Title:
Ultimate
Compromise
Author:
Blackcat
Series:
VOY
Code:
J/T/7
Rating:
[NC-17]
Archiving:
FFF, BLTS, ASC, ASCMEL, CKOS, and my website: http://blackcat.slashcity.net
or the mirror site at: http://members.tripod.com/NitaM/index.html
Disclaimer:
Paramount owns the Star Trek Universe.
I own nothing and just take them out to play once in a while. Neither I nor Paramount are making any money off of this
story. Also, I'm not very "technology oriented", so pardon my attempts
at adding technology if they don't make sense.
WARNING:
This story depicts a graphic intimate/sexual relationship between three
female characters. It also contains
angst and mild violence. If this
offends you, makes you cringe, doesn't float your boat, etc...,
don't read it. Simple? I think so. If
you are under the age of 18 years old, leave while you still can.
Summary:
A year has gone by after their breakup and Janeway still hasn't gotten over
B'Elanna. And even though B'Elanna
is in the mist of a relationship with Seven, she is not over Janeway.
As always, feedback is appreciated and can be sent to blackcat66@email.com.
Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames will be laughed at and then
destroyed, so don't waste your time. =0)
Authors
Note: This work of fan fiction was
screaming to written after I read a Chakotay/Paris/Kim story titled
"Tangled", by T'lyr. It
is one of my favorites and I'm grateful to T'lyr for feeding my muse.
=0)
Note:
Part of the Femme Fuh-Q Fest - http://www.oocities.org/femme_fuhq_fest/
Captain
Janeway sat in her office nursing her third cup of coffee.
Her lights were dimmed seventy percent leaving the barest essence of
illumination in contrast to that of the stars outside her view port.
To her the darkness was a comfort - an escape if you will from reality as
she struggled with the
There
had been numerous speculations about the duration of Kathryn and B'Elanna's
liaison. As the rumor mill would have it, most of the crew felt that B'Elanna's
personality was too volatile to be tamed by even the commanding nature of
Voyager's captain. But Kathryn adored the feisty Klingon, and had since the
first time she had laid eyes on her. Kathryn
found her physical attributes exotic and her hot-blooded yet tender personality
captivating.
Being
Captain of a ship in Starfleet was many times a rewarding and fulfilling
occupation, but too often it came with a high price.
The price of loneliness. So
although Janeway found Torres extremely attractive, she couldn't act on said
attraction because of her rank. It
would not have been the acceptable thing to do.
So she was shocked yet enormously pleased when B'Elanna made the initial
overture. True to her Klingon nature,
Torres pursued her relentlessly until Kathryn finally agreed to a date with her.
After that, B'Elanna seemed to make it her personal endeavor to do
whatever it took to make Kathryn fall for her.
It worked - she fell totally and completely in love with her Chief
Engineer, and Kathryn was convinced that B'Elanna loved her as well.
Regrettably
it seemed that she was mistaken. It
was B'Elanna who had come to her and severed their relationship on the basis
that she had found something with Seven. Seven
of Nine - the beautiful former Borg drone.
How could Kathryn compete with someone like her?
She glanced into her half empty coffee cup, noting that it had grown cold
and sighed. She remembered it as if
it happened yesterday - the pain still fresh, even though it
It
was after a particularly difficult away mission.
B'Elanna and Seven's friendship grew while on a planet with a significant
time variation. What was to be a
six-hour mission had turned into two days for Voyager due to sensor and
transporter difficulties, and eighteen months for them on the planet.
So when they returned, B'Elanna felt that it would be better if she
continued what she had found with Seven.
Kathryn's
reaction to the news was nothing short of classy. Perhaps it was due to the self-reproach she sometimes felt
that she had allowed herself the luxury of a relationship with B'Elanna or with
anyone for that matter. From time
to time the guilt was nearly overwhelming - especially when she looked into the
eyes of her chief pilot. In a way
she felt she didn't deserve the love B'Elanna had given her.
So when Torres told her that their relationship was over, she didn't make
a scene or have any sort of emotional outburst.
Even though her heart felt as if it were crumbling apart within her
chest, Kathryn Janeway quietly let her go.
She
had a pile of reports on her desk that she was slowly making her way through.
However, on certain days, especially when the days were quiet, her
emotions caved in on her and she wished somehow that time could be reversed so
she could fight harder for her beloved.
But her troubles were a double-edged sword. Not only did she lose B'Elanna, but she lost her to someone who held a special place in her heart. She considered herself blessed to be able to see Seven grow and develop into the human she had become, and felt immense pride that she herself had every opportunity to be involved in her growth. Sevens beauty and grace was nothing short of extraordinary and her way of challenging Janeway's orders proved that she was definitely her own person and not easily influenced. She had become an exemplary officer and her social graces had exceeded what many thought she was capable of. More than once Kathryn felt desire for the voluptuous woman. And where Kathryn found Seven interesting and challenging, B'Elanna at first found her rude and extremely irritating. So to say she was surprised at the fact that her lover wanted to leave her for Seven was an understatement.
Although
she had been reserved and seemingly accepting of B'Elanna's decision, it
threatened to make her bitter and withdrawn.
Too many times Kathryn saw the two of them together and her heart
clenched with intense jealously. Nevertheless,
life on Voyager continued. She was
still Captain and therefore expected to put her feelings aside to run her ship.
But it was in no way easy for her.
Thankfully,
Chakotay could see the all too familiar signs of her depression and quickly
stepped in, offering his support and a welcoming non-judgmental shoulder to lean
on. His friendship had been
monumental in keeping Kathryn from literally drowning in despair over her failed
love life. They had spent so much
time together that there was speculation that the two of them were a romantic
item. There was, however, no truth
to those rumors. Janeway loved him
like the brother she never had and was grateful to him for his intervention.
The
last few weeks the rumor mill was a buzz. Apparently
all was not well in paradise where B'Elanna and Seven were concerned.
They had entertained the crew with at least three public disagreements.
Kathryn tried not to think about it too much because it would be wrong of
her to wish them ill will, but she often wondered what would happen if they did
break up. Would she be able to win
B'Elanna's heart once more? Would
she yet again have the unspeakable joy of holding her, kissing her and making
passionate love to her? The
possibility made her heart quicken and caused other parts of her anatomy come
alive unwillingly. Nonetheless, she did her best to squelch those thoughts and
feelings. She would not do anything
intentionally to break the couple up, no matter how much she loved B'Elanna.
She
was still looking out the view port, trying to decide whether she wanted to
reheat her coffee when the message came through the comm. system.
"Captain, please report to the Bridge."
Sighing
heavily and placing her coffee cup on the desk she replied, "On my
way."
"Report."
Janeway said after exiting her ready room and moving toward her seat on
the Bridge.
"Long
range scanners have detected an M-class planet approximately one light year from
our current position," Ensign Kim stated as he studied the readout at his
station. "The planet appears to be rich in dilithium
deposits."
"Well
it looks as if we'll get a chance to replace the warp core crystals that
B'Elanna's been complaining about." Captain
Janeway smiled at her first officer then announced, "Mr. Paris change
course toward the planet."
Further
scans indicated that the planet was the home of an apparent pre-warp
civilization. Per the Prime
Directive, any thriving pre-warp planet was passed by and ignored, thus allowing
it to follow its natural course until they began using warp technology.
However, Captain Janeway was unable to pass up a chance to replace the
necessary mineral. Additional scans
found that there were significant dilithium deposits on a secluded part of the
planet, so Janeway instructed Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Torres to take a
shuttle down to the planet. The
plan was to arrive discretely while Voyager remained in high orbit, obtain the
dilithium and leave without anyone on the planet being privy to their visit.
As
an added precaution, molecular scans were done of some of the populated areas of
the planet and that information was fed into the ships computer to give a
possible visual of what the inhabitants looked like.
Both officers would be surgically altered to appear like the natives of
the planet, just in case they were discovered.
=^=
B'Elanna
was sitting on one of the biobeds in Sickbay enduring the bedside manner of the
doctor while having her appearance altered.
"Hold still Lieutenant unless you want your hairline across your
eyes."
"I'm
trying!" B'Elanna said
exasperated, "But this isn't the most comfortable procedure in the
universe." She had been
pleased about being a part of the away team, but had she known that she would
have to interact with the EMH, she would have gladly given the responsibility to
someone else.
"You
have to look like the natives on the planet.
Now please...hold still!" The
Doctor replied, irritated with her irrational behavior.
"He's
right B'Elanna." Chakotay said
calmly as Lt. Paris worked on his appearance.
"Oh
please Chakotay," She quipped, "The
only thing you had to change was your hair, your tattoo and your ears.
No one's trying to remove your forehead.
Oh, and by the way, blond is not your color."
"You
don't think so?" He asked with
mocking surprise.
B'Elanna
gave him her best 'fuck you' scowl, then jerked slightly at the tingle on her
forehead. "Are you almost
finished?" she snapped, clearly losing patience with the whole ordeal.
"I would have been done a long time ago if you would just hold still and
stop talking." The doctor
answered.
"Fine."
She muttered.
"And
anyway, I'm not removing your forehead, I'm just shrinking it temporarily."
He noted.
"Whatever,
just hurry up." Holding as
still as she could in order to get the annoying procedure over with, she
couldn't help but notice the exchanges happening between Chakotay and Tom.
Tom was smiling more than usual and B'Elanna nearly did a double take
when she saw that he stood between the Commander's legs waving the dermal
regenerator altering his ears, instead of standing off to the side like the
doctor did with her. Occasionally
they would look at one another and B'Elanna swore that she could almost feel the
affection passing between the two of them.
B'Elanna vaguely wondered if she were the only one that could tell but it
seemed so blatantly obvious to her what was going on that she doubted it.
She made a mental note to ask Chakotay about it when they were in the
shuttle.
Soon
both officers were physically ready for their mission.
B'Elanna had entered the shuttle and had already begun the flight
prelims. Although she was looking
forward to the mission, she wished that she had some time to speak with Seven
before she left. She and Seven had
another argument and she hated leaving with things unresolved.
They seemed to be arguing more and more lately over trivial things.
But somehow she would always manage to gain Seven's forgiveness. Seven was a very important part of her life and she adored
her. She was intelligent, caring
and incredibly sexy. Just the
thought of her made B'Elanna's breath quicken.
So why did she feel such a longing inside?
She knew the answer practically before she finished the thought - Captain
Kathryn Janeway.
B'Elanna
had been dating Tom before she and Kathryn began seeing each other.
The relationship between her and Tom could be described as rocky at best.
The two of them had been so lonely, and needing to have someone in their
lives at the time, that they both figured that sleeping together certainly was
better than sleeping alone. After a
time, B'Elanna found that her true preferences were beginning to surface - and
no matter
B'Elanna
couldn't believe her luck. It was
the first of many holodeck sessions that she and the Captain spent together. What started out as a bit of harmless flirting turned into a
relentless pursuit in which B'Elanna's primary goal was to make Kathryn Janeway
hers. Somehow, B'Elanna was able to
win the amazing woman's heart, and she couldn't have been happier.
Then
she and Seven were sent on an away mission and couldn't get back. B'Elanna
missed Kathryn so much that her heart still clenched at the memory.
Seven at the time seemed to be very sympathetic toward her emotions.
She knew that B'Elanna was yearning for the Captain and feeling such a
profound loss that it threatened to consume her.
So she did her best to make things better for B'Elanna.
It was awkward for her at first, as she had no experience comforting
another person. But as time went
by, she made herself a very consoling presence in B'Elanna's life.
When
it became apparent to them that Voyager was not going to find them, B'Elanna
could not ignore the building attraction between her and the former Borg.
B'Elanna noticed also that Seven had changed from the rude emotionless
drone she was when she first came aboard Voyager to a polite, caring and
sensuous woman. B'Elanna found herself yearning for Seven's company. The first night they made love had been wonderful.
Seven had been timid and unsure which appealed to B'Elanna's need to take
charge. Once they began, Seven's
responsiveness was remarkable and B'Elanna knew that even though she loved
Kathryn, if they were ever found she would be hard pressed to give Seven up
because she loved her as well. Shortly
afterward, Voyager found them and of course she was in the precarious position
of having to make a very difficult decision.
What
a mess to find oneself mixed up in. How
could one person love two people so very much?
For all intents and purposes, most people didn't, and she felt that she
should conform to what was considered normal and make a choice.
She chose Seven, saying that she felt a need to continue their
relationship. She expected there to be a loud, possibly physical fight
between herself and Kathryn and was very much surprised when she just let her
go. It was gracious of her to step
back, but B'Elanna knew from looking in Kathryn's eyes that it wasn't easy for
her, nor was it something that she wanted.
The hurt in her former lovers eyes threatened to break her resolve so
after telling her she was going to stay with Seven, she quickly left the
Captain's quarters. The decision to leave cost her greatly for she still thought
of Kathryn and yearned for her in the worst way. To this
At
the same time, however, she loved Seven with her entire being.
They had lived together for the past year.
She loved her personality, her sense of humor, and her beauty. And she also knew that she owed her an apology for the
argument she started earlier that day.
She was just about to comm. her lover when Chakotay entered the shuttle.
Her conversation with Seven would have to wait until they returned.
Chakotay
stepped into the shuttle and did a double take when he saw the Chief Engineer.
"You look so different, I almost thought you were someone
else."
B'Elanna's
appearance was significantly altered. Her
cranial ridges were gone and her hair was now a jet black.
Her ears were pointed and she had smaller ridges on the bridge of her
nose and on her chin. Her eye color
was also changed to an emerald green. She
very much resembled what the computer said a female on the planet looked like.
"Yeah,
well, I still think blond is not your color." B'Elanna replied with a smirk. Chakotay's looks were
very similar to her own. His tattoo
had been temporarily covered and he was given the same ears and ridges.
The only difference was that his eye color was changed to an onyx and his
hair was nearly platinum blond.
"Neither
do I. I nearly jumped out of my
skin when I looked in the mirror in my quarters."
Chakotay sat in the pilot seat and began doing a prelim flight check.
"Are you ready?"
B'Elanna
took her seat in the co-pilots chair and concluded checks of her own.
"Yes. All is clear for
take-off."
"Bridge,
this is the Delta Flyer, we're ready to get underway."
"Acknowledged."
Replied Captain Janeway. Then
the shuttle bay doors opened and Chakotay cruised the agile vessel out into the
vacuum of space. "Have a good
trip, Commander."
It
would be about two hours before they breached the planet's atmosphere so both
officers settled back in their chairs while the Flyer cruised on autopilot.
"So Chakotay, does Tom like your new look?"
"He
says he likes my natural look better."
He answered before he could catch himself.
"Okay,
that brings me to my next question. How
long have you two been involved?"
Chakotay
felt a blush that started seemingly from the tips of his toes creeping up his
neck and into his cheeks. "What
are you talking about?"
"Don't
play dumb with me, Chakotay" B'Elanna
replied triumphantly. "You
blush any harder and you'll be a deep burgundy before we reach the planet."
Sighing
he replied, "Well I guess we couldn't keep it a secret for long, could
we?"
"So,
you never answered my question." B'Elanna
stated, crossing her arms in front of her.
"About
3 months."
"From
what I saw today in sickbay, it's a wonder you were able to keep it a secret at
all." She smirked.
"We
didn't do anything to each other." Chakotay
said defensively. "How could
you even tell?"
"It
wasn't what you did, it was how you looked at each other that gave it away.
You shouldn't be so easy to read, Chakotay."
She teased. "Of course,
he seemed to have the same problem toward you."
"And if you looked at one another like that elsewhere on the ship
like you did in sickbay, chances are the entire ship was aware of your
relationship within a few hours."
Closing
his eyes, his humiliation complete as he thought of the past few days, he
replied, "I don't even want to think about it."
=^=
Seven
of Nine worked diligently at the engineering station on the Bridge, checking and
cross checking the internal systems of the ship.
As usual, she endeavored to make sure nothing was amiss while covering
the duties of chief engineering officer. The
bridge was quiet, she thought, unusually so.
After the first check in from the Delta Flyer, her thoughts drifted to
her former mentor and friend.
Things
had not been the same between Seven and Janeway since Janeway and B'Elanna broke
up . Of course she knew that was to
be expected, since she was the cause. Still,
Seven felt a great loss because of it. She
never meant to hurt the Captain, and in actuality she didn't.
After all it was B'Elanna who made the final decision to stay with her
and leave Kathryn.
That
was something that completely astounded the former Borg drone.
She knew how much B'Elanna loved Kathryn and also knew why Kathryn
reciprocated that love. She herself
cherished the chief engineer for the very same reasons.
Even though they had been missing for a little over a year, she knew, or
thought she knew that once they returned, she would be forced to relinquish her
feelings for her new lover. Surely
B'Elanna would want nothing more than to return to the warmth and security of
Kathryn Janeway. But B'Elanna had
surprised her to say the least.
Seven
loved B'Elanna Torres with an intensity that she had never known before.
Love was a sensation that the Borg considered irrelevant and unnecessary.
So when she began to feel this intense emotion for the first time, she
was startled and somewhat frightened to say the least.
Wishing, however, to explore more of her human side, she let the love she
had for B'Elanna blossom and grow, and now she found herself daily thanking
whatever deity was responsible for bringing them together.
Her only regret was that it was at the expense of Captain Janeway's
feelings.
As
time went on, she noticed a change in her lover - an unspoken longing and
sadness that would engulf her sometimes without warning.
That was usually when the arguments would happen.
Seven for a long time couldn't understand what was troubling B'Elanna so
deeply. Naturally what ever it was,
she wanted to help her - to make it better somehow.
But whenever she tried to console her, B'Elanna was elusive, often
defensive, and wouldn't allow for any assistance at all.
Finally, after considering all the aspects of their relationship,
including how and why it began, she realized what the problem was.
B'Elanna was still in love with Kathryn Janeway.
This
revelation should have sent her into a jealous rage. At least her research in humanoid mating rituals told her so,
but it didn't. In fact, it seemed
to sadden her immensely. For she
knew that Kathryn still loved B'Elanna as well.
She could see the yearning in her eyes when the Captain looked at her. She also knew that Janeway's despair kept her locked in her
ready room on many occasions. Commander
Chakotay had done his best to make sure she was all right, and Seven believed
that he was at the very least, the life line that kept her from drowning in the
inevitable melancholy state one experienced when they have lost someone they
loved. She also knew that the
rumors she heard about Janeway and Chakotay being an item was nothing more than
ships gossip. There was no truth to
it. How could there be?
Kathryn was so obviously in love with B'Elanna, even Seven was touched by
the magnitude of her emotions.
But
even though she felt a deep sense of empathy for Kathryn, she couldn't bring
herself to give B'Elanna up at her own expense.
To say it would crush her to make such a sacrifice would be a grave
understatement. She couldn't
imagine existing as a human without B'Elanna at her side.
The thought of losing B'Elanna caused Seven so much distress that she
believed she would rather be assimilated back into the Borg collective than to
have to experience life without her.
The situation was difficult at best and at the time she had no idea what
to do about it.
Just
then, the comm. system sounding interrupted her thoughts.
"Chakotay to Voyager..."
"Janeway
here, Commander. Is everything all
right?"
"Yes
Captain. We've landed on a secluded
mountainside and have scanned for the dilithium.
We've located a possible patch about six kilometers from our present
location. We've also detected
humanoid life signs in the same area as the dilithium."
The
Captain assimilated this latest information.
"Why couldn't
"Captain,
there appears to be some sort of dampening field in the area.
It's not natural, but man made."
"Captain,"
Tuvok began, "It is possible
that the inhabitants did not want to be detected and therefore have advanced far
enough in their evolution to create a dampening field that would protect them
from any possible intruders."
"Mr.
Kim, can our sensors be modulated to penetrate the dampening field?"
"Yes
Captain. I've been modifying them
and I all most...there! It's a
small city. I'm reading
approximately 700 humanoid life signs."
Janeway
considered this information carefully. She
knew that they would have to be very careful of their actions while on the
planet. "Mr. Kim, download the
frequency modulation to the Commander's tricorder."
"Aye
Captain."
"Commander,
head for the location on foot. See
if there is any way you can retrieve the dilithium without being detected. Have B'Elanna modulate your comm. badges to the frequency Mr.
Kim has downloaded to your tricorder so we can keep a lock on you. As
always, keep me informed of your progress."
"Aye
Captain, Chakotay out."
=^=
"So
what do we do for clothing?" B'Elanna
asked as she gathered supplies for their packs.
Chakotay
reached in one of the storage compartments and pulled out two heavy cloth
smocks. "Here.
Put this on," he replied as he handed one of them to her.
"Not
very stylish," B'Elanna pointed out as she donned the odd piece of
clothing.
"It's
not meant to be." Chakotay put
on the smock and closed it - securing it with small metal hooks that were sewn
into the fabric. "It's
supposed to look bland. This way,
our uniforms won't be visible and we may be able to mingle with the natives long
enough to find out what kind of currency they have and where we can pick up some
proper clothes."
"What
if this society believes in wearing the most loud and flashy outfits known to
humanoids? Or worst, what if they
believe in wearing no clothing at all?"
Poorly
suppressing a laugh, he replied, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to
it."
With
their clothing secured, their badges recalibrated and their phasers safely
hidden in the pockets of their smocks, they set off toward the village and
hopefully a nice amount of the needed mineral.
They traveled for about an hour over mostly mountainous terrain.
Although it was rugged, the soil seemed moist and flourishing.
There were luscious growths of plants and grass that were quite
beautiful. If this hadn't been a
pre-warp civilization, it would seem to be a likely place for some much needed
shore leave for the crew.
Hiking
was not what B'Elanna would consider up there on the top of her list of
enjoyable things to do. Chakotay,
however,
Soon,
both officers were beginning to become fatigued. Chakotay noticed that night was rapidly falling which meant
that the days and nights were not like Earths.
"Lets find a place to set up camp for the night."
"Good
idea." B'Elanna replied.
She was tired and with the rapid decrease in temperature, longing to sit
in front of a fire and warm up.
After
wandering a few more feet, they located a somewhat secluded area near a cave
opening. Carefully they made
their way to the cave opening, scanning the inside for any sign of humanoid
or wildlife. They found neither so
they decided to spend the night in the cave.
Both
officers dropped their packs inside the cave.
"Well, it will keep us covered from the elements."
Chakotay noted. He scanned
the area for some bolders to heat up and found two small ones.
"If we had a third, we could make it nice and warm in here."
"I
thought I saw a couple outside the entrance." B'Elanna said. "Be
right back."
As
she stepped out side, she saw the rocks in question and reached for them.
When she bent down to lift the smaller of the two, something caught her
attention. Immediately she stood up
and began scanning the area. Her
instincts were on full alert - telling her that something was out there but
what? She had no clue. She sniffed
the air, hoping the shifting winds would blow the scent of whatever was out
there in her direction, but she could only smell the fresh air and the green
foliage.
Just
then, Chakotay stepped outside. "What's
taking so..."
"Shhh!"
"What
is it?" Chakotay murmured, his
own defenses beginning to rise.
"Don't
know..." She continued to scan the area, using her Klingon sense of smell
to guide her, but found nothing. After a few moments, she relaxed.
"Nothing. Must be my
imagination."
"Thank
goodness." Inwardly sighing
with relief, Chakotay bent down to grab the rocks.
"Let's go inside. I
need to contact Voyager and I'd like to warm up while I do."
"Okay,"
B'Elanna said. Her eyes swept over
the rapidly darkening area once more, before she turned and followed Chakotay
inside the cave.
Several
kilometers away, a hooded figure standing behind a large rock formation had just
lowered his binoculars. The
officers had no idea that they were being watched.
=^=
Janeway
sat on the bridge, ever so often checking the readings on the console of her
chair. She could feel Seven's eyes
practically boring into the back of her head.
Vaguely she wondered why she seemed to be so conscious of Seven's every
move, but mentally shrugged it off as being one of those finely toned senses a
Captain developed making them aware of all that was going on around them.
After
hearing the latest report from Chakotay, Kathryn found herself in the mess hall.
She wasn't very hungry and had been running most of the day on autopilot,
but she knew if she didn't eat the Doctor would be on her case.
So to avoid any unnecessary drama from the CMO, she chose a few of the
choice items that Neelix prepared and found a seat in one of the far corners of
the room.
She
took a few bites of the food, not really tasting it, and pretended to read a
padd she brought with her for appearances sake, hoping it would keep anyone from
bothering her. She wasn't in the mood to socialize.
She wouldn't have come there
As
Seven examined the food choices, her eyes took a quick and inconspicuous glance
around the room. Immediately she
noticed Janeway huddled in a corner alone.
It was not the first time that the Captain seemed to deliberately set
herself apart from the rest of the crew in a social setting.
Sometimes she didn't make an appearance at all - not letting something as
insignificant as hunger bring her out of the safe haven that was her ready room.
Seven's advanced Borg abilities made her aware of the fact that Janeway
wasn't really reading the padd that she so diligently stared at.
She was looking at it all right, but
She
had no idea what made her legs carry her toward the Captain's direction, but
without warning she was standing in front of the table where she sat.
And as if she were powerless to prevent it, her mouth began to form the
unavoidable question.
"Captain
Janeway, may I join you?"
She
should have known that her attempt at looking busy would be futile and repressed
the laugh that threatened to burst forth at the thought reference.
//Sometimes resistance is futile.//
Kathryn looked up into those impossibly azure eyes, and even though she
dreaded any pending conversation they would have, she could not ignore the
beauty that was Seven of Nine. The
blue Starfleet uniform she wore was flattering on her to say the least, and her
hair cascading down just past her shoulders gave
"Of
course Lieutenant."
Seven
slid gracefully in the chair across from Janeway, placing her tray in front of
her as she did. For a brief moment,
Seven observed her Captain's face. Although
she smiled at her and was always the gracious host, Seven could see fatigue and
a hidden sadness
in her features. Her smile did not
reach her eyes as it did in the past and Seven felt a slight stab of guilt
because of it.
"It has been a long time since we last held a conversation.
I wanted to know how you have been."
Janeway
vaguely remembered reading a report from the Doctor that Seven had the Borg
implant removed that would hinder her emotions. It seemed to make a vast
improvement in her personality. "I've
been fine, Seven." She
replied, smiling. "Been
keeping myself busy of course, - being Captain, it goes with
the territory. How are you?"
"I
am doing well. Since I no longer
have a need to regenerate, I have found that my appetite has increased.
I notice also that
"When
did you stop regenerating?" Janeway
asked. She really did need to catch
up on her reports.
"About
three months ago." She
answered as she began attacking her salad with determination.
Kathryn
found it quite entertaining. "I'm
sure that Neelix is pleased that you're enjoying his cooking."
"This
is one of his more palatable offerings."
She took a swallow of her water and afterward dabbed at her mouth with
her
"I
suppose I wasn't as hungry as I thought I was." Janeway
"I
see. Perhaps you could use some
time on the holodeck." Before
Janeway could formulate a response, Seven continued with, "I have been
researching the database for sport activities in an effort to maintain my...
figure."
"Really?"
Kathryn asked, quite amused.
"Yes.
I mentioned to B'Elanna that I thought I was getting...fat.
She effectively told me that I was...imagining things, but that if I was
that concerned with it, I should look for an activity to do to keep me looking
slim. I found a game in the
database called racquetball and have been playing it on the holodeck three times
a week. It is quite
exhilarating."
Kathryn
noticed that Seven still hesitated when expressing certain terms.
It was very endearing, even though the mention of B'Elanna's name was
almost like a stab in her heart. "I'll keep that in mind."
She replied a little too dryly.
Seven
noticed the sudden stiffness in the Captain's disposition at the mention of
B'Elanna's name, and was for a moment at a loss as to what to say next.
Suddenly she felt decidedly out of her element.
"How do you think Lieutenant Torres and the Commander are
progressing on the planet?" Seven
asked with concern, and also with the hope of bringing the tension level of
their conversation down a notch by switching the subject to ships business.
"According
to their last check in, they're doing well.
They've found a place to camp for the night, and the bridge is keeping a
constant lock on them." Kathryn
replied. "Don't worry Seven.
Both of them are excellent officers and they will be just fine."
"I
have extreme confidence in their abilities." Seven stated. "At
times, however, I find that I feel a slight sense of anxiety whenever B'Elanna
goes on an away mission." Casting
her eyes toward the table, she continued. "I
am very concerned for her well being. If
she were to become damaged or worst... These feelings are so new to me and I
find them to be quite
Janeway
could see that removing that implant came with a price for Seven.
She felt a sense of sympathy for her, but at the same time was not in the
mood to discuss B'Elanna with her. "I'm sure they will be fine Seven."
Seven
could sense that she was rapidly wearing out her welcome.
Despite her good intentions, the conversation had taken a turn for the
worst. "It has been a
trying day, Captain," she said, again at a loss for words to add to the now
awkward conversation.
"I
agree, Lieutenant." Janeway
said casting her eyes briefly at Seven, then back to the table.
As perfect timing would have it, her comm badge chirped.
It was Tuvok.
"Captain
Janeway, please report to the bridge."
//"Thank
goodness..."// she thought. "On
my way." Gathering her tray to
leave and effectively putting an end to this conversation, she said,
"If you'll excuse me..."
"Captain,
I apologize for making you feel uncomfortable."
Acknowledging
her apology with a slight nod, Kathryn stood to leave.
"Captain,
I will be playing racquet ball tomorrow afternoon. Would you like to join me?"
Kathryn
was well aware that Seven was attempting to salvage what was left of their
friendship. She didn't see any harm
in playing the game with her. She
also figured it would help boost her spirits to do some activity that didn't
require a lot of thinking. "Sure,
Seven. What time?"
"1700
hours on Holodeck 2." She
answered looking hopeful.
"I'll
be there." She said, then had
to control the urge to sprint out of the mess hall.
//"Well,
at least she agreed to join me."// Seven thought to herself as she emptied
her tray and exited the mess hall as well.
=^=
She
made it on the bridge in record time, even for her. Tuvok had informed her that they were receiving a distress
call.
"Let's
here it Tuvok," Janeway stated.
"To
anyone who can hear me, please, we need your assistance!
We are a transport vessel. Our
systems have been damaged. Our warp
drive is off line and life support will cease to function within the next 7
days. Any assistance would be
most appreciated..." the
message repeated in a continuous loop.
"Ensign
Kim, how far away is the vessel?"
"It's
about 5 light years from here, Captain. At
warp 8, we will reach them in 3 days."
"Helm,
set a course."
"Harry,
hail the Commander. Seems like
we'll be leaving orbit for a short while."
=^=
Captain
Janeway informed her first officer of the situation and after assuring their
safety for the time being, went to warp 8
Kathryn
leaned against the wall just inside her quarters and breathed a heavy sigh.
"Lights at eighty percent."
She commanded, then walked to her bedroom, unfastening her uniform as she
moved.
Her
conversation with Seven earlier had been the most they had spoken to one another
since B'Elanna had left her. It
wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. That
is, until B'Elanna's name was mentioned. If
she experienced such a negative reaction every time Seven talked about her
former lover, how would they ever become the friends they used to be?
Kathryn came to the unavoidable conclusion that they would not, and she
made a mental note to cancel their game of racquetball.
Her
heart was still too wounded to be able to listen while Seven Spoke of B'Elanna
in a positive way or otherwise. And
if there was any negativity in their conversations, Kathryn didn't trust herself
enough to not use that type of situation to her advantage.
She
stripped out of her uniform and undergarments, throwing them into the refresher.
Then she climbed naked under her covers and resolved to stay there for
the next 6 hours.
=^=
Chakotay
woke to his mouth being suddenly covered by a small hand.
"Shhh... someone is outside."
Chakotay
quietly sat up and whispered, "How do you know? This had better not be another false alarm, B'Elanna."
"I've
been feeling uneasy most of the night, but this morning, I can smell who ever it
is," B'Elanna replied quietly. She grabbed both phasers, tossing one to Chakotay, then
slowly got to
her feet and moved toward the cave opening.
Chakotay
swiftly got to his feet and moved ahead of B'Elanna. As they reached the
opening, sure to Torres' instincts, a figure that looked to be humanoid sat
approximately 6 meters away with his back facing the cave.
His long blond hair cascading down his back was pushed behind his pointed
ears making visible a rather pleasing profile.
He sat with his eyes closed facing the morning sunrise and looked almost
angelic as his hair gently blew in the morning breeze.
The ship's computer was quite accurate with their physical attributes.
He appeared to
be meditating, but then to their surprise, the man spoke.
"Don't
be afraid. I won't hurt you."
He said, never moving from
his sitting position.
Cautiously
both officers moved toward him, armed with their phasers set on stun.
"It would seem that you have us at an advantage."
Chakotay said to the man.
"Hmm...so
it does." He replied.
Then he slowly turned around to see the two aliens he had been following
for most of the previous afternoon. His
eyes were warm and friendly as he said,
"My name is Rekpar. I'm
head centurion for the Gradian order.
And you are?"
"I
am pleased to meet you. Please, put
down your weapons. I mean you no
harm."
"Really?
Then why were you following us?"
B'Elanna snarled.
"I
wanted to see if you were a threat to us in any way. And you're not. If
I wanted I could have killed you while you slept.
But I see no need for such a harsh course of action.
Besides, it isn't often that we receive off-world visitors."
"Off
world visitors? You must be
mistaken." Chakotay replied,
attempting to maintain their cover.
"I
think not, Commander." Rekpar
replied knowingly. "You both
wear very convincing disguises. In
fact, they're almost molecular. But
your minds give you away. You are
clearly not D'breenian." The
stranger purposefully left out the fact that
"Our
minds?" Chakotay asked, not
liking the sound of this.
"A
few of us on D'breen have certain abilities.
I believe your word for it would be telepathic."
He lifted himself from the ground and brushed the dirt from his garment.
"Although, I must admit that you both are very difficult to read.
It wasn't until you were resting that I was able to ascertain your
thoughts. Perhaps it is because of
the differences of our species." He
said verbally speculating.
Chakotay
and B'Elanna looked at one another - a silent signal passing
between them. Their time in the
Maquis made it necessary for them to learn how to make themselves virtually
unreadable by the strongest of telepaths. They
employed that ability without Rekpar knowing.
He may know that they were off worlders, but nothing else would be
revealed unless they wanted it to be - even while they were sleeping.
Rekpar
had no idea that their mental barricades had gone up as he said, "I sensed
last night that you were looking for dilithium?"
"Yes."
B'Elanna replied. "We use it as a power source on our home world."
"And
where exactly is your home world?" He
asked with growing curiosity.
"It's
is very far from here." Chakotay
replied. "You say that you
don't get many alien visitors. Have
you done any space travel?"
"Chakotay,
we are an advanced civilization." He
replied proudly. "Our ships are equipped with the latest state of the art
equipment and are capable of reaching speeds of up to warp 3.5."
That
was exactly the information Chakotay was looking for. They appeared to be technologically advanced, but their
technology appeared to be significantly behind compared to Starfleets. "So you use dilithium to power your ships?"
"Of
course - along with a few other choice minerals. We have plenty of dilithium and I'm sure my superiors are
more than willing to share with you."
As he started toward the direction that their tricorders had indicated
that the dilithium was located earlier, he gestured for them to follow him.
"Please accept
our hospitality while you are here."
=^=
After
walking a few more kilometers they came to the main square of a thriving city.
Merchants were set up along sidewalks advertising their wares to anyone
who would listen. Nearly every
merchant had an assistant that when not doing any immediate work, appeared to be
more interested in the ground than anything else.
Both officers found the behavior to be very unusual, however, they kept
their comments to themselves until they had time to privately converse.
One
of the merchant assistants looked up as the officers walked by.
She knew she was taking a chance - knew that she could be severely
punished for casting her eyes upon a potential customer, but she felt compelled
to do so. //She's not like us...//
the woman thought as she looked at B'Elanna with keen interest.
There
was something about the woman, however, and the assistant was pleased that the
two strangers stopped for a moment. The male conversed briefly with her master, but she was more
interested in the Kobali woman. Suddenly without warning, their eyes met and to
the assistant's surprise she could sense nothing from her, but could feel the
presence of this woman searching her mind.
The Kobali woman's facial expression seemed to mimic the sadness that was
in her own heart - as if on some level she could feel her emotions.
Could it be that she was an empath?
The
assistant wished she could read her thoughts but then decided that maybe she
could send her a message. //Help
us...please.// she pleaded in her mind while staring unwaveringly into the
strangers green eyes.
B'Elanna
lightly gasps at what she saw. For
some unexplainable reason, she felt extreme desperation as she looked into the
pleading eyes of the young woman. She
almost wanted to reach out and comfort her, so great was the sensation.
Then, Repkar continued down the street and as quickly as it appeared, the
feeling was gone. It left her a bit
shaken and unnerved.
Something
was not right about this place, and although she was not one to walk away from
danger, she felt a strong urge to leave the planet in a hurry.
Soon
they were all entering a very impressive looking building.
Chakotay and B'Elanna stood quietly off to the side while Rekpar
conversed briefly with the building attendant.
"So what do you think of our new friend?"
B'Elanna asked.
"I
think he is sincere. He doesn't
seem to means us any harm." Chakotay
replied.
"You're
right," B'Elanna said with certainty, "but something very strange is
going on here. Did you notice those
people in the market square?" She
asked.
"Yes.
Their behavior was very strange - almost as if they were afraid to look
up."
B'Elanna
was unsure whether or not to tell Chakotay of the look shared between herself
and the woman in the market place. But before she could analyze it further, she noticed Rekpar
approaching them with another of his species - a female.
"Imperial
Tess, may I present Chakotay and B'Elanna.
They are travelers on a peaceful mission."
Rekpar stated.
The
Imperial was very beautiful. She
was thin and fragile looking, however, she carried an air of authority that was
quite obvious to anyone who set eyes on her.
She wore a long purple robe with intricate gold designs woven through the
fabric. Her hair was blond and she had eyes the color of lavender. The significant contrast between her skin color and that of
the
"We're
very pleased to meet you, Imperial." Chakotay
replied.
"And
I as well, Chakotay." She
replied. "I understand that
you are looking for dilithium?"
"That's
correct." He replied.
"We're looking for supplies to aid us on our journey home."
"Is
this person more to you than just a companion?" She asked, glancing at B'Elanna as if she were nothing less
than dust on the floor.
"If
you're asking if we're mates, no. We
work together."
"She
is allowed to speak for you?" She
asked Chakotay, completely ignoring B'Elanna.
She had heard of such atrocities permitted on distant continents of
D'Breen, but she had no idea that one day she would witness it.
"I
speak for myself." B'Elanna
stated angrily.
"Lieutenant,"
Chakotay warned.
The
Imperial's eyes went wide as saucers. "She
has a military rank?"
Now
it was Chakotay's turn to look astounded. "Is
there a problem?" He asked.
"I
have never heard of someone like her being granted the luxury of a military
position! Not even in liberal
towns!" She said, her voice
carrying a subtle air of disgust.
"Someone
like me?" B'Elanna asked,
clearly insulted by this woman. "Look..."
Before
the Lieutenant could say another word, Rekpar interrupted in an attempt to keep
an already tense situation from escalating.
"Imperial Tess, I should have warned you.
They are not even of our species. They
are off-worlders. No doubt their
customs are completely different from ours."
"But
they look as if they are from our world. How
is this possible?" the Imperial inquired.
"We
have sophisticated measures that enable us to disguise ourselves."
Chakotay stated. "We've come across hostile
With
this new revelation, the Imperial's eyes softened and she looked directly at
B'Elanna. "Forgive my
rudeness. With the way you were
dressed and your appearance, I thought you were native to our planet.
I didn't realize. Please
accept my apologies." she said, sincerity in her voice.
"Apology
accepted." B'Elanna replied.
Although she appeared calmer, still she was annoyed with the woman's
assumption of her, whatever that happened to be.
"Rekpar,
please find suitable accommodations for our guests." She said, then
turned to both officers. "Dinner
will be served in my private dining room. Would
you do me the honor of attending this
evening?"
"We'd
be delighted, Imperial." Chakotay
replied diplomatically, flashing his killer dimples.
"Very
well then. Someone will be by your
quarters to escort you to dinner when it is time."
Smiling sweetly, she turned and walked down the hallway, accompanied by
two adolescent female attendants.
B'Elanna
moved closer to Chakotay and whispered, "So because I look like this, I'm
not worthy to even be spoken to?"
"Apparently
so," Chakotay said, "Why? I have no idea."
"Neither
do I," B'Elanna replied, "And to tell you the truth, I'm not sure I
want to know."
The
officers were lead to what would be their temporary living quarters.
It was a large two-room suite beautifully decorated
in white and gold. The first room
contained an ivory table with two ivory-rimmed chairs.
The carpet was a dark golden and was so soft it felt as if you would sink
five centimeters into it. A sofa
sat in the main area of the first room facing a large window with a beautiful
view of the city. In the next room
there were two full sized beds with a long nightstand between them.
Two small intricately designed lamps were strategically placed on either
end of the nightstand so the person sleeping in the bed could easily reach over
and shut it off. Placed
neatly at the foot of each bed was a robe, a white loose short-sleeved top and
loose shorts with an elastic waste band.
Picking
up the shirt and top, she held it up to herself and said, "I hope these
fit," although, it looked as if they were the right size for her.
Chakotay
inspected his and said, "They seem to be a good judge of clothing
size."
Off
to the right side of the room was the bathroom, with gold fixtures and a marble
white bath tub and commode. The
floor
"Wow.
I'll bet even Starfleet Brass has never seen a room like this."
B'Elanna replied as she walked through inspecting the suite.
"You think she over did it just a bit?"
Chakotay
chuckled a little and said, "Maybe this is her way of apologizing to you
for her behavior earlier."
"Maybe,"
B'Elanna replied still looking around. "What
was that all about anyway?"
"I
don't know. But I do seem to
remember you resembling a lot of the people in the market place.
I appear to resemble the merchants themselves.
Maybe the people who were assisting them were something more than
assistants."
"Or
less. Why don't we just ask
them?" B'Elanna asked.
"It's
one of the first things on my agenda for dinner conversation."
Chakotay said.
=^=
Several
hours later Kathryn was still lying in her bed with
After
tossing and turning uselessly for a half an hour more, she sat
up and commanded the computer to turn the lights on. Sighing heavily she grabbed her pink satin robe and put it
on, wrapping it around her small frame and securing it with the belt.
Padding to the replicator, she ordered a cup of tea and moved toward the
sofa. Sitting down, she reached for
a book and opened it to the page she left off at, hoping that reading would
relax her enough so she could fall asleep.
=^=
Dinner
with the Imperial turned out to be just another boring diplomatic event.
The food was good however, and Chakotay and B'Elanna took the opportunity
to indulge in the offerings. It was one of the best meals they had since being in the
Delta quadrant.
The
conversation, however, seemed quite elusive.
Several times Chakotay tried to bring up the strange behavior of the
merchants and their workers, but each time, Rekpar and or Imperial Tess did
their best to change the subject. He
never did get the answers he was seeking.
B'Elanna
sensed that something was not right with these people.
They seemed somewhat uncomfortable with the two of them being there.
At first, she thought it was her appearance, recalling how the Imperial
first reacted toward her. But as
the evening wore on, she noticed that it was not only her, but Chakotay's
presence as well that seemed to leave them unsettled.
That
evening, the two officers took turns in the bathroom preparing for bed.
B'Elanna finished last and emerging from the bathroom, she padded across
the soft carpet to her bed and climbed under the covers attempting to find a
comfortable position. Finally, she
settled down and with a sigh, tried to fall asleep.
But it didn't work. Something
wasn't right about these people and her Klingon senses were on full alert.
"Chakotay?"
"Hmm?"
He answered from his bed on the other side of the room.
He too was wide awake and staring at the ceiling.
"I
can't sleep. I keep thinking about
those people in the market place."
"Me
too." Sitting up and letting
the covers fall to his waist, he turned the light on and looked over at his
friend. "Why wouldn't they answer any of my questions?"
"Who
knows?" B'Elanna said as she
sat up and turned the light on near her bed. "All I know is, I have a
feeling that we should leave here. And
the sooner the better."
"Why
is that?" Chakotay asked.
Although he found the D'breenian's behavior odd, he didn't see any reason
for them to leave right away.
"I've
just have a bad feeling about this." She
replied. Then she
remembered earlier in the market place. "Chakotay,
I need to tell you something. Back
when we were on the streets, in the market place something happened.
"What?"
Chakotay asked, curious.
"While
you were talking to that guy about the artifact, the woman who sat on the ground
behind the table made eye contact with me."
After seeing the surprised look of her CO, she continued.
"She seemed to be so unhappy and..." she paused looking for the
right word, "Desperate. It
really bothered me. It was as if
she were trying to ask for help but for what, I
don't know."
"That's
very strange. She never said
anything to you?"
"No,
she just looked at me with those piercing green eyes... I don't know, maybe I
was just imagining things."
"Your
intuition is usually pretty accurate. I
wouldn't just dismiss it as being your imagination."
Chakotay replied.
Chakotay
pulled the covers back and climbed out of bed.
When he opened the door, to his surprise stood a small child, no more
than 10 years old. She had long
black hair which was pulled back in a pony tail, and deep soulful green eyes
that looked as if she had witnessed much more than a person of her years should
Chakotay
stepped aside and let the girl enter. "What
can we do for you?" He asked
somewhat bemused.
She looked at him intensely for a moment then turned to look at B'Elanna. Then removing a small metal box from her garment, she activated it and proceeded to scan the room with it.
"What
are you doing?" B'Elanna asked
noting the peculiar behavior.
After
a moment, she turned the device off and placed it back in the pocket of her
garment. "I was scanning the
room for listening devices. I
thought they would have installed one here, but they have not."
"Who?"
Chakotay asked, astonished that a child knew so much.
Sensing
his thoughts, the girl said, "Do not be fooled by my appearance, as I'm not
fooled by yours. I am not a
child."
"Well
you sure look like one." B'Elanna
said.
"You
look like a Kobali, but I know that you are not."
"What's
a Kobali?" B'Elanna asked, not
sure that she wanted to know.
"A
D'Breenian slave." The girl
stated.
"Slave?"
Both officers said in unison. Then
B'Elanna said, "But I look like you. Are
you telling me that people who look like us are slaves?"
"Yes,
all slaves, and for the most part, female.
I will explain everything later. Right
now, you need to leave this place and return to your starship."
The girl stated urgently.
"How
did you know we have a starship?"
Chakotay asked.
"I
can sense your thoughts. I promise
you, I will clarify everything on the way to your vessel, but it is imperative
that
B'Elanna
began immediately changing her clothes. Her
instincts had been telling her all night to get the hell away from there.
The girl's words were just confirming what she felt and she wasn't
wasting any time trying to analyze the situation. Modesty was a thing of the past as she pulled the night shirt
over her head and replaced it with her own shirt.
She didn't care if Chakotay saw anything or not.
"Wait
just a minute." Chakotay said,
still skeptical of the whole thing. "Before
we go anywhere, I want an explanation."
The
girl sighed in obvious exasperation. "Fine.
We don't have time to do this your way, however."
Then she looked intently in Chakotay's eyes.
He
was mesmerized. The girl's eyes
were so deep and they seemed to be the window to her very soul.
Then like a warm blanket, he felt the presence of her in his mind.
He felt her fear for their
lives and a sense of urgency from her, but no dishonesty.
It was enough to convince him. After
about ten seconds, he replied, "I understand.
B'Elanna, let's get out of here."
B'Elanna,
almost completely dressed said, "You don't have to tell me twice."
He
grabbed his pants and shirt, pulling them on quickly and watched as B'Elanna
donned her cloak. Then putting his
cloak on, he turned to the girl and said, "How do we get out of here
undetected?"
"Follow
me." She said, pressing an
invisible sensor on the far wall to their room.
The wall shimmered and disappeared revealing a dimly lit passageway.
She led the way, turning to conceal the opening once they were safely
inside, and then proceeded to walk down some concrete stairs.
After about 15 minutes, they reached the bottom and began walking in the
only direction they could. It was
cold, and a little damp with a moldy smell wafting through the hallway.
The corridor was dimly lit as well, with a light connected to the wall
about every 10 meters.
They
passed several other flights of stairs, each going up, most likely to another
part of the building or to different
"I
am called Dar and we are about 25 meters underground heading away from the city.
We have a long way to go before we reach the perimeter where we will not
be detected."
They
walked for what seemed like hours until they finally came to the end of the
passage way facing a wall. B'Elanna's
legs ached and she was very tired. Chakotay
was also weary and in need of a few hours rest.
Sensing their discomfort, Dar said, "Don't worry, we're almost
there."
"I
hope so," B'Elanna said. Very
little made her as exhausted as she was at that very moment.
"My legs feel like molten lead."
"Most
likely because the gravity level is significantly higher down here." Dar
explained. "You're probably
not used to it. Once we reach the
surface, it will be easier to walk." Then she turned, pressed a nearly invisible panel on the
wall, and stood back slightly as another hidden opening was revealed.
Both
officers watched, then their faces nearly fell as they saw another flight of
stairs. "You can't be
serious." B'Elanna stated.
"It's
the only way out. Come.
It's not much farther." Dar
said.
After
about five of the longest minutes of the officers' lives, they finally reached
the top of the stairs and another door.
Chakotay
and B'Elanna immediately noticed the difference in the gravity and felt some of
the pull on their muscles ease. And after Dar closed the passage door and concealed it, she
lead them out of the barn and into a dark opened field.
"Where is your vessel?"
Chakotay
pulled out his tricorder and scanned the area.
"This way, toward the mountains," he stated pointing north west
and the trio started walking in the dark. Chakotay
briefly wondered about wild animals possibly attacking them in the middle of the
night.
"There
are no carnivorous wild life here, Chakotay." Dar replied.
B'Elanna
could tell that having his thoughts voiced before he even said them was
beginning to annoy the Commander. "Dar," B'Elanna began,
"Among our people, even among telepaths, we find it frustrating if
someone constantly reads our thoughts."
"I
apologize, I didn't mean to offend you."
Dar stated as she walked. "I
will try to at the very least allow you to voice your thoughts before I answer
them."
"Good
enough," B'Elanna stated. "So,
what were their plans anyway?"
"Yes,
what were they planning to do with us?"
Chakotay asked. "You
made it very clear to me that they were going to hurt us.
What were they going to do and why?"
"The
only danger to you Commander, would be if you tried to stop them," Dar
explained, "However, their intent is toward the Lieutenant."
"Me?
Why me?" B'Elanna asked.
"Because
your thoughts cannot be read." Dar
stated. At their astonished
looks, she stated, "The Lieutenant has a natural barrier which keeps her
thoughts completely hidden from us. The Imperial wants to know how you are accomplishing this.
She intends to..." she paused looking for the correct word,
"dissect your brain."
"Oh
perfect, now I'm nothing more than some laboratory rat?"
B'Elanna asked sarcastically.
"A
crude analogy, but accurate." Dar
stated. "I imagine that if you
were like the Commander that it would have been ignored."
"She
could read Chakotay?" B'Elanna
asked.
"No,
she cannot read thoughts." Dar stated, "Her adolescent slaves,
the two that you saw with her earlier, read thoughts for her to a limited
degree. They informed her that they
could not read either one of you. The
Commander uses an effective
barrier, but I or someone like myself in time could break through it if
necessary."
"I
spent the entire time during dinner trying to get past your mental block,
Commander," Dar noted, "I was successful after about 30 minutes.
If I could break through your defenses then the other two slaves could as
well, although it probably took them a little longer.
The Imperial deduced that your barrier was most likely the result of
years of mental discipline."
"The
gift you possess, B'Elanna, most likely has something to do with your being
empathic." Dar stated.
=^=
After
about a half an hour of reading the same paragraph over and over again, Kathryn
finally closed the book. Her mind
was not in any way, shape or form, able to concentrate on reading.
And she was still wide awake. Her
thoughts reluctantly began to drift toward the former Borg.
Seven had sought her out and attempted to converse with her.
It made her realize just how much she missed Seven's company.
Watching Seven explore her humanity gave her a feeling of happiness.
Seeing it blossom and grow
gave her a sense of pride and she was very grateful that she had a hand in
Seven's transformation. She grew
into a very warm and loving woman.
Kathryn
remembered their brief conversation in the mess hall. Seven was much more relaxed around others on the ship now,
and she figured it was due to her relationship with B'Elanna. She hated to admit it, but B'Elanna seemed to be good for
Seven in a way.
B'Elanna.
- her very beautiful former lover. These
days the young Klingon was constantly on her mind.
She turned her body so she was lying across the couch with one arm
underneath her head, and for the first time in months, she allowed her thoughts
to revisit memories that she had avoided because the pain was too great.
She remembered how B'Elanna would let herself into her quarters while she
was sleeping. She would remove her
uniform, gently pull the covers back and crawl seductively over her resting
form, slowly kissing her way up her body until she was awake and fully aroused.
One
night in particular their lovemaking had been very intense. Kathryn's eyes
closed as she remembered B'Elanna's lips - how soft they were and how good she
tasted when B'Elanna's tongue slipped inside her own mouth.
Kathryn moaned quietly and slowly undid the tie to her silk robe as the
memories became more vivid in
her mind.
It
was a few weeks after the mission to stop the Malon from going after the probe
that was stuck in the gas giant.
Months
had passed since the last time B'Elanna was even remotely interested in
intimacy, and Kathryn's heart swelled when she felt B'Elanna's lips caress her
own. That night, B'Elanna kissed
her like she had never been kissed - tenderly yet passionately and forcefully.
B'Elanna branded her that evening, biting her clavicle and tasting her
blood. The metallic flavor of her
own blood on B'Elanna's lips was surprisingly intoxicating and she moaned with
sheer need as her lover's tongue entered her mouth.
Lightly
growling from her own building desire, B'Elanna's strong yet gentle hands began
to explore the silky lips of Kathryn's sex.
When her fingers reached the opening to her lover's velvet passage,
B'Elanna hungrily entered Kathryn's body, massaging Kathryn's clitoris
relentlessly with her thumb. At the
memory, Kathryn's hands began to slowly and sensually move over her now exposed
body, caressing her nipples until they were fully erect, and her center pulsed
painfully with need. Her breathing
became noticeably
erratic, and finally reaching between her legs, in an attempt to relieve the
mounting pressure, her fingers glided effortlessly between the velvet folds and
began circular strokes over her swollen labia.
She
remembered how amazing it felt to her - how B'Elanna's fingers moved easily in
and out of her body, how the ball of her hand persistently stroked against her
throbbing center, sending waves of erotic pleasure rippling through her - how
B'Elanna kissed her deeply and repeatedly - sometimes on the lips, plunging her
tongue inside to make love to Kathryn's - sometimes on her face and neck, gently
nipping at the sensitive flesh. And
after a prolonged time of that exquisite torture, B'Elanna shifted so that she
was above her. Her hand was still
moving within Kathryn and she growled seductively as Kathryn brought her own
hand between B'Elanna's legs and began to return the favor.
Kathryn closed her eyes and continued to pleasure herself
as the memories took form in her mind.
//"Look
at me Kathryn..." B'Elanna ordered. Her
eyes were full of passion and she gasped at the sensation of the warm silken
flesh surrounding her fingers.
Kathryn
opened her eyes and peered deeply into the brown orbs before her.
"You're mine." B'Elanna
said breathily, "Do you know
that?"
"Yes,"
Kathryn replied panting as her inner wall began to contract.
Here, there was no rank, no ship, indeed no Starfleet.
Here there was only them and the intense love and desire they shared.
"Yes,
you're mine, Kathryn Janeway, and I love you.
Never forget that." B'Elanna
purred. That's when the magic
Simultaneously
with the memory of that moment, Kathryn brought herself to completion.
She moaned quietly as her hips undulated with strong contractions, until
she went limp with exhaustion. And as her breathing slowed and her
thoughts returned to her reality, she was helpless to prevent the tears of
regret that fell from her eyes.
Soon
the tears turned into intense weeping as her emotional barriers crumbled.
Not once since B'Elanna ended their
Eventually,
as the tension in her body began to flow from her, the racking sobs quieted.
Then, exhausted due to her activity, combined
with the torrent of tears that followed, she was finally able to drift off into
a fitful sleep.
=^=
Seven
was lying in bed staring at the gray ceiling and wondering if sleep would ever
come for her. She turned over and
watched the stars streak by outside the view port and sighed heavily.
It
was now crystal clear that the Captain was still very much in love with B'Elanna,
and even more transparent that both women were miserable without each other.
And she herself was stuck in the middle.
Her borg logic deduced that if she didn't do something about this awkward
situation soon, she would lose in the end.
Seven
knew that there was a great possibility that when B'Elanna returned
from the away mission, she would go to Kathryn and beg her forgiveness at
leaving her. She also knew, without
a doubt that when it happened, Kathryn would not hesitate to take her back. How
Seven and B'Elanna came together ultimately would not matter,
and it brought tears to her eyes just thinking about life without the beautiful
Klingon.
It
would only be a matter of time before B'Elanna couldn't deny her feelings for
their Captain and where would that leave Seven?
She didn't know. All she
knew was that she could not bear to lose B'Elanna.
Despite her physical strength, her emotions - indeed her heart would be
irreversibly damaged at losing her lover. Seven
now realized that she would do whatever it took to keep B'Elanna - no matter
what the cost.
=^=
"Empathic?"
both officers asked in unison as they stopped dead in their tracks.
"Where
did she get the insane idea that I'm empathic?" B'Elanna stated, laughing.
"It's
not an idea, it is a fact." Dar
stated resolutely. After
ascertaining Chakotay's thoughts of disbelief, she asked, "Are you saying
that you are not aware of your abilities?"
"What
abilities?" B'Elanna asked,
astonished. "I'm not
empathic." B'Elanna denied,
even though she subconsciously
"Yes,
Lieutenant, you are." Dar
stated. "Again, I'm saying,
don't be fooled by my appearance. Even
though I cannot read your thoughts, I can feel you're presence in my mind. Even now, you're trying to see if you can sense truthfulness
in me. So tell me - am I being dishonest?"
B'Elanna
was taken back by the directness of Dar. It
almost felt as if the young girl was daring her to deny that she was empathic.
Dar had in fact been correct - without paying any attention to her own
actions, Torres was relying on what she thought was her intuition to tell her
whether this young woman was trying to fool her or not.
She could clearly sense honesty from
her - nothing less. But before she could answer her, Dar noticed that they had
halted their progress. "We've
been idle too long." She said. "Keep
walking. We have quite a way to go until
we reach your vessel."
"You've
been sensing danger since you met the Imperial, haven't you?"
Dar asked laying soulful eyes on B'Elanna as they proceeded through the
field of tall grass.
B'Elanna
began to recall how odd she felt at meeting the Imperial, and how she felt as if
the elusive woman was deliberately holding information from them, or to put it
more accurately, lying to them. She
felt a sense of dread and panic even during dinner that she could not shake.
But she was not willing to admit to herself just yet that she was
empathic. "Yes, but, my people - Klingons, we have heightened
senses. You must be speaking of my intuition."
"I'm
sure your Klingon senses are very strong, however, it has nothing to do with
your mental ability to read emotions. You are, whether you wish to accept it or not, empathic. And the Imperial is intrigued by your ability to block others
from your thoughts. She wants to be
able to do this as well."
"Why?"
Chakotay asked, "Wouldn't the imperial at least need to be empathic in
order to possess a natural ability to block her thoughts from other
telepaths?"
"We
don't know." Dar answered
honestly.
"What
does she have to gain from this?" Chakotay
asked.
"She
wants to stop our resistance movement."
Dar said.
"Resistance
movement?" Chakotay asked. "So
your people are fighting for your freedom?"
"Yes.
Remember when I told you not to be fooled by my apperance?"
Dar asked. "Well, I am actually 38 revolutions old.
My natural aging process has been stunted so that I could get close to
the Imperial and relay her plans back to our leaders in the resistance.
We've always been one step ahead of her because of myself and others like
me who have been stratically placed within the hierachy of the Gradian Order.
She knows that it has
"This
sounds eerily familiar," Chakotay
stated. "Our people once made
slaves of those whom they feared or felt that were inferior to them.
I didn't understand it then, and I don't
"No,
Commander, they don't. They fear us
- look at us as more powerful than them because of our ability.
So as soon as we're a certain age, we are sold into slavery.
We are taught to work and nothing else, and if we show any sign of
rebellion or initiative, it is beaten out of us.
Most of my people cannot even read.
And the ironic thing about all of this is that my people have no desire
for power. All we want is to live
in freedom."
They
continued making their way through the dark field, which was dimly lit by the
moon overhead. Then Dar said,
"Our resistance movement is growing stronger and stronger as the days go
by. One day, Commander, we will be
free. Free to live and not be
fearful for our lives because of those who are afraid of us and our gift.
This knowledge alone is very frightening to the Imperial.
Especially since she can't hide her thoughts from us and it's working
against her. If she can
figure out a way to block our ability to read thoughts, she could destroy us and
continue to oppress our people. That
is why you must return to your ship and leave our planet...wait!"
She
became very quiet, then gestured for them to follow her.
When they were safely behind some bushes, she whispered, "I sense
three minds ahead of us. They are
close and they are looking for us."
Chakotay
scanned the area. "You're
right. Three humanoid males are
ahead."
"What
are they doing?" B'Elanna
whispered.
"Searching
for us." Dar replied.
"They won't find us here."
They
waited quietly watching with some anxiety how the men were moving toward them.
But they didn't see them and obviously could not detect them.
Finally, they left the area and the trio let
out a collective sigh of relief. "Let's
go." Chakotay said.
Shortly
afterward they located the shuttle. But
before they entered it, Chakotay
remembered that Voyager was no longer in orbit.
"We can't leave, we don't have the dilithium we came after, and
besides, our ship Voyager won't be back for another few days."
"Then
we must go to my home. You can hide
there until your ship returns." Dar
turned and began walking in the direction of her home.
She
lived in a small dwelling a few kilometers away from where the shuttle was
hidden on the mountain. The house
had three bedrooms, each with a single bed, nightstand and lamp.
"I use these rooms to hide slaves that have escaped and who want to
join the resistance." She
explained. "Commander, you can
take the one to the right, B'Elanna, the one to the left.
There is sleepwear in the drawer of each nightstand, and the bathroom is
"Where
are you going?" Chakotay
asked.
"I
must return to the Imperial's headquarters.
She will miss me if I'm not there in the morning."
She stated as she headed toward the front door.
"Don't worry, you're safe here."
She said with a reassuring smile.
Then she turned and walked out the door, locking it behind her.
Both
officers went to their respective rooms. B'Elanna
didn't even remove her uniform. She
was completely exhausted and lay down on top of the surprisingly soft bed.
As soon as her head hit the pillow she was sound asleep.
About
2 hours later, B'Elanna woke with a start.
She wasn't exactly sure what had startled her, but she was shaken just
the same. She got up and opened her
bedroom door. "Chakotay?"
she said, looking across the hall at the closed door to his room.
Then she walked across and opened it.
He was underneath the covers sound asleep.
Suddenly,
B'Elanna felt stupid. It seemed
that every since they arrived on this planet that she was jumpier than usual. Dar had said that it was her being empathic that kept her on
alert. But she wasn't ready to
believe that just yet. She did not
like the idea of being able to sense the feelings of others.
At times, her own Klingon emotions were volatile and difficult to
control. Having to deal with the
emotions of others was not something she was looking forward to, although she
had most likely been dealing with them all of her life.
Closing
Chakotay's door, she turned to go back to bed when suddenly she saw a shadow,
then a flash of pain hit the back of her head just seconds before she saw
darkness.
The
next morning, Chakotay woke up due to being urgently shaken by Dar.
"Commander! Where is
B'Elanna?"
"Huh?"
Chakotay said, sitting up and rubbing his sleepy eyes.
"Isn't she in her room?"
"No!
She isn't anywhere in the house! I
knew I shouldn't have left." Dar
said, angry with herself.
"I've
got to get back to my shuttle." Chakotay
said as he jumped out of bed. "Maybe
I'll be able to find her with the
=^=
The
day was dragging at an exceptionally slow pace and Kathryn was doing her best to
stay away from everyone. Although
the previous nights indulgence allowed her to get some much needed sleep, it
left her feeling even more desolate than before. She once
again left Tuvok in charge of the bridge and took shelter in the protective
confines of her ready room.
Once
inside she replicated herself a cup of coffee then glanced toward her desk.
There were various data padds strewn across the top of it and since they
appeared to be in a relatively calm part of space, she decided she would catch
up on her reports. The mundane task might just help to get her mind off of her failed
relationship.
About
three hours and 12 padds later, she was actually done.
She put down the last padd, and ordered her lights to be dimmed eighty
percent. In another 24 hours they
would intercept the damaged vessel - at which time she would have to switch to
command mode. Truth be told, she
never really left command mode. Her
mind was constantly busy with what was happening with the ship, what was going
on with the crew, how their lives were progressing and how guilty at times she
felt that they were stuck in this frequently hostile part of the galaxy because
of a decision she made.
She
remembered that fateful day like it was yesterday - and how angry B'Elanna was
at her because she had given the
order to destroy the array. Even
then, she could feel the attraction they had toward one another.
She closed her
//"We
can't let the Kazon take over the array. We'll
have to destroy it. Tuvok set a
course for..." but her orders
were cut off by a very angry female voice.
"Destroy
it? What do you mean destroy the
array? It's our only means of
getting out of this God forsaken place!" B'Elanna shouted.
"B'Elanna,
calm down!" Chakotay shouted.
"I
will not calm down! Who the hell is
she to be giving orders around here?"
She asked incredulously. Then
she turned and glared harshly into the most striking blue-gray eyes she had ever
seen. In spite of her anger, she
was actually becoming aroused. And
it shocked her even more that she was feeling a mutual attraction from this
woman, whomever she was.
"She's
the Captain." Ensign Kim
announced.
B'Elanna
continued to stare piercingly at the Captain, ignoring the feelings of awakening
that began to build within her, until the woman looked away and started barking
orders to the crew.//
Shaking
herself out of her thoughts, Janeway sighed and went to replicate another cup of
coffee. Her mind again drifted -
this time landing on the Chief Science Officer.
She had to admit that she was mildly intrigued by the attempt Seven made
yesterday to resume their friendship. The
young woman was nothing short of determined, and she knew that her canceling
their game was not going to deter her forever.
Seven was
It
meant more to her than she wanted to admit that Seven wanted their friendship to
continue. Unfortunately, for her,
her emotions were still too raw and exposed to even contemplate such a course of
action. She knew that Seven would
not hesitate to discuss anything with her - even her relationship with B'Elanna.
And though it had been almost two years since their break up, Kathryn
still was not over her. She feared
that it would be some time before she could allow a friendship to resume with
Seven.
Kathryn
vaguely wondered if her life would ever be less complicated than it was at that
very moment.
=^=
The
next day Voyager arrived at the transport's coordinates.
The ship appeared to only have about 5 hours left before there would be a
complete shut down of all life support. They
arrived not a moment too soon.
The
inhabitants were immediately transported into one of the shuttle bays, and the
Doctor was stationed there to check them out and help any of the injured.
Once everyone was medically cleared, Janeway ordered three of Voyager's
engineers over to the transport to work with their people to restore the ships
vital systems.
All
was going well with the repairs and soon the transport had resumed it's previous
course. Janeway was relieved.
She didn't like leaving her crew alone anywhere and she desperately
wanted to return. Hopefully the
officers had collected enough dilithium to keep them going for at least another
8 to 10 months before they had to replenish their stock.
Having
worked nearly a double shift, the Captain finally stumbled into her quarters
around 2200 hours. She was hungry
and very tired. She undressed and
took a quick sonic shower. Afterward,
wrapped in her satin robe, she replicated herself a bowl of soup, and ate it
quietly while sitting on her sofa reading a book.
When she was done eating, she stretched across the sofa to continue
reading, but fell asleep with the book resting lightly on her chest.
=^=
A
few hours later, Janeway woke with a start.
Still lying on the sofa, she sat up quickly and reached over to grab her
persistently beeping comm. badge from the table.
"Janeway here," She said into the air.
"Captain,
please report to the bridge." Ensign
Kim stated.
"On
my way." She said. Checking
the chronometer she noted that it was 0300 hours.
"This had better be good."
She muttered to herself as she quickly dressed then headed out the door
to her quarters.
When
she arrived, she had just finished a huge yawn in the turbo lift.
"Ensign, it's 3 o'clock in the morning.
This
A
little intimidated, Harry replied, "It is, Captain.
We received an urgent message from the Commander.
Lieutenant Torres has been abducted."
Harry's
words seemed to echo over and over in her mind. Then mentally shaking herself
she said, "How much longer before we reach the planet?"
"24
hours at warp 9." He replied.
"All
senior officers report to your duty stations." She said through the comm system.
Then turning to the officer at the tactical station she said, "Take
us to yellow alert."
Soon
Tuvok, Paris and
Seven arrived on the bridge. They
went to their stations and were advised of the current situation.
Then she ordered Tom to resume course at warp 9.
=^=
Chakotay
had spent the last several hours scanning the surface looking for B'Elanna, but
to no avail. It was as if she had
disappeared from the planet altogether.
"What
do we do now?" Dar asked, in
silent awe of the technology the shuttle possessed.
"Do
you think that the Imperial has her?"
Chakotay asked Dar.
"I
don't know, and I won't be able to tell unless I go back and spend some time
with her."
"Fine.
You do that. I have some things to take care of while you're gone.
I'll be waiting for you at your house with the shuttle in say about 3
hours?"
"Yes,
that will do." Dar replied.
She got up to leave and said, "Be
careful, Chakotay."
He
nodded to her and watched as she slipped quietly out of the shuttle.
Then he coded the ships sensors to scan continuously for any sign of
B'Elanna, while he flew it toward Dar's secluded home.
Several
hours later, Dar returned to find Chakotay outside scanning the surrounding area
for Dilithium and any sign of Klingon DNA.
"Dar. Were you able to
find out if the Imperial has her?"
"She
does not. But she was very upset at
having found that the two of you had left.
She has sent people looking for you."
She replied. She felt tired
and worried. If the Imperial didn't
have B'Elanna, who did?
The
look of fatigue in her eyes did not go unnoticed by Chakotay.
"Maybe you should get some sleep while..."
"Wait..."
she said urgently. But before she
could finish her sentence, two humanoids jumped out of the surrounding brush and
attacked them.
Both
converged on the Commander, feeling that Dar's little form would be of no
consequence to them. But they were
wrong. As Chakotay did his best to
fight the two intruders off, Dar picked up a large branch lying on the ground
and swung hard, hitting one
of the men in the leg. While he
screamed in pain, Chakotay was able to swing and knock out the other assailant
with a left hook to his chin.
The
other, angered by Dar's interference, backhanded the small girl and sent her
flying across the pathway, where she landed and hit her head on the ground.
She was rendered unconscious. Then
he turned on Chakotay.
By
then, however, Chakotay had grabbed his phaser, set it on stun and fired.
The man never knew what hit him. Then
catching his breath, he call out for Dar. Within
a few seconds, he found her, lying on the ground bleeding from a wound on the
back of her head.
Chakotay
picked up her limp body and swiftly but carefully took her into the shuttle.
He lay her on the cot, then closed the hatch and began the launching
sequence. Soon the vessel began to
move and he headed for the atmosphere, hoping he'd be safer orbiting the planet.
=^=
Voyager
arrived to find the shuttle orbiting the planet. "Captain, " Harry
said, "There are two life signs inside.
One
"Beam
them directly to sick bay!" She
ordered. "Tuvok, you have the
bridge."
"Aye,
Captain." Tuvok said as he
moved to the Captain's chair and watched as Janeway entered the turbo lift.
Five
minutes later she was walking into sickbay.
"Commander, what happened? Where
is B'Elanna?" she asked.
"I
wish I knew. I spent several hours
scanning the area but I wasn't successful in finding her.
I'm not even sure who has her."
He replied regretfully.
Janeway
showed no sign of emotion over the First Officer's words.
Her command shield was fully erect and she had no time to dwell on her
feelings. First and foremost, she
had to find out what happened. "Okay,
tell me what went on down there?"
The
EMH continued to work on their new passenger as the Captain listened with silent
awe to the Commander's story. "Empathic?"
"Dar
seems to think that she is, yes." Chakotay
replied, glancing over at the young visitor.
"She said she could feel
"Empathic..."
Janeway whispered to herself. It
certainly explained a lot. "And
you're saying that B'Elanna was
"Captain,
I've known B'Elanna for a long time. If
she knew she was empathic, she would have told me."
Chakotay said with certainty.
"And
you believe that it's the Imperial who has her?" Kathryn
"At
first, I thought so, but Dar is certain that she doesn't."
The
Captain turned to the Doctor. "Can
you wake her up?"
"Yes,
Captain, but she should rest until..."
"Do
it." She said effectively
cutting him off.
"Yes,
Captain." He said giving her a
disapproving look. He pressed a
hypo spray to her neck and they all watched as the young girl's eyes fluttered
open.
"Where
am I?" Dar asked as she looked
around.
"You're
on the Starship Voyager. I'm
Kathryn Janeway, and this is my ship."
"The
Captain," Dar stated. She
could clearly read her thoughts as she peered into her blue-gray eyes.
Behind her command exterior was a woman who was in a near panic at not
knowing what was happening to her officer and her former lover.
Dar almost gasps as she realized what B'Elanna meant to this woman. "We have to find the Lieutenant immediately, Captain
Janeway."
"Can
you help us do that?" She
asked hopefully.
"I
might be able to. I'm a little surprised that they didn't kill me.
They must know by now that I work for the resistance."
Suddenly her head began to pound and she started to wince in pain.
"I'm sorry, my head is hurting."
Then she pressed her small hand to her head as the pain began to
increase.
The
doctor scanned her and saw that it was due to her injury needing time and rest
to heal. He filled a hypo spray and
pressed it into her neck. "This
will ease the pain and you'll be able to sleep."
After seeing her visibly relax, the doctor said, "She needs to rest
now, Captain."
Janeway
understood and didn't push her any further to answer. However, she was not happy about it.
They had no clue where B'Elanna was, and they needed this woman's help in
order to find her. She hit her
comm. badge and said, "Janeway to Ensign Kim."
"Yes
Captain," Harry replied.
"Run
a level 10 scan of the planet's surface. Scan
for Klingon DNA. I want B'Elanna
found as soon as possible."
"Aye,
Captain." He replied and the
link was closed.
She
looked at the Doctor and stated, "Inform me as soon as she is awake."
Then she turned to her First Officer.
"Chakotay, you're with me."
Then both officers exited Sick bay.
=^=
B'Elanna
woke up with a throbbing headache. As
her vision slowly cleared, she looked around and noted that she was in a large
room with a single door. It was not
at all where she expected to be, and she was both grateful and relieved that she
wasn't strapped to some cold exam table.
She
listened to the quiet for a few minutes, then briefly remembered what she,
Chakotay and Dar were discussing while walking through the fields the night
before. She apparently was
empathic. It certainly explained
several things that happened in her lifetime.
Even
as a young child, she realized that she was sensing things from her mother and
father - love and affection at first for her and for each other.
As she grew older, the emotions became darker and extremely disturbing -
especially to a child. Here parents were not happy with one another.
She knew they fought a lot, and that it was largely due to the fact that
her mother being Klingon and her father being human were not very compatible.
She knew in her heart that her father loved her, but she also knew that
he wanted to leave them. Being a
child, she didn't know how to tell him she didn't want him to leave, or know how
to fix it so that they weren't so hostile toward each other.
When
her father finally left, she felt an immeasurable void in her heart.
She realized now, that she could no longer feel him and it brought tears
to her eyes to this day at the memory. Being able to feel her mother's sadness, she never said
anything to her for fear that her mother would become even more miserable than
she already was. And as a result,
she became withdrawn and angry. The
only peace she felt after that time was when she met
During
her time in the Maquis, they had run into several telepaths.
Some of them were loyal to the cause, but others, although she didn't
deal with them personally, were working as undercover agents for Starfleet or
the Cardasians. Chakotay seemed to
never worry that his thoughts might betray his crew or the cause.
When she asked why, he told her it was due to years of mental discipline.
At her request, he taught her his methods.
It made sense to her now that what took him years to perfect, only took
her a matter of months.
Then
there was her relationship with Kathryn Janeway. From the very first time they met, she was able to sense that
the Captain was attracted to her. As
time went on and the feelings were consistently being reinforced whenever she
was around Janeway, she finally built up enough courage to approach her
romantically. She knew or rather
felt that the Captain would not rebuke her advances.
She remembered the incredible night with Kathryn when she felt so much
uninhibited affection and raw devotion from her. It wasn't just a perception of
love but the actual emotions from Kathryn that she felt.
It was so intense, she
guessed that if she felt it, then Kathryn did as well. It
And
then there was Seven. She recalled
sensing how Seven with all her conflicting emotions beginning to grow and take
form, had felt a slowly building attraction for her.
She briefly wondered if knowing how Seven felt caused her to
subconsciously take advantage of the young woman, but quickly dismissed that
idea. She knew in her heart that
she sincerely loved Seven, just as she truly loved Kathryn.
Closing
her eyes and clearing her mind, she tried to see if she could sense anything
around her. For the first time, consciously
using her abilities, she was able to discern very clearly, several minds.
And although she realized that she was in this particular room by
herself, she was not alone. The
emotions she perceived from these people were somewhat calming, but alert as
well. She got the feeling that
they, who ever they were, were constantly watching their backs.
Then another realization hit her with surprising clarity - she was not in
any immediate danger.
"Where
am I?" She asked herself.
She sat up slowly in an effort not to aggravate any further the pain in
her head.
The
door opened and a light filtered through. Then
a man stepped inside and closed the door. "You're
awake, finally." It was Rekpar.
"What
a surprise." B'Elanna quipped,
rubbing the bump on the back of her head.
"I'm
sure it's not," Rekpar replied detecting the sarcasm in B'Elanna's voice.
"So
now what? You going to dissect me
so you can see what makes me tick?"
"I
don't think so," He replied, grinning shamelessly.
"Not quite my expertise."
"Then
what do you want with me?" B'Elanna
asked.
"Good
question, Lieutenant." Rekpar
replied. "First let me start
by saying that you're in no danger - that is, unless your Captain won't help
us."
For
the first time, B'Elanna was able to detect a sense of ruthlessness from this
man. It however, didn't leave her
"We
need help to win this war, Lieutenant. And
with your advanced technology, we would be able to gain freedom for our
people."
"Are
you saying that you're also part of the rebellion?"
B'Elanna asked, sensing no deception from this man.
"Yes."
He replied.
"But
you're a man. I thought all the
slaves were female?"
"Not
all, most." He confirmed, but
he didn't say anything further.
"You're
holding out on me, Rekpar,"
"So
it's true. You can sense my
feelings."
"Apparently.
Now, answer my question. Is
there more to this?"
"Yes.
Most of the males have features similar to yours - dark hair, dark skin
and green eyes. Occasionally, a few
of us are born with light hair, dark or light skin, and blue or lavender eyes
like the Imperial. I am the product
of my mother, who was a slave, and my father who was a master."
"How
many of you are there altogether? "
B'Elanna asked.
"There
are several of us, but we all live hidden lives. If it were found that we existed, we would be in grave
danger."
"Where
are Dar and Chakotay?"
"With
your Captain, I imagine. I haven't
been able to reach Dar. I'm worried
about her."
B'Elanna
was suddenly hit with a wave of fear and remorse from Rekpar.
"Dar is very important to you isn't she?" she finally said as
realization hit her.
"She
is my sister." He replied.
Then changing the subject, he said, "We need weapons, Lieutenant.
Although we are one step ahead of the Imperial, our losses are starting
to catch up with us. If we had
advanced technology, we could end this once an for all and bring freedom to
everyone on the planet."
"And
what if my Captain refuses to help you?"
B'Elanna asked.
"Then
we will kill you." He stated
clearly.
"Dar
doesn't know you've done this, does she?"
"No.
I wanted to and told her so, but she wouldn't hear of it.
I was forced to take action. This
may be the only chance we'll have to change things."
B'Elanna
now realized where she had felt the emotions she was feeling from Rekpar.
She felt them constantly while serving on the Crazy Horse with Chakotay.
It was a 'do what you have to do for the cause' feeling.
She herself had done things that she wouldn't have normally for the
Maquis. And she knew that if their
demands weren't met, they would kill her, even though they didn't want to.
"I
imagine we will be contacted by your Captain soon enough."
Rekpar stated. "I will
have someone bring you something to eat."
He said, then left the area.
Several
minutes went by when a young girl, who by earth's standards was no more than 12
or 13 years of age, came to her carrying a tray of food and water.
She sat it down on the floor next to B'Elanna and said, "I hope you
like it. I'm not sure what you're used to eating, but I picked out one
of my favorites."
B'Elanna
sensed honesty and a little bit of awe from the young girl.
She had long black hair, like her own, and the ridges on her nose and
chin that were characteristic of the telepathic females on the planet.
She also had the most exotic blue eyes she had ever seen on a person.
"Thank you," B'Elanna said, then picked up a piece of the food
and tasted it. It was sweet, like a
honeydew melon. "It's very
good." She replied, eliciting a
"I'm
Aniah."
"And
I'm B'Elanna." She replied.
"How old are you Aniah?"
"I've
been on D'Breen for 13 revolutions. I
live down here." She said
peering expressively into B'Elanna's eyes. "I can't read you."
She said after a few minutes.
"So
I heard." B'Elanna stated,
although she could sense this girls emotions quite clearly.
Her thoughts were very erratic and unpredictable which piqued B'Elanna's
curiosity.
"I
thought children didn't have their telepathic abilities developed."
B'Elanna stated, remembering what Dar said to her before she was
captured.
"They
don't, however, I'm not exactly a child anymore. I'm in the second stages of my telepathic development.
But sometimes I have trouble controlling them."
"Oh.
Do you go to the surface often?"
"No.
My family wants me to remain here for a while.
At least until I've learned not to read the others so aggressively. When I can do it and no one know of it, I'll be able to
leave."
"So,
the others can tell when you read them?"
B'Elanna asked.
"Yes.
My readings are so strong it makes their heads hurt.
That's how they can tell. And
if I were to live on the surface now, I'd be found out, and most likely
killed."
"Just
because you're a telepath?"
"Yep,
but not just a telepath - a special telepath.
I'm a lot stronger than others my age.
If I were like the others, I'd
"I
am?" B'Elanna asked.
"Uh
huh. I've never seen anyone look
like you before."
"Well,
this isn't how I really look. This
is just a disguise." She said
gesturing toward her face.
"What
do you really look like?"
"Well,
I have ridges here on my forehead," she said pointing toward herself,
"And my hair is brown and cut short to my shoulders."
"You
sound very beautiful." Aniah
said. "I wish I could see you
without this disguise. "Hey, I
have an idea, why don't you project your thoughts to me and show me what you
look like?"
"I'm
not sure I can do that..."
"Yes
you can. Why don't you give it a
try? Just relax and look into my
eyes when you do it." Aniah
stated excitedly.
B'Elanna
smiled widely at the girl's enthusiasm. "All
right, you talked me into it." B'Elanna
did as she suggested and
"I
don't see anything," Aniah said. "Why
don't you try it again?"
"Okay,"
Then she tried a second time, but was unsuccessful. Finally, after the third try and being somewhat drained from
the effort, she said, "I just can't do it."
Aniah,
looked disappointed at first, then chewed on her bottom lip as if in thought.
Then her eyes got wide and she said, "Why don't you try holding my
hands!"
"I
doubt it if that will help," B'Elanna said.
"C'mon,
please?" Aniah pleaded.
"Okay,"
B'Elanna said. She took the girls
small hands into hers and tried again. This
time, something different happened.
The
girl smiled widely, then her eyes widened as she realized that an image was
beginning to form in her mind. She
was seeing a beautiful female with forehead ridges.
"You are very lovely
"Kahless..."
she gasped in amazement, "You can see the image? I
"Yes!"
Aniah giggled happily. Then
she stopped laughing and gazed at B'Elanna in wonder.
She released B'Elanna's left hand and reached toward her to feel where
her cranial ridges were uppose
to be. "It's no wonder that
she loves you so much."
That
got B'Elanna's attention. She let
go of the young girls hands and asked, "Who?"
"Your
Captain. She's looking for you, you
know."
"How
do you know?"
"I
can sense her. Her emotions are
very strong, and your essence seems to be wrapped around her heart."
"You
can feel that from her?" B'Elanna
asked, her heart rate accelerating.
"Sure
I can. Can't you?"
B'Elanna
had misguidedly stumbled on a change in this species' evolutionary progress.
This young girl's abilities were far stronger than apparently anyone on
her planet realized. "Have you
told anyone else that you can sense my Captain?"
"Only
my father," She replied.
"Rekpar?"
B'Elanna asked, and Aniah nodded.
"How
did you know he was my father?" Aniah
asked.
"You
have his eyes." B'Elanna
stated.
Aniah
smiled and blushed slightly. "I
really like you, B'Elanna."
"I
like you too, Aniah. Say, can you
do me a favor?" B'Elanna
asked.
"Well,
I..."
"Can
you tell me about your people?" B'Elanna
stated. She knew that this girl
would be completely honest with her. She
could perceive only innocence and a feeling of curiosity.
"Yes.
What would you like to know?"
=^=
Janeway
sat on the bridge waiting for a report on the scansof the planet that were being
conducted. She was filled with
anxiety over not knowing where B'Elanna was, and even further turmoil knowing
that Seven was just as worried about her as she was.
The only thing that made the situation worst, was that for some
unexplainable reason, she didn't want Seven to be hurt anymore than she herself
wanted to be. Why? She had no idea.
All she did know was that it was all very confusing.
Her head was suddenly beginning to develop a dull ache when her thoughts
were interrupted.
"Captain,
we're being hailed, audio only."
"Open
a channel, Mr. Kim." After the
channel was opened, she said, "I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway of the ...
"
"Captain,
it's me." B'Elanna stated.
"I'm all right. They
don't know that I still have my comm. badge."
Janeway's
heart swelled with relief at hearing B'Elanna's voice.
"B'Elanna, where are you?"
"I'm
not sure. Somewhere under the
surface I think." She replied.
"Does
the Imperial have you?" Chakotay
asked.
"No.
The rebels have me. Specifically,
Rekpar."
"Rekpar?"
Chakotay asked, with little held surprise.
"Yes,
he works undercover for the rebels as the Imperial guardian.
They want to negotiate for my safe return in
"We
may not be able to help these people, B'Elanna. You know that." Janeway
stated. "We cannot involve ourselves in their dispute."
"Captain,
you might want to hear them out. They
don't know that I can talk to you so I'll have to make this quick.
They are being slowly wiped out, because of a race of people that find
them dangerous simply because they are telepathic.
We've got to do something to help them."
Normally
the Captain would have answered immediately with no. But something told her that she needed to tread very
carefully with this one. But before
she could voice her opinion, B'Elanna's voice could be heard again.
"I'd
like to stay here for a while and see if I can find out some more
information."
"B'Elanna,
we need to get you out of there,"
"I
know, but I just need a little more time... wait - Someone's coming."
"B'Elanna..."
Janeway said, forgetting for a nanosecond that she was the Captain and on the
bridge.
"Kathryn,
don't worry. I'm fine.
I'll contact you again, soon. Torres
out." And the signal was cut.
Everyone
noticed the change in their conversation, and had the good sense not to say a
word. It was the first time that B'Elanna called her by her first name since
their break up and it did not go unnoticed by Janeway or the rest of the bridge
crew. And it most certainly was noticed by Seven.
After
an akward silence, Harry's voice stated, "Captain, I've located B'Elanna's
signal. She is in a hidden cavern
"Good
work, Ensign. Keep trying to break
through the interference. I want to
be able to get her out of there when she's ready, and sooner if there is any
sign of danger." She replied.
//B'Elanna, I hope you know what you're doing.// she thought
to herself.
*************
The
Captain sat in the mess hall, attempting to busy herself by reviewing the latest
batch of reports that were submitted. But it was no use. Her
mind was more on getting B'Elanna back in one piece than anything.
She had to trust her however. B'Elanna
made it clear that she didn't want to be beamed out just yet.
So against her better judgment, she decided she would wait until she
heard from her Chief Engineer again. Just
then the mess hall doors slid open and in walked Seven. //Oh perfect.
Just what I don't need right now.// she thought to herself as the
beautiful young woman made a beeline for her direction.
"Captain,
may I speak with you for a moment?"
"Of
course, Seven. Have a seat."
She watched as Seven sat in the chair across from her.
"Actually,
what I wanted to speak to you about is of a personal nature, Captain."
"I
see." Janeway said.
"Aren't you going to get something to eat?"
"No,
I will eat something later." Seven
replied.
//This
must be serious.// Kathryn thought to herself, remembering her ravenous
appetite a few days before. "Well
then, what can I do for you?"
"I
want to talk to you about B'Elanna."
Kathryn
went visibly pale. "Maybe we
shouldn't talk about this here." Kathryn
said as she noticed other crew members entering the mess hall for lunch and
giving them somewhat questioning looks. "Let's
go to my ready room," she stated and quickly got out of her seat and headed
for the exit with Seven in tow.
The
ride in the turbo lift seemed excruciatingly long with Seven giving the Captain
sideways glances every few minutes. Finally they entered Janeway's office and she moved behind
her desk as if it would protect her from the onslaught of Seven's inevitable
words.
Seven,
noticing the protective stance that Janeway immediately took,
realized that she was not going to make this conversation easy.
And even though Seven was not prepared for that, she was determined to
have this discussion with the Captain whether she liked it or not.
Now more than ever since being witness to the brief conversation both
Janeway and Torres had.
"The
other day in the mess hall, when I mentioned B'Elanna's name, you became
markedly uncomfortable. And I
realized that you might not like me very much these days.
In fact, you probably detest me."
"That's
not true, Seven..."
"Please,
this is difficult for me. I would
appreciate it if you would allow me to finish before you comment."
After a slight pause, she continued while ignoring the surprised look on
Janeway's face. "In a way, I
do not blame you. I know that if I
were in your place, I might feel the same way - especially if my information on
the subject was fragmented. But I
want you to know that I did not intentionally set out to hurt you, or to take
B'Elanna away from you. It is just
that, we needed each other so much when we were stranded on that planet..." She
"Believe
me, Seven. I do understand how you
were feeling. I don't think and
never have thought that you were capable of doing something as devious as steal
her from me. So, that being said, I
don't see the need for us to discuss this any further."
Janeway
stated, hoping it would put an end to this painful conversation.
"Oh
but I do, Captain. I am... relieved
that you do not see me as someone who would do such a thing, but this is not
just about me. It is about you and
B'Elanna. B'Elanna still loves
you...
Kathryn
visibly flinched at Seven's words. She was literally shaking inside over that
news that B'Elanna was still in love with her. Then with a firm jaw, she gripped
the back of her chair and stated "B'Elanna
made her choice a long time ago. She
effectively ended our relationship when she told me she had to be with you.
Now, I'm only assuming that you've come to this conclusion about her
feelings because the two of you have been having problems.
All couples go through similar episodes - especially young couples like
yourself. It has absolutely nothing
to do with me."
Seven
looked as dumbfounded as any former borg could look at the Captain's words.
Couldn't she see the obvious? "Captain,
are you saying that I am mistaken about your feelings for B'Elanna?"
Seven asked.
"How
I feel is irrelevant. The point is,
that if you two really want to stay together, you'll need to work together to
fix your problems. But don't put me
in the middle of this. It isn't
fair to you, or to me." She
answered with a little anger in her voice.
Then she stated firmly, "This
conversation is over, Lieutenant."
"But,
Captain, I..."
"Dismissed."
Seven
bit back her nearly blinding anger and said with a slight tremor in her voice,
"Yes. Captain." Then she
turned on her heal and moved toward the door.
But before she stepped close enough for the door to open, she said,
"You did not deny that you still have feelings for her, Captain.
And I am certain that she still loves you.
Whether you like it or not, she does have a say in this."
Then she turned and left without a backward glance.
Kathryn
couldn't pull her chair out fast enough before her legs seemed unable to sustain
her weight. As she quickly sank
into her chair, her inward shaking began to manifest itself outwardly and she
felt her hands quivering uncontrollably. Could
it be true? That B'Elanna still
loved her after all this time? She
didn't want to think about it - couldn't even let herself contemplate
the possibilities.
And just what exactly was Seven trying to do with this new found
revelation of hers? Torture her with it?
Then
there was the fact that B'Elanna was empathic which meant that she could on some
level feel the love and desire that Kathryn still had for her.
How come she never said anything to her?
Sighing heavily and feeling very exposed, Kathryn rested her forehead on
the cold surface of her desk and wished, not for
=^=
Later
that night, Seven was lying on her bed, still dressed in her uniform, staring at
the ceiling and wondering what the hell was wrong with the Captain.
It seemed absolutely illogical to
Seven
learned, however, that humans tended to run from reality, as if it were some
sort of torture device to be feared. Unfortunately there seemed to be very
little that she could do about that. Though B'Elanna had been abducted, there
was absolutely no doubt in Seven's mind that she would return to them safe and
sound. And being witness to the
conversation shared between her lover and the Captain on the bridge earlier,
only served as solid proof that B'Elanna was still very much in love with
Captain Janeway. Seven's
brain would not quiet and
Coming
to a decision, she swiftly got out of her depressingly empty bed and left her
quarters.
=^=
Kathryn
entered her quarters and ordered the lights up to seventy five percent.
She pulled her outer jacket over her head until she was wearing nothing
but her gray turtleneck and pants. Tossing
the jacket on her sofa, she sat down heavily next to it, leaned her head back to
rest on the sofa cushions and closed her
She
had been extremely shaken by her conversation with Seven. Never in a million years did she expect to hear the startling
information she heard from her about B'Elanna.
And to make a
Kathryn
briefly wondered what Seven was doing at that moment. Was she in her quarters worried sick about B'Elanna also? Was she anxious about where she would stand with B'Elanna
once she returned to the ship? And
why in the hell did she care how it would make Seven feel if what she said were
true - that B'Elanna was in fact still in love with her?
It was all so bizarre - she just wanted B'Elanna home.
She missed her, and God help her,
She
sighed heavily and sat up, contemplating getting a cup of tea and changing her
clothes when her door chime rang. Standing
and walking toward the door, she was very surprised when the door opened and
Seven was standing there.
"Seven?
What can I do for you Lieutenant?"
"I
need to speak with you." She
replied, and ignoring the Captains icy glare, walked in past her and settled
herself in
Janeway
did not want to have this conversation. "Seven,
I told you that our conversation was over."
"Our
conversation is not over." Seven
said with surprising clarity. Gone
was the hesitation in her voice. "I
have
Kathryn
truly did not want to talk about this. She
couldn't let Seven see her so vulnerable - let her be witness to her unstable
emotions. She momentarily thought
about calling security, but decided she didn't want anyone else to be privy to
her private life. Sitting on the sofa she said, "Look Seven, if you're
worried about B'Elanna, she's fine. I
spoke with her earlier and..."
"I
am aware you spoke with her, Kathryn. I
was there. That is why we need to
have this conversation!" She
said with total exasperation.
"Kathryn?"
The Captain repeated, "Since
when are we on a first name basis?" She
said, her anger flaring at Seven's audacity.
"Since
we're both in love with the same woman! In
the name of all that is reasonable, how can you just ignore this?"
Seven asked her.
To
say that Kathryn was taken back was an understatement, and the shock on her face
made Seven realize that she might want to be a little calmer for this.
"I apologize, I didn't mean to lose my temper."
"Oh
please... you've got my attention now," Kathryn said incredulously.
This
was not going well at all and for the briefest of moments
Kathryn's
eyes unwillingly filled with tears that she did her best not to let fall at that
question. She pressed herself into
the sofa and refused to meet Seven's level gaze.
It had been a long time since she had felt this vulnerable.
"It
would be devastating to me and I believe the same to be true for you."
Seven replied.
Kathryn
pulled her emotions in check and said, "Well I'm sure she will be fine
Lieutenant."
"Seven.
I'd like for you to call me Seven when we're not on duty or maybe Anika."
Kathryn's
eyebrows raised at that, but she didn't answer. She just sat on the sofa waiting with much trepidation for
Seven's next words. Finally after a
few agonizing minutes, Seven got up and moved to sit next to her on the sofa.
Her heart began to hammer furiously within her chest, and she didn't
quite understand why. She watched
as Seven folded one leg underneath her and turned slightly to face her, even
though she was only sitting a few inches away.
Then Kathryn looked into her deep blue eyes, and saw warmth and affection
that she never expected to see.
In
a very soft voice, Seven said, "I know you still love her.
I could see it in your eyes every time you looked at her. I used to think that maybe, with time, you would fall out of
love with her. Then I would not
have to be so troubled over her realizing someday that she had made a big
mistake choosing me over you."
Turning
away from Seven, Kathryn said, "You must be relieved that she never
did."
"Relieved,
yes to a degree - but not like you think. Because,
what you do not realize is, that B'Elanna still holds you dear to her heart.
She is still very much in love with you. In fact, she has never stopped
loving you."
Closing
her eyes, Kathryn sighed and stated, "Seven, let me assure you, that I have
no ties with B'Elanna. She left me
for you, make no mistake about that. And
whether or not she has feelings for me, she's with you now so it doesn't
matter."
"I
may have her physically and may also be in her heart, but you, Kathryn, you hold
the key to her heart." Seven
replied.
Kathryn
did not want to hear this - any of it. It
was tearing her up inside. It was
bad enough to think that B'Elanna didn't love her, but to know she did and not
be able to be with her was nearly unbearable.
"Seven, you have to leave, please..." she pleaded, her voice
sounding raspy with need.
"Why
don't you tell me about her, Kathryn."
Seven whispered, ignoring her earlier plea and moving closer to her.
"I'll bet you never talked to anyone about what happened.
Not even to the Commander."
"I
haven't," she admitted, her breath beginning to quicken. "And I'm not
going to," she concluded. She
had no idea where Seven was going with this, and it all seemed so bizarre, she
thought that she must be in some sort of alternate universe.
"You
can try Kathryn, but this will not be ignored.
Even you are not strong enough to just set it aside like it doesn't
Kathryn
couldn't help but close her eyes in response to the tenderness that Seven was
showing her. She felt her
protective walls begin to crumble and she felt powerless to prevent it from
happening.
"No
one has shown you any love since the two of you broke up, have they?
Well, that's going to change."
Seven then turned Kathryn's head so that they were facing one another,
and gently placed her lips on Janeway's. The
kiss was gentle and overwhelmingly loving, and eventually became very
passionate. Seven smiled inwardly
when she felt Kathryn's hands wrap around her waist, then one hand thread gently
through her hair.
Finally
after a long moment, Seven moved away from her lips to the side of her neck and
began to nuzzle the soft skin she found there.
That was when Kathryn found her voice.
"Seven.... We can't do this. It's
not right."
"Yes
it is," she murmured against her skin as she pushed Kathryn down so that
she lay horizontally on the sofa. Covering
her body, she looked into her eyes, then captured her lips once more, before
moving to the other side of Kathryn's neck. As she kissed the soft skin, occasionally stroking it with
her tongue, she inhaled deeply Kathryn's scent and moaned before she could stop
herself.
"We
can't, B'Elanna..."
"Will
see this is best for all of us. But
first, I want to make love to you, so later, I don't feel like a stranger in our
"Our
relationship? You mean, the three
of us?"
Seven
stopped and looked deeply into Kathryn's eyes.
"It's the only resolution."
Then she kissed her once more, her mouth opening, her tongue seeking it's
counterpart, as Kathryn moaned her appreciation.
After a long moment spent just experiencing the sweetness of her mouth,
Seven pulled away and sat back,
Seven
made short work of her uniform, leaving it in an unkempt pile on the floor, and
while Kathryn gazed with lust at her body, she began helping her out of her
offending uniform. As the garments slowly made there way to the floor, Kathryn's
last attempt at sanity surfaced. "Seven,
maybe we should think about this..."
"It's
too late for that," Seven said, her hands gently kneading the supple flesh
of Kathryn's breasts while she moved her lips lightly across her ear.
"Besides, it's been too long since you've been loved," she
uttered, "B'Elanna and I will have to do something about that later.
Now...it's my turn." She
sucked gently on the flesh behind Kathryn's ear, then used her tongue to the ear
itself.
"Seven..."
Kathryn gasped, the sensation making her tremble with need.
"You
are so beautiful," Seven whispered, and her heart soared when she felt warm
hands begin to explore her body. "No wonder B'Elanna loves you so."
The
next thing Kathryn knew the bed was underneath her, and a six-foot blond borg
was on top of her, kissing her avidly. Her hands were soft and she knew
exactly what to do with them - how to move them over Kathryn's body in order to
bring out the most favorable of responses.
Kathryn's
legs parted allowing Seven's leg to fall easily between them, her thigh pressing
firmly against her pulsating vulva. Seven
could actually feel Kathryn's clitoris throb against her leg as she moved
against her. Then Seven became
impossibly more aroused when Kathryn's hands slowly ran up and down the length
of her body, toward the front to cup her breasts and glide across erect nipples,
then up to thread through her hair as she kissed her thoroughly and lovingly.
Kathryn's
hips began to gyrate at their own will. It
had been so long - too long since she had been made to feel this way. Seven's body was lovely, and supple and nearly everything she
had longed for and missed. It even
surprised and delighted her how smooth and warm the metal plating over Seven's
abdomen was. Her skin was so silky
and Kathryn took great joy in caressing her body with hands and lips.
A small part of her brain registered that she might regret her actions
substantially when this was all over, but then that part ceased to function when
she felt Seven's warm and moist tongue glide slowly across her nipples.
Resistance in this case was definitely futile.
Kathryn
watched as Seven move leisurely down her body then gasped as she felt warm
breath gently fan over her throbbing center.
While she murmured incoherent terms of endearment to her new lover, she
moaned loudly when she felt Seven part the soft lips and began loving her in a
way that she hadn't been loved for what seemed like forever.
Seven
found that she was enjoying this encounter much more than she had anticipated
she ever would. Being with Kathryn
would be her second sexual experience, and she was unsure if she would find it
as fulfilling as being with B'Elanna. She
was pleased that she had been wrong. Kathryn
was a very responsive lover if her moans and touches were any indication.
At the beginning her hands were alternating from threading through her
hair, to stroking her back to grabbing and kneading the firm globes of her
ass, and it was doing a substantial job of arousing Seven. Now, her hands gently pushed her head even further into her
gloriously warm passage and Seven was content to remain there for the rest of
the evening.
"Ohhhh..."
was the only response Seven was able to make.
She hadn't expected to feel such pleasure from any other woman except
B'Elanna. She looked upon Kathryn's
face and thought to herself that she had never seen her as beautiful as she was
at this very moment. Her eyes were
closed and she wore a look of abandon that could only be described as pure
rapture.
They
moved together, kissing, touching, making love to one another.
It was so much more than Seven expected, and wanting to experience even
more with this incredible woman, she used three of her fingers and pushed them
slowly and effortlessly into Kathryn's slick channel.
"Oh
my God..." Kathryn hissed as she felt herself being filled for the first
time in months. "Oh
yes..." she gasped at the sensation of Seven's fingers leisurely moving
within her. It was so
good, so unbelievably satisfying, she
couldn't imagine how she survived as long as she had without the feeling. "I...I can't hold it..." she murmured.
It was too much. She felt it
start from the tips of her toes and the top of her head, rapidly raging through
her and coalescing in the center where it exploded - her inner walls contracting
so fiercely that it nearly snapped Seven's fingers.
Even
through her forceful orgasm, she continued to urgently glide in and out of
Seven's velvet folds, until Seven's soft
Seven
tightened her grip around Kathryn, letting her sob her release and her
gratitude. "It was a
necessary but much desired compromise," she murmured quietly into her ear. Eventually, Kathryn's emotional tide began to calm and she
turned in Seven's arms and drifted into a deep sleep.
Seven lay with her head propped up on her hand and gently stroked the
soft skin on Kathryn's shoulder. Then
she kissed her lightly on her cheek and settled down to rest herself, spooned
against
=^=
B'Elanna
sat alone again wondering for the millionth time what exactly were Rekpar's
plans for her. She knew she had
been sitting there for several hours. Right
after she severed the connection with Voyager, the young girl came back to
remove her tray and then she disappeared leaving her alone again. Shortly afterward B'Elanna fell asleep.
When she woke up she felt surprisingly well rested and assumed that she
had been there all night. But no
one came, and she was left all alone with her thoughts.
Kathryn
sounded both worried and relieved at hearing her voice.
B'Elanna missed her so much. She
had been so wrong to just leave Kathryn the way she did, and now she was afraid
that she would never be able to be with her again.
Closing her eyes, an immeasurable amount of regret settled in her heart.
"I love you Kathryn," she whispered, knowing full well that the
Captain couldn't hear her but needing to say the words anyway.
Just
then she heard footsteps again. Hoping
it was Rekpar, she turned to see who was coming.
This time a tall, athletically built, and very attractive female entered
the room. She was not dressed like
the others. Her clothing was that
of a warriors with brazen metals across the low cut collar of her garment.
It appeared to be made mostly of a material that resembled earth's
leather. She had her hair tightly
pulled back into a pony tail that flowed long and halfway the length of her
back. And although her green eyes were warm, her jaw was set and
her mouth a thin line. Crouching
down so that she was nearly face to face with B'Elanna on the floor, she peered
into her eyes intently.
B'Elanna
just stared at her, not willing to speak just yet. "What is your name beautiful one? "
"B'Elanna."
She said, hiding her surprise at the complement.
"A
most unusual name. Fitting for
someone as striking as you." She
stated. "I am Terra, leader of
the Kobali rebellion. Rekpar
said that you were gifted. He also
said that your technology appears to be significantly more advanced than
ours."
"If
you say so," B'Elanna replied nonchalantly. She looked away from her to the floor, but could feel the
woman's steely gaze on
"Where
are you from?"
"Does
it matter?" B'Elanna asked
defiantly. She could sense that
this woman was very unsettled and easily agitated, although she was attempting
to keep a tight control over her emotions. B'Elanna could definitely sympathize.
"Tell
me, what would your leader, your Captain, be willing to give us for your safe
return?" She inquired.
B'Elanna
looked directly into Terra's eyes. "If
you're asking if she would give you our weapons in exchange for my life, no.
She won't. She will not do
anything to shift the balance of power on this planet."
B'Elanna stated firmly.
"The
balance of power?" She asked
incredulously. "There is no
balance here - only their rules and their power!
We have nothing because of their cowardice! They fear that which is
unknown to them and as a result, oppress my people needlessly!"
She shouted. "That is
why we now exist. We fight against
those who wish to rule over us. Things will never be as it should if we don't
have the resources to make it change. You're
technology would give us the means to make it happen."
Standing,
she paced the room for a few moments as B'Elanna's eyes followed her movements.
Then she stopped and crouched down in front of B'Elanna again.
"Surely one as lovely as you would be missed by your people.
And I know from reading Aniah's thoughts that your Captain loves you very
much." She grinned knowingly then added.
"Perhaps if we threatened to turn you over to the Imperial - maybe
then she would change her mind.
"I
doubt that." B'Elanna stated
returning a steely glare. "She
doesn't respond well to threats - and neither do I."
"Hmm...an
admirable quality, however, not a
very smart one."
"I'f
you're trying to scare me, it won't work. I'm
Klingon. My people live for a good
fight."
"Is
that so?" Terra replied
angrily. She croutched down again
right in front of B'Elanna until they were face to face. "Tell me, what if we were to abduct your precious
Captain, your ship, and take what we want?
You share the same feelings for her, do you not?
I'm sure you would not want to risk her life, now would you?
Of course, we may not kill her. There
are many things
worst than dying."
B'Elanna
let out a low growl. Without
realizing it, the anger she was sensing from Terra was making her own temper
rise. It was one thing to threaten her - it was quite another to
threaten those she loved. Menacingly
she glared at the woman. "You are treading on dangerous territory."
"So
I am correct about your feelings for your Captain."
"Our
feelings for one another are irrelevant."
B'Elanna stated, "If it is necessary for me to die in order for our
technology to not be compromised, then I am prepared for that."
"Are
you prepared to sacrifice her life?"
B'Elanna
eyes narrowed as she realized exactly what this woman was trying to do.
"Why don't we cut the bullshit, okay?
You and I both know that you and your people are no threat to my Captain
or my ship. Besides, I wouldn't be
sacrificing her life, she'd give it willing for the good of our crew - as would
I."
Terra
looked at her as if trying to decide if B'Elanna was bluffing or being truthful.
"Has she any idea how loyal you are to her?"
"She
does." B'Elanna said.
"At least where our crew is concerned."
"You
are a good woman, B'Elanna. A
pity," Terra stated, "You
and I may have become very good friends under different circumstances."
B'Elanna
knew this statement to be true. Although
Terra seemed hardnosed, her heart seemed to be loyal to her people and gaining
them freedom. "Terra, whether
or not you are aware of it, change for your people has already begun.
It may be a long time before you are able to make a large difference, but
the day will come when you and your people will be free."
Smiling,
she reached out and gently touched B'Elanna's cheek with one finger and B'Elanna
could sense that it was no more than a friendly gesture.
"I will truly hate to see you die, B'Elanna."
Terra said. She lifted
herself from the ground and turned to leave.
"Terra,"
B'Elanna said, "Would you like to speak to my Captain?"
The
woman immediately turned to face her prisoner.
"You can speak to her?"
"Yes.
In fact, I could have left here a long time ago.
But I want to help." B'Elanna
stated.
Terra
couldn't hide her shock. "I
thought you said she would not help us."
"I
said she wouldn't give you weapons. I
didn't say she wouldn't help."
=^=
The
next day, Janeway was on the bridge contemplating the major events that had
taken place in her life. B'Elanna
had been kidnapped by a group of telepathic rebellions on what they had
originally thought was a peaceful planet. In
addition, she was also being sought after by the ruling class of people on this
planet for her ability to block mental invasions of her thoughts, which lead to
the revelation that she herself was empathic.
At the very same time, Seven decided that she wanted to change the level
of their, relationship with one another.
It was truly the most peculiar chain of events that she had experienced
in a long while.
As
a result of the previous nights encounter with Seven, she felt much more
emotionally stable. More so than
she had at any time during the past year and a half.
And now, her primary concern was getting B'Elanna back home safe and
sound.
Previously,
before she had a chance to get to the bridge, she was contacted by the doctor
and informed that their visitor was awake and wanting to speak with her.
As a result of their conversation, she found that Dar had no idea that
her brother would take measures into his own hands.
She seemed visibly upset that he would defy her.
But under the circumstances she could understand.
Even though Dar had the outward appearance of a child, her mind was
definitely that of a seasoned adult with amazing abilities that made Janeway
wish she could keep her on board as an additional ship's counselor.
During
their conversation, Dar had informed her that there was absolutely no doubt in
her mind that the Imperial was looking for the Lieutenant.
Although Dar was too far away to detect any thoughts on the surface, she
knew for a fact that the Imperial would stop at nothing to get their hands on
the engineer. The only advantage they seemed to have was that Torres was
with the Kobali and if the Gradian order discovered their location, the entire
base would be relocated including B'Elanna.
This, however, did not make the Captain feel any better.
When
Janeway arrived on the bridge, there had still been no word from the Lieutenant
or her captors. She was beginning
to get worried. The transporters
still couldn't cut through the interference surrounding where B'Elanna was being
held, and after the previous evenings events between her and Seven, she found
that she desperately needed for B'Elanna to return home to them.
Unfortunately, all they could do at the moment was wait.
She
noticed Chakotay giving her sideways glances ever since she walked onto the
bridge and briefly wondered what his problem was.
"Okay, what is it, Commander?"
Startled,
Chakotay said, "Pardon?"
"Why
do you keep looking at me like that?"
She asked.
"I
didn't know I was that obvious." He
explained with a smile.
"Well
you are, so out with it." She
said, returning the smile.
"It's
just that you seem different today. In
fact, you appear to be in an overall better mood.
If it weren't for the fact that I know you're worried about getting
B'Elanna back, I'd swear nothing was bothering you."
"Actually,
I do feel a little better," she
said.
"And
exactly what brought about this change?"
Chakotay asked.
"Let's
just say that Seven had made the ultimate of compromises."
She replied, a hint of mystery in her voice.
"Seven?"
Now Chakotay was thoroughly confused.
"Care to elaborate a little?"
"Well,
I..."
"Captain,
Lieutenant Torres is hailing us." Tuvok
interrupted.
"Put
her through! B'Elanna!
Are you all right?" she
shouted
"For
the moment, Captain. I have Terra
here. She is the leader of the
Kobali rebellion and she would like to speak to you."
B'Elanna said.
Janeway
listened along with the rest of the crew as the Kobali leader outlined exactly
what she wanted from them. But
before she finished listing her demands, Kathryn knew what her answer would be.
"No. I cannot and will not give you weapons. It is out of the question."
As
she stood waiting for Terra's reply, her mind began racing through other
possible solutions to this problem. Then
as she began to quickly pace back and forth,
Terra replied, "Captain Janeway, as much as I do not like to take
lives, I will if you make it necessary. If
you do not meet our demands, your officer will die."
Janeway
hoped that the blood rushing from her face was not as visible to everyone on the
bridge as she thought it was. But the thought of losing B'Elanna like this was enough to
make her physically ill. Then she
came up with an idea. "How
about I offer you something of equal value - say, medical supplies and
replicator technology?"
"What
is replicator technology?" Terra
asked intrigued.
"It's
a means of creating more supplies. I'll
pass this technology on to you in exchange for my engineer."
She stated,
For
a moment there was only silence. Then
Terra said, "You have one of our people with you.
Her name is Dar. We want her
back as well."
"We'll
send her along with the supplies. Do
we have a deal?" Janeway asked
as the rest of the bridge crew seemed to hold their breath.
After
a long pause, she finally answered. "Yes.
How will we make the exchange?"
"We
have technology that allows us to transport anything and anyone almost
anywhere." Janeway answered.
"When you're ready, the exchange will be immediate and
simultaneous."
"Amazing."
She said, unable to hide her surprise.
"So, if that is true, why didn't you just take your
Lieutenant?"
"We
would have, except you are in an area that has natural defenses against our
ability to transport anything. If
it
"Indeed."
She said. "When we have
relocated to a place where the exchange can occur, we will contact you."
"Very
well." Janeway said before the
connection was severed. She knew
that later she would probably receive a lecture from Tuvok about her disregard
of the prime directive, but she didn't care.
If it would return B'Elanna to them, it would be worth the compromise.
=^=
Within
two hours the exchange was made, and the bridge crew seemed to let out a
collective sigh as a result. B'Elanna
was returned safe and sound, and was presently in sick bay where the
Janeway
was sitting restlessly on the bridge. She
kept checking the chronometer reading on her console, then would occasionally
get up and pace a small length of the bridge before returning to her
seat, only to repeat the same sequence of events within a few seconds.
Chakotay
had never seen her so edgy before. She
was keeping him quite amused for a while with her behavior and he knew the
reason behind it. Something
happened to Kathryn the night
Finally,
after about the 16th time she paced the bridge and sat down to check the
chronometer, he leaned in her direction and whispered, "Why don't you just
go and check on her. In fact, go home
afterward. I can handle the
bridge."
"A
little too obvious, I guess?" Kathryn
whispered with a smile that reached her eyes.
"Uh
huh. Go."
Chakotay said, grinning. "And I want details later."
Kathryn
composed her features, got up from her seat and said, "Commander, my shift
should have been over hours ago. You
have the bridge."
"Aye
Captain." He replied,
suppressing a smile. Then he
watched as she entered the turbo lift.
"Commander,
you have an incoming message," Harry stated. "It's from Dar."
"Thank
you, Ensign. I'll take it in my
office. You have the bridge."
=^=
B'Elanna
finally made it to her quarters. The
doctor had spent two hours restoring her face, and verifying that she was
without a doubt empathic. When she
asked the doctor how it could be, his only reply was "Actually Lieutenant,
I don't know. You are the first
Klingon in medical history to have empathic abilities.
My guess is that one of your ancestors
was empathic or telepathic
and the gene was assed on to you." She
was told also that her abilities were quite strong and that what she thought was
instinct were actually her sensing the emotions of
She
sat down on her sofa and unzipped her jacket making visible the gray tank top
she wore underneath. Then relaxing
further into the sofa, she lay her head back and closed her eyes. She opened her mind to those of the crew and to her surprise,
could feel various emotions from them quite clearly - mostly a sense of well
being could be felt, and relief that they would be leaving the planet soon.
She was concentrating so much, she barely heard the door to her quarters
open.
Not
moving, she knew it must be Seven. She
was aware of a sudden sense of relief and a definite feeling of determination
from her. Besides, Seven was the
only one that had the access code to her quarters.
Knowing that her beautiful lover was worried about her while she was
gone, she fully expected for her to straddle her lap and attempt to kiss her
into the next quadrant. But to her
surprise a different body fell on her - a smaller one, yet one that was so
familiar to her that she was almost afraid to breathe too deeply least it
disappear.
"Kathryn."
She whispered.
Kathryn
pulled her close, and sighed with relief when she felt B'Elanna embrace her just
as tightly. She thought that
she would never hold her again - would always long for the feeling of her arms
around her. Kathryn pulled back and
gazed deeply into soft brown eyes. Gently,
she traced the silky ridges on B'Elanna's forehead and said, "Oh my, how
I've missed you." Then she
kissed her deeply, ravishing her lips for a long moment before moving to her
neck and jaw as she urgently reacquainted herself with the woman she loved.
She slid down so her knees were resting on the floor, and still holding
on to B'Elanna's middle, she pressed the side of her face into her torso. Closing her eyes, she realized that she had found heaven once
again.
To
say that B'Elanna was more than a little confused was an understatement, but she
didn't care. Kathryn was here with
her and she was holding her like she was the most precious being that ever
lived, and it filled her with endless joy. She closed her own eyes and reveled in her beloved's tight
embrace. But before she could give all of this any further thought,
the sofa dipped on the left side of her and soft, full lips brushed against her
temple. "Welcome home,
B'Elanna." Seven said as her
fingers gently played in her lovers hair.
"Seven?"
B'Elanna uttered, then looked into her eyes.
At Seven's smile, she finally realized what was happening. She felt a vast amount of love from Seven and from Kathryn. Not only that, but she sensed the affection they had for one
another. It was almost unspeakable
- to even fathom that the two most imporrtant people in the world to her, were
here with her now feeling what they were for her and each other was truly
unbelievable.
Seven
chuckled at B'Elanna's surprised expression, noticing that she had not released
her hold on Kathryn. "It's
true, my love." She said, then
kissed her lips meaningfully.
Kathryn
began to lift B'Elanna's top, desperately needing to feel her skin.
She kissed the supple brown flesh for a long moment, then paused, once
again pressing her face into her midriff. She
inhaled deeply the scent of her, then tightened her grip as if she couldn't bear
to go any further - as if any of it, all of it was too wonderful to believe.
Then tears of happiness began to fall from her eyes, and she was
powerless to stop it, for she never thought she would ever be able to touch her
like this again.
B'Elanna
could feel it - all of it. The
raging, unyielding love that Kathryn had for her filled her mind and wrapped
around her heart like a blanket - a love that she always had for her, and it
brought unshed tears to her eyes as well. Then
she touched Kathryn's face and lifted it up so that she could look in her eyes,
and with all the power she could muster, she mentally projected all the love she
felt and had never stopped feeling for her.
She watched satisfied that Kathryn understood as more tears built up and
spilled out of those impossibly beautiful
As
their kiss deepened it became increasingly obvious that they needed a bed.
Somehow the three of them ended up in B'Elanna's bedroom.
Seven understood their need to re-acquaint themselves with one another,
so she removed her uniform and watched the two of them as they stood face to
face touching each other. Old yet familiar movements were once again renewed as
they languidly
undressed one another. When both were completely nude, Kathryn embraced B'Elanna
and kissed her zealously once again.
B'Elanna
pulled away from her and turned to find Seven lying on the bed watching them
with smoldering eyes. Then she
crawled across the bed and into Seven's outstretched arms, kissing her deeply
and murmuring quiet words of gratitude. After
a few moments, Seven moved behind B'Elanna as she turned to face Kathryn.
Kathryn climbed in the bed and moved over B'Elanna until she was in line
with her face, and kissed her lips softly, letting her tongue thoroughly explore
her lover's mouth. Then she
kissed her way down the silky soft bronze body until she was between her agile
thighs.
Seven
turned B'Elanna's head toward hers and captured her lips in a searing kiss that
seemed to leave both women shaken with it's intensity.
As they kissed, B'Elanna groaned into Seven's mouth when she felt
Kathryn's tongue begin making love to her.
The double assault to her senses was more than B'Elanna ever imagined she
would feel at once and it was all so erotic - so unbelievably passionate.
Seven's
hands were busy exploring the lithe body on top of hers, and she received
enormous satisfaction from the sounds of pleasure that she and Kathryn were
drawing B'Elanna. Seven caressed
her sides, pulled her nails across her abdomen and then moved
them up to cup her breasts - squeezing them gently at first, then gliding her
hands across them feeling her nipples move between her fingers.
"Sweet Kahless..." B'Elanna murmured as she raised her arms
above her head and draped them lazily around Seven's neck so she could feel even
more.
Kathryn
was in heaven. It had been so long
since she had loved B'Elanna in this way. The
soft velvet skin, the sweet taste, the scent of her lover was absolutely
incredible as she continued to lick and suck such an intimate part of her body. Her own arousal was building at an insurmountable rate as she
listened to B'Elanna's moans of delight. Then,
wanting to feel all of her, she inserted her fingers into B'Elanna's silken
passage, not so gently hitting her cervix with each thrust.
B'Elanna
could feel it building - could almost see it in her mind take form.
It came fast and hard and threading her hands through Kathryn's hair, she
opened her legs as wide as possible and cried out in ecstasy as her orgasm
rippled through her with the force of a warp core explosion.
Finally
B'Elanna's grip loosened on her lover's hair, and Kathryn slowly kissed her way
up until she was pulled into a
B'Elanna
watched with wonder and after a few moments found her voice.
"Obviously some things changed while I was gone.
Wanna tell me when this all started?"
She asked, affection clearly in her voice.
Pulling
away from her new lover, Kathryn said, while never taking her eyes off of Seven,
"We will, sweetheart, but later. There
are more important things to take care of now."
"Indeed..."
Seven replied, momentarily lost in Kathryn's gaze.
Then
all conversation was forgotten when Kathryn began sucking her nipples as
B'Elanna tongue began thoroughly exploring Seven's wonderful mouth.
=^=
Chakotay
went to his office to listen to the message he had received from Dar.
He replicated himself a cup of herbal tea then went to sit at his desk.
Then accessing the message he sat back and watched as Dar's young face
appeared on the screen.
//"Greetings,
Commander Chakotay. I just wanted
to again apologize for my brother's behavior.
It was his idea to abduct your Lieutenant, and had I known of his
intentions, I would have put a stop to it before it caused you any grief.
Although his actions were less than honorable, they did succeed in
helping my people. The help that
your Captain has given us will never be able to be repaid.
My
people have been oppressed for many revolutions simply because we are
extrasensory. We've been taken from
our homes and forced to do the work that they themselves do not desire to do.
The don't even allow us to worship like we want to - we are made to serve
their creator instead of our own. We've
been told that we are no more than savages because our way of living is so
different from theirs - and yet, if they had looked to see, they would find that
we are not that different. We
laugh, cry, get angry and we love. The
same blood coursing through us, runs within them as well.
We are all connected but they fail or rather do not wish to see this.
It
is my hope that someday we will be allowed to live as they live - that we will
be unafraid to look into their eyes for fear of being beaten into submission; -
that we will be valued for our opinions and for our contributions to our race. I have a deep feeling that we will be victorious and that one
day, our level of technology will advance to the level of yours for the good of
our world.
I
know that the Kobali will never be able to express enough gratitude for your
humanitarian gifts to us, so I wanted to make you aware of some things that I was able to find out
from the thoughts of your people.
Both
you and your Captain have done an excellent job at merging your crews together.
They no longer think of themselves as two separate entities, but as a
family. You both should be
commended for that. They have a
profound respect and loyalty for both of you.
To
you personally Chakotay, I am aware that there is someone on board that you have
very strong feelings for. I don't
know his name, but I see his image in my mind - pale skin, blue eyes and hair
the color of sunshine. Don't be
afraid to let him know of your love for him - he feels the same for you.
I
hope you don't look at this as an invasion.
I did not, nor have I ever intended to pry into anyone's private
thoughts. Oh, and one more thing - I have attached a set of coordinates
to a secret supply cavern belonging to the Gradian Order.
If you download them into your ship's computer, it will give you the
exact location of a substantial supply of dilithium that has already been mined
and is ready for transport. Do not
worry about taking it, the mineral will not be missed.
Best
wishes to you and your people on your journey home. ay
it be a safe trip, and maybe as both of our civilizations advance, we will see
one another in the future.
Take
care, Chakotay.//
As
Dar's image on the computer screen switched to the Starfleet emblem, Chakotay
pondered over the young woman's words. Her people were very similar to his own ancestors and he
sincerely hoped that they would be victorious in their fight for freedom.
After
sending the coordinates for the dilithium to Ensign Kim and ordering him to
facilitate its transport, he sent a private message to Tom's console inviting
him to dinner later that night. He
was finally going to tell him what he should have told him a long time ago.
With
a resolved grin, he returned to the Bridge.
Finis
(c)
Blackcat, 2002