Mary Sue, Billy Bob, And Their Crew

Native Species
Elaine D — 26 Mar 1997

My world has been nearly decimated , and I am one of very few survivors. The sight of a sky ship, therefore, with all the possibilities it could offer to what remains of my people, was most welcome. I could see it was nothing like the ship that had come before it, so I thought there might be reason for hope. Upon its landing, a few beings who were remarkably similar to me stepped out, bearing hand-held objects. One presence in particular caught my eye - a dark, male form who seemed to be among those in leadership, and whose unique, additional facial characteristics intrigued me greatly. He made eye contact with me as I stepped out from behind the boulder with some trepidation, and then smiled. "I mean you no harm," he said as he extended his hand toward me, and there was no questioning his sincerity.

Not far behind him, a female began to move toward us. I sensed she may have had more concern for his actions with me than for my well-being. As I took his outstretched hand, she watched with a good deal of interest, apparently in slight distress, but then graciously introduced herself. The male form seemed to retreat from me a little and stepped closer to her. Their proximity to each other appeared to please them both, although I can't say why. They then led me to their starship.

The captain generously offered me an invitation to stay, and I accepted. I felt at ease, especially with the male. He was my first contact with the humans, as I'd just learned they were called. I poured out the story of my people to him in the comfort of his great ship. He listened intently as I described how an alien race, much paler than I, had landed on my world and decided we were not worthy of the land, water,and forests we so cherished. I continued to explain how they had herded my people to a small area in a segregated section of our planet, while they stripped the land of all life. After our planet was rendered useless of its many riches, they plundered our property, killed our leaders and many others at random, and left it nearly uninhabitable. They had since left to find another place to take advantage of in their mad search for power and reckless destruction.

As I related my story I noticed the Captain, again, was hovering nearby, watching him leaning close to me. Something about this man being near me caused physical and emotional reactions in her. I understood, for he was starting to produce similar feelings in me, as well. I saw a look of worry and then determination cross her face. It looked like she had made up her mind about something at that moment.

When I finished my story, I broke down a little, remembering what they had done to my family. A hand reached over and covered mine. I lifted my head and looked up at my new friend. Chakotay's kind, slightly wet eyes looked back at me with great sympathy. I felt so much for this man I barely knew, and I sensed he connected with me, too. "I understand completely, Enalei," he said very softly. " I'll be here for you, if you need to talk, or just a shoulder to cry on..." he continued, and punctuated the statement with an empathetic gaze. I began to sob in relief. As he gently wiped a tear from my face with the back of his hand, he added a slight smile. "Your people will get through this," he said, and the power of conviction in his words was followed by a comforting hug. I overwhelmingly believed him.

Native Species: Final Chapter
Elaine D — 11 Apr 1997

SCENE I: (Enalei's Thoughts/Chakotay's Quarters)

Kathryn took in the scene before her: Chakotay had just come from the shower, and I surely looked right at home. "I guess I came at a bad time," Kathryn said. "I'll leave you two alone..." and her words trailed off as she hastily made her way to the door. "Kathryn, stay..." Chakotay said as he followed her out. I heard Kathryn respond back, "No, it's all right, Chakotay. I had no business not telling you I was coming, anyway." She seemed to be some distance away by the time she finished this sentence. He came back inside, and as much as I would have wanted him to linger in a semi-clad state, he nevertheless hurried to get dressed, and then returned to join me. I thought to myself how sexy he looked in his casual clothes, although I also liked the aura of authority he commanded in his uniform. He caught me as I glanced at him, admiring his appearance, and looked at me quizzically - too unassuming, I suppose, to ever guess what I was thinking. I gave him a smile, and he returned one back, so appealing and sincere, while his warm, dark eyes revealed much affection toward me. He seemed to consider the Kathryn matter closed, much to my great relief and surprise. As we talked, he did not appear to be at all upset or regretful about the previous scene with Kathryn. Quite the contrary. Our visit was pleasant, and he devoted his attention to me fully. I don't know if I'm just imagining it, but I feel like a change has come over him recently. He seems to have a sureness about him. Something is different between us.

SCENE II: (A Short Time Later ...Kathryn's Thoughts/Kathryn's Quarters)

"I so wanted to reach out to him then, but couldn't. I'm such a fool for holding back, after all we've been through over the years. And then I go and leave them alone. Probably just what Enalei wanted. Why is it so hard for me? After all, he's shown me on a few occasions in the past that he felt something for me, but I didn't reciprocate it. And now I think his feelings have passed. Well, I guess I can't blame him, or her for that matter. I had partly expected him to explain the situation, to come after me, but he had not. I let him slip away." I began going over the earlier scene many times in my head, wishing I had done something differently, wishing Enalei hadn't been there just when I thought I could finally tell him...

Kathryn remained in this ponderous state a long time, deep in her thoughts of sadness and regret for what could have been.

SCENE III: (Two days later...Enalei's thoughts/Enalei's Quarters)

I hear someone at the door , dismiss my hopeful thoughts, and prepare to welcome the visitor who enters. "Chakotay! How nice to see you! How have you been?" I ask, only partly concealing how happy I am to see him. "Actually, I'm the best I've been in awhile, ...very content," he responds as I gesture for him to sit near me. He chooses to sit on my left as he usually does, which is lucky for me as I especially enjoy his right profile. "I'm glad to hear that. So, what have you been up to? " I ask. He responds, " Well, since you asked, I've spent some time in contemplation recently..." and pauses. I wonder what he is going to say . He continues, "Oh, where do I begin? Enalei, I've gotten to know you so well these last few months..." He stops in mid-sentence, searching for the right words, and then continues. "The truth is, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my life, my future, and ..." I take in his presence, masculine yet gentle, caring yet self-assured. Before I can stop myself, I blurt the words out. "Chakotay, I never realized how much I could miss being near you, even for a couple of days. Chakotay,... I really... care about you," I tell him, barely audibly, so scared am I of his reaction. I wait to hear if he will respond. He moves closer to me, and his hand reaches to tenderly stroke my dark hair. It's the first time he's touched me since the day we met. There's an unspoken intimacy we both feel. After a few moments, he brings me toward him, and as I move onto his lap so we are now facing one another, his arms lightly encircle my waist. As he answers, I know his eyes and voice could never betray his words. "And I care very much about you," he says breathlessly, almost in a whisper, as he pulls me closer...

That moment, and that subsequent kiss, were the start of the passionate, loving relationship that Chakotay and I share, and will always share; our bond that has seen us through our pasts and will see us forward into the future, through time, space, and the voyage that will bring us 'home'.

The End