BEST OVERALL - ROUND IV (3-way tie)

Title: ICONIAN RENDEZVOUS

Author: Darklord ( darklordnz@yahoo.com )

Date: November 2001

Series: TNG/Xena:WP X-over

Code: Beverly Crusher/Xena

Rating: NC-17

Disclaimer: In the beginning there was NBC, but they were a pack of wallys and sold Star Trek to Paramount for 5 pesos, 2 rusty safety pins and an old button. Paramount now owns the Star Trek universe, and Renaissance Pictures, and MCA/Universal likewise the Xena universe, but occasionally I stage a jailbreak and let the characters out to have some fun. Don't tell Paramount, or Renaissance, or they'll sic Gul Dukat and Ares on me. (And that's just plain not fair)

Warning: This story contains depictions of lesbian sex. If that ain't your cup of tea, go read something else.

Summary: Beverly Crusher has an experience to remember after going through an Iconian portal.

Archiving: Yes please on FFF and ASCEM. Anybody else that wants to archive please let me know and I'll probably say yes.

Feedback: Yes please. Constructive criticisms only (flames and unhelpful criticism will be returned with interest!) can be sent to me at the email address above or posted to the FFF Yahoo Groups site.

Note: Part of the Femme Fuh-Q Fest - http://www.oocities.org/femme_fuhq_fest/

ICONIAN RENDEZVOUS

by Darklord (November 2001)

"Sorry I'm late Jean-Luc," Beverly Crusher said, as she took her seat at the table in the conference lounge. "I had to give Lt Barclay the once over to prove he doesn't have Rugalan Fever. He had the funeral and everything picked out."

"He hasn't stopped reading the medical database yet?" Deanna Troi said incredulously, from across the table. "You'd think he would have learned after having a disease named after him."

"Obviously not," Beverly replied, smiling. "So, what's up Jean-Luc?"

"Iconia," replied Captain Jean-Luc Picard, simply. "Or, to be more precise, New Iconia."

"You've lost me already," Beverly said, looking confused.

"Iconia is a planet in the Romulan Neutral Zone," Data explained. "The Enterprise visited it on Stardate 42609.1, when you were at Starfleet Medical, to investigate Captain Varley's belief in the truth of the Iconian legends. Iconian technology destroyed his ship, the USS Yamato, and almost destroyed the Enterprise and a Romulan warbird as well."

"Thank you Data," Captain Picard cut in. "The Iconians were destroyed 200,000 years ago, but archaeologists on Dinasia have recently uncovered evidence that suggests some Iconians managed to escape the annihilation of their homeworld through the system of gateways they had built. And, they think they know where these people escaped to."

"New Iconia," Commander William Riker said, nodding his head in understanding.

"Exactly," Picard said. "We're going to confirm the archaeologist's discoveries."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Geordi La Forge, the Enterprise's Chief Engineer said.

"Remember, the Enterprise was almost destroyed last time we came in contact with Iconian technology."

"This time we know what we're up against, Geordi. You've got three days to Iconia-proof the ship before we arrive," Jean-Luc Picard said calmly.

"I'll see what I can do," the engineer replied thoughtfully.

"Good," Picard said. "Let's get busy. Dismissed."

* * * *

Beverly Crusher stood on the bridge of the Enterprise-D and looked at the planet on the viewscreen. It was a light tan-brown in colour and looked dead as it slowly orbited beneath them. No sign of oceans or water of any kind was evident, and the sensors showed no life signs at all.

"There she is, New Iconia," Jean-Luc Picard breathed excitedly, as he got up and stood beside Beverly. "Any signs of the Iconians Mr Data?"

"I believe there is an installation on the Southern Hemisphere that could be Iconian, sir" Data replied as he worked the Ops panel, scanning the planet.

"Send the co-ordinates to the transporter room," Picard said, before turning to face Commander Riker. "Number One, I hope you don't mind my taking point in this one?"

"Enjoy yourself sir." Riker said smiling. "I'll take care of things up here."

Picard nodded in response. "Beverly, Data, Worf, you're with me. I'll need another security officer too." Captain Picard bought his hand up and tapped his commbadge. "Commander La Forge, report to transporter room two."

"On my way captain," came Geordi's voice through the comm system. Jean-Luc Picard led his officers into forward turbolift and in a matter of moments they were standing in the transporter room, waiting for the rest of their party.

Ensign Shras was the first to arrive, a tall muscular Andorian, well suited to his chosen field of security. He handed phasers to Captain Picard and Lt Worf, before taking his place on the transporter platform. Only a few moments later Geordi arrived, his engineering kit slung over his shoulder, and carrying two tricorder.

"I've managed to modify these tricorders," Geordi began, talking to Data and Beverly, "so that active scans shouldn't set off any Iconian security systems, but there's no guarantees, so be careful."

"Understood," Beverly said, as she and Data each took a tricorder from him.

"OK, let's go," Picard said, moving towards the transporter pad. When everyone was in position, he nodded to the transporter chief and said, "Energise."

The away tea materialised inside what appeared to be the main control room for the complex. A large arched entryway and several light brown decorative panels took up one entire wall of the room, and as they turned around, Beverly was able to study the room in more detail. On the wall opposite the entrance, three large diamond-shaped windows threw some extra light onto the room, adding to the overhead illumination. The control room was a large spacious area, dominated by a circular control console located in the centre of the room. Sandy-yellow in colour, the console had a number of black panels of varying sizes and shapes on the working surface, which were set at an easy height to operate while standing. Computer control interfaces, set with the same black control panels, were located on the remaining two walls of the room. A crystalline sphere, inscribed with some markings in Iconian, hung over the console at eye-level, and encased part of some type of power conduit that ran from the console straight up to the ceiling of the room, some three meters above.

"Obviously the last one out, forgot to switch off the lights," Beverly remarked wryly, as she looked around the brightly lit room.

"Actually doctor, the lighting would have been turned on when the sensors detected additional power being routed to this facility," Data told her seriously, the humour in her comment escaping him, as usual. The other members of the away team smiled at the android's mistake, before getting down to the task at hand - making sense of the technology of the long dead Iconians."Captain," Data said, some ten minutes later, "I think I've come up with something interesting." Beverly looked up from her tricorder at the android's statement, and intrigued, joined Jean-Luc Picard beside Data.

"The Iconians did escape to this planet shortly after the bombardment of their homeworld," Data began, switching into lecture mode. "The historical database states that approximately 2000 people, mostly scientists and their families, came to this world to set up a colony when Iconia was destroyed. Due to communications difficulties, this colony was isolated from the remainder of the Iconian groups, and eventually lost contact altogether."

"The scientists began to work on improving the gateway technology," the android continued, "and over the course of the next 100 years came up with several significant advances in this area."

"What sort of advances?" Captain Picard asked.

"They developed the technology to create gateways into other quantum realities," Data replied.

"They could transport themselves into other universes?" Beverly said, in amazement.

"Yes, Doctor," Data said matter-of-factly.

"What sort of universes could they visit?" Picard asked, curious.

"The records are not clear on that point Captain," Data said, "but if you would like, we could open a gateway and observe the results."

"Won't the other universes inhabitants be able to see us, if we do that?" Beverly said, worried.

"Beverly, the Iconians were known as `Demons of Air and darkness'," Picard explained. "Nobody on the other side could see a gateway until somebody went through it."

"Still sounds risky to me," Beverly said, unconvinced.

"Nevertheless, I'd like to give it a try," Captain Picard said. "Data, can you create an active gateway?"

"I believe so, sir," Data replied confidently, before turning back to the main console and pushing a series of controls. A low hum began to occur, slowly building up until, with a loud crack, a bolt of energy flew from the crystal sphere atop the control console. It was met by a smaller energy discharge from an emitter above the middle diamond-shaped window.

The two beams met in mid-air, before forming a yellow glowing doorway about two metres high. Through the portal, Beverly could see a lush primordial forest, large strange insects occasionally crossing the gateway's field of view. This scene was display for about ten seconds, before changing to a rocky, volcanic landscape, with lava erupting violently out of a nearby vent.

Beverly unconsciously took a step back from the volcanic image, before realising that it couldn't harm her unless she stepped through the gateway. She examined the lava-filled landscape for a moment. "You know, they don't look like alternate universes," Beverly commented, as the gateway's view changed again. "Those scenes could be from anywhere."

"True," Jean-Luc Picard admitted, "We need more proof than just the assertions of the New Iconians."

"All that is needed is to scan the other side of the gateway for each location's quantum signature," Data said, as he monitored the Iconian control panels. "If the signature is different from our universes', then we have located another quantum reality."

"How do we do that Data?" Picard asked, glancing over at the android. "Do we have to step through completely, or can we just put one arm through?"

"I believe one arm will be sufficient," Data said, looking up from the console. "We can configure the tricorder to scan for a quantum signature as soon as it passes through the gate."

"Then let's get started." Picard said enthusiastically.

It didn't take long to reconfigure the tricorder, and even less time to prove the Iconians had indeed connected their gateways to a string of locations that covered several different alternate realities.

"Now that we've confirmed this theory, what do we do next?" Beverly asked Captain Picard, as the two of them stood in front of the gateway, observing the changing vistas, as they rolled by on their preordained schedule.

"I'd like to study the files a bit more before we consider allowing somebody to go through. We don't know how these gateways work in the reverse direction," Jean-Luc replied thoughtfully, as the scene changed again, this time to a tropical white sand beach under binary suns.

"Shame," Beverly murmured wistfully, as she stepped closer to the gateway. "I could do with a tropical getaway right about now." Jean-Luc smiled in agreement with Beverly's sentiment, a smile that soon disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived.

Ensign Shras was the first to hear it - the unmistakable sound of a photon torpedo screaming through the atmosphere - but by that time it was too late to do anything. The torpedo slammed into the ground several kilometres away, exploding with full effect and creating a seismic shockwave that violently shook the building to its very foundations.

Like the rest of the away team, Beverly was unprepared for the savage effects of the torpedo's explosion on the building, but unlike the other members of the group, she had nothing to support her when the ground suddenly went out from under her feet. Beverly tried to catch herself on the nearest solid object - the Iconian gateway - but remembered too late, it wasn't solid at all.

Beverly cried out in surprise as she fell directly into the portal, falling not into the sandy paradise showing when the torpedo exploded, but into the next location in the gateway's travelogue - an underground cavern, lit by the flickering flames of a number of torches, and a broad shaft of sunlight, slanting down from the roof of the cavern.

She hit the dry sandy floor of the cavern, instinctively falling into a tumble that Worf had taught her in his self-defence classes, designed to return a participant to their feet immediately. As she tumbled towards a small rock wall, Beverly heard two unexpected sounds. The first was like metal being scraped over stone briefly, while at the same time she heard the sound of water being displaced, and raining back down into the pool it came from.

She found the source of both sounds when she completed her roll and stood right in front of a naked woman, standing just under waist deep in a natural thermal rockpool of some kind, pointing a well used sword directly at Beverly's throat.

The woman was tall, about 30 years old with long raven black hair plastered to her head and down her back. Her pale blue eyes were focused solely on Beverly, and glistened with controlled aggression. The woman's smooth tanned skin was beaded with water, tiny rivulets running down her chest and between her full, ripe breasts. She grasped an obviously sharp sword in both hands and pointed it at Beverly, not so much threatening, as stating her intentions for anyone foolish enough not to listen.

But what truly captured Beverly's attention was her beauty. The dark-haired warrior possessed a classic, natural beauty - the high cheekbones, piercing eyes and pinky red lips all combining to produce a visage that made Beverly's pussy tingle and grow damp with desire with just one glance. Beverly stood for a moment, admiring the woman's well-muscled athletic body, before the woman spoke.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand," the warrior woman growled menacingly.

"I don't mean you any harm. I'm a doctor, not a warrior," Beverly said, thinking quickly. "I'm here for the water. I've heard it has medicinal properties." The woman looked at Beverly for a moment, then slowly lowered her sword.

"You've come her for nothing then," the woman said as she laid her sword down on a small rock shelf by the pool's edge. "The water's warm, but it isn't healing." She sank back into the water until only her head was above the surface.

"Oh," Beverly said, trying to sound disappointed.

"You're welcome to join me, to check for yourself, if you'd like," the woman offered non-committally.

A warm glow ran through Beverly as she pictured herself in the thermal pool with the dark-haired warrior woman. Her sex grew wetter and all other thoughts fled her mind. Beverly didn't even know who this woman was, but she knew she wanted her, and wanted her badly.

"Thank you," Beverly said, "you're very kind. My name's Beverly, by the way. What's yours?"

"Xena," the woman replied as she relaxed back into the warm water.

Beverly looked around for a suitable spot to disrobe but nothing obvious came to light, so she walked over to the wall of the pool and began to remove her boots. She dropped them beside the wall, and the rest of her clothes soon followed.

As Beverly climbed into the thermal pool, she noticed Xena watching her through half open eyes and momentarily blushed, before sinking into the water up to her neck. The two women just sat in the pool, side by side, with their eyes closed and just enjoying the heat of the water. Beverly relaxed as she lay there, letting her arms drop to her side under the water. One hand brushed Xena's thigh before finding the rock shelf the two women were sitting on. Beverly mumbled an apology and Xena just grunted in reply.

A few minutes later Beverly couldn't help herself and touched Xena's leg again, and the warrior moaned almost inaudibly. Beverly heard Xena's moan however, and her heart soared with the possibilities. Gently she touched Xena's thigh again, trailing her hand along her companion's smooth skin and generating another low moan from the warrior woman.

Beverly turned to face Xena, searching for the encouragement to go further, to do what she wanted to do to the dark-haired beauty. Her companion was lying back in the water with just her head above the surface, eyes closed and a gentle smile on her face. Beverly couldn't resist leaning down and kissing Xena lightly on the lips.

As their lips touched, Beverly felt a spark pass through her, a surge of desire like nothing she had experienced before. Xena could feel Beverly's hesitancy and uncertainness, as well as her desire, in the kiss - a desire that Xena too felt. She used her lips to draw the redhead deeper into the kiss, reaching out at the same time with her arms to embrace Beverly, and pull her closer.

As they broke their kiss, Xena smiled up at Beverly, a smile that lit up her whole face and made her look even more beautiful to Beverly. "What took you so long?" Xena asked, still smiling, as she caressed Beverly's waist and hip.

"I wasn't sure how you'd react," Beverly whispered hoarsely.

"Well, now you know," Xena said before kissing Beverly again, this time filling the kiss with passion and desire. Beverly responded in kind, and for the next several minutes the two women kissed and caressed each other's naked bodies. Soon Xena manoeuvred Beverly into a position above her and switched her attentions from Beverly's lips to her breasts.

Beverly moaned loudly as Xena's lips and tongue touched her pink nipples and sucked one into her mouth. Xena's tongue swirled around the pale bud, making Beverly squirm in delight. Xena swapped nipples, teasing one, then the other, until they both stood out against Beverly's chest like small pink pebbles.

"Get up on the ledge," Xena said breathlessly, as she took her mouth away from Beverly's breasts. "I want to taste that delicious pink pussy of yours." Beverly smiled wickedly, before moving over to the side of the pool. She moved Xena's sword over and climbed up on the ledge, leaning back against the smooth, warm rockface and dangling her legs in the warm thermal waters.

Beverly's bottom was perched on the edge of the rockshelf. Xena spread Beverly's legs wider apart to gain better access to the redhead's wet pussy, before leaning in and kissing Beverly's fleshy folds, gently probing her lover's womanhood with her tongue.

Beverly moaned loudly in ecstasy as the raven-haired warrior began to explore her sex, sucking and licking and nibbling on Beverly's labial lips and clit. Xena teased Beverly's clit with her tongue while she slowly fucked the doctor's pussy with her fingers. Beverly closed her eyes and just let the feelings and sensations wash over her mind, losing focus on everything except the sensitive region of flesh between her legs.

Beverly could feel her orgasm approaching, the warrior's attentions driving her steadily closer to the brink. She placed her hands on the back of Xena's head, guiding the other woman's ministrations, and softly moaning in delight.

All of a sudden, with one small flick of her sensitive clit, Beverly's orgasm hit with a huge explosion. She pushed Xena's face deep into her sex and clamped her legs shut around the other woman's head as she screamed out in pure pleasure and bucked her hips against Xena's face.
As her high began to recede, Beverly gradually opened her legs and released Xena's head, the warrior's face smeared with Beverly's juices. Xena stood up and kissed Beverly, the doctor tasting herself on the other woman's lips.

"That was amazing," Beverly said breathlessly, as they broke from their kiss.

"It's not over yet," Xena replied, smiling.

"Of course not," Beverly said, grinning wickedly. "I still haven't had the chance to taste you yet." Beverly hopped off the rockshelf, back into the water, and the two of them stood there, kissing each other passionately, their hands exploring and caressing the other's body. After several long, intense kisses, Beverly began to slowly turn Xena around and push her back towards the rock ledge, eventually getting the warrior to sit on the shelf's edge.

Beverly began to kiss her way down Xena's body, placing light kisses on her throat and across her chest. She sucked on Xena's breasts, cupping them in her hands and gently squeezing them, as she teased the dark nipples with her tongue.

Xena moaned softly in pleasure, closing her eyes and just enjoying Beverly's attentions. Her nipples grew hard, and Beverly gently nibbled on them with her teeth, before slowly kissing her way down the warrior's trim stomach and beyond.

Beverly gently parted Xena's fleshy labial lips and probed the inner pinkness with her tongue, inhaling the scent of her lover's arousal deep into her senses at the same time. Beverly could hear Xena's moans get louder, the more she licked and sucked the other woman's pussy. She drank in the sweet, tangy juices that trickled into her mouth as she flicked Xena's clit teasingly, driving the dark-haired woman closer and closer to her own inevitable climax.

Without warning, it struck, Xena clamping her thighs shut around Beverly's head with a speed and strength that amazed the redheaded doctor. As Xena's juices flooded her face, Beverly did her best to lap up as much as possible, but there was far too much for her to handle. When Xena finally relaxed her legs, allowing Beverly to breathe again, she pulled out and kissed the raven-haired beauty passionately on the lips, the two women's tongues duelling with each other as they kissed.

"How was that?" Beverly asked, smiling broadly, as the two women caught their breath.

"Nice, very nice," Xena replied, smiling just as broadly as Beverly.

"Ooh, tough crowd," Beverly said laughing at Xena's response, before lounging back in the warm thermal waters.

"Very," Xena said, before hopping back into the pool and sitting down beside Beverly, and relaxing with her eyes closed. As the two women sat there, a low barely audible hum started. Beverly looked around to try and find the source of the sound. A moment later she knew what it was - the Iconian gateway - as Ensign Shras appeared out of thin air, walking out of one of the solid rock walls of the cavern.

"Doctor Crusher?" Shras called out softly, as he looked around for any signs of his fellow Enterprise colleague.

"Ensign, what are you doing here?" Beverly asked, surprised by Shras' sudden appearance. The Andorian turned to look at Beverly, his eyebrows raising in mild surprise to find his quarry naked, and sharing a hotspring with another similarly clad woman.

"I was sent to find you, Doctor Crusher," Shras said, keeping his voice even. "Captain Picard was concerned for your safety. If you'd like I could go back and tell him you are unharmed while you dress."

"So, the gateways are two way then," Beverly said, relieved.

"Yes, doctor, they are. Commander Data has even worked out how to stabilise the cycle to lock in just one location, so we can go back and forth," Shras reported. "I'll go inform the captain you are unhurt."

"Thank you Ensign," Beverly said gratefully. "Before you go could you mark the gateway for me. I didn't really see where it was when I arrived."

"Of course," Shras replied, before turning round to head back.

"Oh, and one more thing, Ensign," Beverly called out. "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't tell Captain Picard how you found me. It could be a little embarrassing."

"Certainly, Doctor, I won't say a word," Shras assured her. He went over to the wall and after a few moments work, marked the boundaries of the gateway in the sand, before stepping through the rockface and disappearing.

"Unusual friends you keep," Xena commented, when Shras had gone.

"Shras isn't so strange," Beverly said softly. "I've met weirder." She paused for a moment. "I guess this is goodbye then, Xena."

Beverly and Xena both climbed out of the pool. Xena walked over to her gear, hidden in a small crevice in one of the cavern walls, and pulled out a towel.

"Here," she said, tossing it to Beverly. "Dry yourself off before you go back." Beverly took the towel gratefully and soon she had dried herself off and was dressed in her uniform again.

Beverly stood at the entrance to the gateway and looked back at Xena. The warrior woman was still naked, but dry. Before Beverly could leave, Xena strode across the cavern and grabbed the surprised doctor in one last passionate kiss.

"Safe journeys," Xena whispered as the kiss came to an end.

"Thank you," Beverly said as she squeezed Xena's hand once, before stepping forward into the Iconian gateway, and back into her own universe, a place that would seem just that little bit smaller without Xena in it.

Fin

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