FLAMMABLE
ICE
Captain
Kathryn Janeway sat quietly, trying to concentrate on the leather bound book
she held in her lap. Words drifted past without meaning, and after reading the
same paragraph twice, she put the book down on the arm of the chair.
Until
recently, she had been spending her nights with Seven Of Nine, her Astrometrics
officer. Seven had taken up her
off-duty time with demands, both intellectual and physical in nature. When
Seven's apparent interest in her became much more personal, Janeway realized
she could no longer sustain the level of contact. It was now thirteen days
since that fateful conversation in her quarters.
Seven
now made no requests on her time. They still had the occasional game of
velocity, but it was always at her suggestion and Seven seemed mildly
uninterested their matches.
Janeway
had been outraged at the string of intrusive personal questions Seven had
volleyed at her. She allowed her Irish temper to take over.
It
all seemed rather silly now.
Her
first officer, Commander Chakotay had informed her earlier they were coming
into the range of an M class planet. It occurred to Voyager’s Captain that if she was feeling the strain of
the last few months, then perhaps her crew could also do with a break. She had
noticed that Tom and B'Elanna had been fighting more often of late.
Perhaps
some downtime on this planet would also give her a chance to rekindle some of
the friendship that she had felt developing between herself and Seven.
"Janeway
to Kim. Plot in a course for the M-Class planet in the next system"
"Yes
Captain. On course "
***
Janeway
marched onto the Bridge at the end of the Gamma shift, just as Voyager entered
the orbit of the Class-M planet. She was two hours early for her shift.
"Harry,
I have the bridge, for a few moments."
“Captain. We have done all of the preliminary scans and the planet seems
to be a reasonable place to stop off,” Harry said with enthusiasm
"Thank
you, Mr. Kim"
Janeway
watched him as his eyes burned a trail to the young red-head seated at the
helm. Well Katy, his interest in Seven seems to have waned.
"Report,"
Janeway barked, as she sat gracefully in the Captain’s chair.
"Report
on what, Captain?" Harry asked immediately, running his fingers over his
station.
"The
planet, Harry." Good god, was she losing her touch?
"Oxygen,
xenon, nitrogen atmosphere. Surface almost entirely sedimentary with a few
igneous outcrops and no signs of any recent volcanic activity. There are a few life forms present on the
surface and none appear to be dangerous.
There are, however, a number of aquatic life forms in the oceans that
look a little large…eh. One sun and two moons are affecting the
planet. The climate compares well with earth norms, although the equatorial
regions are prone to sudden storms…"
"Okay,
Okay Ensign Kim, I get the picture.”
She said smiling. “Prepare landing parties, and make sure nobody goes
in paddling with out a tricorder. My orders."
"Computer,
locate Seven of Nine."
"Seven
of Nine is in Cargo Bay Two."
"Harry,
I believe that you still have two hours to go. Keep scanning for anything we
may have missed." She said exiting the bridge
***
"Seven?"
Kathryn called out as the doors to Cargo Bay 2 opened.
My
god what is she doing sitting here in the dark? Thought
Janeway
"Captain,” Seven responded immediately from the darkness.
"Have
you regenerated at all in the last twenty-four hours?”
"No,
Captain, I have not."
Seven
struggled to get up from her sitting position but refused the offer of Janeway’s hand.
“Was there something you required, Captain?”
"Well,
yes. I wondered if you would like to spend some time with me on the planet. It
does look rather beautiful from what we've seen so far and it has…."
"No,
I would not. The planet is unremarkable; it has no mineral deposits and I do
not see any advantage to Voyager in my having visited it. I would prefer to spend time here researching
our course back to the Alpha Quadrant."
Janeway noted dark circles under the borg‘s eyes. "Seven, why have you not being
regenerating successfully?"
Seven
tilted her head. “Do you not
know, Captain?”
"I
don't know, please tell me."
"The
Doctor has been encouraging me to try sleeping rather than regeneration. My
attempts have not been successful."
As
Seven manoeuvred herself into the alcove, Janeway suddenly felt lost for words.
"She has been going through this without me. Have things really drifted
this far?"
"Seven?"
There
was no response.
"Seven
could we talk about…"
“I do not wish to talk." Her eyes closed as
the regeneration cycle began.
***
“Please state the… Ah, Captain, how may I help you?”
“Seven tells me that she has been attempting to sleep at your
suggestion. Would you care to explain?” Taking in the tone of the Janeway’s voice and her pose, the Doctor decided to tread
lightly.
“Well, Seven's physiology has now adapted to the point
where sleep is a viable option. She still needs to regenerate for short periods
every 10 days, however,” he said,
tinkering with a tricorder.
“And just where has she been sleeping?” God,
the man could be infuriating. “Don't
tell me you've been allowing her to sleep in cargo bay…”
“Really, Captain! This was all in my report,
as was my suggestion that Seven be allocated suitable quarters. Of course I
have not been letting her sleep in the cargo bay; she has been sleeping here
where I can monitor her progress.”
“Oh.” She lowered her head,
embarrassment causing her cheeks to flush. The doctor sniffed huffily. “Well it doesn't seem to be doing much good,” she added weakly.
“She was progressing well until about 13 days ago when her sleep
patterns became extremely erratic. I am at a loss how to explain it.” He looked
directly at Janeway who was pinching the bridge of her nose and straightened
his shoulders. “You are
overdue for a medical…again.” She was on the way out the door before he
finished his sentence.
“Resubmit the report on Seven,” she said before the doors closed behind
her.
***
By
all accounts, the planet turned out to be more of a success than Janeway could
have imagined. Neelix had come back from the surface with a number of samples
for the hydroponics bay that he claimed were ideal for cultivation.
Tom
and B'Elanna had asked her if she would marry them. She wondered how long that
would last and said that if she saw no bruises in the next year, she might
consider it. Both took this in good humour.
Harry,
it seemed, had a rather strange encounter while trying to entice his new
girlfriend into the waters around the northern hemisphere. He had been greeted
with the face of a creature that did not
look at all happy to meet the young ensign. The creature had frowned and
said something like "Meh" before slipping back into the ocean.
Both
Chakotay and Tuvock had chosen the time to meditate, and they were still on the
planet. Others had chosen to go back and forth between the planet and Voyager.
Only herself, Seven and the boy who didn't like picking up diseases had not
beamed down.
What
was his name again? Janeway reflected with an amused
grin.
Late
in the evening, she decided that she would recall the last few teams back from
their trip.
The
sound of her chime startled her and she hastily wiped tired eyes.
"Come."
In
strode the Borg.
"Captain,
I was in error. The planet does have some remarkable features. Would you
accompany me now to the surface?"
Janeway
stumbled in her response but eventually managed an answer. "Odd how,
Seven?"
"There
are igneous outcrops that on initial scans appear to be obsidian on a planet
that is almost entirely sedimentary."
"Yes,
we already know that, Seven. Were you not paying attention?" Janeway said
with a slightly amused grin.
"Yes,
I was.”
"Hmm,"
Janeway smiled broadly.
"Captain,
over the last 10 days I have been studying the course that this ship must take
on its journey back to the Alpha quadrant. I have found something unusual about
this planet. Our sensors have detected a planetary system 4 light years away.
The pattern of planets in this system is repeated on the surface."
Seven
paused slightly to analyse the Captain's response to the information. Seeing
nothing but bemusement on Janeway's elegant features, she continued.
“The pattern is repeated on several of the land
masses on this planet, mapped out by igneous outcrops."
"Well yes that is interesting, but
Seven, it's late..."
"The stones
move. The pattern disintegrates and then realigns with different
views."
Janeway
raised forward in her seat with a shocked expression.
"What!
Well, by all means we should investigate. And let’s take William Telfor with us. I hear that he is
becoming agoraphobic again."
Seven’s ocular implant hiked several millimetres up her
brow at the mention of Telfer but she made no comment.
"And
Seven, I think it could wait until morning, don't you? We could spend some time
on the planet. Make a detailed study. Have a break." Janeway smiled
brightly. She had gotten her way, after
all.
“Oh, and Seven?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“You will need more suitable clothing for this mission. Ask the Doctor
if you need help.”
Seven
nodded briefly and left.
***
The
three officers had decided to visit one of the land masses in the southern
hemisphere of the planet, mainly because few of the Voyager crew had visited
the area. Janeway suggested that they could also make this an investigation of
the plant and limited animal life in the region. They were to take enough
supplies and equipment for a 10-day period.
Voyager
was then to leave orbit and take a detour to a planet in another system that
Icheb had detected contained significant quantities of dilithium . The journey
would take the ship no more than five days, so the small landing party was more
than adequately prepared for any eventuality. Voyager was to contact them after
they arrived on the planet and if all was well, send down their supplies.
The
party beamed down to a small area in the forest about a kilometre from the
location of an outcrop. Scanning for any signs of harmful plant life, Janeway
was surprised to see that only three plant forms and one species of fungi were
poisonous and even these were not life threatening. The air was filled with the
sound of unseen bird life.
The
vegetation was a great more luxuriant than Janeway had imagined from their
scans. Although the canopy of trees was not high, light from the mid day sun
still had some difficulty filtering through to the forest floor. Occasionally,
the dark green of this forest was broken by the lighter green of an area
without a canopy. In these small gaps
where light filtered through, the colours of the flowers, reds, yellows and
blues seemed almost luminescent in all shades of the three primary colours.
Janeway
picked up one of the flowers from the base of a tree. She tried to recall where
she had ever seen such a colour, such a pale blue iridescent beauty, she
brought the flower to her nose and was overwhelmed by an ester like scent.
It
was little more that a whisper when she articulated the words. But both Seven
and William heard, "Seven." She looked at her two crewmates somewhat
ashamed of herself for having spoken aloud. The flower brushed against her lips
as she lowered it. Now looking at it she saw that some of the blue colour had
been brushed from the petal and a pale beam of blue light shone up at her.
"Captain,
are you well?" the blond had turned to look at her, with some concern
evident in her normally abrupt tones. Running a scan over the flower and then
several other flowers from the forest floor she stated, "It would seem
that this species has the ability to store light energy directly, there is no
need for concern." Seven reached up to the captains lips to brush away the
residue from the petal.
Janeway
shock at this gesture, the feel of Seven's fingers on her lips left her
slightly light headed. She was aware that her heart rate had increased and the
muscles in her stomach contracted violently. Seven's fingers continued their
subtle brushing movements until the powder had been removed. Janeway eventually
pushed her hand away in order to still in reaction she was having to her touch.
Seven watched her eyes and wondered at the effect she was having on her
Captain. This was rather unexpected, perhaps I should have touched her like
this before, thought Seven.
"You
called my name." She said softly, studying the flower that Janeway still
held.
"I'm
sorry, we should carry on." It was all she could manage unable to trust
her voice to say anything more.
After
several more minutes hiking through the forest the trio cautiously approached
one of the smooth dark outcrops of stone running different scientific scans on
their tricorders.
"The chemical composition is largely
silicon with significant amounts of H2O trapped as water of crystallization and
a number of trace minerals." William stated, his voice shaking slightly as
he stood closer to Seven.
"Well
Seven I see nothing remiss about this aside from the obvious geological
implications" said Janeway snapping her tricorder shut. "Could the
stones have been placed here, by some ancient civilization, perhaps?"
"Captain,
they move."
"Well
then, there must be something we're missing," she said brightly, intrigued
by the puzzle.
Seven
took a few more steps towards the stones and slowly reached out to touch one.
"Seven what the hell are you doing are you doing?" screamed William.
She
turned towards him and then to the Captain giving her what the Doctor had told
her was a, "reassuring look."
"Organic
not lithic." Seemingly feeling
there was no need for further explanation.
The
moment her hand touched the stone all hell broke loose. A small naked humanoid
female emerged from the amorphous form and ran off into the undergrowth,
screeching with delight. Then a tall well-muscled youth emerged and chased
after her. As the stone disintegrated to reveal two more humanoids William
fainted, briefly clutching at Seven's thigh before he went down. Janeway turned
to look at his prone form, wondering, how the boy had ever made it into Star
Fleet before turning back to the two naked women now standing before them.
"Your
child has fainted" the taller of the two stated rather unnecessarily as
she stared down at him. "Did we scare him?" Her verdant eyes flitted between Janeway and Seven.
Seven
looked at the Captain horrified at the thought that she too may be about to
faint but to her relief the Captain had quickly recovered her composure.
"I'm sorry, I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Star Ship Voyager and
these are two of my crewmembers, Seven of Nine and Cadet William Telfer."
"Seven do you think you could try rousing Mr Telfer?"
As
Seven bent down to administer a hypo spray to William's neck Janeway turned her
attention back to the two women. They were both extremely striking. Their dark
brown skin almost seemed to glow in the fading light of the late afternoon, and
looking them up and down briefly, she noted that they had purple markings
running from their hair line down the sides of their bodies rather like the
Trill. Their bodies were angular and slightly gaunt. Their eyes captivated the
captain. Startling green with splinters of purple. It was the flashing of those
incredible eyes that gave the women their chief expression of beauty.
"Captain
Janeway, Seven. We are pleased to meet you. I am Iliana, this is Kera and these
are our children Cefan and Tannis." Her slender elegant hand pointed to
the youth carrying the small girl towards them. "I'm sorry that we
startled you it was not our intention to cause harm". She reached out and
pulled the now conscious William to his feet. Her hand remained in his and Janeway
noted that the look of surprise on his face become one of warmth as he looked
into Iliana's hypnotic eyes. He smiled shyly at her.
"Iliana,
Kera we are the ones who should beg your forgiveness, we were unaware that this
planet was occupied" A look of self-satisfaction passed between the two
women.
"Your
technology is not familiar to me, could you explain how…?"
"Seven!"
"We
have attempted to avoid any contact with outsiders that may threaten our
existence Seven." Iliana replied, extending a hand to touch her. Seven
shifted uneasily.
"You
are replicating the pattern of the planets around your home world?"
Janeway made a mental note about teaching Seven how to ask questions without
them sounding like accusations.
Kera
answered, "Yes, it started as a signal to others that they should land
here, but none ever came, so now the ritual is more of a memorial." She
lowered her head to Iliana's shoulder.
Seven
glanced at the couple's two approaching children, before addressing Kera
"You are both female, are these offspring your bio…." Thankfully, she was cut off by a hail from
Voyager.
"Voyager
to Captain Janeway, Please respond."
"Yes
Chakotay, what's the problem?"
"Captain
there is an ion storm approaching, we cannot stay in orbit for much longer. How
do you wish to proceed?"
"Send
down the supplies, we are fine. Oh and Chakotay could you send down a teddy
bear."
"That
will be for Telfor," was clearly audible in the background.
"
Of course. Enjoy your holiday Kathryn, Voyager out."
As
soon as that metallic supply case appeared, the son of the two women yelled.
"We cannot have that showing on the surface, Tannis and I are detecting
another presence." He cradled the now whimpering child closer to him as
his parents closed their eyes and turned their faces skywards signalling
silence with their hands.
"It's
the hunters, please gather your things and come with us." Not seeing any
reason to argue with their hosts Janeway nodded to Seven and William, and
between them, they lifted the supply case. Seven lifted the case easily but
William struggled a little as he attempted to keep an eye on his footing and
move at Seven's pace. Cefan handed Tannis over to Kera and moved behind William
to shoulder some of the burden. Keeping a steadying hand on William's waist the
three moved more easily following Kera's lead.
They
travelled this way for around an hour, shifting the supplies and Tannis between
the six adults. Periodically either Iliana or Kera would move off into the
undergrowth and come back with various tubers and fungi. Janeway could noticed
that their group did not seam to be following a particular path, but she
instinctively trusted these individuals and for once she let herself be guided.
This also gave her an opportunity to analyse her reaction to Seven's touch.
Certainly,
she had reached out a hand to Seven on a number of occasions, usually as a
gentle acknowledgement that she was aware of Seven's discomfort in certain
situations or as an act of compassion when she knew that Seven was hurt. She
could never recall being touched back. Her reaction had been undoubtedly sexual
in nature. Seven was a beautiful woman and one that she had come to rely on in
many ways one of the most important being to dispel some of the loneliness of
her position. By the time she smelled the distinctive ozone odour of the ocean
she had irritably concluded that she had a crush. This emotion was potentially
infuriating and exhausting and wholly inappropriate for a Star Ship captain and
she would smother it in true Kathryn Janeway fashion.
Congratulating herself on a problem solved
Janeway fell into step with Kera curious to find out more about the hunters and
how the family had detected this threat. Kera said that although she had never
seen the hunters they had been described to her by one of the few inhabitants
of the planet that had escaped them as rather reptilian in appearance. Haakon
had also told them that he had been taken from his home planet and along with
many other individuals been let go, only to be relentlessly perused by the
hunters until he was the only one of his kind left. She was surprised when Kera
started to giggle.
"What's
so funny?"
"You
are fortunate to still have one of your crewmates, he stood on Haakon's tail
which has been quite sore since he caught it in a reef several weeks ago."
Janeway
had to concede that this was indeed quite amusing but she sobered the tone by
informing Kera that the hunters sounded a lot like the Hirogen and the
inhabitants certainly correct to fear them. The Captain was no nearer to finding
out about the strange powers the family had, being told simply, "We feel
their presence just as we felt yours."
On one of the rotations, Iliana handed Tannis
over to Seven. The child peered at Seven as she was bundled into her arms.
"You tickled me," she said as she reached out to touch Seven's ocular
implant.
"Indeed.
It was not my intention to "tickle" you." Replied Seven hoisting
the child higher on her hip, wondering what being tickled felt like. "Was
the sensation unpleasant?"
"No
it was funny." Seven eyed Janeway's compact bottom as they followed, idly
wondering about the effects of different sorts of touches.
"We're
home." Squealed the child wrestling herself from Seven's arms. Seven
looked around sceptically; there was nothing in the immediate vicinity that
could be described as a 'home' in any conventional sense. She looked
expectantly at Captain Janeway to instruct her on how they should proceed.
Tannis and Cefan were already scrambling underneath a leafy bush down into what
appeared a hole in the ground.
Janeway
was at a loss herself as she looked down at the hole, but she was aware that
even this terrifically understated 'home' was preferable to being caught out in
the open by the Hirogen. Luckily, Iliana started to issue instructions to
William to push the supply case down and that Cefan should pull it through at
the other end. This accomplished she motioned the three crewmembers to follow.
Once
in the hole, Janeway had to struggle to push her way through. It was
claustrophobic, not to mention dirty and wet. She hoped that William would not
panic in the confined space. After a few moments, she felt Cefan's strong hands
grip the shoulders of her tunic and drag her into a much larger space in which
she could stand up. It was pitch black and she could see nothing, so she
gingerly felt for the walls of the cavern and stood back against them. Seven
was the next to come through and Kathryn reached out to pull her to her as they
awaited the arrival of William and Iliana. Seven stumbled slightly in the
darkness and in an attempt to steady herself her hand came into sharp contact
with Janeway's left breast. Oh god, thought Janeway as she griped the
young woman's arms and pulled her alongside.
"I'm
sorry Captain." She felt anything but sorry. The touch to Kathryn's breast
had given her a great deal of information that she committed to memory. She
would review her data later.
Once
both William and Iliana were through Janeway detected the strong sent of the
flowers she had smelt earlier in the day. There was the sound of light tapping
against the cavern walls and the whole area lit up in soft blue pastel light.
Seeing clearly now they were able to follow Iliana and Cefan down a series of
winding steps cut into the tunnel floor until they found themselves in a much
larger cavern.
The
walls of the cave were smooth jet black and seemed to be formed from the same
material that the family had emerged. It was a beautiful sight. The walls and
floors of the cave were decorated with brightly patterned fabrics. Some were
tight geometric designs and others held naturalistic depiction's of flora and
fauna, obviously not native to this planet.
The light source in the cavern came from what
appeared to be plant roots that had penetrated the roof and walls. Many of the
roots had been woven into intricate exotic sculptures. The cave contained a comfortable living area
with a number of tunnels leading off into what Seven assumed were sleeping
areas. Most impressive of all there was a lake large enough to contain a vessel
of around 10 meters in length to the side of the living area. The lake glowed
pale blue. Seven scanned it concerned that it may be harmful to their health
and found that the light had been created by the presence of a significant
percentage of harmless bioluminescent organisms.
Despite
the absence of an obvious source of warmth, the cave was a comfortable
temperature.
“All the exits are sealed,” called out Kera, who was now fully clothed.
The
others also left the room and came back in clothing much to Janeway's relief.
***
Once
they were all settled on cushions in the centre of the cave Janeway gave Tannis
the teddy from the supply case. The child thanked her and took it over to
Iliana to ask what it was.
Iliana
looked pleadingly towards Kathryn who explained that it was a representation of
an animal from earth.
Late in the evening, once Cefan and William
had gone off to play Kadis Kot, the four women were left alone. Janeway's eye
was drawn to a large tapestry on the wall above Iliana's head. It was an
abstract image and she unable to decide what was being depicted. The colours
were rich with violent flashes of red, yellow and purple in what looked like a
sea of more muted blues and greys. “Is
that your home planet?”
she asked carefully.
Iliana
rubbed her eyes briefly before replying. “Yes,
that was happening as we left. Amongst other things.”
Seven
was shocked out of her analysis of the captains expressive hand gestures by
implications of this statement. “The
oceans were boiling,” she stated tilting her head to the side in order to get a better
view.
Both
women nodded. “How did it
happen?” queried
Janeway her voice awed with the horror of a natural disaster on such a scale.
“Our scientists thought they had found an inexhaustible source of energy
below the ocean floors and underneath the permafrost. They called it flammable
ice. They were trying to extract this ice from several seas...”
Seven's
brow wrinkled. “ You are
referring to methane hydrates, only stable below 233 Kelvin and 10 times normal
atmospheric pressure. It was unwise to attempt such a procedure...”
She
was distracted by the captain squeezing her thigh. “I think we can take that as a given Seven,” she said slightly sharply. “Please go on Iliana.”
Despite
the censorious tone of her voice, Seven noted that she had not removed her
hand. It stayed where it was for 1 minute 32 point 7 seconds.
Kera
continued the story. “Our
planet was already so polluted with carbon dioxide that all they did was hasten
the inevitable. The sea temperatures had risen so much that the hydrates were
already surfacing and igniting naturally.”
“My god, “ breathed Janeway. “Thermal runaway.”
“They had been drilling mainly on continental platforms and caused
several landslides which in turn created a wall of water 15 meters high that
devastated six coastal regions,” added Iliana.
“I'm sorry,” whispered Janeway. “It is unbelievable that a society
capable of warp technology would allow this to happen.”
“We were not capable of warp technology otherwise we may have been of
more interest to the Borg,” answered Iliana offering Seven a lopsided grin.
“Our society was build on creating and maintaining divisions between its
peoples and we the guardians of the forests were considered outcasts because we
still retained and celebrated our abilities. Our planet was visited many times
by different species but only we knew of them and after many years of trying to
get the others to see that what they were doing would lead to disaster, we
decided to leave.”
They
talked long into the night, before going to bed. On entering the room allocated
to them, Janeway was slightly taken aback at the sight of a double bed. “Are you going to be able to sleep Seven?” she asked over her shoulder as she entered the
small bathroom. Seven nodded briefly and waited until the captain had finished
in the bathroom and had climbed into the left hand side of the bed.
She
was conscious of fatigue. As she eyed the captain, it became clear to her that
this attempt at sleep would be less than successful given that the object of
her desire was less than half a meter from her. Although Seven stood still
during regeneration she had found that in sleep she moved a great deal, having
more than once found herself on the floor of the sickbay. She was concerned
that she may accidentally injure the captain in her sleep. It would be a long
night she surmised.
Janeway
stirred and looked up," are you coming in, or do you intend to stand there
all night?"
"I
intend to come in," she stated flatly. Kathryn had closed her eyes again
and seemed to be asleep. Slowly she took off her clothing and boots and after
placing them on the empty chair she lay down on the outer half of the bed.
Janeway was not moving but she could hear her
breathing softly. It gave her an exquisite sense of intimacy. As she moved further into the bed she felt
the warmth emanating from Janeways body, she lay her head on the pillow facing
her back.
At
first Seven had not wanted to spend so
much time on the planet. She had judged the study of this ecosystem as
irrelevant and she was still confused about the way Janeway had treated her the
night she had attempted to establish if the captain may be available.
Seven had to admit that her line of
questioning that night might have not been the correct way to proceed. She was
encouraged by the effect her touch had on the captain and decided she must be
more careful in her attentions towards Janeway but she was still at a loss on
how to move the matter forward.
The
thought of touching Janeway was exhilarating but also provoked anxiety . She
looked at Janeways hair lying on the pillow, her nostrils flared at the clean
scent of it. Her hand moved almost by its own volition to reach out and feel
it. The softness surprised her but the contact was not enough she wanted to put
her mouth were her fingers had been, her hand rapidly retreated. The urge was
too unexpected, too powerful.
Seven
turned on her back and mentally solved the Schrodinger equation for cobalt,
soon she too drifted off into sleep.
***
Janeway
awoke first feeling better that she had in many months. Seeing that Seven was still asleep, she went
for a slower.
When
she came out of the bathroom Seven was dressed and sitting on the edge of the
bed examining the end of her fingertip.
"Is
something wrong Seven?"
"Matter,"
said Seven
She
frowned and reviewed her last sentence.
"Okay...
Is something the matter Seven?"
Seven
turned her head towards her.”
There is matter in my eyes."
"That
happens when you sleep, darling."
Janeway could have kicked herself.
Seven
studied her, colour hand risen in her cheeks. Another element to analyse.
"The
hunters have gone," said Iliana once they entered the communal area,
"but there is a storm brewing so it's better to stay in." The sudden
and terrifying storms were one of the reasons that few of Voyagers crew had
chosen not to visit the area around the tropics.
They
spent the day doing various domestic tasks and entertaining Tannis. In the
early evening Kera suggested that Seven might help her repair the fishing nets
that were hanging up to dry at the side of the lake.
Seven
was not enthusiastic about this task and Kera's incessant chatter diverted her
musings on the subject of the Captain.
"You
should come fishing with me tomorrow Seven."
"I
do not know how to fish, I would be of little use to you," replied Seven
thinking that if the odour of these nets were anything to go by then fish must
be highly unpleasant creatures.
"Go
on Seven, it might be fun," Janeway called out to her from the other side
of the lake.
"I
do not..." began Seven looking at Janeway. "Very well I will
accompany you," she said, never taking her eyes off the captain.
***
Janeway
was enjoying her time with Iliana preparing the evening meal. This gentle
domestic space of other beings was giving her the opportunity to do things she
rarely had a chance to as the Captain of Voyager. They were peeling and dicing
large tubers that looked like potatoes. She had offered some of the food from
their rations but after smelling it, Iliana had declined it adding with a quirk
of her sensuous mouth that she, "valued the health of her children."
Janeway
was examining the bowls hung up on the kitchen wall. They were mainly made of
straw tempered pottery and inlayed with bright vitreous deposits in zigzag
patterns. “You make your
own pottery.” She asked.
“Well yes, Cefan made those when he was little. The good bowls are in
that cupboard to your left.”
“He is a talented artist, they are beautiful.” said Janeway taking one
down to examine it. Iliana smiled.
“Are you lovers?” Iliana suddenly asked taking the captain by surprise.
“Pardon?” croaked Janeway almost dropping the bowl.
Iliana
looked quizzically at her. “You
and Seven. Are you lovers?”
she repeated.
“Why no, whatever would make you think that?” said Janeway struggling to
regain her composure. She carefully put down the bowl.
Iliana
saw why this small compact woman was the captain of a star ship. Janeway's eyes
were boring into her making her wish she had never asked. “You seem so close and she loves you. Perhaps the
feeling is not mutual...”
she trailed off.
Kathryn
was stunned by the revelation. “How
do you know that she...that she loves me?”
“When she first touched us we felt her emotions. We detected her Borg signature when your
ship first came into orbit. We were concerned and stayed hidden but when we
came into physical contact with her we found that there was no danger.” Janeway
pinched the bridge of her nose. “She seems confused, but the feelings of love
are overpowering. Feelings of love for
you.” She paused alarmed at the reaction Janeway was having. She was gripping
the edge of the table tightly, her knuckles showing white. “I am sorry Kathryn,
I have spoken out of turn.” She said as she reached for Janeway's hand.
Both
Kathryn and Iliana looked down to where their hands had just touched. “You have never told her.” Iliana said gently. It was not a question.
“I did not know before now.” She said weakly.
“Come here.” She was enfolded in strong arms. She relaxed into them.
“Trust me to choose a planet of shape shifting empaths to take a
vacation,” she murmured into Iliana's shoulder. She felt the woman above her
smile into her hair.
“Is that what you think we are?” asked Iliana stroking her back.
Janeway
pulled back out of the embrace. “Are
you not?”
In
way of answer, Iliana took her hand again. “Do you see, all that we can sense from you is what
you can sense from us, if you give yourself the chance Kathryn."
The
loss of an entire planet enfolded before her. "Oh my god," she
whispered weakened by the waves of horror.
“What you felt from me is all that I can feel from you."
"I
am so sorry,"
***
After another night during which neither of
them got much sleep Janeway decided to face the situation.
"Seven,
I would like to talk to you about.."She paused and cleared her throat. “About…
us.”
They were interrupted by Seven's comm badge. "Telfor to Seven of
Nine."
She
groaned loudly. "Go ahead, answer it,”
Janeway sighed.
"Seven
here."
"Seven,
Kera is ready to go out fishing," he said
"I
will join her shortly, Seven out." She raised her eyebrow.
"Fun?"
Kathryn
smiled breaking the tension. "We will talk later," she said softly.
“How is this vessel powered?” asked Seven.
“There are solar panels there, just where your hand is,” answered Kera.
“An efficient design,” she complemented.
The
water was of such clarity that Seven could count every ripple in the sand of
the seabed some 6 meters below her. Further out she noticed small branch like
structures scattered on the sand. “What
are these structures?”
“Coral, these pieces will have been broken off in the storm,” replied
Kera. “The coral formations start 10 meters further out.”
“Are they plants?”
“Animals or rather colonies of animals. Would you like to dive down to
get a better look?”
“I do not know how to swim,” she regretfully answered.
“Look Seven, over there,” said Kera pointing to the right of her
She
turned her gaze to the surface of the sea.
Shoals of tiny fish were leaping out in several places on the surface
giving the illusion of fleeting fountains of liquid gold where their pellucid
scales caught the early morning sun. This ocean was rich and full of life.
Seven was fascinated.
The
coral bed was equally fascinating. The variety and shape of the structures as
well as the profusion of colours amazed her. “An intriguing collective,” she remarked.
They
dropped four traps over the side at the edge of the reef that Kera indicated
were for shellfish and travelled further out to where the larger fish were
located. In no way would Seven have described this experience as 'fun'. She was
getting hot and slightly burned in the sun and the whole process was more
intricate then she had assumed. Kera kept releasing specimens that she caught,
deeming them, 'too small.' It was inefficient and frustrating.
“Kera, may I ask you a question regarding your appearance when we first
encountered you?”
“Of course Seven, what do you want to know?”
“Initially when we approached your bodies were composed mainly of
silicon but you are an organic life form. Explain.”
Kera
smiled at her, lifting one of the weights she had been using on her fishing
line. “Scan this,” she said holding it out to Seven.
Seven
scanned the metal weight. “Mass
number 207 point 2, it is lead.”
She looked questioningly at her companion.
Kera
took the lead sample from her, holding tightly in her left hand she closed her
eyes. “Scan it again.”
The
metal had changed colour but strangely not weight Seven noted. Her eyebrow
arched as she scanned the object. “A
mixture of tin and germanium”
she concluded. “You can alter
matter at the atomic level… in
your bodies?”
“Yes, but other objects will not stay altered for long,” she indicated
to the metal. “It is changing back.”
“The Borg have no reference to this activity.”
“They must know something about it,” sighed Kera.
Seven
nodded at the truth of this statement.
Eventually
in the late afternoon when they had a sufficient number of large fish, they
moved back towards the shore to retrieve the shellfish traps. The traps
contained a number of creatures strongly resembling the thing Chapman had
presented to her on their 'date'. Seven did not wish to be reminded of that
occasion.
As
this catch was landed, the boat suddenly shook.
“Kera my dear how nice to see you,” said a creature Seven had never seen
the likes of before. He had pale purplish translucent skin. His head seemed too
large for what she could see of his body. The purple sunken eyes were small in
comparison to an enormous mouth that was lined with a row of very black teeth.
“Haakon, how are you?” said Kera bending to kiss his cheek. “This is
Seven of Nine from the Star Ship Voyager,” she added.
“She seems a little calmer than some of her crewmates,” he said looking
her up and down. “My tail is paining me,” he added gesturing vaguely behind himself
with webbed fingers. “I'm going south to see if cooler waters will help.”
“Perhaps we could use salane herb paste to sooth it,” suggested Kera.
“I'm sure Iliana has some at home.”
“I've tried it. There was no improvement.”
“May I scan it?” requested Seven and proceeded to his nod. Analysing the
results she concluded with, “you require medical treatment.”
“Sharp isn't she?” he said winking at Kera.
Seven's
brow furrowed. “The wound
contains traces of human urine,”
said Seven with a faintly disgusted look on her face. “It is hindering the healing process…significantly”
Harry it seemed had been given rather more of a fright than he had cared to
admit to. “When Voyager
returns we will provide you with medical assistance.”
“Oh what a darling, I‘d be ever so grateful” he smiled. “Well I must be
off, see you soon Seven and thank you.” He slipped below the surface and swam
off.
“You are welcome,” Seven murmured to his retreating back.
***
Janeway
choose to spend the day analysing the cliffs that dramatically rose from the
beach. She hopped an analysis of the planet's geological past would give her a
clue to why no larger life forms other than birds inhabited the land.
She also did not want to stray far from the
beach concerned that she had not inquired whether Seven could swim or not.
The
strata were well preserved and unmarred by any significant tectonic events
other that isostatic recovery, which made the job rather easy. By midday she
had concluded the survey and had obtained a potassium-argon date from a thin
volcanic layer half way up the cliff. She had found nothing to indicate that
the evolution process on this planet had been interrupted, the fossilized
remains indicated a steady progression from the primitive to the complex and
included several species that could have made the move from sea to land.
Climbing
to the top of the cliff, she sat to rest and watched the small boat. The two
occupants were barely visible but she could pick out Seven's blond hair.
Now
that she'd admitted the truth to herself about Seven she wondered at the power
that had allowed her to keep these feelings buried. She had comforted herself
with the idea that she was an important maternal influence in Seven's life and
now that this contrived façade lay at her feet, she wondered how it ever had
been built in the first place.
Seven
was not a child. It was not motherly
instincts that saw her seeking out
Seven's company every opportunity she could and it was not motherly love that
saw her weeping alone night after night when Seven was no longer there. How
could I have been so blind? she thought, I could have lost her. It was
unsettling to acknowledge that she could have kept something of this magnitude
submerged and even to still deny it after she'd almost fainted when Seven
brushed her fingertip across her lips.
Rising and walking along the cliffs edge for
several kilometres pondering these thoughts, she came to an flattened un-wooded
area where the cliffs had dropped almost level with the beach. The tide was
going out and she decided this would be a good opportunity to walk back along
the beach. She was climbing down when her hand dislodged a loose stone,
unremarkable enough except this stone has clearly been shaped and one of the
flattened sides was engraved. Scanning the area, she detected a stone oval
structure below the surface the end of which was beginning to fall down the
slope due to erosion. Whatever this was, it had been here for a very long time.
Amidst
growing alarm Janeway refined her scan and found that the oval contained the
desiccated remains of a large humanoid. There was enough organic material to
determine both the age of the body and the species. Oh god, this is not one
of their hunting grounds, it's their home world. She carefully replaced the
fallen stone.
When
she returned to the cave she immediately sought out Iliana and told her what
she had found.
“How old is the body?” asked Iliana clearly alarmed, drawing Janeway out
of earshot of Cefan and William who were busy building a barbeque on the beach.
“Around nine thousand years, it's a more primitive life form but the DNA
indicates that it is Hirogen,” replied Janeway.
“Is there any evidence that the grave was visited recently?” she asked
“Thankfully no.”
“They must have killed off every land based life form on this planet and
then moved into space in search of more prey,” Iliana looked puzzled, “but
there are no significant ore deposits here, how could they get into…”
“My best guess is that they hijacked a vessel that landed here and expanded
further out,” sighed Janeway. “The question now is what are your people going
to do?”
“Kathryn, we have been here for 19 years and have come to no harm. Their
visits are infrequent. We will just have to be more careful.”
“I admire your resilience,” said Janeway smiling.
“I am just being practical,” sighed Iliana.
“Boat's home,” squealed Tannis from further down the beach.
***
They sat down to
a meal of barbequed fish and shellfish with various root vegetables and flat
unleavened bread. Seven was reluctant to try the lobster like creature until
Janeway, a slice in hand fed it to her. She chewed on it gingerly and finally
pronounced it 'adequate.'
William
watched the captain's and Seven's interaction during the meal with interest.
They were sitting unusually close together and Janeway's hand frequently landed
on Seven's knee as she discussed various methods of food preservation with
Iliana and Kera. Seven's eyes fluttered closed, her nostrils flaring during
these touches, and she'd actually groaned when the captain had fed her some of
the food. Cefan caught him staring and tickled him on the ribs and they run off
chasing each other down the beach.
“It's nice for Cefan to have some male company for a change,” remarked
Kera, “all the other families on this
coast have girls.”
Janeway
watched them splashing each other in the sea and thought, oh dear.
After
they had finished eating, Janeway said, “Would
you like to go for a walk along the beach Seven?”
It
was now almost dark and the sun was a blob over the dark mass of a far off
island. Moving beyond the cave's inlet with its suspension of chromatophores
the sea became an inky blackness. The beach was lit by light from the two
moons.
“Kathryn, may I hold your hand?” The voice was tentative, unsure.
Janeway
held out her hand and gently clasped Seven's human one. “Do you believe in fate Seven?”
Seven was so utterly absorbed by the feeling
of Kathryn's hand in hers she almost missed the question. “Fate. A superstition that humans use to ascribe meaning
to random events?”
Janeway
grinned. “No I suppose
you don't,” she said,
lightly rubbing Seven's palm, sending her stomach into spasm.
“The night that I threw you out of my…”
“I was attempting to ascertain your availability. I regret that failed to
convey this in an appropriate manner.”
“I had no idea, and I regret that I was not more patient.”
“Would you have been receptive if I had asked to hold your hand?” Seven
asked shyly.
“In all honesty I don't know Seven.” She gestured to her surroundings
with her free hand, “perhaps it's this planet, it's beauty, the romanticism…”
Seven stopped dead in her tracks.
“You are preparing to leave me once Voyager returns!” Her voice
resonated with unconcealed distress as she wrenched herself from the captain.
The
captain turned to her, reaching out to tilt her chin. “Seven I could no more finish this now than end my
own life,” she
whispered. “I simply did
not know that you were on my horizon,”
she finished softly.
Seven accepted this with a slight nod. “If you had known that I was on your horizon would
you…”
Janeway
smiled slowly, “Held your
hand? Yes. Although frankly I think, 'are you frigid,' would have met with the
same response.” She laughed
and pulled Seven closer.
Walking quietly on for several meters Seven
concentrated on the myriad of emotions, she was feeling. Looking down at their
joined hands she asked, “Do
you feel as I do when you are holding my hand?”
“How do you feel?” Kathryn whispered suddenly aware of only physical
sensations. The faint lavender like smell from the shrubs that lined the beach
compounded the effect making her struggle for breath.
“As if you have reached inside my body,” breathed Seven, as she watched
the captains eyes close and her mouth open to emit a gasp of air.
As her
eyes opened again and focused on Seven's face she said simply, “How could I ever have denied you to myself? Seven…”
“Captain?”
“Kiss me.”
Seven
was not sure she could. Even the thought of kissing this woman had caused a
chain reaction of feelings that she was
unsure if she could remain standing. As she bent forward, determined not to
disappoint Kathryn, the feel of the captain's breath brushing over the fine
hairs on her upper lip caused her knees to buckle and she did fall, bringing
Kathryn down on top of her. Their breasts and groins collided eliciting a muted
whimper from Seven as she tensed her buttocks to push firmly against Janeway's
sex.
“Oh god Seven,” hissed the captain, as her thigh slipped between Seven's
legs.
Seven who had been near to coming from the moment Kathryn had said 'kiss
me' surged against her and came in a series of broken sighs.
“Seven, did you just..,” panted Janeway
“I…I
believe so,” whispered
Seven struggling to breathe normally.
Janeway's
eyes misted, “I love you Seven,”
she said gently, brushing her fingertip over Seven's lips. Her lips opened and
she grazed her teeth along the tip of Janeway's finger. Their eyes locked as
Janeway brought her mouth down on Seven's…
“Voyager to Captain Janeway.”
“Fuck,” said Seven who had inadvertently activated Janeways comm. badge.
“Pardon!” said Chakotay. “Captain are you ok?”
“Yes, Chakotay I'm fine,” she groaned, “could you give us an hour or so
to clear things up down here before beaming up?” she added, pulling herself up
from Seven's body.
“Of course Captain. Voyager out.”
***
“Your ship has is here,” said Kera smirking as they arrived back at the
cave. “Nice walk?”
Iliana
nudged her partner giving her a stern look.
Janeway
smiled tightly and brushed her hand through her hair horrified to discover that
it was full of sand. Turning to Seven she saw that the tight bun had unravelled
and Seven was pulling a piece of fossilized coral out of her hair. Oh well
things couldn't get any worse, she thought until she noticed William and
Cefan hand in hand approaching them.
Janeway
cleared her throat, “Iliana
we are going to take a detour to your home world to see if we can be of any
help and then we'll come back here to give you a report. It should take around
10 days.”
“Thank you Kathryn,” she said embracing her tightly, “it would put our
minds at rest although I don't think you will be able to do anything.”
“We'll see,” she said hugging back. Drawing out of the embrace, she
handed Kera a set of coordinates from which Haakon could be beamed to Voyager
for medical treatment.
“He'll get these tonight,” promised Kera. “Thank you Kathryn.”
“Captain could I stay here until you return?” asked William quietly.
She
turned to Cefan's mothers. “It's
ok with us,” answered Iliana
putting her arm round him.
Janeway
nodded to him and felt the unmistakable twinge of an oncoming headache due in
approximately 10 days time. “Come
on Seven, lets get packed.”
***
“Who the flying fuck are you!” screamed the extremely irate creature in
sickbay at the startled Doctor.
“Sir really, I'm just trying to treat you injured tail.”
“Are you mad! I don't have a fucking tail you imbecile,” yelled the
creature
“Medical to Janeway.”
“Yes Doctor?”
“Could you come down here and bring Seven. Your friend from the planet
is being less than cooperative.”
The
appearance of the Captain and Seven did little to calm the situation. The
creature now behind a force field craned his neck and screamed; “If I'd ever met anyone as ugly as that pair in my
entire life I would have certainly remembered it!”
“He doesn't have a tail,” remarked Janeway.
“That is not Haakon,” added Seven.
Janeway
tapped her comm. Badge, “Harry
could you give me the coordinates you used to beam up the gentleman who is
currently in sickbay.”
She
handed the padd to Seven. “These
coordinates are 2 degrees out Captain,”
she said accessing a console. The creature disappeared and was replaced a few
seconds later by Haakon.
“ Seven don't you think we should have apologized before beaming him off
the ship?” asked Janeway pinching the bridge of her nose.
“He insulted you,” said Seven by way of an answer.
“Ladies, how nice to see you,” greeted Haakon as he pulled himself onto
the biobed.
The
doctor scanned his tail, “This
won't take long, a minor repair,” he
said arrogantly. “Seven needs to
regenerate.” He said over
his shoulder.
“Haakon, I apologize for the inconvenience,” said the captain patting
his hand, “feel free to request anything you require while you are here.”
“Thank you dear, you're very sweet.”
She
gave him a brief amused nod. “Come
on Seven, I'll walk you home.
***
B'Elanna
was having a bad day. She was almost off duty when three photodiodes blew in
one of the consoles. The equipment needed to repair the problem was located in
Cargo Bay Two. She considered sending Celes but decided the job would be done
faster if she did it herself.
On her way
down to the Cargo Bay, she hoped that Seven would not be in residence. The Borg
gave her the creeps and this had worsened since she had found that Seven had
been studying her and Tom. His apparent forgiveness of her behaviour grated on
B'Elanna's nerves.
As she entered
the Cargo Bay she was pleased to note that the bitch was not in her lair, she
breathed a sigh of relief and headed to where replacement diodes were stored.
She did not hear the doors swish open but clearly heard the command.
“Computer seal
Cargo Bay, Borg encryption code Theta One Seven Alpha.”
Her skin
cooled, she was sealed in with the ice queen. As she turned to confront Seven
she noticed the captain was with her. Why had the drone sealed the doors? She
knelt down and watched the pair through a gap in the storage cases.
Seven sat down
on the dais with her back against the alcove. B'Elanna had never seen the Borg
sitting before but her jaw dropped as she watched Janeway straddle Seven's thighs. Seven wrapped her arms
around the slight frame of the captain and began to steadily kiss her neck.
Evidently, Janeway was enjoying this a great deal given way she was moaning and
rubbing her hands up and down Seven's back. B'Elanna was rooted to spot both
fascinated and repulsed at the same time.
Seven stopped
kissing Janeway’s neck and
gently tilted her head down.
“I want to…”
“Don't say
copulate Seven you'll make me laugh,” said Janeway moving in to kiss Seven on
the mouth.
“That is not
what I was going to say,” smiled Seven. “I was going to say....” She whispered
something into Janeway's ear.
The captain
bit her bottom lip. “Oh
my,” she groaned. “Where did you learn to talk like that?
Where indeed,
thought B'Elanna nastily. God they're not thinking of screwing here?
“Well?”
demanded Seven.
“I thought we
were going try to take things slowly,” answered Janeway
“I have been
taking things slowly for one year, two months, six days...”
Janeway
giggled. “Ok Seven. Come
to my quarters for dinner tomorrow night and we'll see what happens.”
“I shall spend
that night with you,” stated Seven.
“Yes and now
the sooner your regenerate the sooner tomorrow night will come,” said Janeway
standing up offering her hand to the Borg.
“That
statement is errant nonsense Kathryn.”
Seven unsealed
the doors before drawing the captain into a searing kiss. “Darling stop, anyone could come in.”
Seven smiled
at her and moved into her alcove. Once Seven's cycle began, the captain stood
for a few moments gazing at her. “Beautiful,” she said and then turned and left.
Moments later
B'Elanna also left. She was going to find Telfor and ring the effete little
bastard's neck until he told her everything that had happened on that planet.
The end