CRYSTAL BLUE PERSUASION

(NC-17)

by Delta Story

March 1998

"Janeway here," Voyager's captain said as her comm badge buzzed. She was at the ops station, with Ensign May. The position's usual occupant, Harry Kim, was with the away team on the surface of the planet 200,000 kilometers from the ship. The two women were intent on monitoring the vital signs and positions of the four crewmen who were exploring for the origin of the alpha pulses which were being transmitted from the small K-class planet.

B'Elanna Torres' voice echoed from the signaling device, with shards of static weakening her normally strong voice. "Captain, there is something very interesting here that I think you should see. We *think* that we have found the source of the pulses; however, the source is also emitting gamma strings, which are distorting our readings. I know that you have dealt with gamma strings before, and thought that your interpretation would be important."

The senior officer's eyes lit up at the mention of the unusual finding... gamma strings! She *had* encountered them twice before, long before her Voyager days. The strings affected time dimensions, and were implicit in the theories of universe expansion.

"On my way," she said, moving even as she transmitted her message. Looking over her shoulder as she swung down from the upper platform of ops, she said to her seated first officer, "Chakotay, you have the bridge."

"Aye, Captain," he responded as the turbolift door as whisked open and her petite form vanished behind their closing. He shook his head, with a slight grin and a twinkle in his eye. *Kathryn on a mission... now that's a force to be reckoned with!* He had wanted to add *Be careful*, but knew that her silent response to him would be a scathing look, reminding him that *that* was none of his business!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blue haze of the transporter beam crackled on the planet's surface, and Janeway appeared in a lightweight planet suit like the ones that clothed the rest of the away team. Although the air was breathable and there was no need for an artificial oxygen supply, the silvery outfit did have a small mask and pressurized contain of oxygen. The device served as a protective measure on such planets where the atmosphere appeared to be variable and unknown.

She immediately saw B'Elanna leaning towards the flat vertical surface of a rock-like outcropping. This area of the gray planet surface was covered with similar mounds, about 10 meters high, with a base diameter of about 15 meters.

She looked around, taking in the expanse of the area in which they stood. The mounds were separated by about 10 meters, and, although there was no *real* pattern to the layout, she had a sense of a regularity of position. Harry, Seven and Ensigns Pierce and Alaya were examining several of the other 30 or so mounds. Torres turned when she heard Janeway start to move.

"Captain... I've found a particularly strong area of gamma string activity. Come see!"

The small planet had a decreased gravity field, and even the gravity compensator of the suits did not offset the lessened attraction to the surface. Her footsteps floated as much as paced the short distance to her chief engineer. Janeway grabbed onto B'Elanna's shoulder as she reached the outcrop.

"See these crystalline structures? They seem to be emitting the gamma string signals. I've never known these signals to come from a source so small."

Janeway looked puzzled. "You're right, B'Elanna. Usually they're associated with comets or other gaseous entities. This is most unusual." The rocky hillock was streaked with glassy veins of the substance, almost like the vesicular pattern of a leave. There appeared to be a main trunk, with side sprays of the material entwining around the knoll. The deep violet skies overhead reflected off their surfaces, giving them an iridescent blue color. The Captain turned to the rest of the team to get their input regarding the crystals.

"Harry... "

The young man looked over at her. "I've got the same here, Captain, as do Seven, Pierce and Ayala. It's almost... like they were done as a piece of art, don't you think?"

Seven suddenly called out. "Captain... I believe that my structures... are mutating."

Janeway turned and moved towards the Borg human. As she approached the knoll front of which Seven was standing, her momentum proved too much for the lighter gravitational pull being exerted by the planet. She tumbled as much as stumbled and rolled into the mound, her hands coming to rest on the shimmering crystal surface.

At the instant of her touch, flashes of a blinding blue light encircled her, wrapping her snugly in their brightness and intensity. She instinctively closed her eyes to stave off the profound energy surge. She expected to feel heat... a burning sensation... but she felt nothing. She only heard the faint voices of her panicked crew, calling her name. The cries became fainter and fainter, and she herself being pulled... pulled with a force that she had never felt before. There was no feel of motion on her face or her body, only the sensation of being tugged through... a tight, smooth tube... as if... she were being born again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The motion stopped. She opened her eyes. It appeared that she was in a room, for it certainly was an enclosure of some type... like a cube. All six surfaces were about 5 meters on each side. They were a pale blue in color, and seemed to give off a light, yet there was no light source. There was no furniture as such in the room. It seemed that she was sitting on the floor, at least it was the lower horizontal area of the space. The surface was smooth, but not hard. It was as if she were sitting on a very firm cushion. An empty room... a tomb. A quick shiver ran through her body, as she determined not to become disoriented.

She quickly assessed her physical condition and found no damage to herself. She slowly got to her feet, and assuming her best Starfleet stature, she called out.

"I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Starship Voyager. Why have you brought me here?"

There was no answer, only the sound of the cold silence of the room. The pale blue color made it appear even colder. Even her protective suit seemed to be chilling her.

"Hello?" she called out again. No answer. "What do you want of me?"

Nothing.

Janeway knew that she had to keep her wits about her. She walked over to one of the four "walls", placed the fingers of her right hand on it, and began walking the circumference of the room. *I must keep moving; I can't loose my perspective.* She paced the area five times, then reversed her pathway. Again, she stopped and called out. Only the coldness answered her.

The Starfleet officer managed to develop a varied rotation to her walk, trying to notice anything that was *different* in her monotone cell. But there was not. All the surfaces appeared the same, and the only noises she heard were the howls and whispers from her own body.

Fatigue finally bade her to sit again. For all her movement, she was not warm; not even a hint of perspiration could be felt anywhere underneath her clothing. She took a deep breath, then buried her face in her arms, which she had cradled across her flexed knees. The healing balm of slumber overtook her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She was startled awake by the sense that something else was now in the room with her. She jerked her head up, and, sitting in front of her was a tray with food and a pitcher of a liquid. It took several seconds for her eyes to adjust to images other than the room.

Janeway had lost all concept of time, but from the pangs she felt now in her stomach, she knew that it had been a long time since she had eaten. The provisions appeared quite appetizing and welcoming... several pieces of fruit, a large wedge of what appeared to be cheese, and several pieces of dark, heavy-textured bread.

The pitcher she now saw was steaming... and a welcoming pungency wafted to her nostrils. It was... coffee! Rich and invigorating and inviting. She then saw a large mug behind the pitcher, and poured some of the aromatic substance into the mug. She hesitated in raising it to her lips, but her desire quickly overcame her caution, and she greedily sipped the dark liquid. For the first time since she came into the room, she began to feel...warm. She waited a few minutes, then, sensing no harmful effect of the brew, she decided to eat some of the provisions set out for her. As she tore some the bread into an edible size, she said to no one in particular, but whoever... whatever... had provided for her...

"Thank you; you are most kind. Now, can we talk?"

Silence.

Janeway ate the meal. At least the assuaged hunger made her feel better. It had also made her sleepy; she laid down on the surface, and stretched out on her side. Funny... the surface wasn't hard at all; in fact, it felt like a *very* comfortable mattress. Her eyelids were very heavy; she felt a serenity and peace with the deep sleep which rapidly took over her.

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In her dreams, Kathryn Janeway felt the warmth of a body next to hers. She sighed, welcoming the sensation, knowing that this was denied her in her conscious world. She rolled onto her side, feeling a form mold to hers, sensing a desire arising that had also been denied for too long. Her arms reached out and around...

What? Her eyes suddenly flew open. Startled, she sat up and tried to shake off her sensations. But all that greeted her was the blueness of the room, which appeared less lighted now... there was a sense of it being that period just after twilight, when the radiance of the day has just been extinguished, but the darkness of night has not unwrapped itself yet. She inched her hands across the surface, and felt... nothing. She raised her hands, feeling the emptiness of the space surrounding her. She sighed, both wishing and fearing to find something in the room.

She laid back down, and again succumbing to the comfort of slumber.

A second time she felt an arousal of her physical being, and the perception that she was not alone. This time, she realized that she was lying on her back, with her arms up and to the sides of her face. It felt as if her arms were being held in place; she could not move them. She suddenly felt a warm sensation on her face... a pressure... a moistness... a kiss? There was no physical object there, she could tell... but the sensation was definitely there. The phantom feeling moved... down her cheek... onto her jaw...around her neck... up to her... lips. The sensation was beginning to consume her. She opened her mouth with a sigh... and felt her orifice consumed by craving. Her mouth was invaded by a devouring sense. She tasted the passion and desire of the perception, and knew how she longed for this release. It was not a matter of allowing it to happen; she knew that the matter was out of her control... nor did she want to control it.

Again she realized that she was being restrained. As she became lost in the awareness of what was happening, she allowed the restricted limbs to relax. With her tensed muscles now calmed, she felt feather touches whisking over the surfaces of the sensitive skin of her upper arms. A chillness ran through her as she comprehended that... she was bare... devoid of any clothing... vulnerable.

The touches continued, but they were more perceived sensations than actual physical touches. However, the feelings were the same... and they were having the same effect on her as the *real* thing. The iciness of her fear was quickly becoming the warmth of awakened emotion... due to sensations that she had forced into her subconscious for so long. Her arms still seemed restrained, but her legs were free... and they began twisting and curling as she became more aroused by the invisible caresses that were slowly following tortuous paths down her body.

A sudden movement in the air brought a warm wind across her susceptible skin. Veiled vortexes whirled around her breasts, and seemed to tighten themselves into spirals around the tender protrusions. The spirals became smaller and smaller, compressing the delicate tissue.... seeming to nip and snip at her nipples as they responded with aroused erectness. The spirals closed tightly, squeezing the now-hard tips... and Kathryn's mouth opened with a low moan in ready reply. Her entire body was now rhythmically rising... now rolling... caught up in the ebbs and flows of the waves of ecstasy that were now washing across the beaches of her body. She felt the tell-tale flush arise in her face... the spasms of passion in her inner being... the beginning of the crest that she knew would consume her.

Even as the spirals twirled her to new heights, the unseen feathery touches continued their downward journey along her now-warmed flesh... down her sides... embracing the inward curve of her waist... gently kneading the soft flesh of her stomach... languishing along her lower abdomen long enough for her to quiver at its cat-like touch.

The spirals and velvety strokes were joined by yet another contact... just as gentle and insistent as its sister sensations. This new visitor was taking control of her maneuvering legs... urging them to still... holding them... soothing them. With unheard "shhhh's", Kathryn obeyed their insistence. Between her vocal voicings of growing fervor, she sensed her upper legs being urged apart, exposing the wet softness of her swollen lower lips to the movements in her surroundings. No longer afraid but now welcoming the phantasm which was igniting her, she surrendered to the ecstasy.

Again small nips to the engorged nether tissue brought cries of desire from her mouth. Invisible fingers traced the outlines, stopping momentarily at the small erect nub just below her pubis. Teasing and pleasing, the ghostly manipulators flicked the small zone with dizzying swiftness and elicited strained bucking of her firmly restrained body. Her earlier quivers quickly became twinges... then spasms... and release. She let out a cry as she felt a surge of warmth exit from her body.

Yet her stimulator was not through, for even as the warm fluids signaled her of a climax of long-denied emotions, she felt... something enter her. Nothing solid... just the *fullness* of something like flesh... but not tangible... again, something she had long since forgotten. With renewed fervor, she felt her abdominal muscles tighten and grasp... not knowing whether she was reacting to real or unreal. Movements in and out were taunting forgotten responses... deeper and deeper... she had never sensed anything like this before. Every synapse on and in her body was now reacting... tingling... inviting... wanting more.

With a final explosion, thrills of undulating satisfaction rolled down and through and over her body... release of years of repressed feelings... denials. The phantom restraints gently held her in place as the tumult of the multiples explosions burst through her body and mind and spirit. Soothing caresses calmed her, as she slowly came down from her pinnacle of climax. She felt a consoling touch brush across her forehead and cheeks... a cooling breeze kiss her with its zephyrs... a calming collectedness being wrapped around her, lulling her once more to sleep... a sleep that she knew would be healing.

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Voices awoke Kathryn Janeway. At first, they seemed distant... then closer... finally insistent in their tenor.

"Captain... Captain Janeway..."

Her eyes fluttered open. Above, she B'Elanna Torres' face, framed by the deep violet skies overhead.

"Captain... thank God you're all right! That gamma string really zapped you good! Can you sit up?" the chief engineer said.

Harry was behind his captain, and helped her as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Ayala had opened a flask of water and was offering it to her; she greedily took his gift, realizing how dry her mouth and throat felt. She welcomed the cool liquid, allowing it to wash around her mouth before she swallowed its sweetness.

"How... how did you get me back here?" she asked.

B'Elanna shook her head, her dark brown hair bobbing in expressing her confusion. "Captain, you haven't been anywhere. About two minutes ago, you were hit with a gamma string surge. It knocked you back a couple of meters, and you hit your head pretty hard on the ground. You have a couple of gamma burns and a pretty big knot on your head..."

Seven was standing behind B'Elanna. "I am sorry, Captain Janeway. I was unaware of the instability of gamma strings in crystalline form. I should have been more cognizant of the hazard before allowing your investigation of the phenomenon."

Janeway was still trying to sort out the profusion of swirling images and memories that were tumbling across her consciousness.

"Seven, there is nothing for which to apologize. I should have been more careful of my footing. I know of the instability of the strings, and should have known that this crystalline form would have made them no more stable. When you are dealing with something that recognizes ten different dimensions, the unknown should always be expected."

Janeway looked at the four people surrounding her. All of them were attempting to ascertain... what was different about their senior officer. Seven once more ran her medcorder over Janeway, to verify that all was intact.

"Do you think that something is wrong, Seven?" the senior officer asked, struggling to her feet among the four people crowding her.

"I cannot find any abnormal readings, although there does seem to be a... lessening of tension and stress in your body. It is like... you have undergone vigorous physical activity."

Janeway let out a slight gasp, as she realized that that was exactly what she felt like. The euphoria of exercised muscles... fast breathing... rapid oxygen intake... hormonal fluctuation. What *had* happened?

B'Elanna finally spoke. "Captain, there *is* something different about you, but I can't put my finger on it. Your eyes seem to be... far off... looking at something unseen. Perhaps that blow to your head..."

The captain shook her head vehemently. "I'm fine, Lieutenant. I had just forgotten how... tricky gamma strings can be." She tried pushing the ghosts of her encounter to a convenient corner of her mind. "Now... I guess we know why we were seeing the alpha pulses... unstable gamma strings. I, for one, think we have done enough exploring for one day, and suggest we return to Voyager."

Seven looked at her commanding officer incredulously. "But, Captain... do you not want to examine further potentials of these elemental forms?"

Janeway began brushing the clinging gray dust from her planet suit as she gave the young woman an intense stare. "Seven, please believe me when I say that... the stimuli produced by these forms of gamma strings are *not* what we need on Voyager!"

There was a glimmer of a smile in her voice, but her expression remained serious.

The other three crewmen laughed at their captain's acceptance of her little tussle with the pulses; but Seven sensed an unspoken warning in Janeway's tone.

"As you wish, Captain," the blonde Borg/human remanded without further comment.

Janeway looked at the tall woman beside her, sensing her disbelief. She then hit her comm badge. "Voyager, five to beam up."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Janeway was in her ready room, having completed her log entry regarding the expedition. She had not mentioned her hallucinatory experience in the official log; she was debating whether she was going to make a personal log entry about the discomforting dream. What *had* happened? It was evident to her that her body had reacted to some erotic fantasy; she had recognized the residual aftereffects... even if it had been... years. She closed her eyes, sighing with the vivid memory of the seduction of the blue room and its spirits... beings who knew her deepest wants... needs... desires! It was if... something in the unknown dimensions of the gamma strings... knew what was her most hidden yearning.

Her eyes sprung open as the unseen pleasure phantoms were replaced with the face and body of... Chakotay! She quickly got out of her chair, as she practically ran over to the comfort of her coffee pot.

"No!" she was shouting out loud, as her hands shook while pouring some of the consoling liquid into a cup. "No! I cannot let this come to the surface!" she again stated out loud, to no one but everyone. *Come to the surface? What did I mean to say that?* she thought, as she now realized that not only her hands but her entire body was quaking. *No... I'm not going there! I can't... I just can't..."

She made it back to her desk, and placed the cup on her desk. Her eyes were welling with tears... fighting off the fear... the longing... the desire. What she had experienced on the planet was her own deepest hunger... allowing itself to become manifest in the guise of an other-dimensional encounter. It was real to her because she allowed it to be. Would... could... *should* it happen in her own reality? Here... where she had ultimate control... there, where she had none. Perhaps that was the message of the ordeal... that in order to experience such pleasure... she had to relinquish herself to another... to him.

Her reverie was irreverently broken by the buzz of her comm badge.

"Yes?" she asked, brushing aside the haunting visions from her mind.

"Captain, I would like to see you in cargo bay one," Chakotay's voice stated. "Ensign Colello was repacking the planet suits and he found something unusual in yours. I think you should have a look."

"On my way," said the Captain, as she exited her ready room and headed across the bridge to the turbolift.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Janeway got to the cargo bay, the young ensign was just leaving.

"Captain, I've got to get these vital sign monitors to sickbay. Can Commander Chakotay fill you in on what I found?"

Certainly, Ensign. Oh... and thank you in advance for your astute observations."

"Just doing my job, ma'am," he said with a brief salute and hurried on his way.

Chakotay was on the far side of the large room, with her planet suit stretched out on a low bench. She hurried over to him.

"Just what is in my suit that bypassed earlier inspection?" she queried of her first officer.

"Come look. There's something caught in the belt webbing here on the side," the intent man said. His dark eyes were glued to something that was giving off a strange glint. "Did you see anything like this while you were down there?" he questioned her as he reached for it.

"Don't!" she cried out, grabbing for his hand as he neared the pale blue crystal. Her hand caught his, just as he touched the surface of the mesmerizing object.

Once more, a dazzling blue light reached out and engulfed them. She only had enough time to wrap her arms around him before they were pulled into the vacuum of the tunnel.

She whispered to him, "Don't be afraid. This, Commander... will be the trip of a lifetime."

As they swirled... she felt his arms now around her, and heard... felt his words.

"I know; I've already been there. I touched the crystal before you came. Quite a ride! This time, Kathryn, we'll go together... and never be afraid again."

Their bodies made a gentle "thump" sound, as they looked around the now-familiar blue room.

"Welcome to *our* dimension, Kathryn... the place where we were meant to be." His smile wrapped its arms around her. "Who says that the laws of physics can't understand the heart?"

"And one never disputes the laws of physics," she said, as she reached up to his face, pulling towards her waiting lips. "We have a lot of time to make up for."

Once more time stood still, frozen in the blue crystal... in a dimension of hidden emotion and buried desires... the dimension of love without fear.

****** Stones in their silence speak of stories unknown... ******