The research itself turned out to be a horrifyingly difficult task.

  Seven worked into the night watch. The problem was more complex than she'd anticipated. The transporter was not even designed to do what it did. It was designed to transport things, not to change their size. It was like trying to get a cargo vessel to manufacture things. It was not apparently capable. Yet it did what it did with astonishingly accurate results. The Borg menace was worse than she'd ever imagined every time she learned something new about them and about herself.

  She shuddered to think that her mistake may be a permanent change for several beings she'd begun to see as her family. She would have given her life to save theirs, now it appeared she'd taken their well being and lives and could do nothing to repair it.

  She'd began to wish they HAD just died. At least then, they wouldn't be there as a tiny constant reminder. She would have preferred death to becoming a tiny worthless being herself.

  She was finally exhausted and forced to rejuvenate. She went to their charger and looked at her hopeful audience.

  She felt guilty all of a sudden knowing that they expected "something" from her. She didn't know what it could be, she'd have to think of something later. Perhaps she could make them a traditional meal? Is that what men expected of a female that was supposed to nurture them? Would that be a human thing to do? "I shall speak with you soon." She told them. She would confer with another woman, perhaps B'ellana about what she should do with so many men to look after.

  "Will we be allowed to move about the room now?" Harry asked respectfully. Evidently he had more in mind than sitting in the little temporary shelter. Seven couldn't blame him for that.

  "You may." She regretted not being able to tell them something more. Good news later maybe? She'd been confident that she'd be able to return them by now. There was no luck with that train of thought.

  She went to a troubled rejuvenation. She dreamed, and it was more of the same human conceptions creeping up on her. She dreamed that she was Captain of the ship and everyone swooned to her whim, and that she loved it. It was perhaps the most guilt ridden dream she'd had since she had flash backs of melding the minds of the other three drones just before she was first separated from the collective.

  She was confused why it "excited" her to torture her friends in her dreams.

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  "The food is adequate. Is this all you eat?" The Forlocci asked with dismay in her voice. The Captain knew better than to divulge their replicator technology.

  "Unfortunately. The Delta Quadrant has been slim on food stuffs." She had chosen something for herself that would keep her figure. She didn't like to discuss it, but she could VERY EASILY be the biggest Captain in the Delta quadrant if she gave into her eating urges. She'd kept them down, and having a male prospect practically GIVING himself to her. She'd KEEP her figure a while longer yet.

  "If we reach a suitable agreement, we would also be willing to trade food. You must hate having to eat dead things."

  "Excuse me?" Janeway wasn't prepared for their eating habits and had never asked. The Ferlocci proclaimed that they ate live foods mostly. The conversation went around and around about different views and cultures. They were one of the more advanced races of their region of space, yet they were more wicked and vile than even Klingons! Janeway would be glad to leave these people alone, and soon!

  She was relieved of the conversation by a little twill noise from the Forlocci's communicator.

  While the Ambassador was busy, Janeway got to take a good look around Voyager. The monstrous female spoke quietly into her small transmitter as if everything else in the universe ceased to exist.

  This was the first time Janeway really looked at her crew.

  They LOOKED pathetic.

  She'd seen depleted and decimated crews before, the crew of the Equinox was less than what Voyager had, but it began to tear at her esteem how few people were left aboard after ONE mistake. One big mistake.

  She spotted Marla Gilmore sitting in the corner by herself. She'd been aboard Voyager for most of a year now, and it didn't appear that she was making any friends. Janeway remembered the Equinox all too well and slipped over to Marla while the Forlocci was occupied.

  "Marla, is it?" She asked. She remembered her last name well, but didn't want to call her by that.

  The thin blonde nodded quickly as if surprised the Captain remembered her at all.

  "Where's Angela?" Janeway would have guessed that she'd at least have a friend from the old Equinox.

  "She's on the other shift." The sheepish quiet voice remained. Janeway was sorry they all had to be stripped of rank. But she had to treat them the same for their actions.

  She'd felt sorry for Marla. She'd been the most traumatized by the horrifying time aboard her ship.

  There were only two twelve hour shifts now, and they were overlapping at that. Janeway knew it was necessary for the time being. "So, how have you been coming along?" The Captain wasn't making herself comfortable in her seat just in case she had to return to the monstrous diplomat. Marla was seriously considering what she would say to the Captain as if her career in the Starfleet depended on it. Janeway was again sorry for stripping her rank.

  "I've been doing everything they ask. I try to help any way I can." Marla was so intimidated by the Captain she could barely talk. She'd been thinking of how easily she'd been stripped of rank, stripped of status, stripped of the ability to walk around without someone to watch over her. She'd thought of Janeway everyday since... Janeway almost forgot Gilmore's name.

  She'd proven herself long enough in Janeway's reasoning. A crisis always helped pull people together.

  "How about a little promotion..." Janeway let herself smile. It was causing Marla's jaw to drop as well. "We're short handed now, as you can see, I'm making you an officer again."

  "Rea.. really? Captain?" Marla almost choked on her dinner. Her eyes grew wide as if it might be a trick. Too good to be true. Janeway just nodded conveying her confidence in her. Janeway knew she would NOT to be betrayed this time. Only her previous Captain had allowed her to be lead before.

  "The others too..." Marla asked biting her lip. Still thinking of her crew mates. Janeway shrugged.

  "Sure."

  They shared the elation of the new orders. Marla could go about the ship to do better tasks than cleaning the holodecks. Janeway would be gaining a much needed engineer to help out B'elana.

  Suddenly Marla slipped a tiny figure out from behind her ear. One of the men left from the Equinox crew had chosen her as a protector. He'd been listening the whole time. Janeway should have guessed but it surprised her all the same.

  "Did you hear that James? We're being reinstated!"

  Janeway had to hurry to recover the fumble. "Actually, the men won't be..." She fretted seeing that the three inch man was thinner than the other tiny men. Even since Equinox, he had it so rough he hadn't completely filled back out to a normal man's stature. He weighed nothing in Marla's fingers.

  Janeway continued for both of their benefit since they hadn't heard. "All men aboard Voyager have been dropped below the rank of their chosen protector until the crisis is over. Watch over your man safely 'Ms. Engineer'."

  Janeway patted the still unbelieving blonde on the shoulder. She made note to notify the others that Angela Tassoni was to be promoted as well.

  The Forlocci was approaching now.

  "Remember, hide him." Janeway didn't have to tell Marla twice. As the monster approached, Marla put her hands to her lap. Without another word Janeway was intercepting the sallow skinned monstrous.

  "Captain... my consort has just informed me that you have suitable goods to trade for dilithium. We are prepared to make the deal now."

  "Good. Then we should meet again in the conference room."

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