Warning: Graphics are childishly rude, crude and explicit! :-) ~*~ Chakotay looked up from the monitor on his ready room desk, his usually composed face rapidly reddening with anger and embarrassment. The young crewman from engineering jumped up from her chair in front of the desk and ran towards him, her voice quivering and her eyes rapidly filling with tears. “Are you all right, sir? Am… am I in trouble?” Chakotay shook his head and got up, attempting to brush aside her concern. “No; no, I’m fine. You did the right thing, Crewman Boswick. I’m glad you came directly to me with this.” He looked over to the woman who was obviously just as shaken as he was, if not more so. “Tell me again where you found this holochip?” “In transporter room #1, sir. I… I was cleaning up the room and I saw it on the floor, in the corner to the left of the platform. I don’t know how long it had been there.” Chakotay began pacing. His face darkened with thought as he mused out loud. “There are no identifying marks on it – I can’t tell who made it or when.” “That’s what I decided when I opened it and examined it. But it does look like it was made here on Voyager,” the crewman volunteered. “Have you told anyone else about this?” the commander asked her. “Ummm… not really, sir.” The woman again seemed to be on the verge of tears. “Although maybe someone saw it when I opened it in engineering.” “What?” Chakotay blurted out. The tears came for real now. “But I can’t be certain, sir. I… I really don’t know.” “That’s all we need – is for some rumor to be started based on a… a… fabricated holochip!” Uncharacteristically ignoring the rapidly disintegrating state of the young woman, he continued. “That’s all, Crewman Boswick; dismissed.” He looked up and snapped with afterthought. “And not a word of this to anyone until I get to the bottom of this.” “N… no, sir; not a word.” Boswick backed up to the door, making a valiant effort to compose herself. “I promise, sir; not a word.” Her back reached the door as it silently opened and she nearly fell backwards onto the bridge. She briskly half ran to the turbolift, exiting the bridge, leaving several faces of the curious crew wondering just what had occurred behind those closed doors. Chakotay walked to the doors, his eyes dark and hooded with despair. “Mr. Tuvok, you continue to have the bridge. I’ve got to look into a problem.” “Yes, sir,” the Vulcan responded as the doors to the room closed. He quickly went back to his desk, knowing that he should look at the depraved contents again, searching for any hint of its perpetrator. Gods; it wasn’t just him who was pictured in the loathsome display of pictures – it was also Tom and B’Elanna and Seven and Kathryn. Oh, gods; how would he ever explain this? Were there copies? He shivered with the thought of copies of it. It was all so juvenile; so sophomoric; so incriminating! It was just plain sick! If it or any duplicates ever surfaced – his body began to shake at the very thought – there would be hell to pay. He pressed the button, bracing himself for the onslaught of words and pictures. So childish and yet so damning. The audio/visual composition began again… “Welcome to Risa! My name is Sqigflom. As you know, this planet is the jewel in the crown of vacation retreats in the Alpha Quadrant, where anything you want or desire can be had only for the asking! I’m one of the beach hosts on Risa… some people refer to me as a jellyfish, but actually I’m a Grydmon, a species whose main purpose is to facilitate certain physical adaptations that might prove difficult for them. I also try to put them at ease psychologically, so that they have a most beneficial experience on our planet. The following pictorial diary shows the story of several recent visitors. Perhaps after viewing the results, you will want to pay us a visit, too. Sit back, relax and enjoy as I show you around on this Return to Risa! “Our first stop is to watch a very lively and energetic couple engaging in one of their favorite activities. I believe I heard them call each other Tom and B’Elanna; let’s look in on them: “My goodness; he certainly does seem to be enjoying her talents here, doesn’t he? “Ah! Now it looks as if they are mutually taking pleasure with one other. Quite a twosome, wouldn’t you say? “I certainly hope that all this sand isn’t bothering them! “I’m here if they need me; but it looks like they’re slip-sliding along just fine. Let’s see what else I can find… “Hmmm. This is in an interesting scene. But both of them seem so… stiff; so immobile! Maybe I should move in and try to help them a bit… “Brrr! I don’t think this duo would ever work! He’s warm and willing but I don’t think she would ever be anything other than a cold mechanical partner. Let’s see if I can find something better for each of them. “Ah! I hear a fabled MauRosian longboat approaching. It is said that it appears only when there is a challenge worthy of the men who inhabit it; that the boat sails over mighty seas looking for such game. Have they found it here? “One of the MauRosian men comes ashore. He sees the Ice Woman in Blue. She sees him and gasps. His markings… they are so BIG! So much bigger than those on the man whom she had earlier thought was her desire. Oh, my; it’s obvious that she is smitten – look at her now running towards him: “She looks up and around – there are more of them! A smile comes across her face; it seems that she remembers that more than one is better – that the collective will suit her needs so much better than the one. “And now she leaves with the band of blue marked MauRosians, sailing off into the seas of happiness. “But what of the poor man she left? What can we do to cheer him and bring him happiness? Hm; I see that that he doesn’t seem too brokenhearted; he appears to have found a lone female, who is pondering the state of her loneliness. He approaches her… “It looks as if they know each other; he is attempting to strike up a conversation with her, although she doesn’t seem too responsive. “Maybe if I apply some of my ‘magic’ things will smooth out a bit… “Ah, yes – this is more like it! “Oh, my; it looks as if they have been taking lessons from Tom and B’Elanna! Guess my help isn’t needed here anymore; time to move along… “What’s that? I hear some commotion further down the beach. Let’s go down and see what’s going on… Oh, no! It looks as if the Ice Woman in Blue was not acceptable as a love gift for the MauRosians. It’s apparent that they have offered her as a sacrifice to the gods of the sea. Tsk, tsk; sometimes the endings to stories on Risa aren’t too happy – or are they? “This ends our entry here. Please come back to visit us again – on Risa, where all your dreams come true! Until next time, this is Sqigflom wishing you pleasant journeys!” The screen darkened as the final image of Sqigflom disappeared. For the next two hours, Chakotay ran every decoding program he knew on the chip, but all for naught – nary an identifying symbol or signal could be found. He thought about asking Harry or (he shivered at the thought) Seven helping him, but rejected the idea, knowing that it was raise more questions than it answered. Perhaps this was the only copy of the pornographic piece; he ejected the small chip from its slot. He tightly grasped it in his hand and headed towards the recycler – destroying it was the best thing, and hoping against everything he held sacred that it was the only copy. His finger moved towards the ‘recycle’ button when he suddenly retrieved the incriminating record. Who knows? he thought. I might have another idea about searching for some identification and just might have to look at this again… and again… and again…" He opened a drawer in his desk and reached towards the back where there was a small brown leather box. He opened it and placed it inside, letting it rest along side several other small chips. ~*~ THE END ~*~