“Five more minutes, and I’ll be off shift.” Chakotay relished the thought. It had been a rough few days, fighting the Gimlon, and then repairing the ship. Chakotay actually found putting the ship back to optimum performance a very rewarding, if sometimes tedious task. In fact, now that he thought about it, he experienced that kind of satisfaction through out his life. Bringing order back from chaos. “One more thing to be grateful for,” he whispered to himself and the spirit guide he believed led him.

The turbo lift doors swiftly parted to reveal Ensign Harry Kim to relieve Chakotay of the command chair. As of the last three months Mr. Kim had been in command rotation and doing a commendable job. He gives every indication of being capable of command if he chose to pursue that career path in Starfleet. When they returned to the Alpha quadrant.  “When, not if.” A distinction Chakotay was always careful to make in his thinking.

“Ready to relieve you of command, sir,” Ensign Kim said formally.

“It’s all yours, Ensign.” Chakotay practically jumped out of the seat; so happy to have an extended period of time to himself to do something he had been meaning to do for years.

Chakotay caught the funny look Kim was giving him. “Problem, Ensign?” I sure hope not, Chakotay hoped.

“No sir. It’s just you seem…,” at a loss for words, he finally said “hot plans tonight?”

Chakotay gave a slight shrug of his broad shoulders and replied “Just going to read my Bible. See ya.” Off he went into the turbo lift.

“Just going to read my Bible? Do you hear that Tom?” a slightly puzzled Kim asked.

In typical amused fashion Tom responded, “I hear it, but I don’t quite believe it. I didn’t think Chakotay’s beliefs included anything from The Book.”

“The Book?” Kim repeated. “Why do you refer to the Bible as ‘The Book’?”

“Within Christian circles it is commonly referred to as ‘The Book’ because it’s literally considered ‘The Book of Life’. As in you can live your life by what it says and have a pretty good life now and in the hereafter.”