani’s life was coming to a close. Despite the new ensigns’ efforts to maintain straight faces, many of them broke into smiles. But Dani wasn’t smiling this day.

    It was the night of graduation. The general sentiment among the Academy graduates was that everyone was entitled to have a good time after working their asses off for however many years it took them to get through the program. If that just happened to involve getting drunk, so be it. And for Dani Janeway, on this particular night, it meant exactly that.

    Xxx

    ‘I’ve made it through the Academy,’ Dani thought. Through command school, Emma Shale…Nimembeh. ‘I deserve to kick back and have some fun for once.’ She kicked back the last of her first bottle of Romulan Ale. Dani Janeway was now officially drunk.

    “Way to go, Dani!” Kyle said. Their whole little group was at one of the many parties sure to be taking place around San Francisco that night. “I knew you had it in you,” Kyle continued. He offered her another bottle of ale, but she promptly refused.

    “No,” she said. “But keep it handy in case my buzz starts to wear off.” She and Kyle were shouting over loud music, and her speech had the tiniest hint of a slur in it.

    “Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Kyle said. He was proud. Dani had finally learned how to drink.

    Dani retreated to a balcony outside the apartment. Rane followed. “Dani?”

    Dani turned and watched Rane approach her. “Hi,” she said.

    “Are you okay?” Rane asked.

    “Of course,” Dani replied. “Why shouldn’t I be?”

    Rane studied her drunk friend for a moment. “I don’t know. You just seem sort of down for a person who just graduated from the Academy – and command school – at the top of your class. You should be one of the ones having the most fun.”

    Besides Emery, Dani hadn’t told anyone at the Academy about her and Will. Now, she decided, was as good a time as any.

    “Will and I broke up,” she said.

    Rane couldn’t believe her ears. “When?”

    “A few days ago,” Dani said.

    “I’m sorry,” Rane said. She noted that Dani seemed awfully calm about having ended a four-year long relationship with a guy she’d been crazy about and who’d been crazy about her.

    “It’s okay,” Dani looked at Rane. “It was good while it lasted.”

    Someone inside the apartment announced, “It’s time for Suck and Blow!”

    Dani looked at Rane and smiled. “Come on – we don’t want to miss all the fun, do we?” She went back into the apartment with Rane following close behind.

    Xxx

    Will stood, in dress uniform, in the middle of the Academy ballroom talking with a group of professors. One really couldn’t call it talking, though. Will was mostly listening. No, he wasn’t really doing that, either. His mind was elsewhere that night. It was the night of the Academy graduation, and Will was attending Starfleet’s annual gala to commemorate the event.

    Will realized that one of the professors had addressed him. Will did little more than nod and offer a fake smile.

    “Would you gentlemen excuse me please?” Will said, excusing himself from the group. As he walked away, he took a drink from his glass. That was when he noticed that the color of the drink was the same color as Dani’s eyes. He quickly found that he was unable to down the rest of the beverage, and deposited it on a nearby table.

    I should be with her, tonight, Will thought. I should be with her right now, celebrating her arrival on the Enterprise.

    Instead, he was sulking because they’d broken up-and because Dani was going to Deep Space Nine instead of the Enterprise. Because he’d been a fool. He sighed and wondered what she was doing at this very moment.

    Xxx

    At the party, Dani was lying face down on somebody’s bed. She giggled for the fourth time in two minutes.

    “If you don’t stop moving, this isn’t going to look right,” Khatain said.

    “I can’t help it,” Dani said. “It tickles.” She buried her head in a pillow as she felt another wave of giggles coming over her. The Klingon shook his head and continued with his work.

    Dani lifted her head once the giggles had passed. “Khatain, how much longer will this take?” she whined.

    “I am almost done,” the Klingon said. “If you didn’t want it so detailed, I would have been done eons ago.”

    “It has to be detailed. Any other way wouldn’t be right.” Dani rested her head on the pillow once again.

    “I can’t believe you’re actually doing this,” Rane said. She was seated in a chair beside the bed.

    “Why?” Dani asked. “My father did it.”

    “Your father did it for a reason.”

    “And I’m not?”

    “You’re drunk.”

    “I am not,” Dani argued. She lifted her head and realized that the room was suddenly spinning. “Okay, maybe I am.” She lowered her head onto the pillow again. “But I know what I’m doing. I’ve always wanted to get the mark of my father’s people.”

    “Yeah, but on you a-“

    “-Back!” Dani interrupted. “It’s my lower back.”

    “There,” Khatain said. “It is complete.” Dani looked up at Khatain. She hopped out of the bed and hurried over to the nearest mirror, which was mounted beside the closet. She turned around so that her back was facing the mirror. Looking over her shoulder, into the mirror, she spotted the symbol on her lower back. It was the same triangular-shaped symbol that appeared on her father’s forehead

    above his left eye.

    “Is it satisfactory?” Khatain asked.

    A smile slowly appeared on Dani’s face. “It’s perfect,” she said. Khatain handed the necklace he had used to draw the design back to Dani. Dani turned around and looked at herself in the mirror frontally. She looked at the charm she was holding and back at herself again. She was ready to start over again. It seemed that her life, so far, had been a series of new beginnings. Voyager, the

    Academy, Will…and now Deep Space Nine.

    “Deep Space Nine, here I come,” Dani muttered.

  • Graduation – Chapter 8. Breakdown

    Dani stood on the Academy green during the graduation ceremony remembering that Thanksgiving when Will had surprised her by showing up. Her mother had told her of a conversation between Tom, Harry, and Data that she’d overheard. That entire ordeal had made her smile. They had been the good memories. As she remembered the last year of her Academy stay, though, thoughts turned to less pleasant memories. It was somewhat ironic that Tom, Harry, and Data had been worried about infidelity. It was ironic because it had actually become an issue in Dani and Will’s relationship, only Will hadn’t been the one who’d stood accused – he’d been the accuser.

    Xxx

    Dani discreetly pulled at the collar of her dress uniform. She’d only had to wear it on a few earlier occasions, and every time, she’d hated it, just as she hated it this time. The were unflattering, ugly, and impossible to keep clean. Dani looked at her friend Rane Skara. She seemed right at home in her uniform.

    “At least they aren’t those horrid dress things people had to wear before the design changed,” the Bajoran said, referring to the earlier style of the dress uniforms. Dani had to at least be thankful that they hadn’t had to wear those. Still, though, she contemplated just how much better off she was in what she was wearing now. It was different from the earlier style, but just as ugly. And now she looked like a waiter, too.

    Dani plucked a glass of ginger ale from a passing waiter’s tray. “I don’t understand why this has to be so formal anyway,” Dani said. “This is supposed to be a celebration, isn’t it?”

    “This is a celebration,” Kyle Hicks said, joining Dani and Rane’s conversation. “This is how they celebrate.” He pointed to a group of Academy professors and Starfleet brass who were standing together talking across the crowded room.

    Kyle took a swig of his ginger ale and frowned. “But it’s definitely not how I celebrate,” he said, looking dejectedly at the non-alcoholic beverage. He handed it off to a nearby waiter.

    “Guys, we only have one more day to go. Tomorrow we graduate and tomorrow night, we have our own celebration,” Rane said. “A real one.”

    “With real drinks,” Kyle added.

    Dani smiled at her friends. Saying goodbye to them would be difficult. None of them had been given the same assignments. Rane would go to the Grissom, while Kyle was going to Starbase 123. Dani would be going to Deep Space Nine. It wasn’t the Enterprise, as she’d hoped, but it was a good post. It meant, though, that Dani’s relationship with Will would remain a long-distance one. She looked across the room at him. He was currently chatting with a captain and an admiral, but he didn’t miss her look. He looked at her and flashed her a smile. She smiled back before turning back to her Kyle and Rane.

    This was all so bittersweet. Dani was ecstatic that she was about to graduate and become an officer. Her career in Starfleet was about to get off the ground. At the same time, she was going to have to leave these people who’d become two of her closest confidants in her time at the Academy.

    Dani hated having to do this. While she hadn’t had a high school graduation and hadn’t had to go through that ordeal, she’d gone through a similar experience when Voyager had returned to the Alpha Quadrant and she’d had to leave the friends she’d made there. And here she was having to do it all over again.

    “I can just imagine some of these admirals at a real party,” Kyle said. “They probably wouldn’t be such tight-asses if they’d get a little booze in them.”

    Xxx

    Will looked up from his conversation with Admiral Davies and Captain Chang and looked across the room at Dani. Obviously, she found something very funny. She was laughing hard and trying her best to hide it. Will smiled. He was going to have to get her to-

    Will’s smile fell immediately. Dani’s hand rested squarely on the chest of the man standing beside her. He watched as the Bajoran who’d been standing with them moved off, leaving the two alone. The man placed his hands on Dani’s arms and leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. He then whispered something in her ear after which Dani hugged him.

    It all could’ve been innocent, and Will would’ve passed it off as such if it weren’t for the rumors he’d been hearing around the Enterprise lately. He and Dani had talked about it, and she’d denied that there was anything going on between her and any of her classmates. But, then again, the look that he’d just seen her give that man, that wasn’t just a look between friends – or was it?

    He wanted to believe Dani. He wanted to with all his might, but could so many people really be lying? He wasn’t kidding when he said he’d heard it all over the ship. Literally just about everywhere he went on the Enterprise, there was some ensign who’d recently graduated telling someone else about what he or she had seen Dani do and who he or she had seen Dani with. And now, this ambiguous evidence presented itself before him. Was Dani – his Dani – cheating on him?

    Xxx

    “You said that you would never intentionally do anything to hurt me,” Dani said heatedly. “Don’t you think the same goes for me, too? I would never ever do anything to hurt you, Will.”

    “Then, you and I must have different guidelines on what hurts and what doesn’t,” Will said. “When I find out that you’re seeing other people on the side, playing me for a fool, that hurts.”

    “For the gazillionth time, I’m not seeing anyone else. You’re the only one.” Dani could tell by the way Will looked off to the side that he didn’t believe her. She had no idea where all these accusations were coming from. Just this afternoon, they’d both been at the reception, and things had seemed fine. She thought they’d resolved this issue the first hundred times they’d discussed it. Obviously she was wrong. “Just where are you getting your information, anyway?”

    “It’s everywhere. Everyone knew – except me.”

    “There was nothing to know!”

    “Every time we get new ensigns fresh from the Academy, I have to hear all the latest gossip about who ‘the Commander’s girl’ was last seen with.”

    “Will, you should know, better than anyone, that rumors fly around this place like crazy. And besides, nobody forced you to listen.”

    “Dani, I saw you this afternoon,” Will revealed.

    “What?” Dani asked. “Of course, you saw me. I saw you, too. We both saw each other.”

    “No,” Will said. “I mean with the blonde man. I saw the way you were with him.”

    “You mean Kyle. Will, you’re mistaken. Kyle is a friend. A very good friend.”

    “Yes, I can see that he is,” Will said coldly.

    Dani didn’t appreciate his tone. “Will, tomorrow, I’m going to graduate, and I’m never going to see him or any of my other friends again. What you saw was nothing outside of what any other two people in our situation would do.” She couldn’t believe he was trying to make this into something that it wasn’t. It was like he was looking for her to cheat on him.

    She’d always thought they had a solid relationship. That he didn’t have more faith in her, more trust…it hurt.

    Dani walked over to the couch and sat down, burying her head in her hands. “This isn’t working,” she muttered.

    “What?”

    She looked up at him. “This – us. It isn’t working. Over the past six months, every time we’ve met, we’ve ended up fighting about the same thing.” She laughed. “I can’t believe this – you’re actually accusing me of being unfaithful.”

    “And what’s that supposed to mean?” Will asked, somewhat defensively.

    “It means that you’re the one with the track record for this sort of thing.”

    “Ahh, so you were expecting me to be unfaithful, then?”

    “Well, when that’s all you’re hearing from everyone…” Dani trailed. “And it’s not any different from what you were expecting of me. You were expecting me to cheat, too, weren’t you?”

    “Guess you know how it feels, now,” Will stabbed. He regretted the moment he said it. It was a low blow, and he knew it.

    ‘Ouch,’ Dani thought. That had hurt. Dani stood. Glaring at Will, she made her way to the door. Her hand was on the button to open it when Will spoke.

    “Run away,” he began. “Is that what they’ve taught you at the Academy?”

    Dani turned. “What do you want me to do? Just sit here and argue with you? Sorry. I can’t do this every time we see each other. I’ve got better things to do with my life.” She turned back to the door preparing to open it once again.

    “You know, you’re right,” Will said. Dani, once again, hesitated before leaving. She wanted to hear what he had to say. “I did make a mistake.” Dani almost turned back around to him. Will’s better judgment told him he should stop, but he ignored it and continued anyway. “But the mistake wasn’t today; it was four years ago. The mistake was ever getting involved with someone as young and irresponsible as you.”

    Dani almost burst into tears right then and there, but she willed her self to maintain her composure. Instead she turned and looked at Will.

    Dani’s eyes stabbed Will, right through the heart, and he immediately regretted everything he’d said. “I’m sorry you feel that way,” Dani told him quietly before turning back to the door. She opened it and walked out.

    He sat down on the couch in the hotel room he’d booked for the purpose of attending Dani’s graduation activities. He felt like he didn’t know what to do next. Had he just ruined a relationship he’d had with a wonderful woman. How he wished he had listened to his better judgment and just shut his mouth. Now, he’d messed up – bad. And he didn’t know how, or if, he could do anything to fix what had gone wrong.

  • Graduation – Chapter 7. Thanksgiving

    Thinking back to that same year that she’d had her falling out with Emma, Dani remembered that she had been so glad when that first break of the year, Thanksgiving break, had come around. Besides the obvious reason, that she’d have a week-long break from her heavy load of course work, the time off would also afford her some time to spend with her parents.

    Dani had always thought of Thanksgiving as an antiquated holiday that didn’t have much meaning anymore. But both her parents had always held firm that celebrating it was about more than celebrating what some pilgrims and Native Americans did hundreds of years ago. Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay thought of it as a time for families to get together and spend some quality time with one another. When Dani had been younger, she’d scoffed at that idea. But now that she was older and away from her family, she understood the relevance of the holiday all too well and was glad her parents had decided to uphold the traditions that surrounded it.

    Xxx

    When Dani awoke Thanksgiving morning, the sweet aroma of dressing baking in the oven invading her nostrils. She opened her eyes. Her father must be downstairs cooking Thanksgiving dinner in the kitchen, she figured.

    Dani looked at the chronometer on her bedside table. 9:32 a.m. It’d been ages since she’d slept this late on a weekday. Her usual rising time was 6:00 a.m. She sat up, happy to be home.

    Chakotay’s had been away on assignment last Thanksgiving, so Kathryn and Dani and gone to her aunt Pheobe’s and had dinner with Kathryn’s mother and Phoebe’s family. This year, though, both Kathryn and Chakotay were home, and what’s more, they had invited some former members of Voyager’s crew for dinner. It was going to be one big feast. The only person missing was Will. The Enterprise wouldn’t be back to Earth until December, so Will had promised to be home for Christmas.

    After showering and dressing, Dani headed downstairs. As she made her way down, she heard two voices talking in the kitchen. One was her father. The other was not her mother. It was another man.

    Dani walked into the kitchen. “Will?”

    Will Riker turned around, a turkey baster in his hand and a wide grin on his face. “Hi,” he said.

    Dani walked over and kissed him. “Hi. What are you doing here?”

    “Our mission was postponed, so we got an early leave,” Will informed her.

    Dani turned to her father, who was standing on the other side of her. “Good morning, Dad.” She kissed him on the cheek.

    “Good morning,” Chakotay said. He was busy chopping collard greens and placing them into a pot. “Did you sleep well?”

    “I always sleep well in my own bed,” Dani said, smiling at her father.

    “Good. Is your mother up, yet?” he asked.

    “No, I don’t think so. I haven’t seen her.”

    Kathryn appeared in the kitchen doorway. “What’s this?” Kathryn asked. “I’m the last one up? I must be slipping.”

    “Good morning,” Dani, Chakotay, and Will said in unison. Dani walked over to Kathryn and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

    “Let me finish doing that” Kathryn said, offering to take over the turkey basting for Riker. She approached him, and he handed the baster to her.

    “Thanks,” he said. He and Dani walked into the living room and sat down.

    “When did you get here?” Dani asked him.

    “Late last night,” Will said. “I was going to wake you, but you were sleeping so soundly. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

    “I wish you would’ve. I was dreaming about you, anyway.”

    Will smiled. “Were you?”

    “Yeah.”

    “What was I doing in this dream?”

    “I wouldn’t feel right saying it out loud in my parents’ house.”

    Will’s blue eyes seemed to light up. “It’s that bad?”

    Dani nodded and smiled. “So, how long are you going to be here?”

    “Only a few days. Our mission was rescheduled. The Enterprise leaves orbit Saturday at noon.”

    Dani wanted to complain, but she knew he had no control of it, short of quitting the ‘Fleet.

    “I know it’s not long, but we’ll make every moment count,” Will said. “I promise.”

    “It’s more than enough time. I didn’t think I’d get to see you at all. Now I find that I get to spend two whole days with you.”

    “I don’t know how much of that time we’ll actually get to spend alone.”

    “Yeah, I know – Harry, Seven, Icheb, Tom, and B’Elanna are all coming over.”

    “Don’t forget Data,” Will added.

    “Data’s coming?”

    “He’s never been to a real Thanksgiving dinner before.”

    Dani nodded. “That’s ten. Perfect.”

    Xxx

    “Harry, could you pass the salt, please?” Tom asked.

    “Sure,” Harry said. Harry picked up the salt and passed it to Tom, who was seated beside him. Both were at the Janeways’ dinner table with eight other people.

    “So, how did you two meet,” Tom asked Dani and Will. He looked at Dani who, in turn, looked at Will.

    “Actually, we’ve known each other for quite a while,” Will said.

    “Since I was a kid,” Dani said.

    “Really?” Tom.

    “Yes,” Will said.

    “Well, then I suppose that the question I should be asking is how you came to be a couple.”

    “I’m surprised you don’t already know,” Dani said. “I would have thought everyone’s already heard about it courtesy of the Federation News Service.”

    “It was after Voyager returned from the Delta Quadrant,” Will began. “We reunited at a reception. The rest is pretty much history.”

    “Wonderful,” Harry said. “Any wedding plans?”

    Everyone’s head snapped up. Their eyes fell on Dani and Will.

    “No,” Dani said. “Not at the moment.”

    “But in the future?” Seven probed.

    It was like a tennis match. Everyone’s head was following the conversation as if it were a bright yellow ball.

    Dani looked at Will before answering. “Well, we have talked about it, if that’s what you mean.” Kathryn and Chakotay both went white. Dani saw it and quickly added, “But we both agreed to wait until after I graduate from the Academy, at the very earliest.” Kathryn still looked as if she would faint.

    “You’re getting married?” Tom asked. “Way to go, Dani!”

    “This is most unexpected,” Icheb said.

    “You’re telling me,” Harry said. He’d broached the initial question, but he hadn’t expected that Dani would actually be ready for marriage. Not now. He looked at her. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

    “Lt. Kim has a point,” Data said. “Marriage is a big commitment.”

    “Dani, I can’t say that I agree with your decision to marry at such a young age,” Chakotay said.

    “I’m 22,” said Dani, but it was as if no one heard her.

    “I have to agree with your father on this one, Dani,” Kathryn said. “This could be a mistake. I mean, you aren’t…pregnant, or anything – are you?”

    Dani and Will looked at each other, as everyone else at the table continued to talk about their ‘engagement.’

    “Excuse me,” Will said. No one even knew that he was trying to speak. “Hey!” Everyone ceased talking and looked at Will. “Thank you,” he said. “Now, no one, at least not Dani or I, is getting married. We said we talked about it. That’s all.” Everyone looked at one another and went back to enjoying their meal. Dani and Will looked at each other, amazed at how quickly that whole conversation had escalated. It was intriguing. It had given the both of them a look into everyone’s train of thought concerning the course of their relationship, and it’d been very revealing.

    Xxx

    “I can’t believe how wild dinner got this afternoon,” Dani said. She and Will were sitting on the porch swing. Night had fallen, and things had settled down considerably since dinner.

    “Yeah,” Will said. “Who knew one little question could cause so much of an uproar?”

    “I’m sure Harry didn’t mean any harm by asking,” Dani assured him.

    “No,” Will said, agreeing with Dani. He pulled Dani closer.

    A gentle breeze blew through. Dani pulled the thick blanket draped over her and Will closer.

    Xxx

    Data, Harry, and Tom observed Dani and Will from inside.

    “Out of all the people I imagined Dani ending up with, Will Riker was the last person on that list,” Harry said.

    “Last?” Tom asked. “He wasn’t even on my list.”

    “I, too, was surprised by the coupling at first,” Data said. “However, after observing them together and considering their history together, I have come to find that they are quite well-suited for each other.”

    “I never meant that they didn’t make a good couple,” Harry said. “He just seems a bit…” He searched for the appropriate term.

    Tom didn’t bother with searching for ‘appropriate terms.’ He completed Harry’s statement for him. “Old?” he said.

    Harry looked at Data. “No,” he said. ‘Old’ didn’t quite fit. “It isn’t exactly that. I mean there is an obvious age difference, but that’s not really it. It’s just…”

    Tom took a sip of his glass of water and tried guessing again. “He’s a bit of a player in the relationship game.”

    Harry and Data looked at each other and nodded. Tom had hit the nail exactly on the head.

    “I just wouldn’t want her to get hurt, you know?” Harry said.

    “Lieutenant,” Data began, “may I remind you that the commander and Dani have been in a monogamous relationship for over two years.”

    “Data’s right,” Tom said. “Besides, anyone can change.” Tom was a living testament to that statement. He’d first boarded Voyager an irresponsible, womanizing ex-con. When he’d disembarked for the final time, he’d been a responsible family man with a wife and kid.

    The three of them once again returned their gazes to the couple sitting on the porch.

  • Graduation – Chapter 6. Training Day

    Dani remembered when she had finally settled the score between her and Emma. It hadn’t been that summer on the Enterprise; it had been over a year later, during her junior year at the Academy, after Dani had finished a mission training session in one of the Academy’s holodeck classrooms…

    xxx

    22-year-old Dani Janeway checked the Tactical Eye Display of her hazard suit. Life support – good, weapons status – good. She looked down at the weapon in her hands. The Infinity Modulator, or I-MOD. She remembered when Seven of Nine had first designed it.

    Obtaining the I-MOD was one of Dani’s mission objectives. She’d already met that one. Her other objective was to save her crewmates. Doing that would require her to actually engage the Borg. She couldn’t believe how afraid she actually was. As many times as she’d encountered the Borg in her lifetime…

    She wouldn’t even have to engage them if it weren’t for those damned force fields, she thought. To deactivate the force field, she had to disable the warp plasma conduit powering it. And that would alert the Borg to her presence and they would start to come after her. That’s where those Borg distribution nodes came in handy. A good shot in the right place would disable the node and any nearby drones.

    Dani looked down at the I-MOD. Surely it wouldn’t take a blast from the I- MOD to disable a conduit or node. She whipped out her phaser and fired at the nearest conduit. Sparks flew from the conduit as the force field came down. Before she could make it to the nearest distribution node, three Borg were already on her. She only got two of them with down with the phaser. By the time she got to the third one, he’d already adapted. She pointed the I-MOD at him and fired. The drone went down. Before any other drones showed up, Dani found the distribution node and fired at it with the I-MOD.

    Dani looked around her. All the Borg that had been on a direct course to her position were instantaneously frozen into position before they went limp and fell to the floor. Dani passed into the corridor that had once been restricted by a force field.

    Dani had absolutely no idea where she was supposed to go next. She had entered a large open area with some kind of energy conduit in the center of it. The floor wasn’t complete, though. It lined the perimeter but left the area directly surrounding the conduit open. She looked down through the floor. Her holographic crewmate was being held in some type of holding cell. Dani didn’t see any other particular way to get down besides jumping, so she did.

    She wasn’t surprised to find a drone manning a console connected to the conduit in the middle of the room.

    “Am I glad to see you,” the holographic prisoner said. “Get me out of here.”

    “I’m working on it, believe me,” Dani said.

    She looked at the drone working at the console. She would have to shoot it to gain access to the console. She pointed her phaser at the drone and fired. The drone went down.

    Dani didn’t hesitate before running over to the console. She quickly put her phaser away and started working with the console to release her crewmate. She didn’t have much time, though. Drones would be flooding this place in about eight seconds. In two seconds, the cell’s force field was down and the crewmate was out. In another three seconds, Dani and crew member number 1 were out of the chamber. According to her objectives, Dani still had two other crewmates to save. She and crewmate number 1 entered the hallway with three seconds to spare. It wasn’t much of a window, but it was something.

    As the two turned the corner, they were ambushed by the Borg. Dani, with the I-MOD, fired off rounds endlessly. She held the drones off for a while, but then more appeared. And as if the timing couldn’t have been more perfect, the energy for the I-MOD ran out. Dani whipped out her compression rifle. She fired a total of three, maybe four, shots before the Borg adapted. She looked around for any help, but her comrade was gone. Dani, as a last resort, tried hand to hand combat with the drones. Within ten seconds, the drones had overtaken her, and she had been ‘assimilated’.

    The holographic Borg cube disappeared and was replaced by a hologrid. The doors slid open, and Commander Nimembeh walked in. Dani took off her helmet.

    “What happened, Cadet?” Nimembeh asked. “You and your entire team were assimilated.”

    “The I-MOD ran out of energy,” Dani explained. “I couldn’t keep-“

    “The I-MOD ran out of energy because of you, Cadet,” Nimembeh interjected.

    “Because of me? Every single shot I fired-“

    “Was unnecessary. If you’d just disable the distribution nodes with a phaser before trying to disable the conduits, you would have had less Borg to deal with, and more saved energy for the I-MOD.”

    That particular course of action hadn’t occurred to Dani, and now she felt royally stupid.

    “If you’re going to make it in command school, Cadet, you’re going to have to start thinking like a command officer.”

    “Yes, Commander.” Dani put her helmet back on, and Nimembeh walked out of the room.

    Xxx

    “Damn,” Dani said as her holographic surroundings disappeared for the third time in the last two hours. She took off her helmet.

    “You have been assimilated,” the computer announced.

    “Yeah, yeah,” Dani said. “As many times as I’ve been assimilated, I should be the Borg Queen by now.” She was about to give the computer the command to restart the program when doors to the holoarena opened. Emma Shale walked in. “Great,” Dani muttered.

    “What was that?” Emma asked, making her way to Dani. “Happy to see me?”

    “I’m in the middle of a practice session, if you don’t mind,” Dani said. “Computer, restart the program.” She moved to put her helmet back on.

    “Belay that order,” Emma said quickly.

    Dani, still helmetless, looked at Emma. “What are you doing? Look, I don’t have time to play with you. I need to get through this.”

    “Why don’t you face it, Dani – you’re just not cut out to be a command officer. If you’re sinking this early in the training, there’s no way you’ll survive later on, when it starts getting really tough.”

    Dani ignored her. “Computer-“

    “They say it’s in your blood.” Emma continued. “I don’t think so. Your mother isn’t any kind of real captain. Captains don’t strand their ships in the Delta Quadrant. And your father – how long has he been a commander? Didn’t he used to be in the Maquis way back when? He’s nothing but a traitor. A wolf in sheep’s wool. And what about that boyfriend of yours – how long has he been a commander? Shouldn’t he be a captain by now? If he were truly captain material, don’t you think he’d have his own ship by now?”

    Dani was using all the strength she embodied to keep herself from knocking Emma on her ass. But of course, Emma didn’t know that, so Emma continued.

    “I don’t know which is worse – a Commander who doesn’t even belong in Starfleet, a Commander who should be captain, or a captain who should be an ensign.”

    Dani looked at Emma. Every word that came out of that girl’s mouth was bringing her closer…one step closer…

    “You know,” Emma said, stepping up to Dani, “it’s a good thing neither of your grandfathers is alive today. They wouldn’t-“

    Emma didn’t have a chance to finish. Dani had her on the floor before the next word was out. Emma had a bloody nose before the sentence was even formed.

    All the pressure had finally gotten to Dani, and Emma had been the one who’d made her snap. Emma got one good sock in, a hit to one of Dani’s eyes, but that was all. If Nimembeh hadn’t come in and pulled Dani off of Emma, Emma probably wouldn’t have survived.

    “Cadet,” Nimembeh said. Dani, who was still fuming, didn’t seem to hear him. “Cadet!” Dani’s head snapped to Nimembeh. “Report to your residence hall until further notice.”

    Dani’s eyes flickered to Emma and back to Nimembeh. She walked out of the hologrid. She’d probably just ruined her Starfleet career, but she’d finally beat that bitch’s ass.

    Xxx

    Dani reached her room just as the transmission beacon on her computer console was going off. She reached it before it could end. Seeing that it was Will, she answered quickly before he could cut the transmission.

    “Hello,” he sad. The look on his face when he saw Dani was priceless. “What happened to you? Your eye…”

    “Nothing,” Dani said. “I was in a fight.”

    “A real one?” Will asked. Dani nodded. Will immediately realized what had probably happened. “Emma?” he surmised.

    “Emma,” Dani said.

    “You didn’t kill her – did you?”

    “No. I think I just…” A smile formed on Dani’s face as she thought about the word coming out of her mouth next. “…broke her nose.”

    A smile began to form on Will’s own face, but he quickly covered it with more appropriate emotions, like concern and disappointment.

    “This is very serious, Cadet,” Will said. His face was stern, Dani could see, but his eyes were not. They revealed his true feelings: happiness, pride – and love. But since he was trying to be serious, Dani removed her own smile and decided that she would try to be serious, too.

    “I know it’s serious,” she said. “I probably just ruined my career.”

    “I wouldn’t say it’s that serious,” Will said. “You’ll probably just get a formal reprimand and some labor chores.”

    “My parents won’t be happy about this.”

    “No, I can’t imagine that they would. In fact, my guess is that they’re harder on you than the Academy and Nimembeh will be. Nimembeh…” said Will, remembering Dani’s dilemma with him. “Does he know, yet?”

    Dani felt sick to her stomach already, thinking of what Nimembeh’s punishment might entail. “He’s the one who pulled me off of Emma,” she said gravely. A wave of panic swept through her. “You don’t think they could throw me out of command school for this, do you?”

    Will honestly didn’t know about that one. “Well, fighting is behavior unbecoming of any officer. That goes doubly so for a command officer. I don’t think they would expel you for it, though, seeing as how it is your first infraction. As long as it doesn’t become a habit, I don’t think you should have any problems except a possible reprimand.”

    Dani’s comm badge beeped. “Nimembeh to Cadet Janeway.”

    Dani immediately answered the comm. “Janeway here, sir.”

    “Report to my office immediately, Cadet.”

    “Aye, sir.”

    Nimembeh closed the link. Dani looked at Will. She felt like she was about to throw up.

    “Call me later so you can fill me in,” Will said.

    “Okay,” Dani said.

    “I love you,” Will told her.

    “Love you, too,” Dani replied. “Bye.”

    “Riker out,” he said before cutting the link.

    Xxx

    Dani sat in Nimembeh’s office twenty minutes later.

    “Cadet, you know that fighting isn’t tolerated at the Academy. This is your third year. You should know better,” Nimembeh reprimanded. “Would you care to explain yourself?”

    “Sir, it wasn’t as if I planned on getting into a fight with Cadet Shale,” Dani began. “It’s just that…you have no idea what she’s put me through these past few years. She’s tried to make my life a living hell, Commander.”

    “Elaborate.”

    “With pranks,” Dani said. “By spreading lies and rumors. I’ve ignored it largely, because that’s life. You have people who don’t like to see others succeed. But today on the hologrid, I just…lost it. I don’t know any other way to explain it. She started talking about my family, and-“

    “It was a matter of pride.”

    Dani looked at Nimembeh. She couldn’t believe she was talking to the same man who’d ridden her ass for the past two and a half years. He was being so understanding.

    “Well, yes, sir,” Dani said. “Part of it was pride. But I suppose the major reason was that I was just tired. Tired of her always in my face. Tired of trying to get through that simulation. I realize that I threw the first punch and initiated the actual fight, and I take full responsibility for it. I’m ready to accept any punishment that you deem appropriate.”

    Dani waited for Nimembeh to relay her inevitable punishment. Instead, he smiled.

    Uh, oh, Dani thought. She’d never seen this man smile before. That must mean he’s got something really good planned.

    “Cadet,” Nimembeh began, “I believe you’re starting to think like a command officer.”