[ kathryn envies that about the younger captain, how he's able to flit effortlessly between those casual and professional personas. she hasn't had that luxury. not in recent years, anyway. maybe she used to be good at doing that when she was still a commander, serving aboard a ship within a few lightyears of earth and her mother's home in indiana, but now... quite honestly, she fumbles. she's spent far too much time sheering away the "softer," more malleable parts of herself to make room for this strong, immovable pillar of a woman that her crew could look up to for guidance and strength that she's almost forgotten how to stop being captain janeway and just be kathryn.
that had been one of the focal points of chakotay's argument, even if he'd more implied it than said it outright. and he was right, as much as she wanted to contest his point. she did need to relax and exist without rank or ceremony following her everywhere. which, in a way, made khan's presence something of a blessing in disguise. it was forcing her to be kathryn for very captainly reasons.
the irony's not lost on her. ]
Oh? [ she turns towards him in her chair, resting an elbow on the table so she can drop her chin into her palm. ] I imagine his likeness is more alarming to you than it is to him.
suddenly i'm made of tl;dr, i'm sorry.
that had been one of the focal points of chakotay's argument, even if he'd more implied it than said it outright. and he was right, as much as she wanted to contest his point. she did need to relax and exist without rank or ceremony following her everywhere. which, in a way, made khan's presence something of a blessing in disguise. it was forcing her to be kathryn for very captainly reasons.
the irony's not lost on her. ]
Oh? [ she turns towards him in her chair, resting an elbow on the table so she can drop her chin into her palm. ] I imagine his likeness is more alarming to you than it is to him.