Alternative Tuvok Leaving Voyager Scene

I wrote this scene before I finalised the story for episode one. Rather than delete the entire written scene, you can read how Tuvok's other leaving of Voyager would have gone.

As Wayne Campbell would say, "Let's do the mega happy ending".

The door hissed open. Commander Tuvok stepped onto the bridge and made his way to Janeway’s Ready Room. Surrounding him, the bridge was alive with StarFleet engineers taking pieces of the bridge apart, running diagnostics and conferring with one another. He made his entry into the Captain’s Ready Room and the last hiss closed behind him. His posture was more stiff than Janeway cared to notice. She was looking at some PADDs displaying logistical information while leaning forward on her sofa and coffee table. There was no coffee to be seen. Janeway placed the PADD down as Tuvok came near.

“Yes Tuvok, what can I do for you?, give my brain a break, its going to take some getting used to what with the way the bridge is, I almost feel useless on my own ship. I’ve nothing to command!”

There was a moment’s hesitation from the Vulcan. It was as though he didn’t want to say what he was about to say. “I regret to inform you Captain, but now is actually an appropriate time for me to return to my family to seek treatment for the Fal-tor-voh”.

Janeway knew right away what he was asking, the work crews outside seemed less noisy, she looked up a little higher at him, “You’re requesting a leave of absence, you shouldn’t have to ask, I can see you don’t want to, but this is protocol, and of course its granted…”.

The Vulcan relaxed a little bit as much as he would normally permit.

Janeway continued reassuringly, “…Voyager by the looks of things here isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon, and we all have four months shore leave granted to us before this crew gets it’s next assignment.

Now there’s a thought that flashed in front of her eyes, the next assignment, hopefully it’s a shorter one this time round, but then again, the peace and quiet.

“Thank you Captain, I know, but I won’t need four months, I can be back in one”, came the emotionless reply.

Janeway stood up and approached Tuvok to make herself undoubtedly more clear. “Tuvok, don’t take this the wrong way, but you won’t be needed, go and spend time with your family”.

“Captain, what about the inquiry, surely you’ll need my testimony and I should stay here by your side”.

“You will be by my side, I wouldn’t have it any other way, but be by your own side first, and your family. Your testimony infront of the board of inquiry will wait, Admiral Paris knows of the medical condition”.

Tuvok wore his loyalty so hard sometimes. He still had plenty of time to cure his condition, more than the four months leave Starfleet Command had given the Voyager crew, so it was logical to stay here on Earth, finish the inquiry, and then head to Vulcan. Leaving Earth, travelling to Vulcan to come back again seemed wasteful and humans were preparing to override his logic with compassion, and Janeway knew it, and she wasn’t going to let him win today.

“I could request my family come…”

Janeway moved the topic along, “How are you getting back to Vulcan?” She knew he had a contingency.

Resigned to his illogical fate he answered, “The USS Challenger is still in the system and will be making a stop near Vulcan where I can then arrange passage on a Vulcan vessel to take me the rest of the way”.

Janeway grew a slight smile, “When are you arranged to depart”.

“Tomorrow at 08:00 hours”. Came the equally fast reply. There was no point resisting now. It was apparently now instead of later. It was true however, Voyager didn’t need their chief of security. Sector 001 was the safest place to arrive at in the Alpha Quadrant, what was going to happen here orbiting her homeworld amongst the rest of the Federation fleet. Thought it was truer still that she did need him, they both knew it. Both were trying to spare each other from being compromised, but the Captain had made her decision.

Her smile lessened somewhat. “That soon?”, she asked rhetorically. “That’s understandable. I'm glad we could have the time we have left. Let me walk you to your quarters. I can do my work away from the bridge”.

Janeway picked up her PADDs to take with her, she had decided to work in her quarters. They both started to walk to the turbo lift one after the other and entered the lift. The engineers seemed oblivious to them leaving, but it wasn’t like they were needed. Seven of Nine and Ensign Kim were the ones dealing with the work crews on these upper decks.

As they entered the turbo lift, Tuvok tried talking about ship procedures. “Who may I ask is going to be assigned to security, while I’m gone?”

“Commander, you’re on holiday, get packing”.