Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager belongs to Paramount and I would never argue with that. For a further disclaimer, please see the note at the end of the story.
Summary: A ceremonial dance leads to a night to remember for the crew of Voyager.
Dedicated to Volvic Natural Spring Water ;-)
The Dance
“This has to be the most ridiculous thing we’ve had to do since we’ve been in this p’tahk of a quadrant!”
B’Elanna’s exasperated comments were audible to all, even above the raucous din that currently pervaded through the holodeck. About fifty crewmembers were gathered there in total, including all of the senior staff except for Tuvok and Kathryn Janeway. Only a selected few knew why they were there, and B’Elanna was one of them. Unfortunately for them, so were Tom, Harry and Chakotay, which is why they were currently being subjected to B’Elanna’s frustration.
“I mean, what kind of a custom is this anyway?” she continued. "It’s stupid and pointless. Why can’t they just negotiate properly like any normal, civilised people?”
It was at this point that Chakotay felt the need to interrupt.
“B’Elanna, dancing forms an important part of many societies, even back on Earth.”
“Every savage can dance.”
“That may be true, but the same is true of almost every population. You don’t need to look any further than Earth for an example: weddings, debutante balls, graduation parties – all mark important milestones in a person’s life, and all involve dancing in some way. The first dance as man and wife, the last waltz at a formal ball, they each hold their own significance. This is no different.”
“Chakotay, all we want to do is *trade*. Is it really that important that we have to… have to do… *this*?”
“Yes.” Captain Janeway’s simple answer announced her arrival on the holodeck and all around her the crew fell silent. “We need iridium, and the Civlov people have it. You of all people, B’Elanna, should know that we couldn’t miss this opportunity just for the sake of not learning a few dance steps.”
At this statement, mutterings started to spread through the lower ranked crewmembers present – this was the first hint they had heard as to why they were here. Kathryn recognised their curiosity and started to explain a little more.
“Gentlemen, ladies, I’m sure you all realise that we have been looking for a source of replacement iridium for a long time. Many of you will also be aware that two weeks ago our sensors indicated a significant deposit on the planet we are now orbiting. What you will not be aware of is what has happened since we initiated first contact. The people on the planet call themselves the Civlov, and by all accounts they seem to be a reasonable, civilised race.” Kathryn’s glance in B’Elanna’s direction didn’t go unnoticed. “I spoke to Interplanetary Ambassador Larutan yesterday afternoon and he was optimistic about the prospect of us trading with them for supplies, including the iridium we need. He then explained to me his people’s customs for forming new trade alliances, which brings me to why I called you all here.”
Someone near the back muttered an “at last” under his or her breath, but Kathryn couldn’t work out who had said it so she let it slide.
“The Civlov people have a very specific ceremony that they ask all new trading partners to take part in. It is meant as a gesture of new friendship and has its roots back in the planet’s pre-warp history, before the former nations were unified. To cut a long story a little shorter we’ve been asked to participate in a Dance of Alliance. Forty-eight of our crew will dance with forty-eight of their planet’s leading dignitaries, including the Ambassador and his partner, Re’Taw. The Ambassador’s brother, Larenim, is due to beam up in ten minutes to start teaching us the steps. He will be with us all day today, then we have tomorrow to practice ourselves before the ceremony tomorrow evening. I must emphasise how important it is that we do this right; it is an important element of Civlov culture, and as visitors to their planet it is our duty to try to accommodate local business practices. Besides, if we go about this the right way it could be a lot of fun! Any questions?”
Other than a renewed muttering throughout the room no one spoke up, so Kathryn took that as a no.
“Okay then, Chakotay and I will make our way to the transporter room to meet Inspector Larenim. When we get back, I expect you all to cooperate fully with what he tells you to do. Oh, and one last thing – good luck!”
Kathryn then turned and strode out of the holodeck with Chakotay hot on her heels. Behind them the murmuring on the holodeck turned into a gentle roar as those present reacted to what they had been told.
Just another day on the good ship Voyager.
=/\=
Not more than half an hour later Larenim had paired up the Voyager crew and had them divided into four groups. Each group had a senior staff partnership amongst them: Tom and B’Elanna, Harry and Sam Wildman, the Doctor and Seven, and last but not least, Kathryn and Chakotay. At the actual event Kathryn and Chakotay would change positions with Ambassador Larutan and Re’Taw as a symbol of union between their peoples, but for rehearsal purposes they headed up a group of their own crew.
The dancers would dance in sets of six, starting in lines with each person facing their partner. Many of those taking part were relieved to find that the most physical contact involved was handholding. Others weren’t quite so relieved, but relished the chance to dance with their partners all the same. The steps turned out to be simple, which really shouldn’t have surprised anyone – this was a dance that was always taught to new cultures, so it made sense that it was easy to pick up.
Kathryn was in her element. She enjoyed the dancing she had done in the past and found herself intrigued at the chance to learn a whole new style. The style had surprised her a little though; whilst it was something she hadn’t done herself in the past, it was a little familiar. It reminded her very much of the dancing she had seen in some of her holonovels, the ones based in England’s Regency period; the formation, the posture, even the music were uncannily similar. Kathryn couldn’t get images of Jane Austen’s Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy out of her head, but so long as she didn’t cast herself and Chakotay in those roles, that wasn’t a problem.
Chakotay was enjoying himself as well. He’d never done any formal dancing before but found that, like the others, he was able to pick it up easily. He wasn’t going to lie – the fact that he was dancing with Kathryn helped. It gave him the motivation to keep practising and to get it right. He was thankful that it wasn’t anything too energetic, but was rather a sedate, stately dance more suited to the occasion. He’d heard that the rest of the night turned into quite a party and he didn’t want to be exhausted before the night really began!
There were mixed feelings amongst the rest of the crew. Scattered expletives were still being heard from B’Elanna’s direction, and Tom gave the impression that he would be enjoying it more if *she* was.
Harry and Sam seemed to be having fun. Sometime during the afternoon Naomi appeared on the holodeck and delighted in giggling every time her mother went wrong. This resulted in Harry throwing a grin in the young girl’s direction, which only served to distract Sam more.
The Doctor and Seven, of course, had gotten the steps down perfectly after the first run through. They were now spending half their time critiquing everybody else’s steps and generally making nuisances of themselves. Not that *they* saw it that way – they never did.
Neelix was a different matter altogether. Paired with a young crewman from engineering, he was part of the set that would be headed by the Ambassador and his partner. The state this knowledge had left the Talaxian in was nothing short of panic-stricken. Every tiny mistake he made was a major embarrassment to Voyager in his eyes, and anything Kathryn said to reassure him only seemed to make matters worse.
Larenim left Voyager in the early evening satisfied that the crew could handle things themselves from there. He had discussed dress for the following evening with Kathryn, and they had agreed that dress uniform was the best way to go. Larenim had been particularly keen on full skirts for all the females, but Kathryn knew that she was already pushing things with B'Elanna and decided to play it safe. With that detail settled everything was in place, and it just remained for the crew to practice the following day.
That evening Kathryn retreated to her ready room with Tuvok to catch up on ship’s business, while the rest of the dancing troupe converted the holographic dance studio they had been using into Sandrine’s for a well-deserved wind-down session. Tom grabbed Harry and made a beeline for the pool table sensing that it would be a good idea to stay away from B’Elanna for the time being. Chakotay wasn’t quite so on the ball, and found himself seated in a small booth with a grouchy, complaining half-Klingon for company. Not surprisingly, he could think of plenty of places he’d rather be. On a moonlit beach with Kathryn by his side topped the list, but he’d have settled for his quarters with a pile of PADDs to read.
“It’s like line dancing, Chakotay, only even more boring!” was the kind of comment that was typically spewing forth from B’Elanna’s mouth. Not being quite sure whether he’d be better off agreeing with her or trying to argue, Chakotay instead chose to stay quiet. B’Elanna didn’t seem to notice, and it allowed his thoughts to drift occasionally to those more pleasant places. He started to wonder whether the planet below had any unspoiled beaches, and how exactly he would go about finding that out…
=/\=
Twenty-four hours later, standing with Kathryn in the middle of Ambassador Larutan’s ballroom, Chakotay decided that he didn’t need moonlit beaches. The setting for the evening was magnificent. The room was so large that it was hard to see how the ceiling managed to stay up without pillars being strategically scattered around. The ceiling itself was beautiful; it was a deep blue in colour, with a glittering silver effect that, at its immense height, gave the impression of stars twinkling above them. The walls were graduated in colour, starting in the same deep blue at the top and slowly progressing to a soft lilac nearer the floor. The colour was broken by silver drapes, which also served to hide the soft lighting that bathed the room in a gentle glow.
The floor itself was crafted from a light wood. The dance floor was sunken a couple of steps lower than ground level, resulting in the creation of a platform all around the edge which was covered in simple wooden tables and chairs.
All of Voyager’s crew were in good spirits – even B’Elanna. The atmosphere and music couldn’t fail to put anyone into a party mood. The music playing was different to that which they had practiced with – it was reserved for the ceremonial dance only – and instead a six-piece ensemble were playing upbeat music just loud enough to induce you to tap your feet in time as you chatted.
Kathryn and Chakotay made their way to a table which was laid out with nibbles and drinks and helped themselves to a glass. As they each took a sip of the dark amber liquid Kathryn’s eyes lit up, and Chakotay couldn’t help but grin.
“How did they know?” Kathryn exclaimed.
“Kathryn, I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m sure they didn’t do it just for you. For one thing, it’s the only drink in the room, and there’s lots of it, suggesting it’s something they normally serve at these occasions.”
“But it tastes like…”
“Coffee!!” A well-timed exclamation was heard from B’Elanna, who herself had just found her way to the drinks table. Chakotay could do nothing but sigh as B’Elanna and Kathryn started to extol the virtues of this, admittedly coffee-like, cold alien beverage. He supposed it did have its advantages. The drink appeared to contain a stimulant similar to caffeine rather than alcohol, which meant less chance of drunken crewmembers causing embarrassment later. However, it also meant that half of those present wouldn’t be able to get enough of it – Kathryn had done a good job converting the crew to her habit over the years.
As the two women drained their glasses the music faded out and a hush descended over the room. The Civlov dignitaries started to make their way onto the dance floor, indicating to the Voyager crew that the time to put their rehearsals into practice was upon them. Chakotay took Kathryn's hand and, as instructed, led her to the centre of the floor where Larutan and Re'Taw were waiting for them. The first bars of music floated through the air around them and the dance began.
The whole thing was a resounding success. From the moment the two leading couples exchanged bows of respect to the closing steps of the entire company, not a foot or a hand were laid out of place. Even Neelix seemed to relax and enjoy himself towards the end – a welcome change for his partner, who up until then had thought she may never set foot in the mess hall again.
Once the music had faded to silence Ambassador Larutan officially welcomed the Voyager crew to the planet and signalled to the musicians to strike up their music again. The change in atmosphere was almost palpable as the dignitaries shed their ceremonial dress to reveal garments of the most striking colours and intriguing designs, and took to the floor in a much freer, more energetic dance. Voyager's crew were quick to follow their lead and soon the dance floor was packed with moving bodies.
Kathryn and Chakotay had returned to the drinks table, the pull of the alien beverage too much for one of them to bear.
"That went well don't you think?" Kathryn asked in between mouthfuls.
"Very well. I must admit I was sceptical when I first heard about this but I've been pleasantly surprised."
"Really? I thought you'd have been all for this from the start, you're usually all for anything of a traditional nature."
"Worried you don’t know me as well as you thought you did?"
Kathryn smiled almost shyly in response, and suddenly became very interested in the contents of her glass.
"Actually, I always liked the deep tradition in this; I was sceptical about how our crew would respond."
"I had noticed resistance from some quarters."
"B'Elanna, by any chance?"
"B'Elanna." They shared a knowing grin.
"Yes, she wasn't too impressed by the whole thing, but I don’t think she was the only one. Others just didn’t show it so openly. They all did it though, every single one of them. They did us proud."
"Of course they did – I wouldn't settle for anything less than 100% and they know it." The smile that remained on Kathryn's face as she spoke belied the seriousness in her voice.
"So," Chakotay said, "any specific plans for the rest of the evening, or do I get to keep you for a bit?"
"Oh, I think I can grace you with my company for a little while yet. I should speak to the Ambassador sometime but other than that I plan on enjoying myself." She paused for a beat before carrying on. "That didn't come out right. I don't mean to say that I won't enjoy speaking to the Ambassador, just that..."
"It's okay, I know what you mean. Another drink?"
Kathryn smiled a grateful smile and inclined her head to one side as she softly replied, "Please," and Chakotay left to fulfil her request.
=/\=
Later on in the evening Ambassador Larutan was speaking with Tom and B'Elanna, and he had something specific on his mind.
"Are your captain and commander okay? They seem to be quite happy, but they have barely moved from those seats all evening. They haven’t danced at all."
Tom glanced over at the pair in question before answering.
"Oh, I'm sure they're fine."
B'Elanna just stayed quiet, trying to hide a satisfied smile.
"But why aren’t they dancing?" Larutan continued, obviously concerned that his guests have a good time. "Is it something to do with the music?"
"No!" Tom assured him, before an idea struck him. "Although... there is one thing you could do that would please them. In our culture, it is traditional to end occasions such as this with a few slower songs. Something that couples can dance together to."
"You mean the two of them are together? I didn't realise, though looking at them I can see it now."
"Actually they're just good friends; but they do enjoy dancing together." Tom had never seen them dancing together in all his time on Voyager, but he had a feeling about tonight and decided anything was worth a try.
"Thank you for your help, Lieutenant Paris. I will talk to the musicians straight away. Enjoy your evening."
As the Ambassador walked away Tom grabbed B'Elanna and dragged her, protesting loudly, back to the dance floor. Suddenly he was feeling very proud of myself, and he felt a need to celebrate.
=/\=
Hours into the party, Kathryn and Chakotay still sat at their table near to the drinks. Chakotay had long since started to wonder whether their positioning had been such a good idea. He had no idea if it was even possible to get drunk on caffeine, but if it wasn't then he didn't know how to describe Kathryn's present state. He'd lost count of how many times he had visited the drinks table somewhere around the tenth time, and that was at least an hour ago.
Looking around the rest of the crew no one else seemed to be having the same problems. Judging by the dancing going on he was fairly sure that it was the caffeine-like substance keeping people going, but no one really seemed to be overdoing it.
Glancing in the direction of Ambassador Larutan's party he noticed the Ambassador leave his chair and slowly make his way towards the musician's stage, from where he had made his previous announcements during the evening. Curious as to what he was about to say, Chakotay directed Kathryn's attention in that direction. Presently the music faded, and the Ambassador began to speak.
"Ladies and gentlemen, visitors, friends. In deference to the customs of our new associates we shall now be changing the pace of the evening. Our musicians have agreed to play some music from our Classical Soul period, so please take to the floor and support them as they revive some old favourites! This will be my last announcement of the evening, so may I take this opportunity to thank you for your company and to say that I look forward to our future trading partnership. Enjoy the rest of the evening!"
As Larutan left the stage the ensemble struck up a new tune, and almost immediately couples throughout the room started dancing. One look at Kathryn's enraptured face and Chakotay couldn't resist the urge to join them.
"Come on Kathryn, let's dance."
Kathryn's head snapped round and her gaze locked with Chakotay's. What she found in his eyes scared her a little, but she ignored it and took the hand that he offered her.
As they walked onto the dance floor Kathryn seemed a little jittery to Chakotay. He wondered whether this had been such a good idea, until he remembered that considering the amount of stimulant she had imbibed that evening it was no surprise she was so pumped up.
He took her into his arms and they started to dance. However, Kathryn refused to relax. She maintained a distance between them that, whilst it didn’t make it impossible for them to dance, didn't make it particularly easy either. They shuffled uneasily around the floor, at first in silence but eventually with a little conversation flowing between them.
Tom and B'Elanna noticed what was happening and despaired. Deciding that again, there was something he could do, Tom started to dance B'Elanna slowly in their direction. When the current song ended and the new one began, he seized his opportunity.
"Chakotay, do you mind if I cut in here and steal a dance with the Captain?"
Too startled to do anything else Chakotay let Kathryn go, and ended up with B'Elanna in his arms instead. Tom quickly whisked Kathryn away, and immediately pulled her in closer than Chakotay before him had dared. Tom knew that he would get away with it because as far as Kathryn was concerned, he was safe – he was married to B'Elanna after all. What he wasn't so sure he was going to get away with was what he went on to say.
"Are you having a good night, Captain?"
"Yes thank you, Tom."
"Right. It's just..."
"Just what?"
"Well, you looked a little tense just now. I was wondering if anything was the matter."
As soon as Tom mentioned the word 'tense' he felt Kathryn make herself relax a little in his arms, as if she were physically trying to prove him wrong. Tom took the opportunity to gather her even closer.
"There's nothing the matter, Tom, and I'm not tense," Kathryn replied.
"Not now," Tom muttered under his breath, but he decided not to say any more. If he could keep her this relaxed before handing her back to Chakotay, he'd be a happy man.
A little way behind them on the dance floor, B'Elanna had cottoned on to what Tom was trying to do and was working her side of the deal. Her approach was a little different though.
"Chakotay, the only way you're going to get the Captain to relax when she's dancing with you is to pull her closer into your arms."
"Oh, that's right is it?"
"Yes," replied B'Elanna, "look at her with Tom now." She waited while he did so. "The only way he got her in that close was to be more forceful. I know you'd rather we didn't interfere, but we're your friends, and we want you to be happy!"
"I know that, B'Elanna. It's just... If I force her in too closely I could throw our relationship back months."
"I really don't think that'll happen. Promise me you'll give it a go?"
"Alright, I will."
Both couples danced through to the next song change, at which point Tom again conveniently placed himself for a partner swap. Once he had B'Elanna back in his arms he slowed their pace down so that they could watch their commanding officers from behind. To their relief, the change was immediately apparent.
Kathryn settled back into Chakotay's arms almost too easily, but found herself perfectly content to do so. In a stark contrast to their earlier performance they started to glide around the dance floor, moving together as though they were always meant to be this way. Chakotay was amazed at the difference but certainly wasn't complaining. Tom and B'Elanna's interference had set the tone between the command couple for the rest of the evening. They danced closer than they had ever dared before, and there was just too little time before the last dance was underway. Not wanting the evening to end Chakotay planted a kiss on Kathryn's hair, eliciting a gentle sigh from her position on his shoulder. All of a sudden he began to feel hope, hope that this time it really was the start of something more between them. He pulled her closer still and they danced on....
THE END
Note: Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy, for those of you not familiar with the characters, belong to Jane Austen and come from her book "Pride and Prejudice", which happens to be my all-time favourite novel. I have to admit here that the line "Every savage can dance" is not my own, but rather comes from the said book - I just couldn't resist using it.
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