Star Trek: Voyager: Endgame

small moon. He leaned back, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly through his mouth. Janeway recognized it for what it was; a calming breath, to steady himself for what lay ahead.
    He straightened, resumed control, and took the Alpha Flyer down. Tom Paris couldn't have made a smoother landing, and when he set them down gently, Janeway looked out at the deceptive beauty of this moon that housed such a horror.
    They got out and walked toward a tall standing stone. On it was a bronze plaque. “I didn't know Starfleet had marked this yet,” Janeway said, her voice hushed and reverent as if she was in a holy place. In a very real sense, she was.
    “They haven't,” Chakotay replied, his own voice soft. “Sveta and some of the other Maquis did this all on their own.”
    Strangely, Janeway felt stung by the comment. “I'm certain Starfleet would have gotten around to making this official,” she said.
    “I'm not. There's a lot on their minds right now. Memorializing people once considered traitors can't be very high on their list.”
    The plaque read:
    On this site, on Stardate 50953.4, one of the most brutal massacres of the Dominion War took place. For many months, Tevlik's moon had been a secret base for the group calling themselves the Maquis, who fought a private war based on their highest morals and ethics against the Cardassians, whom they regarded as the enemy. It was considered a safe place, and many brought their families here to protect them from repercussions. Due to the betrayal of one of their leaders, a Bajoran called Arak Katal, the entire population of the base was wiped out by a surprise Cardassian attack.
    Four thousand, two hundred and fifty-six men, women, and children were slaughtered. The Cardassians took no prisoners.
    This plaque is to commemorate the dead. May they never be forgotten, and may the principles for which they stood always be remembered.
    There followed a list of names, many that Janeway recognized. She'd been told about the attack, of course, but she hadn't realized there had been whole Maquis families based here. Nor had she fully appreciated the sheer number of lives lost. And she had not known that they were betrayed by one of their own. For a moment, she and Chakotay stood in reverent silence.
    Finally Janeway said softly, “What became of Arak?”
    “No one knows,” answered Chakotay. “He could have been a Cardassian agent, like Seska. Or he could have had other reasons for betraying us. According to Sveta, he simply disappeared. He had better never show his face in this quadrant,” he added, his voice suddenly harsh and angry. “I know many who'd kill him on sight. I'd be one of them.”
    “With B'Elanna right behind you,” said Janeway. “I hope it doesn't come to that. I'd hate to have to visit you in prison for the rest of your life.”
    He looked at her and smiled, a little. There was no hint that there had been a base here. All equipment had been salvaged long ago; all the dead, identified and buried. All that remained was this standing stone and the plaque.
    “Will we ever move beyond this?” Janeway suddenly said, the words bursting from her. “We claim to be so advanced, to value peace and good relationships with all species. And yet, I stand here, and I see this, and I wonder.”
    “I wonder too,” said Chakotay. “Peace is precious. But there is such a thing as too high a price for peace.”
    She reached out and slipped a comforting arm around his waist. His arm came up and draped across her shoulders. They stood like that, side by side, wordlessly thinking about peace, and prices, and other destinies.
    “If I hadn't been hiding in the Badlands,” said Chakotay, “I'd have been operating from this base. It's more than likely that my name would be there, too.”
    Janeway shuddered at the thought. “Do you feel guilty that you didn't die with them?” she asked, softly.
    He didn't answer at once. Finally, he said, “No. I was where destiny placed me. I shirked nothing. But I desperately wish that Starfleet had seen what we had seen earlier, that the Cardassians were not to be trusted. Then maybe all these good people would still be alive.”
    Slowly, they turned and walked back to the small ship. As they lifted off, Janeway turned to Chakotay and said, “I'm glad our destinies coincided, Chakotay. It was a privilege to have you at my side these past seven years.”
    He smiled. “And it was a privilege to serve with you, Captain.”
    She