Cat's Eye
By Morticia
Part Seven
Chakotay was trying to avoid looking directly at Tuvok but, given the close confines of the room, he was failing miserably.
They were having to hold their emergency Senior staff meeting in the Doctor's small personal office and since all Senior staff with Grrchek were excluded, as were those who had slept with hosts during the "Ponn Farr", only Chakotay, Tuvok and the Doctor were present.
Which Chakotay thought was an ironic decision, under the circumstances, since Tuvok and Chakotay had been the star performers of that particular ship-wide entertainment.
Whatever discomfiture Tuvok was presumably feeling in the wake of his actions two days previously wasn't evident in either his expression or the tone of his voice. Chakotay was finding it far harder to maintain his composure. He knew
that what had happened between them had been as embarrassing for the Vulcan as it had been for himself.
The problem was that Tuvok was far better at concealing his emotions. That difference, coupled with his own ambivalence about the incident, only served to increase Chakotay's own awkwardness.
"The Captain is still hosting a Grrchek, so obviously she cannot resume command," Chakotay said, careful to keep his eyes averted from Tuvok's. "I *was* acting as temporary Captain before the 'incident' but obviously that isn't possible at the moment."
"Not unless he has bodyguards at all times," the Doctor interrupted snidely.
"I understand the situation, Commander, and though I regret being the cause of your current dilemma, I agree that for the sake of the ship it would be advisable for me to take over the temporary Captaincy," Tuvok agreed.
Chakotay nodded miserably, both relieved that Tuvok was presenting no argument to his suggestion and yet perversely annoyed that the Vulcan hadn't tried to convince him to change his mind.
"Alright, now that's agreed, what are you going to do about the Commander, Captain?" the Doctor asked Tuvok.
"Do?" Tuvok asked, arching an eyebrow in query.
"He can't stay here. Do you know how many times I've had to transport out of sickbay in the last 48 hours to treat minor injuries? I want my sickbay back!" the Doctor replied acerbically, glaring at both of them with equal annoyance.
"Since most of those injuries were to Grrchek hosts it is reasonable to deduct that they were self-inflicted, with the sole intention of gaining access to the Sickbay," Tuvok pointed out.
"Which is exactly why it is imperative that the Commander leaves before the injuries become more serious. If this carries on it won't be just cases of broken arms and muscle strains. Some idiot is going to throw themselves into the warp core."
"I'd prefer to be in my own quarters," Chakotay interrupted. "At least I can be comfortable there until you come up with an antidote or something."
"I don't believe I can produce an antidote. It's not a medical problem," the Doctor admitted. "It isn't a psychological blood fever that's affecting the crew any more, it's the Grrchek symbionts themselves.
"I've spoken to the Savernan about it and they say that although they've never known a reaction so extreme to happen before, there have been some vaguely similar occurrences in the past. Apparently, some people naturally resonate at a certain frequency that the Grrchek finds seductive. So it isn't so much the fact that you mated with Mr. Tuvok that is the problem. Had you slept with *any* of the hosts there would have been a significant reaction throughout the link."
"You're saying it *wasn't* Tuvok's false Ponn Farr that caused this?" Chakotay demanded.
"Not exactly. I'm just saying that it would have happened anyway to a lesser extent. The other hosts would still have formed their current fascination with you. They would, however, have been far less violent about it. The effects of the blood fever have turned what might have simply been some mildly embarrassing infatuations into full blown obsession.
"It's not the symbionts who are obsessed with you. It's the Grrchek itself and its emotions are being transmitted through its hosts. Your mind, possibly due to your habit of meditating, has a quiet, peaceful resonance that the Grrchek is attracted to. The combination of that with the Ponn Farr was explosive. The effects of your mating with Mr. Tuvok have been felt throughout the Savernan too. Anyone with a host, crew or Savernan are reacting with the Grrchek's attraction.
"The bonus for Voyager is that the Grrchek is apparently offering to increase its efforts to help repair the ship as part of its plan to woo you. The downside is that we don't dare land the ship for the repairs. It appears that you have a number of potential suitors on the planet now too and we can't be sure that they wouldn't mob the ship to reach you."
"Can Voyager be repaired *without* landing?" Chakotay asked Tuvok.
"Only internally, Commander," Tuvok replied. "The external hull damage cannot be repaired unless we are docked."
"Then we have no choice, do we?" Chakotay snapped. "You can put the same security lock-down on my quarters as you have on the Sickbay and hope for the best. The entire crew can't be endangered simply because some alien *thinks* its fallen in love with me."
"It would be difficult to protect you within your quarters unless you agreed to complete security," Tuvok pointed out. "Because most of the hosts are senior members of the crew they are all capable of overriding all but the most secure lock-out codes. You would have to have permanent shielding on your cabin to prevent people transporting inside. That means that once you are inside you cannot exit and it means you cannot have visitors either."
"Why can't I have non-affected security guards at my door to screen visitors that way?" Chakotay asked. "The majority of the crew are unaffected, aren't they?"
"We attempted to secure Sickbay in that fashion and person or persons unknown managed to disable them with sleeping gas. Fortunately the Sickbay doors held against their subsequent assault but the perpetrator has not been identified as yet," Tuvok informed him. "In addition, it is difficult to ascertain which crew members *are* affected. I myself have heard several crew who were not involved in the 'incident', as you called it, discussing your attractiveness.
"I believe the exact words were "I can't believe I never noticed what a stud he was before,'" Tuvok quoted, with a pained expression.
"I treated Crewman Johnson for a suspicious injury yesterday and she most definitely *wasn't* among the affected crew," the Doctor chipped in, with an evil smirk.
"What's the prognosis for the ship's repairs?" Chakotay asked wearily.
"Worst case scenario is three months," Tuvok admitted.
"I can't stay in my quarters alone for three months," Chakotay protested, as the horror of the situation finally hit home.
"I agree that it would be psychologically harmful for you. You do not have to be alone, however. It is safe for you to
socialize with *most* of the non-affected crew. Except possibly for those who have mated with the affected crew. I will arrange for a list of suitable candidates to be sent to your terminal and you could choose a companion to share your isolation," Tuvok offered.
"Absolutely not," Chakotay said, staring at Tuvok in disbelief.
"If you would prefer to choose a companion from within the affected crew it would be equally possible to arrange, " Tuvok pointed out. "Although it could possibly be seen as taking unfair advantage of their illness."
Chakotay had a fleeting vision of Tom being his willing love slave for the next three months. It was a frighteningly welcome idea.
"This is ridiculous," Chakotay said, firmly pushing away the daydream. "They can't all expect me to mate with them and surely they aren't going to physically attack me if I walk into a room."
"I wouldn't be too sure," the Doctor said dryly.
"If you were to actually choose a mate from within their group they would all share your physical intimacy. It would resolve some of the current pressure among the crew and help restore their efficiency," Tuvok continued. "It would also be the most prudent way to resolve the threat of the Savernan."
Chakotay opened his mouth to protest, then snapped it shut as realisation finally struck him. What he had been assuming was just a case of Vulcan logic completely disregarding the immoral nature of his suggestion, was obviously
actually the real point of the conversation.
"Why don't you stop hedging and come to the point *Captain*," he snarled.
Tuvok blinked in surprise, recovered and then nodded slowly.
"Very well, Commander. I shall 'come to the point'. The current situation on Voyager cannot continue. Without removing the symbionts the danger to yourself will remain. The removal of the symbionts is not an option, however, since it would prevent the repairs.
"The logical solution, given the nature of the links, is that you mate with one of the hosts. I believe that this will temporarily contain the situation," Tuvok proposed.
"You mean that if I have sex with one of them I will effectively be having sex with them all so they will be satisfied?"
"I believe so. It would also solve the problem of the abandoned mates since they would presumably be involved also."
"The idea is obscene. It's like being a Borg and sleeping with the whole collective," Chakotay spat.
"I don't believe the Borg practice sexual relations," the Doctor pointed out reasonably.
"I can't believe you're seriously suggesting this, this, obscenity," Chakotay protested.
"I understand that your pride and privacy are valuable to you Commander. I do not believe that they are more important to you than the welfare of Voyager
though," Tuvok said.
"Is there no other solution?"
"I assure you, Commander, that if there were I would not suggest such a course of action," Tuvok replied.
Chakotay closed his eyes.
"If I agree, and I'm not saying I will, *who* are you suggesting?"
"I suggest that the Captain would be the ideal candidate," Tuvok said. "She is a figure of authority and few people will contest her right to be your chosen mate."
Chakotay blanched.
"Absolutely not. Quite apart from the fact that she's the Captain and I'll have to deal with her after the Grrchek has gone, she's a woman and I don't *like* women that way. Besides, she's already in a relationship. How the hell will Tom feel about me stealing his girlfriend when this is all over?"
"The Captain would agree that you had merely done what you needed to do to save the ship. However, you are correct, Chakotay. I was in error. The candidate must be physically attractive to you or you will not perform with adequate enthusiasm to satisfy the linked hosts. You are also correct about the complications of ongoing relationships. Your choice must be unattached and unlikely to resent their participation after the event."
"I haven't agreed to do it yet," Chakotay interrupted, his mind swirling helplessly with the concept of 'performing with adequate enthusiasm' to satisfy a collective of voyeurs.
"It needs to be a man," the Doctor said. "The Commander obviously prefers males."
"Agreed," Tuvok nodded.
"Harry Kim would be an obvious choice. He's single, attractive and usually unsuccessful in sexual liaisons. He's unlikely to press charges after the Grrchek has left him," the Doctor suggested.
"Absolutely not," Chakotay protested. If he couldn't have Tom, he sure as hell wasn't touching Tom's best friend.
"Geron Tem has never made a secret of his attraction to you," the Doctor confided.
"Geron's a kid. He's like a son to me. Besides the idea is obscene. I'm a private person. I can't enter a relationship knowing I'm effectively having an orgy with 37 other people."
"And the Savernan," Tuvok pointed out helpfully.
Chakotay groaned.
"Ayala," the Doctor said triumphantly.
"…it's out of the question. I'd rather take my chances and approach the Grrchek directly. I'll just … who?"
"Greg Ayala," Tuvok said. "You have been physically intimate with him in the past so there is no doubt about your physical attraction to each other."
"That was years ago, back in the Maquis. Before Voyager," /before Tom/ Chakotay argued.
"Perfect," the Doctor enthused. "You can sleep with Ayala, I can have my sickbay back, people will finally stop sitting in weeping heaps and threatening to space themselves because you refuse to return their comm. messages."
"What comm. messages?" Chakotay demanded.
"The ones I have to keep deleting off my terminal," the Doctor snapped. "Do you know what it's like to have an inbox full of poetry every
morning? BAD poetry? How Tom Paris ever got through school without learning that Chakotay doesn't rhyme with "my weeping cock wails wantonly" is beyond me."
"Good alliteration though," Tuvok pointed out.
"Tom wrote me poetry?" Chakotay asked, ridiculously touched.
"Bad lewd poetry," the Doctor griped.
"What about Kathryn, I mean the Captain?" Chakotay asked. He couldn't imagine that Kathryn would be pleased at Tom's literary attempts. He hoped she wasn't giving Tom a hard time about it.
"Oh, she doesn't write you poems. She just keeps *ordering* you to sleep with her. I always delete her messages first," the Doctor grinned.
"The relevant fact is that the sooner the hosts resume their duties efficiently, the sooner the Grrchek symbionts can be released. By refusing to mate with one of the hosts you are prolonging your own problem. Furthermore, if the ship is not repaired within the three months, it is possible that the hosts will become too attached to their symbionts to agree to the separation," Tuvok said irritably, feeling they were straying from the point.
"So you're telling me that if I don't agree I could be responsible for Voyager getting stuck here permanently?"
"It is a logical premise," Tuvok confirmed.
/and if we stayed here permanently, Tom would never remember that he doesn't *really* want me/ Chakotay realised, even as the momentary temptation made him feel nauseous with shame for even considering the thought.
"It seems to me that this was how I got into this situation in the first place. If I hadn't slept with you, none of this would have happened," Chakotay snapped nastily.
"True," Tuvok acknowledged quietly.
Chakotay felt instantly ashamed of himself for saying it. If he hadn't slept with Tuvok, the Vulcan would probably be dead now and the Doctor had already confirmed that the problem with the Grrchek *might* have happened anyway if he had slept with any of the hosts.
Not that he *would* have slept with anyone unless Tom Paris had suddenly undergone an overnight personality transformation and declared his undying love.
But then again, he had, hadn't he?
Chakotay swallowed deeply.
"So, let me get this right. If I sleep with Ayala, I'll be sleeping with them all?"
"Yes," Tuvok confirmed.
/I'll be sleeping with Tom Paris after all then. Tom who writes me poetry. Bad poetry. /
Chakotay had to force back tears once more.
/What the fuck is wrong with me?/ he asked himself, but he knew the answer, just as he knew he'd agree to sleep with Ayala.
He'd been in love for years with a man who barely knew he existed, a man who now was so sick with desire for him that he was writing him poetry, and he still couldn't do a fucking thing about it.
And now he was going to have to sleep with Greg just to ensure that Tom didn't get trapped here on this planet, despite the fact that if they stayed here he could keep Tom forever.
/I wish it were you/ he thought, as he stared helplessly at Tuvok. At least you gave me enough pain with the passion to let me forget him for a little while.
"Okay," Chakotay whispered. "I'll do it."