• This is the 28th story in the Just Between series
• It is what I like to refer to as my 'creature feature' story.  Yes, I know I'm shameless.  Part of the fun, actually.
• E. Marks provided the title.
• This was posted on November 5th, 1999.

The silvery form of the Delta Flyer sped through the stardusted night of the Delta Quadrant, heading for a rendezvous with the USS Voyager, some five light years ahead of it. The away mission that had introduced the Federation crew to the Permuntans, a species of bulky, furred humanoids, had also provided some of the crucial elements needed for Voyager's life support systems ... so crucial that it made it worthwhile for the captain and her team to stay behind a few extra days to negotiate for a larger supply. The hulking beings had been most hospitable and quite friendly species, yet the away team was relieved to have left the planet with an ambient temperature of -5° Celsius at the equator, to return to the relative warmth of the shuttle and space. At the helm, Lt. Ro Laren, late of the Maquis and prior to that, the USS Enterprise, scanned her board, making sure they were still on course, before glancing back to check on the rest of the team.

Captain Kathryn Janeway sat aft, working quietly at her away mission notes. A compact woman with rich, auburn hair and classic features set off by remarkable blue-grey eyes, the Human radiated an assurance and presence that the Bajoran could only envy. Ro Laren had been fortunate in her turbulent career to have served with the best captains Starfleet had to offer and she was pleased that, in Janeway's case, it still rang true.

Opposite the captain, Seven of Nine, Janeway's spouse and Voyager's astrometrics officer covered operations, her blonde head bent studiously over her console. Over her left eye and on her right cheek, greyish metallic implants remained, stark testament to the young woman's time as a Borg drone. Her narrow features with their ice blue eyes provided a cool and somewhat arrogant demeanor, but Ro had been able to get by Seven's regular persona to realize how deceiving appearances could be. Beneath the sleek, biometric outfit beat a warm heart, along with a surprisingly kind and generous nature that could be coaxed out whenever she was in the company of her immediate friends and partner.

At the engineering station, just behind Ro, Lt. B'Elanna Torres looked up in time to meet the Bajoran's dark eyes. The offspring of Klingon and Human parents, the chief engineer was a person who had become quite important to the security officer in recent months, and for a moment, they just stared at each other with warmth and shared intimacy. Stocky with olive skin and dark eyes, and wavy hair almost reaching her shoulders, B'Elanna was feisty, aggressive and stubborn. She was also loving, kind-hearted and quite amusing once one got past all that attitude. Ro had come to the decision that as lovers went, B'Elanna served her quite nicely, far better than she could have hoped for when she first contemplated the relationship.

Ro smiled faintly and turned her attention back to her board. Another twenty hours and they would be back on board their starship. With any luck, the two day R&R accorded the away team members after completing a mission could be spent with the engineer and they would find several ways to warm up after all those icy nights spent in separate beds on Permunta.

There was a chirp on her board and she sobered. "Captain, Voyager is hailing us."

Janeway rose from her seat and moved along the narrow aisle of the Delta Flyer until she was leaning over the slender Bajoran's shoulder. "Put it through," she ordered in the husky voice that Ro had always found rather ... intriguing.

The tiny viewscreen on the helm flickered to reveal the burly first officer of Voyager. Darkly handsome, Chakotay had a tribal tattoo arching over his left eye and down his temple which crinkled when he was amused or concerned. Judging from his frown, Ro guessed it was the latter. The reception was bad, the image distorted with lines and static.

"Captain, Voyager's long range sensors are detecting the approach of an ion storm on a intercept course with our current position. We can outrun it but only in the other direction. We don't have time to return for you and I strongly advise you take cover yourselves. It's going to pass directly across your projected flight path and if it suddenly intensifies or turns on its track as we know these things can..."

Janeway sighed. "You don't have to spell it out, Commander. We'll find a place to take shelter. You just keep my ship safe. When the route is once again clear, you can return for us." She paused, keying in some data on the board. "Any idea of the duration?"

"Unknown. At present intensity, astrometrics projects it lasting for three days. But there is a great deal of unstable plasma run off from it, indicating it could dissipate after a few hours or settle in for a month."

"Damn," Janeway muttered. "I really hate these class seven storms. They're so unpredictable."

A flash of a grin from the first officer. "I don't blame you." He looked away briefly, as if something or someone else had drawn his attention, and immediately lost the grin. "Captain, we're losing communication. Is there any further instructions you want to give?"

"No, just get my ship out of harm's way, Chakotay. We'll look after our end. Delta Flyer out."

The viewscreen flickered and went blank as Janeway straightened. "All right, people," she said, in a more authoritative tone. "We need a place to hole up until the storm passes. Lt. Torres, increase the power allotment to the shields and integrity field. Seven, find us a planet we can reach before that storm gets to us. Lt. Ro, get a line on the storm's track and do your best to skirt it."

"On it, Captain."

"Yes, Captain."

"Aye, ma'am."

Ro ran a sensor sweep through her board, trying to increase the sensor range so she could pick up the leading edge of the spatial anomaly and keep the Delta Flyer well clear of it. Behind her, she could hear B'Elanna muttering softly as she boosted power to the shields and integrity field. It would slow them down a fraction, but the increased strength to the hull might mean the difference between getting through intact or flying to pieces during any necessary maneuvers. Ro wondered if the engineer even knew that she mumbled to herself as she worked, or if only the Bajoran took notice of it.

Further back, Janeway and Seven spoke quietly as they searched the charts for a suitable planet. From the intonation, Ro didn't think they were having much luck and she felt a certain qualm. Ion storms were tricky things and even a tendril discharge from the swirling mass of energy and pulsating flashes of plasma displacement would be enough to disrupt the systems of a vessel the size of the Delta Flyer. Sucking vacuum when the life support systems failed, was not the sort of thing which was conducive to a long and healthy life. Ro knew a sensible body wanted a nice layer of planetary atmosphere between it and an ion storm, regardless of whether said atmosphere was breathable or not. An M-class planet simply meant that they wouldn't be trapped on the Delta Flyer for the duration ... a situation that carried its own potential for aggravation.

She took a breath when she saw the light flash on her board. "Captain, sensors are beginning to detect the storm front. It's moving fast."

"Understood, Lieutenant," Janeway responded. Another few murmurs were exchanged with Seven, and then data began streaming through to the navigational computer. "Lay in a course, Lt. Ro. Best possible speed."

Ro quirked an eyebrow. "That's quite a distance, ma'am," she offered quietly even as her hands danced over the board to implement the course alteration.

Janeway returned to her seat, settling in. "I'm aware of that, Lieutenant," she noted mildly. "It's our best option."

"Aye, ma'am," Ro said, feeling the implied rebuke in that innocuous tone.

She knew she should have trusted that Janeway and Seven would have made the best choice of a bad selection and not said anything. Sometimes, it was still hard for the Bajoran to rely on the abilities of others. It had landed her in trouble more than a few times in her life, but then, it had also allowed her to escape trouble a few times as well. She just had to learn how to balance it with her innate need to speak up, especially now that she was once more wearing the red and black of a commissioned Starfleet officer.

She guided the ship away from the oncoming storm, setting a course for the planet indicated. As she did, she ran a projection of the storm's track with the one she was taking. It would be very close, but the Delta Flyer should arrive in the system just ahead of the storm. She might have to do some fancy flying to make the final approach to the outer atmosphere of the planet they were trying to reach, but her skills were equal to that task. Of course, she could take a wider track that took her well clear of any turbulence, but that would also prevent her from reaching that particular planet altogether and there were very few systems in the area that would provide a haven. Any rogue asteroids that they might come across would be devoid of atmosphere, offering little in the way of protection.

"Lt. Torres," she muttered. "Any way you can increase engine output? I'd like a little bit more of a safety factor."

"I'll see what I can do," B'Elanna responded quietly.

A few moments passed, and then Ro detected an increase in velocity, the ship edging up from warp 7.5 to warp 7.9. "Good job."

She glanced over her shoulder and received a smile in return, the Klingon displaying slightly pointed teeth. Ro returned to her board, feeling somewhat more comfortable with her margin of error now. She discovered she needed it as the storm showed a distinct increase in ferocity, almost as if it were suddenly aware of them and was attempting to gobble up its prey before it escaped.

"Sensors detect an increase in ionic output," Seven noted.

"I see it." Ro took a breath. "I suggest we secure from stations and strap down. It might be a bumpy ride."

She heard Seven and Janeway move around in the rear of the Delta Flyer, storing away anything that might come lose to fly about the cabin in the event of turbulence. Then they took their stations, not without a little resistance from the captain. Ro's keen ears picked up the murmured conversation between the two women.

"Be sure the harness is secure, Kathryn," Seven said.

"I know how to work the restraints, Annika," Janeway responded testily.

"Yes, Kathryn." A pause. "It would benefit by being tighter over your left shoulder. Allow me to adjust it."

"Seven! I'm not five years old."

Ro swallowed her smile, thinking it a fairly cute exchange, the Borg's sense of protectiveness for the captain well known by all the crew at this point. She glanced over her shoulder, relieved to see that B'Elanna had also strapped in. Sometimes the Klingon liked indulging her reckless side and the Bajoran was glad to see this was not going to be one of those situations.

"Don't forget yourself," B'Elanna muttered.

Embarrassed at the oversight, Ro wiggled into her own harness, releasing it from the compartment on the back of the chair and bringing it around to secure herself to the pilot's chair, clicking it into place as the Delta Flyer tore into the star system at high warp, passing by the outer planets just ahead of the spreading energy mass.

"Dropping to impulse," Ro said as the tiny vessel approached the inner planet. This was the trickiest part. Though the bulk of the storm would not enter the system ... the gravitational pull of the system's star countered by the gravimetric pressures within its swirling mass ... random tendrils of energy and plasma discharge still broke off the main mass to boil through the system on their own, creating a distinct threat to the fleeing ship.

The tiny vessel shuddered at the disturbance around it and the Bajoran coaxed every bit of impulse power from the shuttle's engines as it dived toward the outer layer of the third planet's atmosphere. There was a brief instant of uncertainty, the thought that perhaps they had not made it after all, then abruptly the outer hull was heating as the first wisps of air molecules screamed over the sleek surface of the ship.

Ro throttled back, dropping quickly from full impulse, to half, to quarter, and then killing the drive altogether to engage the atmospheric thrusters. The billowing clouds through which they were descending made visibility impossible, and then abruptly they were clear. Ro hauled back on the stick, discovering the surface a lot closer than she ... or the sensors ... anticipated. Whether that was from a minor malfunction from the buffeting they had received or that somehow the quality of the atmosphere distorted eyesight, she didn't know at the moment.

A quick scan revealed a clearing in the heavily forested surface below, not far from a placid lake, and Ro decided that would be as good a place to land as any. This was a virgin planet, covered with lush jungle and shallow seas, totally devoid of sentient beings, though a wide range of unintelligent lifeforms swarmed over the surface. The Bajoran knew that the planetary survival protocols were in full implementation at this point, regardless of the fact that they planned to leave as soon as the ion storm was over so she tried to find a place where they could build shelter if they had to. She lowered the landing struts, delicately reining the vessel back into a hovering mode, and slowly eased it down onto the grassy surface. There was a brief second of sogginess ... had she mistaken a swamp for solid land? ... but then the struts found purchase on firm ground and the ship settled onto them. The Bajoran quickly shut down the thrusters and engines, the abrupt quiet almost deafening after the noise of their descent.

"Well," she remarked, looking through the front viewport at the heavy foliage of the jungle bordering the clearing. "We're here."

"Seven?"

"Scanning." The Borg paused. "No indication of lifesigns in the vicinity above the level of insects."

"No doubt our landing scared everything away," Janeway noted, struggling to get out of her seat. Apparently, her harness was snagging at the adjustment buckle over the left shoulder and B'Elanna saw her shoot an exasperated look at her spouse. "But do another scan. Insects can boast a wide range of poisons. Seven, I'm assigning you as medical officer. You're the only one with any knowledge of biometrics, and I know you've helped out in sickbay."

"Yes, Captain." Seven studied her board. "Lt. Torres, I believe it would be prudent to inject a wide spectrum anti-microbial agent prior to exiting the shuttle, as well as an all purpose antivenin spray."

"Got it." B'Elanna opened a compartment at the back where she retrieved a medikit. Behind her she could hear Janeway's aggrieved hiss.

"Get me out of this."

The Klingon carefully swallowed her smirk before turning around and handing the kit to Seven. Then she went over to the captain and examined the buckle which had become jammed. "Hang on, Captain."

"It's not as if I have a choice," Janeway said peevishly.

B'Elanna grinned at her and worked at the fastening until she had loosened it, which enabled Janeway to release the webbing enough to get out of her seat. The chief engineer glanced over at Seven who had injected Ro Laren with a hypospray, before using it on herself. The Borg reloaded the hypospray and pressed it against the neck of her spouse, and then beckoned to B'Elanna. Stifling a sigh, the Klingon raised her head, exposing her throat and barely succeeded in not flinching as the medicine hissed through her skin and into her system. Theoretically, the broad band spectrum of antibodies would protect her from any microbes or bites from poisonous animals or insects.

Then the Klingon moved over to the hatch and cracked it. The steamy heat of the outside billowed into the cool interior of the shuttle, instantly making perspiration break out on all the women with the exception of Seven. She merely looked vaguely displeased at the abrupt rise in temperature. The air was smothering and immediately, the captain, Ro and B'Elanna stripped off their uniform tunics and sweaters, leaving the women clad only in their thin tank tops.

"Oh, this is pleasant," Ro said sardonically, as she and B'Elanna stepped down onto the spongy surface of the purple-hued vegetation. The atmosphere was exceptionally humid, lying thick and heavy over the jungle, the sky hazy with a lavender tint. There was no wind and the high whine of insects had resumed around them, filling the area with their hum. No sound of birds however, the Klingon noticed.

"Could be worse," B'Elanna said dryly. "It could be like Permunta."

The Klingon, maintaining a higher body temperature than the rest, had suffered greatly in the icy chill of their last stop. While this was a bit hotter than she ordinarily liked, she was aware that she would still be more comfortable in it that her crewmates. Already, Ro's dark hair was sticking to her forehead, and the Bajoran's smooth skin glistened as she studied her tricorder.

"Anything?" Janeway said from the doorway of the shuttle, her eyes squinting as she looked out over the alien landscape.

"Some fairly large lifesigns about thirty kilometers east." Ro made a slow circle, holding her tricorder away from her body. "Some smaller ones closer, but you were right, Captain. We cleared out this area for the time being."

"They'll return when they see we're no threat," B'Elanna said. "Maybe we should take advantage of it while it lasts and become one."

"Elaborate," Janeway ordered.

"I think we should set up an alarm perimeter surrounding the shuttle at a distance of about ten meters, Captain. That way, any animal that considers this a watering hole won't be tempted to get too close to us."

"I concur, Captain," Ro added.  "It would be a prudent security measure."

Janeway considered it. "Do it. Check out the lake as well. There's no way of knowing how long we'll have to stay on the surface and it might be a good idea to secure supplies, just in case."

B'Elanna nodded. After six years in the Delta Quadrant, with the ship always seeming limited in one form of supplies or another, all of the crew had gotten used to thinking of in terms of consolidating resources and making sure they had backup in the event things did not go as expected. She looked at Ro.

"Give me a hand?"

"Sure."

Together, the two women went to a compartment at the side of the Delta Flyer and removed several pieces of equipment. The rods were thin, made of metal and topped with a diamond-shaped knob, consisting of golden energy crystals that powered the devices. B'Elanna and Ro separated, setting the rods in place around the shuttle in a fairly even circle before activating them. A line of defense, invisible to the naked eye, shot out from each brightly glowing crystal to connect to the next, creating a web of sound resonance frequencies and energy pulses designed to ward off intruders. Of course, anything really determined could force their way by the repulse field, but it would set off an alarm and grant the Federation crew fair warning in order to set up a stronger defense.

Once that was done, B'Elanna and Ro strolled down to the lakeside to check the water. The Klingon kept blinking her eyes to clear them of moisture, finding the colors unusually jarring and unappealing. Where, to her jangled senses, there should be the various shades of green, there were instead, shades of purple and blue; where the sky and water should be conversely blue, they instead held a vaguely shimmering lavender and red tint. The splashes of flowering bushes and plants boasted an array of various greens and oranges. It all combined to make B'Elanna faintly nauseous though there wasn't really much she could do about it. No matter how long one had been in space, no matter how many alien planets one visited, one's body always knew what was normal for it, and when it ran into something that wasn't, it reacted, despite all the intellectual reasons why it shouldn't.

As they approached the water, B'Elanna was disturbed to see that it retained its lavender tint and she realized it was the water itself, not the light spectrum reflecting off it. She knelt next to it, her booted feet crunching on black nodules of pebbles and scooped up a handful of the warm liquid. Looking at it closely, she could see that it was full of some kind of fungus or algae that left a trail of slime on her hand as she shook it off.

"Ick," she muttered, wiping her hand on her pants.

"Single-celled organisms," Ro noted, checking the tricorder. "Millions of them in order to be actually visible to the eye. I'm sure the local inhabitants find them quite nutritious. So could we, in an emergency."

"We can always strain them out," B'Elanna suggested.

Ro was obviously not enthused by the idea. She shielded her eyes with her hand as she looked across the oily surface of the water. "I don't think this is a lake as much as it is just a big pond. We might have better luck if we look for an inflow source."

"Like a stream or river," B'Elanna agreed, nodding.

The women walked along the shore, various cries and sounds coming from the jungle's inhabitants, resuming after the quiet the shuttle's arrival had caused. Ro continued her tricorder scans, but also took the precaution of detaching her phaser from her waist and carrying it at a ready position, the setting a few notches above the minimum stun level. Prudently, B'Elanna followed suit, feeling better with the metal handle of the weapon in her hand. They had gone about a quarter of a way around the body of water when they came across a creek flowing through grey, sharp rocks, crystalline in appearance. Unlike the lake, this water was completely clear, burbling over the shards of stone cheerfully and the women followed it upstream a short distance to where it emerged from a large rock outcropping, vegetation hanging over it to provide a bit of shade as the women examined it.

"Drinkable," Ro said, scanning it. "It's a spring. No trace of harmful impurities."

B'Elanna felt a certain amount of relief, even as she knew that was the thing with water on M-Class planets. Two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen tended to combine at a certain temperature the exact same way, regardless of what vegetation and evolution predominated. It was just important to make sure nothing harmful was present after it formed ... such as a pathogenic single-celled organisms or other toxins.

"We have to christen this place sooner or later," the Klingon said, scooping up a handful of the clear water and bringing it to her lips. It was pleasantly cool, issuing as it did from the planet's earth and tasting clean and sweet. "Not bad."

Ro also drank, then filled the two canteens she had brought with her. "Water supply secure. We'd better get back."

"I guess we should," B'Elanna allowed, with just a touch of reluctance. But the Bajoran caught it, starting at her.

"No?"

"Well, we could take a moment more."

Ro smiled faintly. "That's not exactly protocol."

"No," B'Elanna agreed, disappointed.

Then Ro leaned over and kissed her, the Bajoran's mouth cool and wet on hers and most definitely as sweet as the spring water had been. Their time on Permunta had been spent dressed in insulated mission outfits, even while sleeping in the fur covered beds, and the two women had no opportunity to be alone together at all. Since they had recently elevated their relationship to a physical level, it had been far more difficult than it otherwise might have been. Not that this was much easier, B'Elanna noted as she lost herself in the kiss. It occurred to her that, with the captain and Seven along, and all four of them being required to stay within the confines of the Delta Flyer, she and Ro would not necessarily have any time to be alone together here, either. The kiss, which inflamed her, also caused her frustration to rise.

"I'll be glad when we get back to Voyager," B'Elanna growled when they finally parted.

"Me, too," Ro admitted and flashed her a smile.

This made the Klingon feel marginally better and she took one of the Bajoran's hands in her own as they started to trudge back to the shuttle. Idly, she ran her thumb over the back of Ro's hand, then curled it inside to stroke the palm, knowing that the Bajoran found this particular caress arousing. Ro glanced at her with a frown but did not pull it away ... at least, not until they came in sight of the shuttle.

B'Elanna hesitated, holding back. "Maybe we should make some noise, break the barrier just to test it."

"To make sure the captain and Seven weren't ... 'distracting' each other while we were gone?" Ro said sardonically, as if she had read the Klingon's mind. "I don't think that's a likely scenario."

"I know, it's sort of astounding to think they would, but honestly, those two are a lot more ... active than I think people realize. Did I ever tell you about the time I was out on the ship's hull and saw them ... well, you know."

"On Voyager's hull?" Ro responded in clear disbelief. "In space suits? Is that even possible?"

"No, no, no," B'Elanna explained. "I was outside. They were inside."

"You peeked through the viewport of their quarters?"

"No, there's a little auxiliary room on the underside of the saucer section. Apparently, it can turn transparent to ... I don't know, give the people inside a view of space or something, I guess. Anyway, I was out doing some routine maintenance and I happened to be facing that direction. The hull turned transparent and there was Janeway on her back while Seven was ... uh, 'dining'."

Ro rolled her eyes. "Prophets, there's an image I didn't really need before having to look the captain in the face. Or Seven, for that matter."

"We need to remember that, as hard as this has been on us the past few days and will be the next few, it probably applies to them, too."

Ro nodded. "The ship is sort of cramped, even if it is larger than the traditional shuttle." She quirked an eyebrow. "I wonder if the captain would authorize us setting up a habitat outside?"

B'Elanna grinned. "There's a thought." She shot the tall, slender woman beside her an admiring look. "It's a good thought, in fact. It wouldn't just benefit us, it would allow them some privacy in the shuttle."

"I'll ask. The worst she can say is 'no' and then, we're no worse off than we already are."

The women stepped through the perimeter, breaking the beam. B'Elanna felt an unpleasant tingle as she did, but nothing more as the sensor recognized her as sentient. As a result, the field did not deliver the stronger, more dissuading jolt it would to an animal. Seven immediately appeared in the hatchway, holding a compression rifle while the captain's head popped up in the near window.

"Guess it works," B'Elanna noted.

Ro waved her hand. "Just checking."

"Understood." The Borg disappeared back inside and B'Elanna shot a look at Ro.

"She didn't look distracted."

Ro shrugged. "Maybe they don't take advantage of their opportunities like we do."

Seven of Nine looked remarkably cool and contained as she worked quickly and quietly at her station. At least, Janeway had been able to convince the Borg to remove the padded vest of her away mission outfit and exchange the long-sleeved sweater for a thin t-shirt. Seven's remaining Borg implants maintained her body's internal cooling system far more efficiently than mere sweat glands could and the only sign that she might be aware of the oppressive heat at all, was a faint sheen over her forehead. Since the young Borg did not perspire, it was probably just condensation from the heavy humidity. Janeway tried not to feel resentful about her partner's cool composure as the other two members of the team crowded into the shuttle. Knowing her irritation sprang from the heat, she forced herself to regard Ro evenly as the woman took a seat opposite her to make her report.

"There's a spring of drinkable water about two hundred meters to the northwest," the Bajoran said, handing her a canteen. "The lake is populated heavily with some kind of single-celled organism. I don't believe it worth the effort of straining it out, though we could set up a filtration system, if absolutely necessary. Some of the vegetation in the local vicinity is edible, but I don't think any of it would taste very good according to the scans I took with the tricorder."

"Good work." Janeway glanced through the front viewport, judging the light and the flash of sunbeams gleaming through the jungle. "Dusk is approaching," she added in a louder tone, so that the entire away team could hear. "That means any large animals in the area will undoubtedly be coming down to the local water supply to drink. It's time we sealed up for the night."

"Uh, Captain," Ro added as Seven and B'Elanna moved outside to do Janeway's bidding, making sure the exterior of the shuttle was secure before the evening watch.

Janeway eyed her. "Yes?"

"Lt. Torres and I were wondering if perhaps it would afford us more space if we set up a habitat outside."

Janeway stared at her long enough that Ro colored faintly. Janeway relented and smiled briefly.

"Lieutenant, I don't want you to think that I am entirely insensitive to your suggestion." Ro colored even more. "But I think we should wait to see how this first night goes. If it remains quiet, I will consider your request for tomorrow night."

Ro nodded. "Thank you, Captain," she said, obviously relieved that Janeway had not made more out of it than she had. Though, if truth be told, had the captain been less hot and uncomfortable, she might have taken the opportunity to tease the Bajoran a little.

Finally, B'Elanna and Seven returned to the shuttle and shut the hatch for the night. The Borg went over to her console and activated the internal environmental controls, able to now stabilize the interior temperature and moisture content of the atmosphere. Janeway breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the cool, drier air issue from the vent next to her and she basked in it, her mood improving significantly.

"Seven, can I ask you to take over mess duties tonight?" After the food the Permuntans had provided while she was carrying out their negotiations, the captain was anxious for some home cooking ... or at least, as homey as Seven, limited by a shuttle replicator, could manage. Thankfully, both B'Elanna and Ro knew about the Borg's unique touch around food, so there was no concern about picking up more dinner guests than the couple already hosted on a regular basis.

The Borg flashed her a slightly amused look. "Of course, Captain."

Janeway shivered briefly as her sweat quickly dried, but it was still warm enough that she didn't need her tunic, though she did move out of the direct flow from the vent. Janeway wondered how long the shuttle would have to remain on the planet's surface, keying her touch pad once more. An updated scan revealed that the ion storm in space had intensified and was still throwing off magnetic strings to infest the star system, but with any luck, the main mass would be soon moving on its way. If it didn't, Janeway would need to start looking at her options. Four strong willed people trapped on a shuttle where the temperature outside was this oppressive could be a prescription for trouble.

She shut down her board where she had been tracking the storm and followed the other women who had moved to the rear compartment of the shuttle. This was considered the tiny vessel's 'crew quarters', containing a replicator, a table with room for six, and a like number of bunks which, at the moment, were folded up into the bulkheads on either side of the compartment. Above the table, a subtle light illuminated the area that was darkening rapidly as the sun set outside. Janeway sat down next to B'Elanna who was already seated, out of the way of Seven who was programming the replicator and Ro, who was setting the table. The Bajoran helped the Borg carry over the evening meal, which included a large bowl of spaghetti and a plate piled high with garlic bread.

Janeway hungrily served herself a healthy portion of the stringy pasta covered with spicy tomato sauce thick with chunks of peppers, celery, mushrooms and pieces of chicken breast. Seven had also added condiment containers of fresh grated Parmesan and Romano cheese as well as providing a large bottle of Bajoran spring wine. It was not the standard type of food issued for an away mission, but certainly not anything Janeway was going to complain about. The captain had no idea how her spouse managed to program in the various percentages of spices and additional ingredients to the replicator's standard pattern of spaghetti to provide such a flavorful meal, but as time went by, the woman knew it was a gift of immense proportions. One that she was fortunate enough to share in when it came to the final product.

"Good," B'Elanna mumbled, between mouthfuls of her pasta. "Great job, Seven."

Ro, sitting next to the Borg, also nodded. "It tastes wonderful."

"Thank you," Seven remarked politely as she settled down to her own smaller portion.

Janeway merely shot her spouse a warm look of gratitude and Seven's pale eyes glowed in response. The Borg genuinely liked both B'Elanna and Ro, but it was always Janeway's opinion that meant the absolute most to her, even after all this time.

For the next few moments, there was little conversation as all four women intently took the edge off their appetites. For some reason, Janeway decided, a body always seemed hungrier planetside. Of course, since this planet also boasted a higher gravity than Earth standard, they were using up more energy than normal when they moved around, even without taking into account the sapping heat and humidity.

Abruptly, Seven's head came up and she stared pointedly at the captain. Baffled, Janeway returned the look as the Borg's laser gaze searched her face intently. After a few seconds, the pale eyes shifted over to B'Elanna, who still had her head down, apparently oblivious to anything other than her meal.

"Lt. Torres," Seven noted crisply.

Startled, B'Elanna glanced up. "Yeah?"

"That is my leg you are caressing with your foot beneath the table. Not Lt. Ro's, as I am sure you originally intended."

Both Ro and B'Elanna flushed deeply as Janeway, despite her best efforts, snorted laughter, covering her mouth with a napkin and turning away from the table so she could bend over. It took a moment to compose herself, the memory of the sheer indignity in her spouse's tone serving to increase her merriment every time she thought she had managed to control herself.

"Heavens," she said when she was finally able to turn back, gently wiping a tear away from the corner of her eye. "How are we going to survive two or three days cooped up with new lovers, Seven?"

"I trust it shall prove difficult," the Borg remarked dryly.

The other two women refused to respond, keeping their attention firmly on their plates and doing their best to pretend they were not even paying attention to the captain and her spouse. Janeway laughed again and picked up her fork to resume her meal, glad that it wasn't always her who ended up embarrassed by the Borg's forthrightness and lack of tact.

They finished their meal, all replete enough that no one took Seven up on her offer to program a dessert, and leaned back in their seats, sipping their wine in companionable silence. Janeway wasn't sure when she became aware of the subtle vibration, but when she did, she looked over to see Seven staring intently at her wineglass sitting on the table.

"Captain?"

"I see it," Janeway said, watching uneasily as the golden wine quivered in the clear crystal.

"Earthquake?" B'Elanna offered, having picked up on the conversation. Suddenly, all four women were displaying a heightened awareness, a sort of sixth sense that warned of some unknown threat. Janeway herself, could feel the hair rise on the back of her neck, an unpleasant tingle traveling down her spine.

"It is too rhythmic for tectonic instability," Seven noted.

"Whatever it is, it's getting closer," Ro noted, in a voice carefully devoid of inflection.

Without any further discussion, the women left their wine and slipped out of the booth, moving from the aft crew quarters to the main cabin of the Delta Flyer. The only illumination came from the small glowing lights on the active panels and three small moons rising over the jungle, casting a brilliant, silvery glow that streamed through the large viewports looming over the helm. Janeway started to activate the interior cabin lights, but some subconscious warning kept her from it. Instead, she quietly opened the compartment next to her and closed her hand over the muzzle of a high compression phaser rifle. She hauled it out and handed it silently to the Bajoran, and then took one for herself. The women gathered at the front of the Delta Flyer, feeling the vibration ripple through their legs, the sound of solid, heavy regular thumps growing louder with every breath.

Uneasily, the captain's eyes searched the jungle and she flinched as the foliage began an agitated dance, heralding the arrival of the huge creature that pushed its way through it, clearly visible in the moonlight. Janeway was aware that her mouth had fallen open as she stared wide-eyed at the animal that lifted its scaly head to sniff the air suspiciously, turning it right and then left, before focusing its forward-set, red-rimmed eyes on the shuttle resting in the center of the clearing.

"Those perimeter rods aren't going to stop that," B'Elanna muttered unhappily.

The captain forced herself to swallow. "A tyrannosaurus rex," she identified in a weak voice.

"This planet's equivalent, perhaps," Seven remarked calmly.

"Captain?" Ro tore her eyes briefly away from the large reptilian form standing upright near the jungle's edge.

"A dinosaur, from Earth's Jurassic period."

"Cretaceous, actually," Seven corrected. "Several million years after the Jurassic era."

B'Elanna swallowed audibly, gulping a little in the dark. "Whatever. All I know is, with that coloration, it must blend into the jungle really well. A big purple dinosaur. What the hell could be worse?"

Seven studied it with scientific detachment. "I do not believe that the Terran dinosaur possessed a row of bone plates running down its back. That could be 'worse'."

B'Elanna looked confused.. "What do you mean?"

Janeway caught her breath. "Oh, dear."

The Klingon turned to look at her with a baffled expression. Ro chose to answer. "Why would a carnivorous animal that size need to evolve additional protective plating over its spine, when its hide is obviously pretty thick already?"

B'Elanna thought about that and looked a trifle green as she finally reached the same conclusion as everyone else. "Because there's something even bigger and nastier that can take a chunk out of it."

The women abruptly fell silent as the creature began to move purposefully toward the shuttle. Janeway gripped her rifle with nerveless fingers, slippery with sweat as it approached and wished she had utilized the ship's head before going to dinner.

The creature hesitated as it reached the line of repulsion, jerking back as it intersected the field but it was apparently intrigued enough by the new thing in its territory to shake off what must only have been a mild discomfort, and push through the web of energy. The bulk of its thick legs brushed aside three of the rods, knocking them down and disrupting the perimeter system altogether.

"Lieutenant?" Janeway said, hoping her voice was a lot steadier than her insides were at the moment.

"On it," Ro said, her fingers dancing over the helm as she handed her rifle to Seven, who was closest. The Bajoran activated the shields, the protective force field designed to ward off weapons fire and the harsh environment of space springing up around the shuttle's hull. The creature's snouttouched the sparkling shield and was jolted with such force that it whipped the animal's head around, making it step back several paces on its heavy muscular legs.

The dinosaur opened powerful jaws, roaring loudly and Janeway's knees turned to jelly.

"I think you made it mad," B'Elanna noted worriedly.

The creature reared back, it's absurdly tiny front legs dangling in front of its chest, and lunged at the shuttle, mouth gaping as half-meter long fangs crunched down on the shuttle's hull. The force of the blow was such that the vessel actually slid back a meter, though the shields held and the animal was repulsed violently at least a hundred meters in the opposite direction. The women were knocked to the floor, collapsing onto the deck.

"Ro," Janeway said loudly, as she struggled to get out from beneath B'Elanna muscular form. "Ready phasers."

Ro scrambled back up into the pilot's chair and keyed in the necessary controls, lights springing up over the board. Through the front viewport, Janeway would see the animal shaking its head uncertainly before roaring loudly once more. It paused, as if to get its bearings, and then pounded for the shuttle in a full charge.

"Ro!" Janeway yelled.

"Firing," the Bajoran said calmly.

Twin beams of ruby light lanced out from the fore part of the shuttle and intersected directly in the chest of the charging creature. Designed to cut through the hull plating of a starship, the phaser beams stabbed easily through the large body, exiting out the other side. For a brief instant, Janeway thought she saw an expression of consternation and astonishment appear on its face, and then the creature toppled to the turf with a mighty crash, its momentum carrying it forward so that Janeway was actually afraid it would crash into them anyway.  It skidded to a stop a scant half-meter from the front of the shuttle, granting a close up view of just how large it actually was.

For a moment, all four women stared wide-eyed at the thirty-tonne carcass lying motionless before them. Finally, Janeway was able to dredge up enough moisture to get her mouth working again.

"Lieutenant Torres, make sure the heaviest filters are placed in the air recirculating system," she said with unnatural calmness. "That will start to decompose quickly in this environment and I want as much of the odor coming in from the outside air scrubbed out as possible through the night. We'll look at moving our location in the morning."

"Aye, Captain," B'Elanna said and Janeway wondered if it was only her imagination that was putting that slight quiver in the Klingon's voice. The young engineer moved to carry out the captain's order and Seven joined her.

"Lt. Ro?" Janeway remarked, her eyes never leaving the bulk of the big dead purple dinosaur in the clearing.

"Yes, Captain?"

"I don't think it would be wise for you and B'Elanna to set up a habitat outside tomorrow night."

"No, Captain," Ro responded somberly, "I don't suppose it would."

"Anyone ever tell you that you have a knack for understatement?" B'Elanna shot back.

Seven quirked an eyebrow. "You seem disturbed, Lieutenant."

"I just have an aversion to being something's dinner." The Klingon took a breath and sealed the hatch. "C'mon, we still have two more to replace."

Seven followed her dutifully into another part of the shuttle, into the confines of the ship's head. "What did the captain mean?" she asked as they started in on the main air supply system that lay beneath the floor of the small bathroom. "About setting up a habitat outside?"

B'Elanna sighed. "Laren and I were going to ... well, find a little privacy tonight, as well as provide you and the captain some. Of course, now that we know what's out there, I don't think any of us will be going outside unless it's absolutely necessary."

Seven considered that, feeling a very real pang of regret herself. Although she sympathized with her friend who undoubtedly wished to spend more quality time with her new lover, Seven also missed being with the captain with decided longing. In fact, the thought that she would have to continue to sleep without Kathryn's warm body by her side served to put her in a most aggravated and dark mood indeed.

"Unfortunate," Seven murmured unhappily. B'Elanna shot her a commiserating grin.

After finishing up their task, the two squeezed out into the aft compartment. Through the door leading to the main cabin with its generous viewports, Seven could see that the dead animal next to them was already starting to attract attention. A multitude of scurrying creatures were beginning to crawl over the leathery skin, biting their way through to get to the flesh beneath while occasionally snapping at others in order to secure their portion of the gigantean feast. They seemed oblivious to the metal construct resting quietly next to the dinosaur's large, heavy head.

"Perhaps we should consider moving now," Seven suggested to the captain who was mopping up a pool of spring wine spread over the deck, undoubtedly having fallen when the shuttle had been attacked. Shattered shards of glass were littered amid the remains of their dinner dishes, mixed in with the crimson splash of leftover tomato sauce. Seven found some clean cloths and began to help her spouse, wiping down the nearby bulkheads and deck. "And to a climate which is less oppressive."

"I instructed Ro to try to bolster our shield strength to hold off the scavengers." Upon hearing that, B'Elanna turned and went out to the main cabin, no doubt considering that task more entertaining than mopping up spilt food. "Seven, I'd rather not spend the night looking for a spot to land, and that's what we'd have to do unless we completely circled the planet. Since this world has yet to develop ice caps, we're already in as temperate a climate as it's going to get."

"Understood." Seven moved closer. "Yet, I would be grateful for an opportunity to exit the shuttle," she offered, in a lower voice. "We have not spent any personal time together for more than a week and a half."

Janeway smiled faintly. "I know." She straightened, bearing her load of broken crockery over to the recycling unit, tossing her dirty cloths in as well. "It bothers me, as well, Annika, but sometimes, it just works out that way."

Seven followed her over to the unit with her own armload of debris which she placed carefully in the recycler. "I cannot help thinking of our quarters on Voyager. It is unfortunate that the storm did not hold off another day. We would have reached the ship by then."

"And if wishes were horses," Janeway said, turning around to slip her arms around her spouse. "We'd all be riding."

Seven frowned. "Why would we want to ride?" she asked, puzzled as she returned the embrace.

Janeway laughed softly. "Never mind."

The captain took a quick glance out the door leading to the main cabin, and as Seven followed her gaze, she saw that B'Elanna and Ro were huddled together as they worked on the shields, far closer than they probably needed to be, their backs to the aft compartment. When she turned her attention back to the captain, Janeway took the opportunity to kiss her.

Seven returned it happily. It was probably the first really good kiss she'd had in over a week, including the brief one earlier in the day, and she concentrated on it closely, not wanting to miss any aspect of it. When they finally parted, Janeway was blushing faintly.

"Heavens, you can kiss," the captain muttered, not for the first time.

Seven accepted it for the compliment it was and kissed her again. Then with obvious reluctance, the captain pushed the Borg away, easing out of the embrace.

Seven noticed that Ro and B'Elanna broke apart as well as she and Janeway entered the main cabin, though the Borg could not see any indication that they had been doing anything nearly as intimate as what she and the captain had been indulging. Seven was still not entirely sure why it was so necessary to present a show of personal disinterest, especially when what she really wanted was to take her partner back into the aft compartment, drop a bunk down, and make slow, passionate love to her. Indeed, she knew for a fact that Janeway probably wished to do the same and Seven was sure that the other two women would not mind. In fact, Ro and B'Elanna would no doubt take the opportunity to make love themselves. She made a note to ask Janeway to explain it to her later so she could understand this social taboo completely. For now, she realized Janeway did not want any indication of physical intimacy and Seven, despite her desire, intended to respect that.

"Lieutenant, bring down the blast shield," the captain instructed. "I really don't want to look at that if I don't have to."

"Aye, ma'am," Ro responded, keying in commands which brought the metal plating down over the transparent aluminum, shutting out the moonlight and the rest. The internal running lights brightened accordingly and Seven felt very cozy suddenly, the four of them finding seats in the main cabin.

"Well, it's a little early for bed," B'Elanna offered. "Anyone have any ideas?"

"You mean like Twenty Questions or Truth or Dare?" Janeway asked lazily.

B'Elanna eyed her skeptically. "Would you play them?"

Seven wondered what they were talking about.

Janeway considered that. "Perhaps the first. I don't think I know you well enough to play the second, Lieutenant. At least, not at this point."

"Really?" B'Elanna said, with a small snort. "Like you have any secrets after Seven's talked to me?"

Janeway allowed a small smile. "Point taken. I'll rephrase. I don't know Ro yet, and it is my opinion that she probably does not wish to know me that well."

Ro quirked an eyebrow as the gaze of the other three women intersected with hers.

"Actually, Captain," she said with what Seven decided was a deliberately provocative tone, "I wouldn't be adverse to getting to know you better. Unless you're afraid of what I might discover about you."

Janeway eyed her. "You should be careful what you wish for, Lieutenant," she said evenly, though Seven was sure that there was more here than what she recognized. "It's rarely what you expect."

"That can work both ways," the Bajoran responded easily.

The two women stared at each other for a long moment, then Janeway inclined her head slightly. "Very well," she said silkily and Seven felt a touch of alarm. It was never a good sign when the captain used a tone like that. The Borg simply could not predict what she would do next.

"Really?" B'Elanna said, looking back and forth between the captain and the lieutenant with astonishment. "Then we'd better do this right." She scrambled to her feet. "C'mon, Seven. Let's get the popcorn and some drinks."

Bemused, the Borg followed B'Elanna to the rear of the vessel where the Klingon replicated two huge bowls of fluffy popcorn and two chilled bottles of Bajoran spring wine along with glasses. Seven found the choice of beverage appropriate since they really didn't have a chance to finish the first bottle. The light, fruit flavor of the wine would be a delicate counterpoint to the buttery, salt flavor of the popcorn.

"What are we doing?" Seven asked her, accepting her share of the provisions.

"We're going to play Truth or Dare," B'Elanna explained, appearing slightly excited.

"What is that?"

"It's a game, Seven. A person asks someone else to pick 'truth or dare'. If it's 'truth', they ask a question that the other person must respond to honestly. Otherwise, they have to carry out whatever dare they're offered."

Seven blinked. "That sounds ... unimaginative." She always told the truth when asked and thus could not imagine why anyone would conversely, choose the 'dare' option.

"You've just never played it," B'Elanna informed her as they returned to the cabin.

Seven watched as the Klingon took one of the bowls, two glasses and a wine bottle over to where Lt. Ro was seated and settled on the deck next to her. Ro immediately changed position, finding a place behind B'Elanna so that the Klingon could lean back against the Bajoran. Intrigued, Seven glanced at Janeway and saw no sign of censure in her face. Hesitantly, she also found a place on the deck beside the captain and was both astounded and pleased as Janeway obligingly got out of her chair and sat down in front of the Borg, snuggling back against her. Perhaps it was part of the game, Seven thought. If so, she decided, it was possible that she had judged the activity too harshly.

Janeway held the glasses as the wine was poured by the Borg, then, after handing the second glass to Seven, settled the bowl of popcorn onto her lap. Thus prepared, she regarded B'Elanna evenly.

"Who goes first?"

"Rank hath its privilege," the Klingon invited. "After you."

"Wonderful," Janeway said dryly. She paused, then looked back at her spouse. "Seven, truth or dare?"

Seven quirked an eyebrow. "Truth."

"Were you aware that I would not approve of you gambling on pool when you were playing for the replicator rations you intended to use for my birthday?"

Suddenly, Seven understood why one would be more apt to choose 'dare' rather than 'truth'. She swallowed.

"It crossed my mind shortly before I began my match with Lt. Paris, but I deemed it more important to accumulate the rations than any temporary annoyance that might occur on your part."

"Ouch," B'Elanna muttered.

"She's deadly at this, isn't she?" Ro added and Seven was not sure if the Bajoran was referring to her or the captain.

Janeway's eyes glinted, but all she did was smile faintly. "Your turn," she said, in that same silky tone. Seven felt a shiver run down her back.

"Seven, you can't ask who asked you," B'Elanna informed her. "You have to ask someone else."

"Very well," Seven allowed. She looked at the Klingon. It occurred to her that this would be a perfect opportunity to discover information that might not otherwise be offered and since Janeway's question had been so brash, she assumed it was part of the game's rules, to push the provocation as far as one could. "Lt. Torres, 'truth or dare'?"

B'Elanna grinned challengingly at her. "Truth."

Seven raised an eyebrow. "I am aware that you and Ro Laren have copulated. Was the experience adequate?"

Janeway, taking a sip of wine, immediately began to choke as the grin disappeared from B'Elanna's face. Ro smirked and leaned over to look at the Klingon.

"Yes," she added. "Was I adequate?"

B'Elanna blushed furiously. "I hate how quickly Seven adapts."

"That was not the question." Seven was beginning to enjoy herself.

With an effort, B'Elanna composed herself. ""Yes, Seven. It was adequate. It was more than adequate but you didn't ask about that." Then she quickly pinned her dark eyes on Janeway. "All right, Captain, truth or dare?"

Janeway blinked. "I thought you would ask Ro."

"She'll get her turn."

Ro raised her head. "I don't mind, Captain."

Janeway took a breath. "Refill, first," she said, offering her glass to her partner. "Then, dare."

B'Elanna looked vaguely disappointed as everyone's glass was filled for a second round, but after a moment, she grinned, the sharp points of her teeth showing. "Kiss Seven. Not like you do so rarely in public, but how you would in private."

Seven perked up. This game was becoming more interesting all the time.

Janeway hesitated, and then with a bit of an exasperated sigh, she turned so that she was sideways against the Borg. Their lips met and Seven abruptly realized that Janeway was indeed, honoring her part of the competition, the tip of the captain's tongue coming out to flick against her lips, parting them, and invading the Borg's mouth as the kiss deepened and went on for a lot longer than perhaps anyone had anticipated. When they finally parted, Seven felt a bit breathless, B'Elanna was wide-eyed and Janeway was entirely too smug for her own good.

"Lt. Ro," the captain said, and it seemed her voice had grown husky. "Truth or dare?"

Ro paused. "I think I'm in over my head here."

"Too late," Janeway remarked. "You're already in the water. The time for second thoughts was on the beach."

"I know." The Bajoran eyed the captain warily, obviously trying to decide which choice would be least rife with potential embarrassment. "Truth," she decided finally.

"Why are you so resistant to becoming a bridge officer?"

Ro stared at her. "Maybe I'm not. Maybe I'm just pretending to be so you'll pursue it."

Janeway abruptly looked uncertain. "Is that the truth?"

Ro grinned crookedly. "No. It's the same reason as what I've told you before, Captain. I don't want to let you down. It's my history. Maybe it's my nature."

Janeway opened her mouth to respond, checked it, and merely nodded. "Very well. Your turn."

"All right." Seven, who had been confused by the last exchange, was suddenly aware of the Bajoran's attention centering on her. "Seven, truth or dare."

"Dare," Seven said promptly, hoping for another kiss from her spouse.

"Kiss B'Elanna the way you kissed the captain."

Seven was shocked and so, apparently, was Janeway, the captain stiffening in the Borg's arms. The Bajoran eyed them all with humor. "Do you refuse, Seven? You have the option of changing it to truth, but should you refuse to answer, then you'll be out of the game."

Seven considered this very carefully. If she refused, it could possibly insult B'Elanna and hurt her feelings, something she certainly did not wish to do. But, by the same token, there were Janeway's feelings to consider, not to mention that hint of attraction that Seven had once felt for the Klingon. Would that be something that B'Elanna could pick up through the kiss? Or worse, would the captain, thereby deciding that perhaps the Borg's confession was not as harmless as she had believed? She wondered if this was where her spouse had learned her formidable composure during trying circumstances ... by playing this game, which was obviously neither as simple nor as unimaginative as she had first believed. Indeed, there were complexities to it that she had never before experienced.

She took a breath. "It would be ... intriguing to kiss B'Elanna, but ultimately, I will fail the 'dare' because I do not love my friend the way that I love Kathryn. Therefore, the kiss would not and could not be identical to how I kiss the captain. I must, in that case, choose the alternative, which is 'truth'."

Janeway looked back at her, a touch of admiration in her eyes. "Well done," she complimented in a low voice that probably only Seven could hear.

Ro smiled faintly, apparently not put out by the Borg's answer. "All right." She took another sip of her wine and considered it.  "What is the most unusual place you've ever made love?"

Janeway sighed softly, B'Elanna smirked and Seven tried to think.  "There have been so many," she admitted, frowning.  That seemed to surprise the other couple and it was Janeway's turn to smirk. "I believe it was on the table in the main conference room."

B'Elanna started to cough and Ro stared.  Janeway attempted to look inscrutable.

"With the captain?" Ro blurted.

"I believe that is two questions, Lt. Ro," Seven pointed out.  "It is now my turn."  She squeezed Janeway lightly.  "Kathryn, truth or dare?"

Janeway cleared her throat.  "You've gotten very good at this, very quickly," she complained mildly.  She took a breath.  "Dare."

Seven quirked an eyebrow.  "Kiss me again." In truth, it was difficult for Janeway to be so demonstrative in front of an audience and it pleased her that her spouse was making the attempt now. Perhaps it was the alcohol the captain had imbibed or the situation, but it seemed she was far more comfortable in the presence of Ro and B'Elanna than with others of the crew.  "As you would in private."

Janeway turned and smiled.  "Gladly," she said and kissed her partner deeply.

"Well, at least someone's having fun with this game," B'Elanna noted, somewhat grudgingly once the couple had parted.

"And on that note, I think it's probably time to turn in," Janeway noted with a smile, as she uncoiled from Seven's arms. Obligingly, the two lieutenants got up themselves and headed for the rear compartment, leaving the captain and the Borg alone for the moment. Seven reached out and put her hand on the smaller woman's arm.

"Kathryn, did I embarrass you?"

The captain turned to her, a soft expression on her face. "Not at all, darling," she said in an equally low tone so that her voice would not carry to the other section. She studied Seven closely. "You know that I need to maintain a certain distance from the rest of the crew, but I also realize that sometimes that distance might make it appear to you as if I'm ashamed or embarrassed by how we feel for each other. Trust me, Annika, I do like when I'm able to lower the defenses a little and show others just how much I love you. It's just not something I can do often. Can you understand that?"

Seven nodded. "I do, Kathryn." She moved closer, resting her chin against Janeway's temple. "I'm glad you were able to 'be yourself' tonight. B'Elanna is my friend, and I believe that Ro would like to be our friend as well."

"I think you're right, darling," Janeway agreed quietly. "I do know that there seem to be hidden depths to the good lieutenant the more I get to know her."

"I am not entirely certain why she would dare me to kiss B'Elanna, however," Seven noted with puzzlement.

Janeway took a breath and looked a bit serious. "Now that, I can't answer."

For some reason, Seven thought her spouse was not being entirely forthcoming with her, though she couldn't quite put her finger on exactly why she felt that way.

"Did you have a reason for trying to get Seven to kiss me?"

Ro concentrated intently on making up the bunk. "It was just a stupid game, B'Elanna. Don't take it so seriously."

"Oh, I'm not." B'Elanna waited, her arms crossed and Ro hesitated, then finally stopped what she was doing and looked back at the other woman.

"Okay, I admit it. I wanted to see if ... there were any feelings there."

"What?" B'Elanna responded with what seemed honest astonishment. "Why?"

"Honestly, B'Elanna," Ro said unhappily, smoothing out the sheet on the mattress. "Anyone could see you had the hots for Seven."

B'Elanna seemed honestly stricken. "It's not like that, Laren."

The Bajoran turned to face the Klingon, pinning her with a look. "Lie to yourself, if you want. You can even lie to Seven because I don't think it would occur to her that anyone other than Janeway would fall for her. But I've seen it in your face more than once, and furthermore, the captain saw it, too."

"That was ... it didn't ... I don't ..." B'Elanna tried incoherently.

"Hey," Ro said, not unkindly as she interrupted the stammering Klingon. "I'm not saying that you don't care for me. I know better. I just wanted to see if Seven was completely out of your system." She sighed and finished making up the bunk. "Granted, it was a stupid way to try to find out, and I probably owe you both a big apology for putting you on the spot like that even though that's the whole purpose of the game. But I think for everyone's sake's, we have to know for sure, Lanna. For your own piece of mind, if nothing else."

"The captain knows?" There was an unsteadiness to the tone.

Ro shrugged. "She probably figured it out when I did; in that cavern on Meuranato. I could tell every time you looked at Seven. I mean, the captain might have already known by then, but you were really obvious at that point."

"Oh, Kahless," B'Elanna groaned, slumping against the first bunk as Ro pulled down a second and started making that up as well. "She never said anything to me."

"Why would she?" Ro asked logically. "You've never made a play for her wife and Seven's not interested, so it's not like Janeway was ever worried."

"It didn't matter, you know," B'Elanna said, a bit sadly. "Even if she and Janeway had broke up or something, I don't think Seven could ever feel that way about somebody else."

"So you settled for me," Ro finished for her.

B'Elanna stared at her with what seemed honest surprise. "Is that what you think?"

"It's okay," Ro said carefully, even as she knew it wasn't. "I mean, I don't blame you for falling for her. She's got that incredible body and she's brilliant and attractive..."

"And you don't have any of those things?" B'Elanna started to add something else, stopped, took a deep breath and started again, in a quiet, calm voice. "Laren, you're right, I was attracted to Seven. It would be a lie to say I wasn't. But I didn't fall in love with you because I couldn't have her. I fell in love with you, despite being attracted to her. Once you came into my life, all the feelings that I had for Seven just ... faded away, as if they had never been. It's like they weren't even real. What I feel for you is real."

Ro stared at the sheets she was holding in her hand.

"How can you be sure?"

B'Elanna considered it. "I guess I can't. Not yet. Anymore than I can know that what you feel for me is the long-lasting kind. It's still too early. But I do love you, Laren."

"I love you, too," Ro said, feeling her throat close up. "But sometimes it's not enough."

"But sometimes it is." The Klingon sighed. "I wish Seven had accepted the dare, now. Maybe that would have proved something to you."

Ro finished making up the second bunk and moved across the room to another. "Maybe. Or maybe I would have been so jealous I would have just made it worse than I'm already making it."

B'Elanna watched her. "You have nothing to be jealous of. I believe in fidelity above all, Laren. I would never cheat on you or try to be with someone else as long as we're together. I swear that to you, on my honor."

"I believe that you mean it, but I also know that sometimes you can't always control what you feel."

B'Elanna colored, looking angry, but then, with a visible effort, she calmed herself. "I can. I meant what I said, Laren. When I'm with someone, I'm never looking to be with anyone else. It would be wrong."

Ro nodded slowly, picking up on the genuine distress in the Klingon's voice. Obviously, this was very important to her lover. "I'm sorry to have doubted you, Lanna. I was out of line."

B'Elanna moved closer. "I guess we're still getting to know each other. There's bound to be a few bumps between us, but I know we can get by them, if we really want to."

Ro glanced at her. "I really want to."

"I do, too." B'Elanna dared to slide her arm around the front of Ro's waist and pulled the Bajoran against her. Ro didn't resist, dropping the bedding and slipping her arms around the smaller woman's neck. They kissed for a few moments, then as the kisses, despite their best efforts, deepened and became passionate, they forced themselves apart.

"Damn," B'Elanna said, resting her proudly ridged forehead on the Bajoran's.

"I know," Ro responded glumly. "Of all the planets, why did this one have to have large, carnivorous dinosaurs on it?"

"We're just lucky, I guess."

Ro grinned crookedly. "I'm impressed. You react so calmly to setbacks lately."

B'Elanna shrugged. "I've been taking more lessons from Tuvok about anger management." She paused, frowning briefly. "Though lately, he doesn't seem to be as good as he usually is with his teaching technique."

Ro darted a glance at her. "You've noticed something different with him as well? That he hasn't been acting the way he normally does?"

B'Elanna looked thoughtful. "No, he hasn't. He's ... I don't know, 'off' a little. I couldn't tell you why I think that, however."

Ro was about to pursue it when Janeway entered the aft compartment. Hastily, the two women let go of one another as the captain smiled faintly.

"Ladies, I appreciate your adherence to duty but the fact is, we are on down time now. Just try to keep it to a level where it wouldn't be considered ... um, vulgar."

"Yes, Captain," Ro said, blushing.

"Seven has first watch," The captain added, sitting on the side of the bunk opposite where Ro and B'Elanna were and removing her boots and trousers. "We'll rotate through the night, B'Elanna, Ro, and then myself. We need to be ready if there's another visitor. At the first hint of a threat, don't hesitate to lift off and try to find a more appropriate landing site ... assuming there is one."

Without waiting for a response, she lay down in the bunk and stretched out beneath the thin sheet, still wearing her tank top and underwear. Ro and B'Elanna glanced at each other and then, with matching rueful expressions, they both followed suit.

Ro was conditioned, after long years in a Cardassian internment camp, then at the Starfleet Academy dorms and subsequently, the Maquis, to go to sleep at a moment's notice and to stay asleep even when it was noisy. Which was fortunate because not only did B'Elanna snore ... which Ro had become somewhat accustomed to ... the captain also provided her own contribution to the nocturnal noise, though Janeway's snore was somewhat quieter and more elegant than the Klingon's. Still, the combination required Ro to put a pillow over her ears and burrow into her bunk, attempting to muffle the sound.  She awoke unknown hours later at a touch to her shoulder, opening her eyes to see B'Elanna bent over her.

"Your watch," the Klingon told her softly.

"I'm on it," Ro said and flipped back the sheet, sitting up. B'Elanna reached down and cupped the Bajoran's face, raising it so that she could kiss her deeply. Ro felt a little lightheaded when she finally released her.

"Is that part of your report?" she asked in a very low voice, aware of the other sleepers in the room. The Klingon grinned in the darkness.

"All's quiet except for the banquet going on out there," B'Elanna whispered. "Nothing's paying attention to us at all."

"Just the way I like it," Ro noted, standing up. B'Elanna slipped into the warm space the Bajoran had vacated and Ro saw that Seven was actually slumbering in the bunk where B'Elanna had started out. Ro pulled on her trousers and boots, and then picked up the phaser rifle the Klingon had discarded and moved lithely out into the main cabin.

The blast shield had been raised again and outside, shadows of movement and flickers of various creatures flowed over the carcass. Ro realized that, with creatures this size populating the world, the scavengers had to be pretty voracious as well. Insects just weren't efficient enough to break down an animal so large. The Bajoran had an extremely good view of a large variety of species interacting right in front of her. It was just too bad she didn't have any particular curiousity about biometrics or exobiology beyond what she required for her job. She guessed that Seven was the most likely candidate for having raised the blast shield. The Borg had a keen interest in the sciences that had otherwise been denied her as a drone and she must have spent a fairly entertaining and informative watch observing the display before her.

Ro stifled a sigh and sat down at the helm, running a check. She noted that someone, probably B'Elanna during her watch, had brought down the shields and replaced them with a simple deflector field channeled through the array. It was more than enough to repulse any animal that got too close, just as it did with meteors and dust particles while in space, and it used far less power than did the shields. The Bajoran checked the energy output levels, making sure that they were still at full capacity. The solar panels at the top of the shuttle had stored a sufficient amount of power during their brief period of daylight to run the internal environmental controls all through the night, thus keeping the crew from having to tap into the energy reserves. All in all, they were in pretty good shape.

A movement caught her eye and she looked up, frowning as she watched all the scavengers abruptly scatter, leaving their unexpected banquet in droves. She half rose out of her seat as the carcass seemed to quiver, moving on its own, and her heart rose in her throat as she tried to figure out what was going on.

Then dimly, through the darkness, she saw thick, grey tentacles wrapped around the carnivore's tail, becoming taut as they dragged the body in the general direction of the lake. Ro couldn't see what the possessor of the tentacles looked like, the massive bands stretching away to disappear into the darkness and mist, and had a feeling she probably didn't want to. Anything that could drag a thirty-tonne carcass away through sheer, brute force was not anything that she should be trying to get close enough in order to make a clear identification as to its particular classification.

Her heart pounding, her respiration coming hard, Ro settled back in her seat, wondering if she should wake the others. When nothing further happened however, she relaxed marginally, though an image did cross her mind of how she and B'Elanna had blithely strolled along the lakeside the day before in search of water, armed only with hand phasers. They were fortunate that the shuttle's arrival had served to scare most of the local inhabitants away, but now that the various creatures had gotten used to the ship's presence, they were once more returning to the natural process of living, dying, eating and being eaten. No doubt, that food chain would now extend to any puny humanoids strolling about the clearing.

They had been damned lucky.

Ro took a deep breath and ran a pre-flight sequence through her board, disturbed when a series of three red lights came up. She ran it again, then with a muttered curse, turned around and pried open a panel in the deck, looking down at the shuttle's launch relays.

When Captain Janeway appeared a few hours later, Ro had repaired most of what she could reach and was trying to figure out how to handle the rest. The Bajoran shot a glance at the chronometer and realized the other woman had actually awoke early for her watch, possibly because she needed coffee, which she was sipping from a mug as she entered the main cabin.

"This does not look good," Janeway remarked, kneeling by the Bajoran.

"It's not," Ro responded. "The conduit must have ruptured when that thing hit us and slowly leaked out all the plasma through the bottom. Normally, it would be an easy repair but the compartment below is fully contaminated. I've been trying to flush it with radiation, but it's not doing much good."

"Can it be reached any other way?"

"Sure," Ro told her. "Easily. The only problem is, in order to access that compartment from the other side, a person would have to go outside the ship. But unless someone does, the Delta Flyer isn't leaving the ground."

"Why wasn't this picked up on the ship diagnostic after we were hit?" she demanded, feeling personally affronted, as if they were blaming her that the ship was not at one hundred percent. Of course, it could be considered my fault, she allowed to herself, feeling a sense of shame. I'm the chief engineer. It's my responsibility to know when things were damaged.

"Because this system is only activated during launch," Ro explained patiently. "No one would catch it until then. But I ran a pre-launch last night and discovered it."

"So we'll have to go outside to fix it," B'Elanna nodded. "Okay, what are we waiting for? I'm sure there isn't another one of those big purple dinosaurs out there. After all, carnivores usually have a specific territory and it would take time before another came along to take ov...." Her voice trailed off as she stared out the front viewport. "What the hell happened to it?"

"Something in the lake apparently dragged it off last night," Janeway said in a voice devoid of inflection.

"Something with tentacles thicker than I care to measure." Ro quivered ever so slightly and B'Elanna was impressed. Ro was not the sort to be disturbed by a trifling threat. She wasn't even the sort to be disturbed by a large threat. This, apparently, was bigger than that. "I didn't get a look at what they belonged to, but it had absolutely no problem yanking that carcass across the field and into the lake. You can see the drag marks all the way down to the water's edge. And when it showed up? Everything else made immediate plans to be somewhere else."

"So anyone who goes out there might find themselves going the way of the dinosaur?"

"Exactly," Janeway said. "Is there any other way to bypass or repair the system?"

B'Elanna considered it, staring down into the open panel. She could see the glowing green where the plasma had contaminated the area. If that hadn't happened, she could wiggle in there and fix the rupture, but she wasn't small enough to maneuver with a full environmental suit on. Plasma residue was not anything to mess around with. Even a limited exposure did a nasty sort of permanent damage to a body, including a Klingon one.

She shook her head. She would have to access the system from the other end, tap into the undamaged conduit, run a line around the contaminated area, and connect it up on the other side.

"I have to go outside," she said simply, looking directly into the captain's eyes. "There's no other way."

Janeway made a face. "I was afraid you were going to say that.". She glanced at Ro and Seven. "Lt. Ro, I want you to monitor us from in here. The second anything larger than a dog appears, activate the phasers. Since we can't have the shields or the deflector array activated while B'Elanna has the inner conduits exposed, Seven, you and I will have to go outside and cover her from that end."

B'Elanna retrieved the tools she would need and put them in a backpack, then nodded at Janeway and Seven who had armed themselves heavily. The women all exchanged glances, and Seven cracked the hatch, going first. The heat and humidity billowed into the cabin, seeming worse than the day before and the Borg dropped lightly to the surface, weapon ready. There was no sign of any threat, and she motioned the others to come through, which Janeway was quick to do, hefting her rifle alertly.

"Hey," Ro muttered, just before B'Elanna was about to exit, "don't get eaten."

"That's reserved for you," the Klingon muttered back with a reckless grin, and jumped down, not waiting to see the Bajoran's reaction to that one.

The grass was spongy beneath her boots and B'Elanna spared a look at the front of the shuttle where deep ruts and stains in the ground indicated where the dinosaur used to lie. She couldn't even imagine the power required to drag a bulk that big ... well she could, but not in a living creature. That sort of power was usually reserved for heavy machinery and industrial strength tractor beams.

"Now is not the time to sightsee, Lieutenant," Janeway reminded her engineer quietly. The woman was tense, her eyes constantly scanning the jungle even as Seven watched the lake.

"Aye, Captain," B'Elanna returned, ducking under the shuttle. She frowned as she saw splashes of purple and blue underneath, fungi that was already growing on the smooth hull despite the seeming lack of any nutrients. Of course, the deflector grid was not set for anything this small, but it did prove how aggressive the lifeforms on this planet were.

She cracked the nearest panel and wormed her way inside the tube, finding the plasma conduit where it ran beneath the main cabin. Carefully avoiding any of the small droplets of plasma residue which had reached this far, she sealed off the conduit and began the bypass. Even working quickly, it took time to go around the area, constructing a solid conduit that would not be jarred loose during the shuttle's flight. As she worked, she wondered how Janeway and Seven were doing outside.

She discovered exactly how when she finally finished up and slithered out, crawling from under the ship to find Janeway and Seven keeping a pack of small, wickedly fast dinosaurs at bay with their phaser rifles. Occasionally, a beam from the shuttle itself would fire, blasting a hole in the turf that would explode with a spray of dirt and grass, but rarely connecting with the incredibly quick, constantly moving pack animals. The creatures displayed a wide range of blue hides with yellowish stripes and if they weren't so obviously deadly, they'd almost be pretty.

"I'm done, Captain," she said softly, ducking against the hull. "Repair is complete."

"Then, let's get the hell inside," Janeway barked tersely.

Cautiously, the three women eased their way back to the hatch which opened at their approach. The small dinosaurs seemed to sense that their prey was getting away and they increased their attack, yelping and snarling as they darted at the women, trying to avoid the constant beam of the captain's weapon, playing over them like a hose and the sharp, precisely aimed bolts from the Borg's rifle. B'Elanna scrambled inside, then reached down and grabbed the captain's arm, yanking her in as well. Seven snapped off a few more shots and made a leap for the opening.

Both B'Elanna and Janeway grabbed her and pulled her inside, all three collapsing on the deck.

"Seal the hatch, seal it!" Janeway yelped as they saw a growling beast hurtling toward them. There was a clang as it slammed into the panel that had slid smoothly shut and despite the density of the metal, B'Elanna thought she saw a dent appear in it.

"Restore the deflector field," Janeway ordered breathlessly and immediately the howling and yelping grew in intensity as the animals threw themselves recklessly at the sparkling field only to be flung meters away.

"What the hell were those?" B'Elanna asked, lying on the deck as she tried to catch her breath.

"On Earth, they would have been known as velociraptors," Janeway explained as she got to her feet and B'Elanna decided that the captain must have been a bit of a dinosaur buff at one point in her life. The Klingon couldn't even pronounce half these names. "They were reputedly far more vicious than a tyrannosaur and hunted in packs. They possibly displayed a certain amount of intelligence as well."

"They were sentient?" Seven asked keenly.

"Not exactly. Just very smart for animals."

"I'll say," Ro noted from the helm. "Look, they're testing the deflector field. Each one picks a different spot and takes a run at it. Maybe I should raise the shields again."

Janeway shook her head as she and Seven huddled next to Ro as the three women studied the creatures. B'Elanna was content to remain on the deck and bring her pounding heart under control.

"Are we leaving now?" the Klingon asked plaintively.

The captain looked back at her and grinned. "That's probably a good idea. We've stirred up the neighborhood enough, I think. Time to find another."

"Is the ion storm still around?" B'Elanna asked as she got to her feet wearily and moved over to the engineering station.

"Yes," Seven reported as she resumed her place at the operations console. "But it does seem to be moving away. Projections have it out of the area in another day, and it will then be safe for the shuttle to return to space."

"Great," B'Elanna mumbled. "What's a couple more days on the Planet from Hell?"

Seven glanced at her curiously. "Are you christening this planet, Lt. Torres?"

The Klingon took a deep breath. "Sure, why not." She glanced over as Ro began the launch sequence. "Let's call it; Hellmouth ... just because everything wants to eat us."

"Hellmouth, it is," the captain agreed as she took a seat at the science station. "It is so logged." B'Elanna was pleased and surprised, caught off guard by the captain's humor.

"Are we leaving our perimeter equipment?" Seven peered out the porthole.

"Do you want to go out and get it?" Ro asked, glancing over her shoulder at the Borg and raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure those things will be glad to assist."

Seven stared at her. "You are being facetious." She glanced at the captain. "We could beam them aboard. Their individual power supplies emanate a distinct signature that makes it easy to get a lock on them. The deflector field does not interfere with the transporter signal the way full shields do."

Janeway considered it, then nodded. "Do it."

There was the hum of the transporter system and a pile of metal rods appeared. Most were bent and ripped apart ... one even had a tooth embedded in it, a large, curving tooth with a serrated edge. B'Elanna had a sudden image of what a body might look like similarly mangled and it was not at all pleasant.

Seven regarded the spindly rods with obvious disappointment. "They are damaged beyond repair." She seemed offended that her idea to retrieve the equipment had offered so little return; far less, in fact, than the energy which had been required to beam them aboard. B'Elanna offered her a sympathetic grin.

"Prepare for launch," Ro said.

"Thrusters at optimum," B'Elanna responded, monitoring the energy flow through the repaired conduit closely.

The shuttle lifted off the ground, the jolt of its motion making them all feel briefly heavy.

"Course, Captain?"

"The nearest desert region, Lieutenant," Janeway remarked. "Try to find an oasis. I'd rather not be without water altogether."

"Understood," the Bajoran responded promptly.

The ship made a gentle turn and flew off, the rising sun at their back. They were not very long into the flight when the shuttle made an abrupt turn to starboard, tilting the shuttle almost to a forty-five degree angle that spilled the captain and B'Elanna out of their seats and onto the hard deck. Seven was able to maintain her seat ... barely ... and she played her hand swiftly across her touch pad even as she clung to her console with the other.

"Sorry," Ro said tersely. "We have incoming."

"Ten, no, twelve airborne lifeforms," Seven reported as B'Elanna and Janeway crawled back into their chairs, bracing as the shuttle took another dive and abrupt turn, this time to port.

"And they're big," Ro added, jaw set, eyes narrowed as she piloted the Delta Flyer clear of the flock of creatures. "I think I know why the dinosaur had its back armored."

"Can you outrun them?" Janeway asked, holding onto her science station and looking a trifle green from all the abrupt maneuvers.

B'Elanna herself, was glad they had all skipped breakfast earlier.

"More power to the thrusters," Ro demanded.

B'Elanna channeled some excess away from the impulse engines that wasn't using any at the moment, and bolstered the atmospheric jets.

"I think we're clear," Ro said after the shuttle straightened out its flight path. "They're keeping pace, but they don't seem to be gaining."

The captain scrambled out of her seat and over to the window, looking out at their attackers.

"Pterodactyls," she said with what seemed delight. "Much larger than I could have imagined. Look at the claws on them."

B'Elanna tried not to roll her eyes.

"You know, flying dinosaurs didn't appear until the end of the Cretaceous period," the captain lectured, in full scientist mode. "They were the forerunners of birds and indicated the first decline in the dinosaur's existence." The captain abruptly seemed to realize that she didn't exactly have an appreciative audience, other than Seven who already knew it, and she favored the women with a bit of an exasperated look. "But no, they're not gaining. I'm sure they'll give up pursuit once they see they can't catch us." She looked out again. "Yes, some of them are already peeling off."

"Now that's a scientific observation I like to hear," B'Elanna muttered in a low voice. But apparently not low enough because, in passing, the captain brushed her hand up the back of the Klingon's head as she returned to her seat. Were it anyone else, B'Elanna might have thought it a deliberate slap across her skull. But the captain would never do that, she thought to herself.

Would she?

She glanced over at Seven who squinted briefly back in the bright sun, and then motioned with her head toward the small area of vegetation a few meters away. Ro Laren had brought the Delta Flyer down beside a small oasis situated next to a rock outcropping. The plants growing here were spiny and thin, sucking any moisture they could get from the parched earth. Trickling from some unknown source, shadowed by the line of rock overhead, a spring spilt its contents out into a shallow pool that spread a few meters before it was evaporated away by the merciless sun.

Janeway was careful to avoid brushing against any of the cacti as she knelt by the pool, her tricorder humming merrily as it took readings of the liquid, indicating a clean source of drinkable water. She glanced over at Seven who was examining a shimmering blue and yellow lizard perched on a branch of a rather stark and blackened bush.

"No larger lifesigns," the Borg reported when the creature finally spooked and darted down the bush and into a dark hole in the rocks.

"This area couldn't support any. Even if a creature could cross the kilometers of desert under that sun to reach this source of water, there would be nothing to eat that would sustain a large bulk for very long." She stood up, looking over the seemingly endless sand and gravel, broken occasionally by rock outcroppings similar to this one, but devoid of vegetation. She wondered if it had once boasted another of the shallow, salty seas that were so numerous on the planet and if so, what had made it dry up? "Hopefully, we will find this area a little more peaceful."

"It is hot.." Janeway decided that it must be if her spouse was indicating any kind of discomfort.

"We should get back inside. I'm pretty sure the temperature will drop considerably once the sun goes down. The land can't retain its heat without cover of vegetation."

Seven nodded and turned around. Together, the two women returned to the shuttle that rested uneasily on the yellowish desert sand, as if it wasn't sure it wanted to be there. Janeway entered its cool interior with relief as Ro quickly sealed the hatch behind them and decreased the internal temperature a few more degrees.

"Perhaps it would be prudent for us to sleep during the day and move around at night," the Bajoran suggested.

Janeway nodded. "That's not a bad idea, though I would like to have a complete scan run on the mineral deposits in the area, today, particularly with regards to their use for Voyager." She paused, trying not to smile at the expressions of dismay which crossed their faces. Geological surveys, particularly for those not interested in that specific area of science, were tedious in the extreme but then, she had a bit of an ulterior motive behind it. "It occurs to me that it could easily be handled by two people. Ro, Torres, I want you to carry out the scans while Seven and I retire for a few hours. We'll relieve you in the afternoon and you two can catch some downtime while we finish the scans."

Their expressions grew confused and Janeway could tell almost exactly what the two women were thinking. The captain couldn't be saying what they thought she was saying, could she? Seven, of course, merely accepted the words at face value and remained impassive.

"Seven," the captain invited evenly. As she turned to head for the rear compartment, her spouse following her obediently, she added. "By the way, to insure that neither group disturbs the other, I'm going to have the aft compartment sealed, so anyone who has to access the head or the replicator, should do it now."

She waited patiently as Ro and B'Elanna swiftly went aft, one to use the bathroom, and the other to replicate some drinks and snacks to hold them through the rest of the day as they carried out their scans. Then the captain sealed the door between the two sections, slumping against it with an audible exhalation of relief, feeling a sense of privacy for the first time in ages. She turned, still leaning against the smooth surface of the bulkhead, regarding her spouse wistfully.

"I am so tired of being without you. I think we're all adult enough to accept that both couples need some time together, apart from the other two."

"I agree." There was a touch of humor in Seven's tone. "I am pleased that you utilized 'Captain's Privilege' to do so first."

Janeway grinned crookedly and accessed the nearest bunk, folding out the narrow shelf and wrestling the mattress off it. She dropped it on the floor before flipping the bunk back into the hull even as Seven did the same on her side before the two found some bedding behind another panel. Together, they made up a double pallet by jamming the two, narrower mattresses together, creating a fairly decent-sized bed for themselves.

"Heavens," Janeway said as she pulled off her tank top, catching a good whiff of herself. "I need a shower. I reek."

Seven took the opportunity to embrace the topless captain. "You smell wonderful," she assured her quietly just before she kissed her.

"Still," Janeway responded, breaking away from the full lips with an effort, the Borg's hands searing her flesh where they touched. "Just give a few minutes, all right? Then you can take a turn."

"Very well," Seven responded, releasing her reluctantly.

Janeway slipped out of her boots, pants and underwear, and padded naked into the small head set to the port side of the shuttle's aft section. The starboard side was where the engines were, taking up a better part of the shuttle's width and it made for cramped conditions in the ensuite. There was only room for a compact waste disposal unit, a small sink and a rather tiny shower. Of course, the captain did not really like the feeling of a sonic shower at the best of times, but she knew that was purely psychological on her part and that the sound waves worked efficiently at removing dirt, dead skin and loose hair. She was perfectly clean even if she didn't quite feel that way after she stepped out.

She gave way to the Borg and lay down on the pallet, staring idly at the ceiling as she waited for her spouse to finish her ablutions. She realized that it was the first time she had completely relaxed since leaving Voyager a week and a half before and she felt muscles she hadn't even known were tense, unkink slowly.

She closed her eyes and drifted briefly in the sensation of being able to fully stretch out without worrying that she was going to fall off the side. Even the Permunta beds had been unusually narrow for such bulky creatures and she had found out later that the Starfleet crew had been given children's beds because the adult beds were about the size of this entire room. Janeway had a brief flash of her and Seven rolling about in the furs of a full-sized Permuntan bed and she shivered from the sheer thought of it. It was a shame that there had been no opportunity for recreation while they had been on the icy world ... just diplomacy, scientific exchange and some cultural revelations that had left the captain and her astrometrics officer no time for themselves, let alone each other. In fact, for most of their stay, Seven and B'Elanna had been on the other side of the planet, studying Permuntan mining techniques while Janeway and Ro remained in the main city, deep in negotiations for the supplies they needed.

Still, it hadn't been a complete waste of time ... even assuming that any scientific observation could ever be considered a waste ... and right now, there were three extra kilograms of the element Voyager's life support systems used, stored in the Delta Flyer's cargo compartment. Not to mention the new methods of extracting said element from its mineral cocoon that B'Elanna and Seven had learned about while on the planet that could come in handy for the future.

Janeway was dimly aware of a warm body joining her, a lean, lanky form that wrapped around her with absolute heavenly comfort.

"Kathryn," Seven whispered softly into her ear. "Are you falling asleep?"

Janeway groaned. "God, I think so, darling. I'm sorry."

"Do not be sorry," Seven responded, her lips moving soothingly over the captain's forehead. "I am weary as well. Let us nap now and perhaps we shall have time for other things later."

Janeway made a sound of assent and rolled over, nuzzling her face into the Borg's throat, snuggling close in her embrace. Held in the slender, impossibly strong arms of her partner, the captain allowed herself to drift off, feeling safe and warm and loved beyond anything's ability to disturb.

When she woke up, she wasn't entirely sure where she was, even though the body next to her was eminently and joyously familiar. She drew back a little, opening her eyes so that she could look at her spouse. Seven was still asleep, her sandy eyelashes casting soft shadows over her pale cheeks, the grey metal of her cranial implant glinting subtly in the lowered illumination. Blonde hair fell about the narrow features and carefully, Janeway brushed it back, revealing a face that seemed so much younger while lost in sleep than it did the rest of the time. The full lips were parted slightly, the brief flash of white teeth appearing along with the soft pink of the tip of the Borg's tongue.

Janeway smiled, loving her spouse so much and basking in this precious moment of being able to watch her sleep, vulnerable, open, completely trusting that the captain would watch over her and protect her until her slumber was done. Janeway remained still, wanting nothing more than to brush her lips over that smooth brow, trace down the elegant nose, to cover the full lips, but knowing that the second she did, Seven would wake. This vision of what she might have been like had the Borg never taken her, would be gone, hidden behind a cool, competent demeanor that was certainly attractive, but far more familiar than this rare glimpse of childlike repose.

Seven woke anyway, perhaps sensing some form of observation or merely detecting a type of tenseness from the captain that simply wasn't there when Janeway was asleep. Seven's face tightened, her eyelids fluttered and she inhaled deeply, making the softest of sounds in her throat. Her embrace strengthened, her arms pulling Janeway closer to her, as if needing the reassurance that her partner was indeed there. But her eyes did not open and the captain wondered if perhaps she would fall back asleep.

"Kathryn?" A mere whisper, just to acknowledge that she knew Janeway was there, and was watching her.

Janeway smiled and brushed her nose along Seven's. "Annika."

"How long have you been awake?"

"Not long. Just enough to be able to watch you sleep for awhile. I love watching you sleep, my darling."

There was a minor curve to the Borg's full lips, the bare trace of a smile. "You always have, even when we were not together and I was regenerating."

"Ah, you caught me," Janeway responded, amused.

Seven quirked an eyebrow. "Are we going to make love now?"

"Mmm, I don't know," Janeway said, wiggling a bit closer. "Do you want to?"

"I do not know. I do, yet I am enjoying the pleasure of simply lying here with you."

"That's how I feel." Janeway brushed her lips over Seven's. "Perhaps we should just kiss for a while and see how it goes from there."

"Efficient," Seven complimented.

They moved closer until they could kiss without needing to move their heads very much, gentle touches of their lips, moving over each other with the most lazy of pressure and motion. Janeway loved kissing Seven, not only because the Borg did it so incredibly well, but because there was a softness and gentleness there that she had experienced with no one else. Seven always tasted sweet and warm, never unpleasant, which the captain was sure was not entirely true in the reverse. Yet, Seven never complained, or hesitated or indicated anything to the contrary.

Janeway felt the Borg's right hand trail down her back, moving slowly as if afraid she would somehow disturb this intimate moment between them. The captain was acutely aware of the fingertips, so soft, slipping over each minor bump of her spine, and then finding that hollow at the base. Still, their kisses did not intensify, remaining so very, very tender. Carefully the fingertips eased over the swell of Janeway's buttock, to the place beneath where the back of her leg began. There was the gentlest of pressures, a soft urging which Janeway obeyed, slowly sliding her leg up the outside of Seven's, bending her knee until the inside of it was resting comfortably on the Borg's hip.

Janeway's breathing deepened, but the kisses did not alter, no teeth or tongue, just lips, soft and gentle on each other, barely moving. The captain whimpered as she felt Seven slowly slide her hand between them, fingertips tangling briefly in the auburn thatch of triangle, then lower, resting against the top of her crease.

"Annika."

"Shh," Seven soothed, offering more kisses, so very refined and sweet.

Janeway felt the tip of one finger gently ease along the upper ridge of intimate flesh, barely touching and it was so much more powerful than perhaps a different sort of caress would have been at this time. The captain caught her breath, making a sound deep in her throat, but neither of them tried to hurry it or attempted to become more passionate. It was as if they were trying to build a house of cards, each move trembling on the edge of the next, requiring the most delicate of touch to make it work.

The fingertip reached the top of the ridge, then descended into wetness, dipping in briefly before bringing it back up over the swelling nodule. Janeway had never felt so incredibly sensitive, never so aware of every millimeter that such a journey took, back and forth with slow, patient, fondling, alternating strokes along each side, then back to the pool of wetness that seemed to be spreading as each exquisite second of eternity went by. Janeway's hips began to move, barely perceptible undulations against the fingertip that stroked and stroked without pause. Helpless gasps issued from her lips until finally, she was there with a soft cry of release. Not an abrupt climax, but rather, a gradual ascent of pleasure until it peaked and slowly, gently, she relaxed in the Borg's embrace, surprised to find herself crying. Janeway hardly ever cried and she was shaken, both by the tears sliding down her cheeks and by how incredibly close she felt to Seven at this moment in time. It was, as if she had been cradled in the Borg's pure emotion, lifted up to shine brightly in the sun, then gradually lowered to the safe haven of loving arms and the most tender of lips.

She didn't say anything. She couldn't. Words would have somehow made it disappear and she desperately did not want this feeling to disappear. So she clung to Seven, her lips pressed tight to hers, breathing in the air that her lover exhaled and wanting nothing more than for this to go on forever.

Finally, Kathryn raised her head, resting her forehead against the Borg's, her cheeks wet and cool and Seven had only to reach out with the tip of her tongue to taste the saltiness of them.

"I love you," Janeway whispered huskily. "I always do, but sometimes, something happens and for that instant in time, I have the ability to realize just how very, very much I feel for you."

Seven considered this. "It makes you sad?" she asked quietly, uncertainly.

"No, far from it. It makes me feel wonderful, exhilarated, so happy and blessed ... so many things and yes, perhaps sad, as well, because the words to express it simply aren't there, they just can't do it justice. This happens at such unexpected times, and rarely when I can give it my full attention but oh, my darling, I love you. I love you so much."

Seven concentrated very hard on comprehending this because she knew that it was very important to her spouse. She did think she could relate to the emotion and how the depth of it had sprung upon Kathryn unexpectedly. It had happened to her many times, but how could she say it in a way that would allow Janeway to realize that?

She hugged her. "I love you, too. I love you with all the words that are beyond love."

Janeway laughed huskily. "Yes," she said, seeming to understand perfectly. "I beyond love you."

Seven smiled and rested her cheek on the top of her partner's auburn hair, sighing softly as she enjoyed the moment of holding her beloved in her arms.

"Hey," Janeway said softly, raising her head so she could look at the Borg. "Are you going back to sleep?"

"I do not require sleep now," Seven responded, somewhat puzzled.

"Then what does my darling require?"

Seven smiled, understanding finally. "I do not require that, not at the moment." She cuddled her closer. "I simply like being with you."

"Hmm, if you're sure," Kathryn said, not sounding completely convinced. "But I bet I could interest you in a back scratch."

Seven raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You would win that wager."

"Roll over."

Obediently, Seven rolled onto her stomach, feeling her partner straddle her, sitting on the Borg's buttocks. The captain's nails ran lusciously over the smooth skin of her back and Seven actually groaned, lost in the sheer pleasure of having her spouse provide this service for her. Kathryn had learned to do it so well. Exactly how hard to scratch, where to scratch, when to scratch, and how long to scratch. It was pure and utter bliss. Seven knew that this interaction truly proved her spouse's love because she had it on good authority ... well, B'Elanna's authority, at any rate ... that scratching one's back was not something that just anyone would do. It was something that only one who truly loved another would accommodate, particularly if it was done after the lovemaking. Apparently, it was traditional for many lovers, according to B'Elanna, to simply roll over and go to sleep.

Thus, Kathryn proved to be an exemplary spouse in her sense of caring and tenderness ... but, then, Seven had already known that.

Seven moaned again as Janeway began to lightly scratch her ribs, and the captain laughed throatily.

"Honestly darling, I think you like this better than making love."

Seven considered it seriously. "At times, I do." She paused. "Is that wrong?"

"Not at all, darling," Janeway said softly, bending over to kiss Seven on the shoulder blade. "I love that there's something I can do for you that is so indulgent. Something that you can enjoy for the sheer sake of enjoying it."

Seven wiggled as she felt Janeway's breasts on her back, the nipples prodding into her.

"Please, Kathryn," she requested. "Remain where you are."

"Oh, you like this, too?" Janeway continued to scratch Seven's sides as she settled onto her. The Borg felt the captain brush away the blonde hair and kiss the back of her neck and she shivered pleasurably.

"I believe that you are arousing me."

Janeway chuckled as she nibbled her ear. "Is that wrong?"

Seven purred. "Not at all. Please, continue." A sudden thought struck her. "Do we have time?"

"All the time you need, my love," Janeway told her with utter seriousness.

Seven relaxed at the reassurance.

Janeway's caresses grew more lingering, gentler as the passes began to include the sides of Seven's breasts, the captain merely running her fingertips over the swells of flesh rather than actually scratching as she did over the ribs and sides. Seven wiggled again, drawing her right leg up, bending the knee so that she was angled slightly sideways. Janeway eased off to that side, concentrating on one hand that traveled slowly over the Borg's torso as she kissed and nibbled the soft skin over Seven's shoulders and spine.

"Do you like this, darling?" she asked huskily.

"Yes. I like how it makes me feel. It pleases me when you touch my back."

Janeway's voice was a low murmer, husky and provocative. "You have a beautiful back. I love touching it."

Seven rested her head on her forearms and closed her eyes, delighting in the sensation of Kathryn's hand on her, the soft weight pressing down on her, the kisses and gentle nips over her flesh. For some reason, she found her back quite sensitive to stimulation and she was glad that, in recent weeks, Janeway had made a point of paying more attention to this area. She quivered as the captain slid her hand over the Borg's buttocks, pausing briefly to grasp a handful and squeeze lovingly before resuming her lazy caress. Seven liked having this area touched as well and it made her rise up slightly, pressing into the fondling. Seven decided that there was a certain vulnerability to this position, unable to see her partner or what she was doing. Instead, she had to place herself completely in Janeway's hands, trust in her utterly and that gave Seven a certain sense of pleasure that another position perhaps could not. She wondered if Janeway felt the same way when the Borg made love to her from behind.

Seven made a soft sound as she felt Kathryn's fingers brush gently over her anus in passing. Another area that was acutely sensitized to her partner's touch, and vulnerable to the captain's attention. Janeway's caresses became more specific, gently touching Seven's intimate flesh, going beneath to slip softly over her little bundle of nerves, to the opening where moisture gathered, and then back to the puckered orifice which she circled tenderly. Janeway did not linger on any one of the areas, trailing between them with maddening slowness, first one, then the other, then the third, not attempting to penetrate or fondle with greater intent. She simply ... teased.

"Oh, Kathryn."

"Easy," the captain soothed, her mouth sweet on the Borg's neck. "In time."

In time, Voyager would return to the Alpha Quadrant, Seven thought.

"Kathryn." Her tone was slightly more demanding.

A soft laugh, husky and deep, rushed along Seven's nerves like a flood of warm water. Janeway's fingertips grew a little more localized, intent at each spot, taking the time to rub Seven's nodule carefully, then penetrating slightly into the wetness before withdrawing to prod provocatively at the other entrance.

"Oh, please," Seven moaned, bringing her other knee up under her, arching further into the air. "Kathryn ... please."

"Yes, darling," Janeway promised, rising so that she was kneeling behind the Borg. She placed both hands on the inside of Seven's thighs and spread them apart. Never had Seven felt so open and vulnerable to her partner and she waited breathlessly to see what Janeway would do with such a surrender.

The captain did not disappoint, caressing the Borg's soft cheeks firmly with her palms, trailing down the back of the legs and back up over the hips, around to the stomach to take a pass through the triangle and crease, then back around again. Seven could barely catch her breath, her senses aflame, her body quivering in anticipation. Then amazingly, she felt Janeway's warm breath over the crease between her buttocks and she shuddered.

"Kathryn?"

"Shh," Janeway said, using her hands to spread Seven's buttocks apart even further. Then the young woman felt the captain's lips moving on her, over the small opening, the tip of her tongue actually reaching out to touch her there.

The Borg was aware that it was her 'pristine' nature that allowed the captain to even consider indulging in something like this, but it was not something Janeway favored and certainly never in this position or from this angle before. It was astounding, and inadvertently, Seven cried out as she felt the softness of her partner's tongue enter her.Almost before she had recovered from the pleasurable shock of that, Janeway's fingers were penetrating deeply in the opening below, a wonderful contrast to the tantalizing oral caress of the other orifice. The captain's other hand came up between Seven's legs and began to rub over the slick little nodule, manipulating it with firm pressure.

Somewhere along the line, Seven lost track of herself in all the pleasure and dimly, she was aware that she was keening loudly. She generally tended to restrain herself with a more subdued verbal emoting, but this experience had caught her completely by surprise. The sensation overwhelmed her and she tried to muffle most of her cries into the bedding, particularly the final ones when it seemed her whole body would come apart from the intensity of the peak Janeway so lovingly and skillfully brought her to.

She gasped for breath, gradually becoming aware of Janeway pressing down against her back, kissing her neck and cheek.

"It's all right, my darling," the captain assured her. "I'm right here."

"Kathryn," she responded. "That was ... it was ..." She was stymied, unable to form a coherent sentence to express what she had felt.

"I know, love," Janeway told her dryly, amused.

Seven swallowed and rolled over, pulling the captain tightly against her.

"I love you," she whispered intently.

"I love you too, darling," Janeway told her, tangling her fingers in the Borg's hair and holding her head close to hers. "You are so beautiful, so very responsive. I think I owe you an apology."

Seven drew back, looking at her with wide eyes. "Oh, no, Kathryn, that was nothing to be sorry for."

Janeway laughed. "I didn't mean that. I was referring to the fact that I haven't exactly been eager to do it before." She sobered slightly, running her fingertips over Seven's face as her blue-grey eyes searched the pale blue ones intently. "I think I've allowed certain ... personal biases keep me from fully granting you all the pleasure I could. I know that there are reasons for being careful in ordinary circumstances but you, my sweet, are unique in many ways and I need to remember that."

Seven had many responses go through her head, but none that really expressed how she felt so she said nothing. Instead, she kissed Kathryn as deeply and as passionately as she could, wanting to convey in touch, if not in words, just how much her partner meant to her.

It was Janeway who was breathless by the time they parted.

"Oh, my, but we definitely don't have time now. We need to shower and go relieve B'Elanna and Ro."

"I understand," Seven said, reluctantly letting her go. "Do you wish to go first?"

"I guess I better. There's no way the two of us could fit in there and even if we could, sonic showers just aren't the same."

"No," Seven agreed, looking up at her partner as she rolled away and stood up. "They are not."

Her eyes followed the compact form appreciatively into the bathroom, and then she got up herself, uncoiling from the tangled bedding. She stripped the linens from the makeshift pallet, remaking it with fresh sheets, then slid the whole thing over to the corner where it would be out of the way. She did not know for certain if her friends would avail themselves of it, but it would surprise her profoundly if they did not, so she wanted to make sure it would be ready. She also noted a distinct aroma in the air, positive that the captain would not appreciate it lingering.

She went over to the replicator and programmed in a certain neutralizing agent she had discovered when she was researching different ways and places to make love. Hiding the evidence after the fact was apparently an important contribution to the illicitness of the encounter and since she knew part of Janeway's enjoyment came from just that element, she tried to accommodate it.

She sprayed the deadening agent liberally through the room, returning the atmosphere to its regular, faintly metallic scent, and then gathered up the captain's clothes and her own, recycled them and placed the neatly pressed uniform on the table for the captain. Her own, she placed to the side, waiting for the captain to finish her shower and grant the Borg access to it herself.

Though if anyone had asked Seven, the young woman would have stated clearly and for the record that having Kathryn's essence and scent smeared all over her was something that she was never adverse to. In any circumstance.

"What?" B'Elanna asked, grinning faintly.

"Nothing." Ro hesitated. "I just like looking at you, I guess."

Now it was B'Elanna who was self-conscious and shyly, the Klingon looked away, though using 'shy' and 'Klingon' in the same sentence was not something Ro thought she would ever be considering. It occurred to her that B'Elanna did not consider herself beautiful or physically attractive and that was sad to the Bajoran. She wondered how much of the 'attitude' the other woman liked to display was actually a result of her own insecurities rather than any character trait passed down her maternal lineage.

"I finished the parameters," the younger woman said finally. "You're all ready to go."

"Got it," Ro acknowledged and activated the first series of scans that would go through the area in a specified search grid, seeking out pockets of minerals and elements that could be used in Voyager's systems. Later scans would refine the search parameters even further, creating a detailed and extensive display of the planet's crust within a radius of several hundred kilometers. It was tedious work since it was primarily done by the computer and all the operator had to do was stand by and take note of any irregularities that might crop up. It certainly did not require two people other than the fact that at least, two people could interact with each other while doing it, whereas one person would be completely bored on their own.

B'Elanna glanced back at the sealed door. "Do you really think they're back there ... doing it?"

Ro grinned crookedly. "Maybe they just wanted a little time to themselves, to talk or have lunch together without us intruding."

B'Elanna paused, tilting her head and Ro knew she was listening intently. "I don't hear anything," the Klingon added after a minute.

"Maybe you can't. Maybe the bulkhead is too thick."

"Maybe," B'Elanna agreed, not sounding entirely convinced. "Or maybe they're just taking a nap. That is what married people are more apt to do, isn't it?"

Ro grinned. "I thought you were the one who told me that the captain and Seven were ... more 'active' than most people knew."

"I didn't mean all the time. Just tha