(Note: This is all because of a most interesting conversation by a couple of online friends about undressing Star Trek figures to check for certain… "things"… ;-) Hope this story explains a few details, ladies!)

~*~

The sing-song voice reverberated from off all four walls of the room. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. All this time I’ve given you… and still nothing has happened."

Both Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay looked up from the monitor screen they were studying in her ready room, their faces frozen into masks of horror. "Q!" their voices responded in unison.

"I’m right here," their nemesis answered, materializing in front of them. "Work, work, work – that’s all you two ever think about. How long has it been since we last chatted… a month? Two years? Ten millennia? I lose count of such temporal things! And it’s quite obvious that you haven’t taken advantage of the opportunity I gave you then. Ah, well; I’ve always heard that if you don’t use it, you lose it. Tough luck, kiddos; you’ve had your chance." The lights dimmed as an iridescent mist filled the room, swirling its luminous veil of vapors around them, dancing in rhythm to Q’s disappearing maniacal laughter.

"What the hell…" Chakotay shouted, twisting himself as if in pursuit of the murky miasma, chopping through the haze with his flaying arms.

"Chakotay!" yelled a frustrated Kathryn, equally confused with the encompassing brume and grappling with it as if it were a weightless shroud. Their two bodies collided in the midst of their confusion and frenzy. A muffled "thwump" of flesh hitting flesh followed by their garbled groans brought some sense of reality back to each of them. As they sought to aright themselves, the room regained its original configuration. All was as it was before, and there was no hint of Q’s presence.

Kathryn brushed at her uniform, as if to rid herself of invisible cobwebs. "What the hell was *that* all about?" she fumed.

Chakotay backed away, embarrassed with the unintended physical contact he had had with the captain. "Beats me. We haven’t seen him for a couple of years; wonder what he’s up to…"

Janeway made a quick visual survey of the area. "Everything appears to be the same." She glanced over herself and made a cursory scan of her first officer. "And you look the same; do I?"

He grinned as he did a slow exam of her from head to foot. "Same Kathryn Janeway I saw a couple of moments ago."

Her eyes indicated that her mind still wasn’t satisfied; her hands continued their superficial exploration of her body, unconcerned with how it looked to the man standing next to her. "And yet… I feel different. As if something were missing. It’s… it’s almost as if I have suddenly lost a pound or two…"

Chakotay gave a nervous laugh. "You don’t look like it, Kathryn."

Janeway was now the one who performed a detailed inventory of Chakotay’s outward appearance. Her cheeks reddened as a horrible comprehension set in. "Chakotay, I think something *has* changed… at least with you…"

He sensed where her eyes had stopped and unconsciously reached his hand towards the area. He paled as he realized what she meant. There was no longer the slightly fleshy bulge that filled the central groin area of his anatomy. His uniform hung loosely around the vacated space underneath. He was… it seemed… without any external genitalia!

His face now was infused with a vibrant blush. "Permission to be excused, Captain."

"Granted," she answered almost before he finished his request.

He ran through the doors, obviously heading to the sanctuary of his own office area for a horrifying self-examination of his body, leaving her to do likewise with herself.

The bridge crew watched in astonishment as their first officer flew, silent and pale as a ghost, across the expanse of the area. The doors of his office swiftly opened and closed. Tuvok, from his position in the command chair, raised an eyebrow with a momentary interest. Chakotay appeared to be quite shaken… almost as if he were in pain. But he had not requested any aid, so he must be all right. "As you were," the Vulcan ordered the equally startled crew.

~*~

The doors of his office had barely closed when Chakotay began stripping off the various layers of his uniform. Upon reaching the thin cloth of his undershorts, he grimaced at the prospect of what he was going to find… or, more precisely, what he *wasn’t* going to find. Flat… he was completely flat; no firm roundness or pleasant heaviness that he had known all of his adult life. Just… nothing.

He pulled off this last garment and ran a shaking hand over the smooth surface that exposed itself to him. His worst nightmare was confirmed; he was missing all structures of his external male genitalia: no penis, flaccid or erect; no globular sacs with their hard cyst-like contents; no sense of the fleshy form ever having been there. Only a small hole remained in the anterior area of his central groin, with a small flesh-like tube, about a centimeter long, slightly protruding. As he pressed on it, he realized that its sole function was obviously a means for urination.

The soundproof walls of his office barely contained the primal scream that came from him; the unearthly sound of his own voice scared him as much as his horrific discovery.

"Noooooooooo!!!" he shrieked, as shock overcame him and took his legs out from underneath him. He crumpled to the floor, a broken man in every sense of the word.

~*~

A similar scene played out in Kathryn Janeway’s ready room. She pulled off the smothering layers of her uniform, tossing them away from her body in uncharacteristic haphazard fashion. Oblivious to the fact that she was standing naked only a few feet from the bridge of her ship, with a dozen of her crew wondering what had happened between herself and the first officer, her hands began a frenzied investigation of any physical changes comparable to those she suspected in Chakotay.

Her breasts were as they had been when she dressed that morning. She chortled, thinking that they weren’t the same ones of a few years back; they were definitely succumbing to time’s gravity. Ah, well; that’s normal, she thought, as her hands moved down her body.

Her fingers tangled in the thatch of brownish down that filled the cozy area of her groin, searching for the warm plumpness of her labia. Her eyes opened wide as she continued her probing, feeling… nothing! No fleshiness of the large lips… no sensation of stimulation as she rubbed… no sudden warm wetness… no hardened nub… nothing! It was a smooth surface, merely a ground for the lawn of her pubic hair. She found only one small hole towards the anterior rim of where the lips should be joining… the only opening that remained from before – her urethral orifice. Her fingers became frantic as they clawed back and forth, but the results were the same. She used both hands, pulling back the hair, only to be met with an expanse of flat, closed area.

Her breathing became rapid and shallow; she felt claustrophobic… as if her body were closing in on her. Cold sweat trickled down her bare back, chilling her further as it quickly evaporated. She started trembling, paralyzed by the horror of her findings. Q – it had to have been Q! But why? Yes, he was a cruel bastard; but why this? In contrast to her shivering body, hot tears and an even hotter temper now surfaced. If she was this way, then Chakotay must have discovered similar anomalies with himself.

She quickly gathered her garments from their scattered locations and dressed as best she could; her hands were trembling and her body quaking. She lost her balance three times trying to step into her trousers, and kept inserting an arm through the neck opening of her turtleneck. She cursed in desperation of her errors.

After taking several minutes longer than usual in dressing, she patted her hair into place before slapping her comm badge. "Chakotay, please respond." She held her breath, waiting for his answer.

A very shaken voice answered her. "I’m… I’m here, Kathryn."

Her voice was equally tremulous. "I’m guessing that you’ve found… er… um… a few things missing." She sensed his horror.

"Y... yes, you could say that."

"Me, too. And it must be Q. I have no idea what he’s trying to prove here. I would suggest that we go to sick bay and have the doctor check us out for any other… er… discrepancies."

Chakotay was still having a difficult time accepting the situation. "Er… do you really think that’s necessary, Kathryn? I mean… this isn’t really the kind of thing that we would want anyone to know about…"

"Granted. But… I’d like to know just how far this galactic warlock has gone, so that we can decide on a form of recourse. I am *not* going to let him bully or harass us, Chakotay; he’s not as omnipotent as he wants us to think. He’s erred before, and he’s going to find out that he has here, too."

A mournful moan preceded his answer. "All right; I’ll meet you in sick bay."

~*~

"Hmm." The doctor’s forehead became furrowed with deep crevices as he continued to scan his two patients.

Chakotay was becoming impatient. "Is that all you can say? Well… what’s happened?"

"Shhh; let him think, Chakotay," Janeway said, placing her hand on his arm trying to calm him.

Chakotay fumed. "He’s a hologram, Kathryn; the data is processed as soon as he gets it." He glared at the EMH. "Right, doc?"

"You are quite correct, Commander. I am merely trying to determine the most… um… humane way to tell you the news." Voyager’s medic lowered his med-tricorder and stepped back. "Why don’t you hop off those biobeds and come into my office?" he continued.

With expressions of increasing panic, Janeway and Chakotay nervously followed him, like lambs going to the slaughter. The duo apprehensively squirmed into the chairs in the office area.

Janeway opened the conversation. "I think we know the obvious, doctor. The question is… are there any other changes in our bodies? Can the situation be rectified?"

The doctor sighed, putting on his best bedside manner. He folded his hands on the desk that separated him from the two senior officers and he steeled himself, looking them directly in the eye. "Captain… Commander… my examinations show that neither of you has any semblance of sexual organs. Not only are you… um… missing your exterior genitalia, but also, you, Captain, are without the female structures of the ovaries, Fallopian tubes, uterus and vagina." He turned towards Chakotay. "And, Commander, in addition to your external organs, you are minus all auxiliary apparatus such as your prostate gland, seminal vesicle, epididymis and vas deferens." He watched the progressing horror on their faces as he recited his anatomical litany. "But… but… before you panic, let me say that it is only your genital systems which have been affected; everything else about you is all right…"

Chakotay erupted like a maximum solar flare. "ONLY???? What do you mean… ONLY?"

The EMH smirked, "Well, Commander, it isn’t as if either of you really needs these organs in order to live. Everything else is…"

Janeway now joined Chakotay in his tirade. "What do you mean? These ‘organs’, as you put it, define us as individuals… as who we are and how we react! How can you sit there and nonchalantly say that…"

"Now… please… people… I didn’t mean it so coldly," the doctor said quietly, coming around the desk and taking each of them by an arm. "I just meant… that you *can* learn to live without them. Why, in former times, any one or more of these… um… parts could be removed surgically for a variety of reasons and people continued living and functioning." He resettled their shocked bodies into the chairs again, and leaned down to continue with his consoling words. "And my examinations did indicate that your hypothalamus and pituitary glands are functioning completely within their norms; in fact, they seem to have been somewhat enhanced, and are compensating for your… um… losses… by producing *all* the necessary sexual hormones, even those produced only by your missing… organs. It isn’t as if *all* were lost."

Janeway and Chakotay were silent, seeming to try to assimilate what the doctor had said. The EMH, sensing that they were acting more rationally, walked back behind his desk. "I *can* provide some surgical alterations that would, shall we say, simulate the missing parts, if this would make you feel any better."

Janeway began to speak but Chakotay cut her off. "We’ll have to think on that one." He glanced over at Kathryn, who glared back at him. "Wouldn’t you agree, Captain?"

Her thin lips were taunt and pale. "I suppose so. I’m sure that nothing could actually feel like… the real thing."

The doctor sat down. "All right; as you wish. Just remember that I’m here if you need me. And please don’t be alarmed that it may take awhile to get used to your… um… ‘new’ anatomical configurations."

Janeway pushed back her chair and nodded perfunctorily. "Thank you, doctor; we understand. Come, Commander; I think we have a few things to discuss."

Chakotay grunted as he rose to follow her. They were almost to the door when he turned to the doctor with a grumble. "This is strictly confidential, doctor; you do *know* that…" "Of course; Commander. I *am* a professional, you know!"

The first officer managed the first hint of a grin since the ordeal began. "That’s what I’m afraid of, doctor; a professional what?"

The sickbay doors opened, and the once more sullen pair made a quick exit. She turned to him and sighed. "We’ve got to talk… now. Your quarters or mine?"

~*~

"Q!" Kathryn Janeway cried out as soon as they were behind the closed doors of her quarters. "How *dare* you do this to us? Why? What is your reason? Torture? Humiliation? You are the most despicable, twisted, perverted bastard of an Andorian dungbird in the entire universe!" She was pacing across the room in long erratic strides, pausing only long enough to pick up any portable object within her grasp and hurling it against any near surface, leaving a wake of shambles in her path. When she grabbed a large granite paperweight from off her desk and aimed it in his direction, Chakotay lunged towards her, grasping her arm as she pulled it back into its destructive swing.

Chakotay had never seen this side of her. "Whoa… I think that’s enough, Kathryn. Tuvok is going to have a security squad here if you keep this up. Besides, you know that Q is long gone." He pulled her tightly against his chest, hoping to calm her.

She struggled against him, her breath coming in short, staccato gasps, her eyes flinging their fire in all directions. Her hair even seemed to be redder than usual. "This… this is just so… unconscionable," she continued. "How can he even think that we can act like nothing happened? Chakotay, this is worse than anything that the Vidiians could do!" Her tirade was ebbing; her words were disintegrating into soft whimpers.

He relaxed his hold on her a little, but still held her in his arms. "We’ll adjust, Kathryn; really… we will. It’s just another bit of Delta Quadrant ‘weirdness’. Right now, we’ve got to talk and decide how we’re going to handle this."

She sniffed and brought her hand to her nose, and, child-like, wiped it. "Yes. You’re right, of course." But her eyes became panicked again. "The crew… the crew can’t be told any of this…"

"Agreed," he answered, steering her towards the sofa and easing her down onto it. He sat down next to her, as her emotional outburst began to diminish somewhat He gently brushed back the untamed hair that was flying astray, "shushing" her as he did so. He pulled her close, softly rocking her until her body quieted itself. Only when he no longer felt any quivers did he let go.

"Thank you; I’m better now," she said, pulling away and leaning back with a sigh. She looked at him, her eyes bright with yet another emotion. "Sometimes I have to let myself do things like that," she grinned. "Be thankful that you’re usually not around."

He laughed and shook his head with relief. "That’s for certain. This is a side of you I never knew existed!"

She smiled weakly, leaning in towards him conspiratorially. "It’s a secret I’ve hidden well over the years. It’s not even in any of Starfleet’s dossiers." She slumped back again. "Now… for a plan…"

"That’s my Kathryn," Chakotay smiled. Without thinking, he closed the distance between them and kissed her.

She didn’t resist, but did pull away, although not immediately. "What was that for?" she asked.

"I don’t know; but I sure feel better."

She thought for a minute before responding. "Me, too; I… I don’t feel quite as… trapped. Strange…"

~*~

Over the next few days, rumors rapidly spread throughout Voyager’s closed community. There were as many versions of the strange episode of Chakotay’s rush from Janeway’s ready room to his own and then of their joint visit to sickbay as there were crewmen aboard the vessel.

Outwardly, the command duo seemed perfectly all right… and the doctor was uncharacteristically silent about their visit. He wouldn’t divulge any information even to Tom Paris, who insisted that, as the doctor’s back-up, this was a "need-to-know" situation. The doctor remained resolute in his silence, and even Harry’s and B’Elanna’s decoding skills couldn’t break into the sealed files. Tom knew that he would just have to patiently chip away until he uncovered the story.

But the actions that added the most fuel to the fires of supposition were the much more frequent visits that Janeway and Chakotay were making to each other’s quarters in their off time. Over the years, there had been many suspicions that Voyager’s two most senior officers had some very unprofessional, non-Starfleet sanctioned feelings for each other. The height of these stories peaked a couple of years into Voyager’s journey in the Delta Quadrant, after the two of them had spent several weeks together on a deserted planet, awaiting a possible cure for a viral infection they had contracted. For weeks following their subsequent rescue and cure, they were sullen and removed. Over the months, they seemed to overcome whatever had happened, and developed a solid command camaraderie, professional to the core. Still, every once in awhile, when neither of them realized it, there would be a glance… a touch… a smile… that would have the crew wondering once again.

Now the incendiary talk was smoldering beneath the surface again, and the crew sparked with speculation. Yet, this time, their responses to each other appeared to be of almost a playful nature, comforting and consoling each other with a light-heartedness that also seemed tinged with melancholy. The captain had always been one for using touch as a reassuring gesture; they had seen her use it many times with almost any crew member, male or female. But she now seemed to almost *need* to touch him frequently, sometimes allowing her hand to rest on his arm or hand or shoulder, lingering just a little bit too long for normal comfort.

Likewise, he returned her touches. He frequently would lean into her across the space between their conns, drawing her close and whispering words for her alone. Silent secretive smiles lit up their faces, illuminating their own private universe of understanding.

Behavior between the top two officers on Voyager had certainly become very strange indeed.

~*~

Several weeks had passed since Q’s unsolicited visit, and Janeway and Chakotay met in his quarters for what had now become part of their daily routine. They depended on each other’s support and comfort in their most peculiar circumstances, and, as such, they had opened up more to each other in these few weeks than they had in the last several years. Their casualness with each other led to an intimacy that they hadn’t known since New Earth; a surprising peace embraced them as they regained the closeness that they had given up for lost.

They would sit on the sofa and discuss their days, sometimes amid laughter, sometimes with frustration. They reviewed reports, read, listened to music, ate meals, teased and cajoled each other. They seemed to be loosing the self-imposed aloofness between themselves. Reassuring pats in public became lingering strokes in private; good-natured hugs lengthened into warm embraces; laughing lips gave way to soft kisses. Voyager’s long-recounted rumors seemed to be becoming self-fulfilled. And yet, little did the other hundred and forty-seven crew members know that this was still the most celibate relationship they could ever imagine!

Their daily ritual this evening had begun like any of the ones that preceded it. They had changed from their uniforms into what Kathryn called "comfort clothes" and had eaten a replicated meal of plankton loaf and darvot fritters. They had cleared up from the meal, reviewed the engineering reports about the re-charged bioneural packs in the mess hall and decided on a quick round of Risan rummy before calling it a night. Previous episodes of this game always left them happy and relaxed; it had been a long day and this would be a good way to wind down.

Risan rummy took on a physical aspect at times, depending on the card sequences that appeared. Janeway hadn’t played it since her childhood, and was surprised when Chakotay first suggested it a few weeks earlier. Its juvenile requirements of jumping up and touching your toes several times or producing an animal’s sound of your opponent’s choosing left her feeling quite silly at first, until she realized what a stress-release it could be. She just never liked to be the one who suggested that they play it; it wasn’t… well… dignified. She certainly didn’t look too dignified right now, as she followed Chakotay’s game-mandated order – she was standing in the middle of his living area and was jumping up and down imitating their monkey friend on New Earth.

Chakotay rolled with laughter until tears were running down his face. "Oh, Kathryn; I never knew you were such a mimic! You look just like the little guy – arms and legs all over the place, and even his lovable shrill! Except… you don’t have that long bushy tail…" His mischievous glee continued as he reached around her, grabbing at the tailless flesh of her rounded buttocks.

The action took her quite by surprise and she let out a startled yelp, jumping forward directly into his solid torso. They both lost their balances and soon became a twisted ball of scrambling limbs and flailing flesh rolling on the floor. Their laughter faded as they became more interested in the unanswered questions they each read in the eyes of the other… unspoken words of longing and desire that they knew they would never be able to act upon. Snakelike, their arms slithered from among the tangled limbs, drawn to longing faces. Cradling each other, they lost themselves in the one way they could express their physical love… kisses deep and long, savoring every taste of each other… sharing and exploring the warm wetness of welcoming softness of each other’s mouths. His tongue caressed her in slow circles, only to become ravenous in his forbidden desire. She greeted his hunger with gulps of her own. Her mouth came alive as it sought his tongue… his lips… his chin… his neck. He pulled his neck back as she continued her feast.

He did not realize it, but his hands had moved down from her face and found another activity. Only when she raised her head from the tender skin covering his collarbone to let out a primal wail did he realize that he was cupping her breasts and creating concentric ripples with his broad thumbs around the dimpled tissue of her aureoles. Her nipples, long-denied the stimulus of a man’s touch, sprang in full bloom from the desert of her denial. The action summoned her slumbering hormones, awakening them and summoning them into action. But where to go? They surged and flowed, searching for their targets, only to be thrown into chaos, ravaging organs unfamiliar with their particular passion.

Likewise Chakotay’s body was responding in nameless rejoinders to the raging biochemical stimuli. His body throbbed with a need for release, but with nowhere to go. He ripped at his clothing and pulled Kathryn out of hers, hoping that at least skin upon skin could ease the agony that each of them was feeling. Both of their bodies were now twisting and thrusting, wanting to do something but unable to accomplish anything. Warmth of touch became the heat of desire, as a sheen of perspiration brought a glowing covering to their cavorting bodies. But their actions soon diminished, succumbing to the impotence both of them felt. With sorrow and defeat, they rolled off of each other and laid in their backs, side by side, silent as each of them shed tears over their lost capabilities.

He turned on his side, facing her, wiping away the last of her tears as they coursed downward. He leaned down and kissed her. "We were close, weren’t we?"

Her face managed a wan smile. "Yes, we were." She reached up and pulled him down to her, kissing his eyelids and gently running her finger along the curve of his jaw. "And, I want to you to know that… if we could have… I would have."

His eyes shimmered through the glaze of residual tears. "Do you mean that, Kathryn Janeway? After all these years?"

"I mean it with all my heart." She sighed and turned away. "Why? Why *now* have I decided that it could be?"

"Maybe it’s because we never know what we have until we have lost it," he said softly.

She turned back to him. "Then I have lost my life," she said sadly.

He nodded knowingly. "We both have."

~*~

Sleep was all but impossible for either of them that night. Janeway reluctantly returned to her quarters, but remained as restless as Chakotay. When sleep did finally come for each of them, it was seasoned with hellacious nightmares of Q’s laughter and scenes of what could have been if only they weren’t so… mutilated.

Janeway struggled out of bed and tended to her morning rituals by rote. She stepped from the sonic shower area and began putting on her underwear when she felt that there was a slight heaviness… fullness in her crotch area that she hadn’t noticed last night. She sat down on her bed, and pulled her knees up and held them apart. She felt strange in performing this examination, but she knew she had to. A gasp escaped as she saw and felt that her missing parts seemed to be appearing again! The tissues appeared scant and primordial in structure, but she was certain that something was happening!

She reached over and hit her comm badge. "Janeway to Chakotay".

His response was immediate… and as breathless and energized as hers. "Do you… are you… have you…"

"Yes, yes!" came her enthusiastic reply. "There’s something happening!"

"To me, too," he returned. "Not much, but something is definitely there."

"What do you think…"

"I’m beyond trying to second guess any of this. If it is Q, I’m sure we’ll find out soon enou…"

The conversation was cut off with the voice of Harry Kim broke into their conversation, calling to Janeway. "Captain, we need you on the bridge immediately. Ensign Grovka has just picked up on long range sensors a group of ships heading our way; we can’t seem to hail them."

"On my way," replied Janeway with her full Starfleet persona in place. She re-hailed Chakotay. "I think that…"

"…we’d better get to the bridge," he finished. "See you there."

~*~

Bridge activity was buzzing from the change of shifts and the adrenaline surge produced by the approaching ships.

Janeway nodded to Harry as she entered the bridge. He quickly made his way from the comm area to his more familiar ops section. "Status, Mr. Kim."

"No response to our hails, Captain. It’s almost as if they either won’t… or can’t hear us. We are certainly within range of our communication operations, and our scans indicate lifesigns for several dozen humanoids on each ship, " he answered even as he continued his modifications.

Chakotay entered shortly after Janeway, catching Harry’s comments. "Harry, you may be onto something there. Perhaps the occupants aren’t equipped with the faculties to ‘hear’ as we do; after all, not every humanoid has systems similar to our own." He glanced at Janeway, who blushed at the innuendo of his comments. He responded to her with a knowing pat on the arm. "Let’s try other means of communication. How about visual signals? Try the universal welcome using visible light wavelengths." Suddenly, she looked at him with a brief question of surprise. His touch… felt like it was triggering something…

Janeway begrudgingly pulled away and made her way to Harry’s side. "Good idea, Chakotay. Let’s see what we can do. Harry. Can you compensate within that spectrum?"

"Sure can try," he answered, as his finger flew over the monitor screens.

Seconds moved into moments with no response. Suddenly, Harry’s monitor became alive with a maelstrom of variegated colored spikes zapping across his screen, lighting up the area in a multitude of harmonic patterns of light and dark.

"We’ve got something!" Janeway called out, as she crossed to the engineering station. "Mr. Linden, can we decode them?"

"I’m working on it," the young man answered. "Yes… here it is… it’s coming!"

"On mainscreen," Janeway ordered as words began to form on the large screen at the front of the bridge: "Greetings, visitors to the Brazlim system. We do not recognize your patterns; what is your purpose here?"

"Can we respond, Mr. Linden?" barked Janeway.

"Working on it, ma’am," he answered, feverishly feeding parameters into the database. "Yes… I think I have it. Your message, Captain?" he asked looking at her for further instruction.

"Standard greeting, I would guess: ‘I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Starfleet vessel Voyager. My crew and I are strangers to this part of the galaxy, and we are attempting to return to our home planets. We wish you no harm just safe passage through your area of space.’ That should suffice for now." The zaps and crackles of the visual message sounded from the engineering module. Now began the wait to see if it worked.

The darkened bridge viewscreen suddenly came to life with neon visual static which gave way to visuals of the occupants of the host ships. Tall slender beings appeared before them, dressed ornately in multicolored robes. Their heads were oblong, featuring large bulbous eyes, a smaller-in-proportion nose, and an even smaller opening for a mouth. Their heads were completely bald… and lacked any protrusions or openings resembling auricle receptors. The tallest of the group stood closest to the screen and raised his hand. Long, slender fingers began patterned motions.

"Sign language!" Chakotay blurted out. "That’s how they communicate… it’s completely visual!" He hurried over to Janeway. "Kathryn, let me try. I think I can follow what they’re saying." Janeway nodded her blessing and he began "speaking" using the universal hand signals he had learned long ago.

How strange it was to decipher expression and emotion only through the subtle facial motions and changes in the eyes! But yet, it was very simple and obvious, and soon Chakotay and the rest of the bridge crew felt quite comfortable in their communicative efforts. Janeway offered them the opportunity to come aboard Voyager as they approached closer range, to "discuss" reciprocal greetings and possible trade arrangements.

"Well done, Commander," she offered to her first officer, letting her congratulatory pat linger on his arm and drawing him to her by her eyes. Their gaze became glued as they each began feeling sensations from other areas of their bodies… area that had been devoid of enhancement but now seemed to be filling out and swelling with denied flesh. Could it be… they said silently to each other… is it all coming back?

The ship came alive with preparations as they awaited the arrival of their visitors. Computer files were opened to sections on the universal hand language rudimentaries as the crew readied themselves for their guests. It was good to be looking forward to a friendly encounter, but it certainly was a challenge adapting to this new means of communication!

~*~

Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok and Neelix comprised the welcoming group as four Brazlim materialized in the main transporter room. Chakotay took the lead in welcoming their guests and explaining what they could offer to their latest Delta Quadrant guests. Neelix, always a quick study in understanding the needs of others, promptly put their guests at ease.

The group made their way back to the briefing room. As they passed by Voyager crew members in the halls, Janeway felt a sense of pride with the reactions of her "people" to this new group of visitors. No curious stares, no unseemly actions… just polite hand signals of welcome, punctuated with something the Brazlim found fascinating… oral orifices that could adapt to different shapes and configurations, all relaying signs of pleasantness and greeting.

Over the next ten hours, a strong alliance was forged between the Starfleet "aliens" and their most recent hosts in their adopted part of the galaxy. The Brazlim were a quite advanced civilization who had never known an audible form of communication. In addition to their hand language – which they indeed considered quite primitive! – and their language of color and light, they also were proficient in a low-level of telepathy. It did not take long for all concerned to even forget about the obvious differences that contrasted their two groups. Neelix even provided a lavish feast for the four Brazlim and the senior officers, making an ornate presentation of colorful and tasty liquid refreshments, all served with straw-like appliances for ease of consumption by their guests.

It was quite late when the groups parted, each satisfied with their introductory experience. As they bid farewell, Neptrus, the Brazlim leader, pulled Janeway and Chakotay aside, "telling" them how happy he was for them. He had sensed a growing desire between the two officers throughout the visit, and he apologized if his visit had intruded on a ritual of import between the two of them. The two senior officers turned crimson, realizing that the strong physical and emotional changes that had been growing stronger and stronger throughout the day were quite obvious to this stranger.

Their expressions weren’t lost on another couple who stood nearby. Although Neptrus’ "words" were hidden from Tom and B’Elanna, they knew that there was something unusual happening between their superiors. B’Elanna nudged Tom in the ribs as they looked at the cozy scene. "Tom… something strange is going on. Look at the color in the captain’s face; that doesn’t come just from whatever Neptrus is saying. She… well, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that she’s about ready to… lose it."

Tom looked at her wickedly. "Lose it? Come on, B’Elanna! She would never do that with…" But his words cut off suddenly as his eyes were drawn to Chakotay, who was shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other, as if trying to alleviate some sudden discomfort that had overtaken him. "Geez, B’Elanna… I think you’re right. And I don’t think she’s the only one. Take a look at our first officer. That little dance he’s doing isn’t exactly one of entertainment." The two younger officers tried to hide their clandestine glee.

The visiting Brazlim team sparkled away in the transporter beams. Janeway turned to face the group in the room, while Chakotay tried to hide behind her, suddenly conscious of the fact that eager eyes might notice a definite change in the way his uniform was fitting. But he was too late; Tom and B’Elanna’s eyes burst with laughter, for they could see that poor Chakotay had a very large, bulging, prime grade-A hard-on!

Janeway felt every bit of his heat from behind her. She wanted to help him… to give him time. ‘Talk’, she thought to herself. ‘Give them an attaboy speech; that should help. And, damn it; they deserve it, too. Hang on, Kathryn; you can make it…’ She took a deep breath and started speaking slowly and deliberately, hoping that he could will himself into an acceptable appearance.

"I want to thank all of you for what we have accomplished today. As we have learned over our travels, not all humanoids are made alike, and they sometimes function in ways that we cannot even begin to imagine. We all continue to learn… that survival is possible without the means that we humanoids deem necessary for survival." She glanced over her shoulder at Chakotay, sharing their innermost secret. "Part of our on-going mission is to overcome these personal prejudices that we may have about such differences… to persevere in our mission whatever hardships may arise; that is a basic tenet of our Starfleet philosophy." She felt his hand reach up and rest on her shoulder; she tensed at his touch as hot surges sprang throughout her body. But she continued. "So it is with the Brazlim, and I applaud each and every one of you for exemplary conduct in this situation." Her face was flushing with the sensations cursing throughout her system. Slowly… slowly, Kathryn; don’t lose control. Eyes and touches and smiles… trying to hide them, but with each one a promise of something to come. Twitches and soundless groans… again, trying to hide them. She felt flesh forming and filling out, creating a welcoming but torturous pressure. Focus… must focus.

"And now, I think we can call it a day; I thank all of you for jobs well done." She hoped her legs would hold out as she began walking with her dismissal. God, she needed him… and needed him now! His fingers had worked magic all day with the Brazlim, and now they communicated his need for her. Would they be able to make it back to the privacy of their quarters before she burst? The hungry smile on his face told her that it would be a very close call.

~*~

It was almost midnight before they got back to their living areas. His door was first; they hurriedly entered, knowing that they could not wait one second more. Without a word, having learned well from their guests, they knew what needed to be done as they impatiently grabbed and tugged at the stifling uniforms that were beginning to suffocate them. Well-intended fastenings were ripped asunder in their desire to affirm what they knew they would find; torn clothing soon littered the floor around them, until their eyes acknowledged the reality of the situation. With ecstatic spirits, they saw that they each had been fully reinstated with that which was lost.

All was as it had been before. Each had known it about him or her self, but never had they seen the other like this. For several moments, they stood there, admiring the aroused bodies that they had denied each other for so long, their levels of happiness multiplying as each recreated part of missing anatomy revealed itself. With awe and reverence, they touched and caressed the new flesh, delighting in the sensations that their complete bodies could experience. With loving embraces, they stroked the "new" features, familiarizing each other with the lost treasures of recent weeks.

The whole day had been as one long session of foreplay. There was no need to wait any longer; they knew what they wanted and what needed to be done. In one fluid movement, she found herself walking into his arms; he swept her up and took her into his sleeping area. He gently placed her on his bed and then covered her body with his.

"Well, Captain… should we see if all systems are functional?"

She smiled back at him. "Tell me… is this the prototype or the real thing?"

A hearty laugh. "Hmmm. Good question! I guess this means that we’re both… um… virgins again, doesn’t it?"

Kathryn just couldn’t resist a comeback. Batting her eyelashes at him, she asked in a sweet little voice, "You will be gentle, won’t you, Commander?"

His eyes glowed with insatiable hunger. "After all we’ve been through? Don’t bet on it!" He poised himself above her, his taunt tip straining and hot, cradled by her warm and waiting wetness. "I don’t want to hurt you."

"You won’t; let’s just consider it… an experiment for science."

And so the latest experiment on Voyager was carried out, with greatly anticipated success. Like all good scientific investigations, its researchers deemed the necessity of repeating their results. The repetition added a few new variables here and there, but still produced the desired effects of culmination. Finally, they fell into that deep, relaxed slumber that comes after utter and complete sexual satisfaction.

~*~

They startled awake as the surroundings changed around them. Suddenly, they realized that they weren’t alone in the darkened room.

"Well, I see you two have finally found the answer to the conundrum I gave you. Ah, how I *do* enjoy seeing you mortals plodding your weary way through my puzzles!" Q’s corporal form materialized in front of them, moving in a little jig of glee. "I *am* sorry that I had to take such drastic measures, but you do understand that it had to be, as neither of you was willing to move across that damnable line you had drawn between yourselves. I decided that if I took the ability away from you that you’d want it back sooner or later. Sort of the bit of wanting what you cannot have."

He hopped onto the bed and sprawled on his stomach in-between them, his chin cupped in his hands. With impish delight, he continued. "Now… isn’t this much nicer? I hope you feel better now; I know *I* do!" He rolled onto his back, staring into their sleep-laden faces. "I know you don’t want a repeat of this little lesson; so, I’m sure you will figure out a way to keep it from happening again, won’t you?" He grabbed each of them in quick succession, planting a wet kiss on each of their reddened cheeks. "Got to fly; see you back in the Alpha Quadrant… whenever!" With a jump, he was out of the bed and vanished out of their lives again… at least for now.

Kathryn smiled at the dark man beside her. "No, we don’t want to go through a lesson like this again, do we, Commander?"

"I don’t think we’ll have to," he smiled back, pulling her laughing form back underneath the covers with him.

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