Seventy-two hours. That was the deal: Chakotay had seventy-two hours to devote to nothing but his own health and the analysis of data recovered from the Ares IV.

The Captain had come to Sickbay after the service for Lieutenant Kelly, still in her dress uniform. At the Doctor’s insistence, she had not yet de-briefed him on the mission, and he wasn’t looking forward to it. He had been so determined to salvage the Ares that he had ignored her command to abandon it and, as Seven correctly pointed out, endangered the mission. Insubordination was something Kathryn Janeway did not take lightly.

The perfect end to a rotten day, he thought, feeling more than a little sorry for himself. First he gambled and lost on the success of the salvage operation. Then Seven was the one who boarded the Ares while all he could do was lie on a biobed and listen. Getting reamed by Kathryn was right in keeping with the way things had gone all day.

Sure enough, it was the first thing out of her mouth, but oddly she didn’t look or sound angry. Her voice was mild, her eyes concerned. "You disobeyed orders."

If she had been angry, he might have wallowed in his self-pity a little more but her gentleness disarmed him. He sat up so he could be eye-to-eye with her. "I’m sorry, Captain. I honestly thought we could pull the capsule out with us. It was an historical treasure, and I wanted to save it."

She set her hand on his shoulder and squeezed lightly. Her eyes were suddenly misty. "There is no historical treasure that is worth your life, Chakotay."

There was nothing she could have said to make him feel worse about his disobedience. There was nothing she could have said to make him feel better, either.

Before he could react, she blinked, and seemed to gather herself. "You’re such a good first officer that I sometimes forget it’s not your first love. There hasn’t been much chance for archeological research on Voyager, I’m afraid. This must have been like dangling the holy grail in front of you and then snatching it away."

He shook his head ruefully. "It felt like that, yes. I couldn’t believe that all I could do was lie there while Seven got to actually see it."

"She brought back a considerable amount of data. Kelly’s logs and all the information collected by the on-board computers. It’s primitive stuff, and it’s going to take a while to sort through it all."

"I’m sure Seven will be very efficient." He heard the sulkiness creep back into his voice but didn’t apologize for it.

"She probably would be, but it’s not her assignment." She folded her arms, her mouth set in a straight line. The effect was ruined by the way her eyes twinkled. "It’s yours."

"Captain?"

"I want you to catalogue and analyze the data from the Ares. Some day, we’ll make contact with Starfleet again, and I want to be ready to tell them about this. You’re right, it is an extremely important discovery. The report needs to come from a qualified archeologist and historian, and that means you."

His mood began to lift before she finished the sentence, but he still couldn’t quite believe it. "It will take days- weeks – to sort through everything…"

"I can’t be without my first officer that long."

"You’ll manage without me." It was the same thing he had told Seven.

"Seventy-two hours," she said. "You can have the next seventy-two hours with no duties except to work on this project and to rest."

"I’ll take it." He felt himself smiling for the first time all day.

The Doctor released him to his quarters shortly after that, with stern orders to go straight to bed. Although he had every intention of doing just that when he left Sickbay, by the time he reached his quarters he was too keyed up to sleep immediately. Bringing the Ares back intact would have been a triumph, but being the first to analyze Kelly's logs and all the data captured by the Ares' primitive computer was almost as incredible.

Besides, the prospect of a few days away from his duties as first officer was almost as appealing.

He made certain all the data had been downloaded to his console. As usual, Seven had been efficient; it was all there. There was also a message from the Captain. "Don't forget. The Doctor told you to get some rest."

No reply was necessary, and he closed the message with a smile. As excited as he was by the project, he had to admit he was tired. Better to get an early start in the morning, he decided, when he was fresh.

He slept through the alarm.

He never over-slept, never. All his life, he had been a light sleeper with an absolutely reliable internal clock. He always woke exactly when he intended.

Not that day.

It was nearly 1000 when he woke, an unthinkable hour for someone accustomed to rising before 0500 if he slept at all. Glad that he wasn't expected on the bridge, he decided to attribute his tardiness to his injuries, then quickly cleaned and dressed. In less than half an hour, he was at his console. His only waiting message was from the Captain: "Hope you're feeling better. Enjoy the respite."

With a smile, he sent a quick note back. "I am, and I will." Within fifteen minutes, he was happily engrossed in John Kelly's records. Even re-playing the logs he had already heard made him feel like a kid again. His childhood hero really was a hero.

He had lost all track of time when the door chime sounded. "Come," he said.

Neelix came in, carrying a soup tureen and radiating his usual cheerfulness. "Good evening, Commander. I thought you might enjoy some of tonight's soup." Setting it on the table, he lifted the lid and let the aroma float. "Cream of mushroom. Your favorite, I believe."

The heavenly scent caused his stomach to rumble. "Neelix, I didn't know the mushrooms were ready for harvest. That smells incredible."

"Oh. Well, they aren't actually… I mean, I didn't use… I mean to say…" He replaced the lid and seemed to deflate before Chakotay's eyes. "The truth is, Commander, I replicated this soup. I need to ask you a favor."

Before he could stop it, he felt his eyebrows lift, just like Tuvok. Chagrined at the realization, he lowered them immediately. Trying to hide his curiosity, he said, "What is it?"

"Oh, thank you." The Talaxian's relief was evident in the way his whole body suddenly relaxed. "Here's the thing – while you're on sick leave, the Captain asked me to take over certain of your duties. Interpersonal relationships, that sort of thing. Mr. Tuvok has many admirable qualities, but interpersonal relationships are not his strong point."

Suppressing a smile, Chakotay nodded.

"So. Crewman Brooks came to me today and requested that his living assignment be changed. He says he and Crewman Gibson aren't getting along. He asked for a different roommate."

"Neelix, one or the other of them tells me that every week. And an hour later, they come back and rescind everything."

"That's what I thought. But Herron said that they really meant it this time."

He chuckled. "Don't tell me you listened to Herron. When he bothers to interest himself in anything other than cosmic theory, it's for the sole purpose of making trouble." He shook his head. "Let Brooks and Gibson simmer for a while. If they don't retract the request by tomorrow, go ahead and reassign them. I bet you'll hear from them before breakfast." He grinned suddenly. "But if you don't – assign Gibson to room with Herron. That should cure them both."

Neelix looked startled, then laughed. "I see what you mean, Commander, I see what you mean. Well, enjoy the soup. I'll try not to bother you again."

The mushroom soup was delicious and for some reason, immensely cheering. He worked on analyzing and cataloging data until his eyes burned, and then went to bed.

In the morning, he slept through the alarm again.

It was 0846 when he woke, better than the day before, but still troubling. The injuries must have been more debilitating than he realized. He was at his desk by 0930, though, and once again found a message from Kathryn. "Didn't want to disturb you yesterday. Hope you slept well. How's the report coming?"

He was too enthused to even consider a funny response. "It's fascinating. I could spend years sifting through this data – I probably will. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy this." After hitting the 'send' command, it took all of four minutes for him to become completely engrossed in the compelling historical data they had brought back from the subspace ellipsis. Primitive as they were, the computers on the Ares had continued to collect data for a century after Kelly’s death. He was slowly piecing together a map of the path of the ellipsis. After it scooped up Kelly in orbit around Mars, it had apparently jumped to Romulan space where it picked up a space buoy. From the configuration reflected in the data, it was an early communications relay.

This was absolutely fascinating.

When the doorchime sounded, he was surprised to see that it was already 1515. He'd been so involved in his work, he had forgotten to eat lunch. B'Elanna swept in, her color high. "How do you do it?'' she demanded without any other greeting.

"Do what?"

"Keep the Captain happy. She is in the bad mood to end all bad moods, and she seems determined to hang on to it." She folded her arms and glared at him. "You better be recovering Chakotay, because I'm telling you - we can't go through another day like this."

He saved his notes and deactivated the padd. "What happened?"

"What didn't?" Pacing about the room, she punctuated each comment with a hand gesture. "First of all, there was a problem with the replicator in her ready room and her coffee wasn’t there when she came on duty. She had to wait for Neelix to bring some up from the mess hall."

He suppressed a smile. He could easily imagine Kathryn being told she had to wait for her morning coffee. It wouldn’t be a pretty sight.

"Then she insisted that I handle the repair on the replicator personally. She said she didn’t trust anyone else to get it done quickly."

"So? You should be flattered."

"Right. You know what the problem was? A fused transtator. A first year cadet could have fixed it. She could have fixed it herself in about two minutes. But no, I had to leave the warp diagnostic and come up to the bridge for a fused transtator. And then the staff meeting was a disaster."

"Oh?"

"She said that as long as you were out, we should give our weekly department reports directly to her. So we did. And she…" B’Elanna stopped pacing, turned to him. "She rejected them all. Even Tuvok's. Chakotay, it’s been years since you rejected any of my reports. Is that because I’ve learned to write them, or because you just gave up on me?"

"Of course not. You write a good, concise report."

"I thought so too. But apparently it’s not concise enough for the Captain. She wants a summary of the summary section."

He winced. "Don’t take it personally, B’Elanna. Just remember how much reading she has to do. I usually give her an executive summary of all the department reports, so she can decide how to prioritize her attention."

"Swell. How are we supposed to do that if all the reports are going directly to her? I’m telling you, you better get back to duty on schedule." Suddenly all the frustration that had her wound up seemed to dissipate, and she looked chagrined. "What a targ I am. I came to see how you’re feeling and instead of asking how you are, I dump my complaints on you. How are you feeling?"

"Better. I'll be back on duty as soon as the Doctor clears me."

She smiled. "I’m glad. I’m sorry I can’t stay, but I’ve got to go figure out how to summarize my summary section."

After she left, he got back to work and was able to make good progress despite the fact that he was interrupted once by the Doctor, who wanted to know how he was feeling, twice by Neelix about Gibson and Brooks, and once by Naomi Wildman, who stopped by with a get-well card and asked when they could reschedule the lesson on Federation History that was supposed to have been yesterday.

"Mr. Kim offered to substitute," she said, "but sometimes, if I ask too many questions, he gets kind of flustered. So I told him I’d like to wait for you to get better."

He smiled. "And besides, you got a day off."

"Not the whole day." Naomi's righteous protest ended when she realized he was joking with her.

There was also a message from Kathryn, asking how he was doing. He dashed off a quick reply, assuring her that he was making good progress with the report. When he went to bed that night, he didn’t bother to set the alarm system, and woke at 0630.

Yet another message from Kathryn was waiting for him. It had arrived at 0215. "Bother the report, how are you?" With a smile, he keyed in his response. "If you're up at 0215, I'm doing better than you."

It was the simple truth. It had been years since he had been able to devote his time solely to research and analysis – years on Voyager, with the Maquis, in Starfleet trying to follow the ‘sensible’ career path. Working on something just for pure intellectual satisfaction was a joy. He settled in with a mug of tea and began his work for the day.

After passing through Romulan space, the ellipsis must have emerged in an area of space not trafficked by instellar ships. It snagged a comet, but nothing man-made. The next stop, though, was unmistakably in Gorn space. The data clearly reflected the unique design of a small Gorn ship, big enough for just one occupant. That would have been fairly early in the Gorn’s development of warp drive, and he wondered whether it was a manned craft. If so, had its pilot accepted his fate with the same courage and grace as John Kelly? His knowledge of Gorn history was spotty; he would have to check the databanks to see of they reported a missing ship.

"Janeway to Chakotay."

He looked up, surprised. It was the first interruption of the day, and it was nearly noon. "Yes, Captain?"

"I was wondering if you’re feeling up to a trip to the mess hall? I’m going on lunch break and would appreciate some company."

"I’ll meet you there."

The short walk to the mess hall was punctuated by greetings from everyone he encountered. Most days, the crew acknowledged on another with a nod or a smile as they passed. Today, though, everyone had a word or two for him. Good to see you, Commander. Feeling better, Commander? You look great. It was almost embarrassing; he’d only been gone a few days.

Kathryn was already there when he arrived. "You don’t look like an invalid," she said with a smile. "In fact, you look more rested than you have in a while."

"I have caught up on my sleep," he admitted. They loaded their trays with Neelix’s special of the day – a vegetable ragout with not even a tidbit of leola root – and took their usual table in the corner. "And I have to admit, I am enjoying this project. The data Seven brought back is incredible. Wait until you see it – that ellipsis bounced around the corners of the Alpha quadrant after it left Mars. It’s a record of the development of space travel among today’s major powers."

She studied him for a moment, smiling. "You know, your whole face just lit up. You really are enjoying this."

"Yes, I am. In fact, I was thinking of asking for a few more days to work on it."

Her expression became hooded. "I’m sorry. I need you back on duty tomorrow, before things get too far out of hand."

"It’s only been three days, Kathryn. It can’t be that bad."

She waved her fork in the air. "No? Well, I’ve got a backlog of reports to wade through and the duty roster for next month needs to be completely redone."

"The duty roster?" He found it hard to believe that Tuvok could have made a serious error with something as mundane as the duty roster.

"We decided to switch beta and gamma shift rotations, remember? You and I discussed it, but apparently I forgot to mention it to Tuvok before the schedule was posted."

"That’s hardly a crisis."

She set her fork down, and stared at her plate for several seconds before speaking. "The truth is, Chakotay, nothing is the way it should be. I keep looking to the second chair to talk to you, and you aren’t there." She smiled ruefully. "I’m sure someone must have mentioned to you that I’ve been out of sorts the last couple of days."

"Not at all." It was a lie in a good cause, he told himself.

"Well, it’s true. I’ve been exercising the Captain’s prerogative to be difficult. It keeps them on their toes."

"I’m sure everyone’s managing fine."

"Oh, I suppose so. By now, everyone on this ship is a professional I can count on." She set down her silverware and leaned across the table to cover his hand with hers. "But the truth is, simply ‘managing’ isn’t good enough. No one knows me or this crew the way you do. I miss that."

She hesitated, then added in a lowered voice, "I miss you. It’s just no fun without you."

He looked down at her hand on his, and felt a slow smile begin to spread across his face. Her words were like balm on a wound he hadn’t known was there until now. "In that case, I’ll be back tomorrow. The Captain should have fun."

She smiled with open relief, and real warmth. "Thank you." Then she squeezed his hand, let it go and leaned back. "So should the first officer. Give me half a shift on the bridge for the rest of the week. Use the other time to work on your research. We can probably muddle through a little while longer, if you think you can wrap it up by then."

"I can manage that," he told her. His heart was soaring, for more reasons than he wanted to count. "I can manage."

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