Kylani paced the corridor searching each wall panel for the interior map of the ship she'd seen previously. It was early evening and she had agreed to meet Harry in the mess hall, after he completed his bridge shift.
"I think I'm lost," she sighed. She threw up her hands at a passing officer. "Can you please point me in the direction of the mess hall?"
Her mind desperately tried to take in all the directions Commander Tuvok provided in his very thorough description. Too thorough, Kylani thought, as her mind spun and she sped off down the corridor, only to find herself lost again after the first few turns. She felt frustrated and thumped her hand on the wall panel beside her.
"Kylani, are you okay?" The familiarity of Commander Chakotay's voice was comforting.
"No! I'm lost again. How hard can it possibly be to get to the mess hall? Tayna knows the interior of the ship backwards, but I just don't see the logic in creating corridors that all look the same."
His smile deflected her annoyance, while he collected her hand in his own and led the way. Once they reached the mess hall, Chakotay invited her to join him at a table and together they chatted for a while.
Kylani found Chakotay to be more open-minded than she thought he would be. His words even gave her the feeling he was sympathetic to her cause. She watched him eat for a few minutes, while her foot nervously tapped the floor, and she built up the courage to ask him the one question that had been on her mind since first being introduced to him.
"Is that your mark?" she finally asked. Her fingers carefully traced the tattoo on his forehead.
"It's the marking of my tribe. I wear it in respect and remembrance of my father."
"The mark is important among my people too."
Pausing for a moment, with her dark eyes and long eyelashes still planted on him, Kylani started unbuttoning the front of her shirt.
Chakotay instantly lifted his hands to signal she really didn't need to show him. He did a quick check to see who else was in the room. He was well aware of Harry's infatuation. Although the action did spark his curiosity about where her mark might possibly be.
Kylani undid the top two buttons and slid her shirt back over her shoulders. She pointed to the symbol she had branded on her right shoulder blade.
"It's the mark of the Alum bird. It represents Anawin purity. The purity of our race is of utmost importance. Anawa - the name of our planet - it means 'the pure'. The word Anawin is derived from this. It reminds us our people are the only real link to the Supreme Creator of this universe... Well, at least that's what my parents taught me," Kylani said with a dismissive shrug at her own words.
"Kylani, you said before you were commissioned to be Tayna's protector. What kind of protection does she need?" Chakotay asked, as the young woman refastened her buttons.
"Although outwardly Tayna looks Anawin, inside she hides a secret. A secret knowledge that she is different. To the Dimar that difference makes her special, but to the common people she's just impure and that's a weakness. Everything impure has always been destroyed."
"But she's only a child."
"An impure child," Kylani corrected. "Her father wasn't Anawin."
"So where did he come...." Interrupted by Kylani's continuing story, Chakotay listened quietly.
"We have a ceremony. A branding ceremony. Where the mark is bestowed upon each child, following a test of their supposed genetic purity. I couldn't let Tayna die. I made a promise to dedicate my life to her protection."
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Fanfiction"You really care about her, don't you?" Tom said, but the commander didn't answer. So Tom clarified his statement. "The Captain, I mean." "I have the utmost respect and admiration for Captain Janeway." Chakotay's response had been a long time comin...
