Cowboys & Indians

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

Disclaimer: Paramount owns them. Darn! Why don't they do something with them rather than setting them on a shelf to collect dust? I guess it's up to us, the loyal and faithful, to keep the legend alive.

This story was inspired by Kerry's Voyager Days series.

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

"Grrrrrrrrr,…. not again," Chakotay lamented as he and Kathryn Janeway walked down the corridor to Holodeck 2. "I can't believe Tuvok is running another tactical scenario so soon and so early in the morning. Why do you and I always have to be a part of these scenarios?"

"It's been 6 months, Chakotay, and you know regulations allow him to run his training scenarios as often as he thinks necessary," Kathryn responded with a groan. "I really don't want to do this either, but we don't have a choice. Thank goodness he gives us time to heal between scenarios. It's Starfleet's Regulation and we're the command team, so if we didn't participate it wouldn't look good to the rest of the crew."

"He hates me," Chakotay cried as he continued to walk. "I know he hates me."

"He doesn't hate you Chakotay. Tuvok doesn't hate anybody. You know those Vulcan emotions that he doesn't have? I know he doesn't hate you."

"Oh yeah, well if he doesn't hate me how come during the last scenario he had everyone jump on me."

"That's because you had the ball and the idea was to stop the person who has the ball. That's what football is all about. And besides, you had all that padding on so it didn't hurt."

"That's what you think. They weren't running after you like they were going to eat you alive. In fact, you were one of those running after me now that I think about it. Why were you trying to kill me, Kathryn?"

"Chakotay, I wasn't trying to kill you. I was playing the game like we were supposed to play it. And as I recall, you were one of those trying to tackle me while I was trying to throw the ball. It's a good thing I was able to throw it before you got to me. You're a whole lot bigger than me and it hurt when you landed on top of me."

"I didn't tackle you Kathryn, but Tuvok was standing on the sideline practically calling me a weenie. I couldn't just let him call me a weenie so I ran at you, but I didn't tackle you. I tackled Paris. I would never hurt you intentionally. Paris is the one who tackled you. After I tackled him reached out and grabbed your ankles and made you fall. Then because I let him up, he jumped on top of you and told Tuvok he tackled you."

"So the big lug lying on top of me was Paris? Just wait until I see Mr. Paris. I couldn't tell who it was because that hat we had to wear slid down over my eyes. I thought it was you. And Tuvok called you a coward, not a weenie."

Ignoring her comment about the coward, Chakotay explained. "It's called a helmet Kathryn, and it WAS Paris." Maybe I should warn him that you're out to get him. The poor guy doesn't stand a chance," Chakotay chuckled.

"Warn him and you're a dead man."

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

The doors to Holodeck 2 opened as they approached and they entered to find the scene set somewhere in the southwestern part of the United States. There were reddish hills and rocky cliffs dotting the landscape and what appeared to be an old western military fort close by. The fort was surrounded by a tall wooden fence, and as they walked toward the open gates, Tuvok appeared to welcome them.

"Captain, Commander, I'm glad you were prompt. It's time to get started with the scenario. As soon as Mr. Paris arrives we can start."

Kathryn looked around taking in the scene inside the fort. There was a corral that contained about thirty holographic horses in varying sizes and colors. The barracks were set at the back of the fort, and a building that had a sign saying 'messhall' stood off by itself. The rest of the buildings seemed to contain stores, a jail and a doctor's office. The senior staff and a good portion of Tuvok's security team were sitting on the boardwalk outside of the stores. Everybody looked sleepy and nobody looked happy except Tuvok.

The holodeck doors swished open and Tom Paris stepped through. "Hi Tuvok," he quipped sleepily as he walked over to the boardwalk and sat down beside B'Elanna. ''Hi," he said to B'Elanna as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Sorry I'm late."

"I woke you an hour ago. It's about time you showed up, Helmboy," she smiled. "We were about to start without you."

"Without me? Yessssssssssssssssssss! Maybe I should leave and go back to bed, except I doubt Tuvok would let me off that easy. He'd probably chase me down and drag me here in my pajamas before he'd let me out of this. And how come you look so chipper this early in the morning?"

"Shhh, he's getting started," B'Elanna responded as she sat up straighter.

Tuvok placed himself in front of the group and started outlining his training scenario. "Today's scenario will take place in the old west of North America. There will be two teams competing in this scenario, one will be called cowboys and the other will be called Indians."

Chakotay's groan could be heard throughout the holodeck. "I'll just bet I know which team I'll be on," he whispered to Kathryn as they sat side-by-side on the boardwalk. "He hates me, I know he hates me."

"Shhhhh. He doesn't hate you, and what makes you think you'll be on the Indian team? He just might make you a cowboy."

"Fat chance," Chakotay grumbled.

Tuvok gave the Commander a sharp glance as he continued to outline his program. "The object of this exercise is for the cowboys to accompany a shipment of gold from this fort to the town of El Paso, which is ten miles due west. The cowboys are to defend the shipment and deliver it safely to the bank in El Paso. The Indians, on the other hand, will try to capture the gold. Each team will develop its own strategy for defending the gold, and there are trails and passes through the mountains which can be defended or used to attack. The team that ends up with the gold will be the winner."

"Each cowboy team member will be mounted on a horse and armed with a sidearm. The sidearm will shoot paintballs, so if any Indians are shot and the paint spot appears at a point on your body that would prove fatal then you're out of the game. The Indians will also be mounted on horses and be armed with bows and arrows, as well as spears. These too will emit a paintball when they strike a person. The same rules apply to the cowboys. If a paint spot appears on your body in a place that would prove to be a fatal wound, you're out of the game."

"Just shoot me now!" Chakotay groaned and Kathryn elbowed him in the ribs.

"Once the gold is handed over to the bank manager in El Paso, the scenario is finished and I will evaluate your performances. You will be judged on strategy and tactical expertise. Both teams will have different advantages and I will evaluate how you use these advantages. The stage is set for an equal match. May the best team win."

"Captain Janeway will be the leader of the cowboy team and Commander Chakotay will lead the Indian team," Tuvok continued.

"AHA! What did I tell you," Chakotay announced to Kathryn with the air of someone who knew he was right. "I know he hates me. I want to be on your team."

"He never puts you on my team because you're the second in command and must lead the other team. Who else could he choose to lead the other team?"

"How about Naomi Wildman?"

"Is there a problem Commander?" Tuvok asked as he detected the commotion coming from the senior most officers. When Chakotay didn't immediately respond Tuvok continued. "Mr. Paris, Mr. Neelix, Seven of Nine and the A Security Team will be on the Indian team. Lt. Torres, Ensign Kim, Doctor and the B Security Team will be the cowboys. If you will follow me I will assign your accoutrements so that we might get started."

"Seven of Nine, you cannot ride a horse in six inch high heels. You will have to change your shoes before you get on your horse," Tuvok said. He quickly ordered a pair of holographic boots for Seven and she grudgingly changed her footwear.

B'Elanna moved over to the Captain and whispered in her ear. "I wonder if he'll make her change her catsuit. I hope not because if she splits a seam it will be awfully uncomfortable for her to stay on the horse. Plus it will distract all the men, and we can just shoot them all. They'll never feel a thing."

Kathryn grinned and Chakotay groaned. "She's on my team and I'm going to need everybody."

The participants started to follow Tuvok to one of the stores to receive their orders and equipment. Tom Paris put his arm around B'Elanna as they walked. "Look out my lovely wife. This Indian is coming for you."

"In your dreams Helmboy," B'Elanna responded.

Tuvok proceeded to hand out cowboy hats, colorful scarves, guns and holsters to the members of the cowboy team. Captain Janeway got a silver badge in the shape of a star with the words 'Team Captain' engraved on it. She was instructed to pin it on her left side right above her combadge.

The Indians all received headbands with colorful feathers sticking up out of them. All of the team members had two feathers in their bands, except for Chakotay who had four, and his headband also displayed the words 'Team Captain'. They also each received two spears, a bow and a quiver containing six arrows.

"Now if you will all follow me, I will assign your horses to you," Tuvok announced as he headed toward the corral. Several holographic cowboys appeared at the corral to help him assign the horses. One half of the horses had saddles and bridles, and the other half had rope halters and blankets strapped on their backs.

"Where's my saddle?" Chakotay asked as he looked askance at the large black and white pinto horse that was being offered to him. "I've never ridden bareback in my life. In fact, I've hardly ever ridden a horse before, let alone bareback. I need a saddle," Chakotay stamped his foot to make his point.

"Stop being such a coward," Tuvok responded with a look that was as close to irritation as Kathryn had ever seen on the Vulcan's face. "Indians don't use saddles. They become one with their mounts and hold on with their legs."

"Have you ever held on with just your legs, Tuvok?" Chakotay asked as he planted his feet rather than try to get up on his horse. "And I'd rather be one with the Captain than one with this horse."

Handing the reins of her horse to B'Elanna, Kathryn Janeway walked over to Chakotay and put her hand on his arm. "It's not hard. Just grab a hold of some mane with your left hand, put your right hand on his withers and swing yourself up."

"Let me see you do this Kathryn," Chakotay challenged. "I'll bet you never rode a horse bareback with only a blanket for a saddle."

"Of course I did. Don't forget, I was raised in farm country and learned to ride at a very early age." Kathryn then took the horse's rope from the holographic cowboy and demonstrated how to mount a horse bareback. Once on the horse's back, she let the horse move forward and rode him around the fort. Pulling to a stop in front of Chakotay, she slid off the horse's back, and with a smile on her face handed the rope to Chakotay.

"Your turn," she said sweetly as she waited for him to take the rope.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrr," he mumbled under his breath as he handed his equipment to Kathryn and prepared to try to copy her mounting technique. "He called me a weenie again Kathryn."

Grabbing a handful of mane and putting his hand on the horse's withers, Chakotay gathered his muscles and swung his legs up and over the horse's back. Unfortunately he didn't jump high enough so he landed in an undignified heap on the ground beside the horse.

"Umph," he muttered as he rose and gathered himself to try again. Giving Tuvok a glare, he tried again.

'Splat' and 'umph' were the only sounds he made as he again landed on the ground. Kathryn had to put her fist to her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Chakotay glared up at her from his position on the ground. "Not a word," he grumbled as he again stood up. "And I am not a coward."

Taking pity on him, and not wanting to hold up the exercise any longer Kathryn cupped her hands together and told him to step into her hands. "Of course you're not a coward," she reassured him. "Put your foot in my hands and swing up onto the horse. I'll help you," she offered.

Nodding his head, Chakotay quickly put his right foot into her cupped hands and managed to get his leg over the horse's back. Quickly gaining his balance on the horse's back, he looked around prepared to be proud of himself, but only saw people shaking their heads and Kathryn looking down at the ground. Her shoulders were shaking and he couldn't understand why until he looked up……….and saw the horse's backside.

"Your other foot would have worked better, Chakotay," Kathryn said as she tried to contain her laughter. "You'll have a hard time finding me if you continue to look at where you've been rather than where you're going. Slide around Chakotay."

Chakotay quickly lifted his leg over the horse's back and then lifted his other leg until he was sitting properly on the horse. The holographic cowboy handed him the rope and his tools, so he was ready to go. Sliding his spears into the holder attached to the blanket he watched the others mount their horses or get helped onto their horses and prepare themselves for the ensuing trial.

Kathryn noticed Neelix contemplating the white pony assigned to him. He didn't have a clue what to do, and every time he tried to swing himself up he ended up right back on the ground. Finally Tuvok walked up to him, grabbed him by the back of his colorful jacket, and with one hand lifted him up and plopped him onto the horse's back.

"The Indian team will now head for the hills to plan their strategy," Tuvok announced as he gave Neelix' pony a slap on the backside to get him started. The pony took off with Neelix bouncing all over his back. Neelix finally leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the pony's neck as the rest of the Indians' horses took off after him, some under the control of their riders and some not.

"The cowboy team will move to the other side of the fort until the Indians have headed out. Then you can plan your strategy. The wagon containing the gold will be driven by a holographic driver who will not fight for either side."

Kathryn found herself on a dainty but spirited chestnut mare that didn't like to stand still. She moved her team to the other side of the fort and they looked at the maps Tuvok had given them trying to figure out the best trail to use for their route. There were several to choose from and all offered opportunities for the Indian team to ambush them.

Kathryn and B'Elanna discussed which trail offered them the best chances of defense, and then made their decision. After instructing the remaining members of her team on the path they had chosen, they prepared to move out.

The wagon containing the gold started through the gates and Kathryn's team moved into position along side it. The games had begun. Tuvok was riding on the wagon beside the driver so he could keep an eye on what was happening, and Kathryn informed the driver as to which trail they would take.

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

Chakotay's team made its way into the hills to find a place to plan their strategy. They didn't go far so that they could check on which trail the wagon would take, but they moved far enough to study the maps Tuvok had provided.

Chakotay was having trouble keeping himself upright on his horse. The horse had a smooth enough gait, but Chakotay wasn't used to riding horses, let alone bareback, and he could feel the muscles in his legs starting to scream. "Why can't we have saddles?" he mumbled to Tom who was also having a hard time staying on his horse. "My legs are going to be mush by tomorrow."

"I think Tuvok hates you," Tom offered. "Why else would he try to kill us under the pretext of a training scenario. Maybe he thinks you're a weenie so he's trying to toughen you up."

"Can it Paris," Chakotay growled. "I know he hates me, but this is crazy. I'm not an expert on horsemanship nor am I a weenie."

"Commander, just balance yourself and you won't have to grip your legs so hard," Seven offered as she easily pulled her horse alongside Chakotay's. It appeared that she took to riding like a fish takes to water, and this only served to anger Chakotay even more. After all, he was the Indian, even though his tribe didn't really have horses, and she was a former Borg for goodness sake.

"Grrrrrrr," he mumbled as his headband slipped over his eyes. Somewhat afraid to loosen his death grip on the horse's mane, he made a quick move to push it up. "I can't even have a headband that fits. It keeps slipping down over my eyes," he whined.

"Good luck old man," Tom smiled. His headband appeared to fit just fine.

They finally reached an open meadow where Chakotay ordered them to stop so they could plan their strategy. Chakotay slowly slid off his horse's back and promptly collapsed onto the ground. "Argggggh," he cried as his legs protested. He stood slowly and carefully by pulling himself up using his horse's leg, and smiled as he noticed Tom Paris limping around.

Spying Neelix still clinging for his life to his horse's neck, Chakotay approached him. "Come on Neelix, just slide down."

"With all due respect Commander, if I get off this thing I may never be able to get back on," Neelix cried. "This animal is really tall."

"It's only a pony Neelix, bred to be used for children like Naomi Wildman. I'll help you, so come on. We need to plan," Chakotay ordered. Neelix finally pried his fingers from the horse's neck and slid down - right onto Chakotay. "Umppf," Chakotay cried as they both landed on the grass with Neelix on top.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll get up NOW," Chakotay barked and Neelix quickly rolled off of him.

After everyone was off of their horses they spread the maps on a flat rock and studied them. Thirty minutes later they had planned moves for whatever trail the cowboys decided to take, and Chakotay sent two of Tuvok's security officers to keep an eye on the cowboy team and to let him know which trail Kathryn had picked.

The rest of the Indians then sat on the ground and just rested. They knew they would need all their strength just to keep themselves on their horses for the rest of the scenario.

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

The wagon and Kathryn's team moved quickly along the trail. B'Elanna and the Doctor were obviously not used to riding horses, so Kathryn rode between them offering tips as they went. It wasn't long before B'Elanna had the hang of it, but the Doctor most likely never would be a good rider. The concept of hands and heels down, head up just didn't register with him, he seemed paralyzed with fear every time his horse moved faster than a walk and he refused to let go of the front of the saddle. Harry Kim, on the other hand, obviously had ridden before and was enjoying himself. The rest of the security team seemed comfortable as well, but then Tuvok probably made sure they were able to ride before the scenario ever started.

"Doctor, you'll be able to balance much better if you look up," Kathryn reminded him yet again. He seemed fascinated with watching the horse's feet instead of watching where he was going. Fortunately for him the horse didn't really want to walk into anything.

"I'm trying, Captain," he offered as he looked ahead. "But I keep seeing movement beneath me and I automatically look down. Whatever was Tuvok thinking when he chose to put us on the backs of these large moving animals? Why can't he ever pick something we already know how to do? I think he hates me. Did you notice he isn't riding a horse?"

Kathryn sighed. She was going to have to talk to Tuvok when this was all over. It seemed all the senior officers thought he hated them, but she knew that Vulcans didn't hate anybody. They didn't feel emotions, so how could they feel hate?

"Tuvok doesn't hate you, Doctor. And he doesn't hate B'Elanna, Seven, Harry or Chakotay either. He just tries to be creative in his choice of training scenarios, and I think he sometimes gets carried away," Kathryn reflected as she remembered past scenarios.

"What about the time he had us play gangsters during the 1920's. We had to drive those antique cars and shoot each other with machine guns. You kept running your car into things Kathryn, and Mr. Paris shot me twenty-two times with his machine gun. Nobody even tried to stop him! And how about the last scenario when we had to play football? He made me wear that chicken costume and be the team mascot, and then at the end of the game everyone from the other team jumped on me!" The Doctor was getting himself worked up by now.

"That's because you were crowing, 'we won, we won, I'm the chicken and you'd better run'. You not only crowed this phrase once, but at least ten times and right in their faces. Then you pulled out a phaser and shouted, 'we won, we won, you lost and I have the gun'. If you and I hadn't been on the same team I would have jumped on you too."

The Doctor was suddenly quiet and once again started watching his horse's feet. Kathryn sighed and kept riding.

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

Two more hours passed and the cowboys were drawing near to the town of El Paso. Kathryn was wondering just where Chakotay was. She was starting to get sore from being in the saddle for so long, and she could tell that B'Elanna was feeling the same way. The Doctor was still watching his horse's feet with his death grip on the horse's mane and front of his saddle, and Tuvok kept staring ahead.

They were approaching some hills and Kathryn was absolutely sure that this is where Chakotay would strike. If she were leading the Indians, this is where she would have chosen to strike but to ride down those rocky hills would require some skill with the horses, and it was obvious that Chakotay had none. She wasn't sure about the other members of his team, but she was sure Seven had never ridden before and Neelix had never even seen a horse before. Tom probably had some skill, but she wasn't sure.

As the trail wound around a bend between two hills, the shouting of the Indians could clearly be heard. Looking up Kathryn saw that Chakotay had split his force and half of the Indians were riding down the hill on one side of the trail, and the other half was on the other side of the trail. Their war hoops were really rather pitiful. They sounded more like the terrified cries of someone riding a horse for the first time, or a wildcat being torn limb from limb by a Klingon targ.

Riding might have been a kind word. Clinging to their horses for dear life might have been more like it.

The whizzing of spears and arrows quickly drew her attention back to the matter at hand, and Kathryn ordered her cowboys to open fire. Within a few seconds she had scored direct hits on two of Tuvok's security team. Tom Paris galloped by yelling "Whoa, whoa, whoa - help!" He was starting to slide sideways off his horse. Everyone else was galloping around and the whole area was in chaos.

Something sharp hit her in her upper left arm, and when she looked there was an arrow embedded in her arm. Since it was holographic and only left a paint stain, she pulled it out and looked around for the Indian that shot her. It only took a moment for her to identify Ayala as he sat on his horse with a self-satisfied smile on his face. Quicker than he could blink, she raised her pistol and shot him between the eyes. His look of surprise was hysterical.

"Don't tug on Superman's cape," she whispered to herself with a smile and a silent 'thank you' to Mr. Paris for his unique phrases.

Kathryn continued to ride trying to keep an eye on the wagon full of gold, and the rest of her team. They seemed to be doing well except for the Doctor, but the Indians were moving targets and were hard to hit. A few were down and out of the exercise, but most were still going strong. She kept looking for Chakotay, but couldn't seem to find him in the chaos and dust which was rising into the air from the horses' hooves.

"Help, help," she heard as she looked to her left to see an Indian streak by half on his horse and half off. It was Tom Paris again and it would be easy for her to take aim and just shoot him. But then she remembered the football scenario, so she smiled, looked away and tried to find Chakotay. She wasn't about to make it any easier for Mr. Paris by letting him out of the game this early. 'Let him suffer a little longer,' she thought. "Heh, heh, he deserves it," she whispered to herself.

The Doctor seemed to have disappeared and Kathryn couldn't find him anywhere. The only clue she had was a cloud of dust heading into the hills and the cloud was moving away from the wagon. Maybe it was the Doctor?

She finally spied Chakotay's horse, and moved her horse closer to get a better look. Chakotay was lying along the horse's neck with his arms wrapped around it in a death grip. As she looked closer she noticed that his headband had slipped over his eyes, but he was too afraid to let go to fix it. His horse was taking him on a merry chase and just running along with the other horses. His bow and arrows were slung over his shoulder and his spears were still in their sheath. He was afraid to let go long enough to fire at anyone and she suddenly felt sorry for him. This whole scenario was totally out of his element and she wondered if maybe Tuvok really did hate him.

Looking around she spied Tuvok sitting calmly on the wagon watching the events taking place around him. It suddenly didn't seem fair that Tuvok didn't have to participate in the scenario, so Kathryn raised her gun and quickly shot him two times in the back. It felt good and Tuvok didn't even see her do it. Heh heh. She shot him again.

Focusing her attention back on Chakotay, she rode her horse up to his and grabbed his rein pulling her horse and his to a stop. Chakotay was practically a quivering mass of jelly, but he was in there trying anyway. Kathryn suddenly felt a stab of love for this man that he would do this for the good of his Captain and the crew. She reached down and grabbed him by his jacket, pulling him up straight onto his horse's back.

"Chakotay, sit up and look at me. We're stopped, you can let go of the horse's neck. "CHAKOTAY!" she had to yell before he turned his panicked gaze to her.

"What?" he whispered as Kathryn's face came into focus.

"Chakotay, look at me. We're stopped so you can let go."

"Is it over? Please tell me it's over," he begged.

"It isn't over yet, but you have to start shooting and try to capture the gold. That's the whole purpose of this exercise. Come on, I know you can do it," she urged as she saw him start to reach for his weapons.

"I'm going after Tuvok. Excuse me," he quickly stated as he pulled out a spear and threw it at Tuvok's back. It struck Tuvok between the shoulder blades and Chakotay quickly urged his horse into a canter so Tuvok wouldn't see who threw the spear. The wagon driver pulled the spear loose and tossed it to the ground. Kathryn was sure Tuvok knew who threw the spear since he seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. She also suspected he knew that she shot him, but oh it felt sooooo good. Tuvok now had four paint marks on the back of his uniform.

'Heh heh,' she thought as she urged her horse back into the fray. She spied Chakotay making a run for the wagon, but before he got there he slid sideways off his horse and landed in the dirt. His horse took off without him so he crouched behind the wagon and started to fit an arrow into his bow.

"Commander Chakotay, I would suggest you aim your arrows at the enemy. I am not the enemy," Tuvok stated as he realized just where Chakotay was taking cover.

"Yeah, right," Chakotay mumbled under his breath as he took aim at one of Tuvok's security guards. Surprisingly he hit the guard squarely in the chest, thus forcing the guard out of the games.

"Wow!" Chakotay thought as he fitted another arrow into his bow.

Kathryn was in the middle of the fray looking for her next target. She was almost out of ammunition, but it appeared as if the cowboys were winning. There were only a few Indians still in the saddle, but one of them was Seven. Taking careful aim at the former Borg's ample chest, she was almost ready to fire when Seven was hit squarely between the eyes. The paint spot was red, which meant a cowboy shot her since the Indian paint spots were green. Looking around Kathryn spied B'Elanna sitting on her horse at the edge of the action with a smile on her face.

B'Elanna noticed Kathryn's look, so she smiled even bigger, raised her gun to her lips and blew like she was blowing away smoke. "Got her," she mouthed and Kathryn got the message.

"No fair, I wanted to shoot her and I had her lined up in my sights," she mumbled to herself as she looked around for another target.

Suddenly her horse was hit from behind by another horse. The impact sent her flying from the saddle and she landed with a thud on the ground. "Umppph," she grunted as she looked up to see a white pony streak by with something clinging frantically to its back. Finally recognizing Neelix' colorful outfit, she realized that he had no control whatsoever of his horse, he had no idea where he was going, and he still had all his weapons. In fact, it appeared that his eyes were closed.

While she was standing there still stunned from her not-so-very graceful separation from her horse, a sharp sting on her chest made her look down. An arrow was imbedded in her chest, which meant she was out of the game.

After pulling out the holographic arrow and seeing the green stain on her chest, she walked to the sidelines to watch. A few minutes later Chakotay limped over to sit beside her and he was sporting a red stain in the middle of his back.

"Who got you?" Kathryn asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think it was Harry. How about you?

"Neelix was the one who forced me off my horse, but I don't know who shot me."

Fifteen minutes later it was all over and Tuvok called everyone over to the wagon where he was standing.

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

"I must say that this was a rather pitiful demonstration of your adapting abilities. Tactically Commander Chakotay's team picked the best location for his attack and Captain Janeway was adequately protected. But I have never seen a more pitiful battle in my entire life. By the way, where are the Doctor and Mr. Neelix?

Everyone looked around but neither participant was anywhere in sight.

"Computer, end program," Tuvok ordered and the hills, wagon and horses all disappeared. At the far corner of the Holodeck the Doctor looked up from where he was sitting on the ground. Confusion was written all over his face. Neelix was lying face down in a pile close beside him and his hands were clenched tightly as if he was still gripping his horse's mane.

"What happened?" the Doctor asked when he noticed he was sitting on the floor of the Holodeck. "Where am I?"

Neelix slowly looked up and realized that he was no longer racing along on the back of his horse. "Arrrrr," he exclaimed as he tried to pry his fingers out of their clenched position. "My hands hurt."

"Gentlemen, if you would be kind enough to join us we will finish this evaluation," Tuvok announced. The Doctor slowly limped over to join the group. Neelix crawled.

After ten more minutes of berating the teams for their pitiful performance Tuvok finally announced that the Indians were the winner of the exercise.

"WHAT!" Kathryn Janeway exclaimed as she jumped up to confront Tuvok. "How can the Indians be the winners when they were never able to take the gold away from us?"

"The Commander's team, while demonstrating abysmal adaptability to the situation, did manage to demonstrate better tactics. Their angle and plan of attack clearly showed the superior planning. On the other hand Captain, your team demonstrated better adaptability, with one exception," Tuvok announced with a glare in the Doctor's direction.

"Your defense was adequate, but I believe eventually the Commander's team would have won the battle," Tuvok continued.

"They would never have won the battle Tuvok, and you know it," Kathryn practically yelled. "Their plan of attack only happened because their horses were running away with them. There was only one Indian left in the saddle when the scenario ended, ……… unless you count Neelix who was nowhere in sight," she smirked. "There were at least five cowboys still mounted and participating in the fight."

"Yes, but there were three Indians hiding under the wagon, and they still had arrows left to shoot. The cowboys had empty guns, unless you count the Doctor who never fired a shot. I believe I forgot to mention at the start of the scenario that each gun had only eight shots, the exact amount of arrows and spears assigned to the Indians."

"Unfortunately some of you wasted shots by firing at undesignated targets, like me for example. Tuvok then turned around and displayed at least ten red and green spots covering the back of his head and uniform. He continued with his assessment. "Therefore, it's only logical to assume that the Indians would have killed the remaining cowboys and taken the gold."

"Those of you who fired at me know who you are. Hopefully the next time we run one of these scenarios you will use better judgment when picking your targets," Tuvok said as he glanced at the command team.

"Grrrrrrrr," Kathryn mumbled to Chakotay. "I would have killed them with my bare hands if necessary. How can he assume we would have just given up and not continued the fight. It isn't fair. I'm going to kill him."

"You already did," Chakotay smiled at her. "Just look at his back. I saw you shoot him in the back, and not only once but three times. It felt good, didn't it?"

"It felt wonderful," she smiled, "and I saw you throw a spear at him, but I still don't believe your team should have won. We wouldn't have given up that easy."

"Come on Kathryn, be a good loser. After all, your team won the football game. And as far as killing your crew members with your bare hands, I doubt you would have done that. Your crew may love you, but they also fear you. If you would have started after even one of them, they all would have run from the Holodeck in absolute terror, Tuvok's wrath notwithstanding."

"Yeah, I guess," she said as they turned to leave the Holodeck.

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As they started walking down the corridor, Kathryn started to feel the stiffness that comes from using muscles long forgotten. "Ooooh, my legs are going to be sore," she cried as each step brought more pain. "I haven't ridden in ten years and I'm not in shape for this."

Chakotay had been limping from the beginning, and he already was in considerable pain. "Tell me about it. I only hope Tuvok doesn't plan another tactical training scenario for a long, long time."

Before they reached the lift that would take them to their quarters, they were supporting each other and Kathryn wasn't sure her legs would work long enough to get her to her quarters.

"Dream on Commander. You and I both know he loves this kind of thing. He'll take great pleasure in watching us limp around the bridge while we groan and complain."

They finally reached her quarters and entered, both still supporting the other. "Ohhhhh!" Kathryn cried as they both plopped down on the sofa. "My legs hurt and it's spreading throughout my whole body. I may never walk again."

"I can't even stand up," Chakotay also cried as he tried to rub feeling back into his thighs. "It hurts just thinking about it. My aches have aches."

"Tuvok is going to pay for this," Kathryn growled with yet another painful sigh. "He can take his training scenarios and shove them out an airlock and I'll be right there to shove him out with them. I think he has a Machiavellian streak in him. Even more than that - I think he hates me."

End

October 2002

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