The starship Voyager, thousands of light years from the Federation and still making its way home after being lost in the Delta Quadrant, eased into a high orbit around the moon circling the star system's fourth planet. From what they hoped was a secure distance, the Starfleet officers eagerly set up their scans to study the new civilization they had discovered.
"Captain, sensors confirm architecture on half the land masses," Harry Kim said from his post at Ops. A handsome young man, he still occasionally displayed certain youthful traits that hard experience had yet to erase. "The greatest concentration of lifeforms is located in the third largest continent. The culture appears primitive, but with visual and audio transmission capability, as well as chemical fuel propulsion and artificial satellite systems."
"Any evidence that they've achieved space travel?" Janeway asked, not looking up from the padd she was studying. She was as excited about the new civilization as the next person, but they had been out here for six years, and even for an explorer like her, they tended to start running together after awhile.
"Minimal rocket vehicles have powered them to their closest moon," Tuvok, the Vulcan security chief noted. "Unmanned probes are being detected near the adjacent planets."
"The second smallest continent is made up primarily of mountainous ranges with pockets of fertile valleys and an impressive web of river systems," Harry continued. "There are many small cities located near these waterways. The readings indicate strong amounts of several useful ores as well as some which can't be identified."
"Any evidence that their scanners have spotted us?" Janeway asked.
"None," Harry said smartly. "Technology appears to be on a level with that of late 20th century Earth. Around the nineteen seventies or eighties."
"Rules regarding a First Contact of this nature are clear," Tuvok reminded calmly from his tactical station. "The Prime Directive is paramount."
"I certainly don't need any more black marks on my record, do I?" Janeway responded with a dry smile. "Plot a course out of the system, Mr. Paris."
The doors to the turbolift opened with a hiss, admitting Seven of Nine, late of the Borg Collective, onto the bridge. Janeway shot the tall, cool, blonde a quick glance, conveying her pleasure at seeing her wife for just a brief instant before the command mask slammed back into place. She wondered what had brought the astrometrics officer to the bridge. "Report."
"I recognize this system," the ex-Borg responded. "Species 724, humanoid, their uniqueness was added to the Collective 627 years ago." Seven frowned. "Evidently not all were assimilated."
"I'm sure they appreciate the oversight," Janeway said, raising an eyebrow. Perhaps the Prime Directive was not in effect here after all, putting it into a gray area. Did such a protocol exist when the species in question had already been decimated by a force that the Federation themselves were hard-pressed to match in technological levels? Usually the decision in that event was left to the captain involved, and Janeway decided that it would not hurt to replenish some supplies and find out how this group had managed to escape total assimilation. "What can you tell us about them?"
"They were a violent, if technologically primitive species with limited missile weapons, more concerned about protecting their spatial boundaries or their deities than the arrival of the Borg. They did have a unique approach to warp propulsion that made them worthy of assimilation, however."
"That was also a long time ago. A lot can change."
"Captain, signs of a rocket being fired from the center of the second largest continent," Kim said.
"Red alert, raise shields," Janeway said with surprise. For their vessel to be detected revealed a more advanced scanning system than the crew's initial reports had indicated. "Mr. Kim, send a hail."
"Aye, Captain," he replied smartly. "Response coming in, audio only." He paused and looked surprised. "Apparently, the rocket is carrying a communications relay system ... almost as if they were waiting for someone like us to come along."
"T-this is Cranel," the halting male voice said. Janeway had to force herself not to smile. The poor man sounded positively frightened out of his wits. "Is s-somebody out there?"
"This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the starship Voyager. We are from the United Federation of Planets--"
"I-I'm from the planet Ginse. We mean you no harm. We are a peaceful ... uh, species."
"We are pleased to meet you, Cranel. Is it possible to contact the representatives of your planet?"
The Ginsian gave a short bark of laughter. "Is it? They don't believe I'm actually talking to someone, but our scans says you're out there."
"Their primitive communication array doesn't carry this far from the surface," Harry noted quietly. "Even with the relay unit, we've had to boost power just to receive this."
"Then let's get closer. Apparently we're about to make First Contact ... or at least, reintroduce a species to the rest of the quadrant. I trust we'll make a better guide than the Borg did." She motioned for the audio to be restored. "Cranel, we're going to move closer to your location so we can reach your government. We'll advise you as soon as we're within range."
The brief conversation reminded Janeway of the original First Contact between Earth and Vulcan after Zefram Cochrane's foray into space. As Voyager moved closer, continued scans confirmed the lack of any weapons capable of reaching into space, although they also showed a technology far superior to what Seven's Borg memories had indicated. It bothered Janeway that these were survivors of the Borg assimilation, something rare from a species that was nothing if not thorough. Still, there was no denying that within hours they would be taking a shuttle down to the planet surface, landing at coordinates just outside what sensors showed to be the largest city on the third continent.
"We need to be careful and aware here," she said, sitting at the head of the large table in the conference room. We can't accidentally be introducing them to technology far beyond their levels. Mr. Paris?"
"Their technology appears to be similar in a lot of ways, to the late 1980's on Earth. They use analog cables for communication as well as radio and television signals. No transporter technology and Calen's ship is unlikely to get much further than their own moon before it has to turn around and go home. They use fossil fuels to power their power generating systems as well as their transportation systems."
"So if we land, it'll have to be in a shuttle," Chakotay instructed. "Transporters only in an absolute emergency."
"Their data systems are inefficient," Seven added in a cool disapproving tone. "Extremely primitive computer systems with data stored on incomprehensibly large magnetic tape spools. It will take months to upload their data."
Janeway smiled at the disdain in her partner's voice. "We're not going to be here for months," she noted mildly, "but the opportunity to restock the supplies would be a welcome thing indeed. Anything more on the mineral scans?"
"Ore is plentiful, especially on what appears to be the main continent," Tuvok said. "Rich in beryllium as well as an indication that there might be dilithium deposits within the mountain range. The variety of minerals are too concentrated within the rock to allow for scanning."
"Considerations for the rest of the away team?" Janeway arched her eyebrow at Tuvok, making it clear who was going to be leading it.
"Lt. Ro, Ensign Carey--"
"Carey?" B'Elanna Torres growled, snapping her head around to look at him. The feisty Klingon/Human hybrid had not contributed much to the briefing prior to this, and Janeway had actually thought she wasn't paying much attention at all, intending to call her on it afterward. Apparently, the captain had been mistaken. "I'm the chief engineer. Don't you think I should be the one who goes down and sees what they have to offer?"
"I believe it unwise to send the best engineer Voyager has until we're absolutely certain the risk is justified. Ensign Carey is more than capable of scanning with a tricorder and assessing the situation," Tuvok pointed out.
"What about the Doctor and Sek?" Janeway questioned. "Do you think the Ginsians can detect holograms?"
"Uncertain," Tuvok noted. "Again they appear to have little to no ability to scan at a molecular level. As long as our medical officers maintain their mass integrity, the Ginsians should have no reason to suspect they are anything other than Human."
"Then everything is settled," Janeway said with a certain amount of satisfaction. "Premier Garrock requested that we delay our arrival until the heads of the other continents and countries arrived. According to the conversion table between their time system and ours, we should arrive two hours after everyone else, which the Premier indicated is very important. Apparently their flying crafts are notoriously late in arriving at their locations and their landing ports are stressed by the sudden demand resulting from our arrival."
"Just like Old Earth, eh, Captain?" Lt. Paris said wistfully, late 20th and early 21st century Earth one of his favorite hobbies.
"So it appears, Mr. Paris." The captain left unspoken that everything isn't always what it seemed. She kept that in mind as she made her own preparations over the next few hours before making her way to the hangar deck.
She was surprised to see Seven standing near the Delta Flyer, dressed in her away mission outfit. The padded vest over black, long-sleeved sweater with combat boots and dark trousers gave her an intimidating appearance, and no matter how many times Janeway saw her wife in that outfit, it never failed to spark a tingling deep inside. There was just something about the way Seven looked that made the captain feel like one of the damsels in her 'bodice rippers', about to be saved by her knight in shining armor. It took a few seconds for Janeway to realize that something wasn't right with the picture.
"What are you both doing here?" she demanded, noticing B'Elanna coming from around the front of the hull.
"Ensign Carey took ill," Seven explained, "And my knowledge regarding the Collective might prove useful." The Borg decided not to add that B'Elanna had made it clear to Ensign Carey just who was and was not going on this away mission. Seven was more straight forward, going to Chakotay immediately following the meeting and explaining in clear and precise terms that she should be part of the away team. Fortunately for him, he agreed.
Janeway gave her a dubious look, making it obvious that she knew exactly why the Borg was going. After the incident with the space station, where Kathryn and Lt. Ro were arrested after being caught up in a bar in a local tavern, Seven had insisted on escorting her wife on every away mission. A gentle chime reminded Janeway of the time and she sighed, knowing she didn't have the time or energy to put into arguing with Seven about going, something that the Borg undoubtedly counted on by delaying her intent to go along until the last minute.
Janeway wondered when exactly she had lost control in the marriage, and if it might be indicative of her losing some of her command edge ... a concept that was decidedly anathema to her, particularly when going into a First Contact situation.
Despite the captain's initial concerns, however, everything went well with the negotiations. A conference was held in one of the biggest buildings in the city, a series of long tables filling the hall and lined with representatives from almost every country on the planet. Since the meeting was being held in his country, Premier Garrock officiated, while the Voyager crewmembers sat on either side of him, Janeway and Ro on the left, Torres and Seven on the right, all of them with their backs to the wall which displayed colorful banners, looking out over the rest of the conference.
It was not by oversight that the captain had managed to be separated from her spouse this way. When they had first entered the hall, Kathryn's nose had caught the faint scent of a burning smokestick, and if the opportunity presented itself, she didn't want her overprotective wife to interfere with her being able to enjoy one or two. As it turned out, it wasn't as if Janeway even had to ask for one. The gleam in her eye when the Premier took the thin cylinder out of his pocket was more than enough to have one quickly handed to her by a subordinate, while the Premier himself held the small silver lighter, the golden flame igniting the thin, brown stick.
The away team had noted that Garrock and the rest of the Ginsians were very Human in appearance, the only major differences being in average height and facial hair. Even the stocky B'Elanna appeared tall compared to most of the Ginsians they had seen. The hair, for the most part, displayed dark brown curls covered head and chin of the males while the females trimmed their facial hair into decorative patterns and styles, some even braiding them in tiny rows across their jaw. The universal translator helped Janeway understand far more about the varied minor cultures which made up the class-M planet than any data files would and the captain noted that the Ginsian translators practiced the art of tact and diplomacy very well. When the leader of Chobos, the smallest country, cut another leader off with a question, the ambassador closest to her made an off color remark regarding the Chobos' parentage that her Starfleet comm badge picked up, their translator relayed it as the leader asking for more specifics. Premier Garrock took control of the meeting, and in the end, the other representatives agreed that since Voyager absolutely couldn't visit every country, they would conduct all their business through representatives, who stayed at special embassies set up in the capital city of Caros.
"I am certain that we can come to an acceptable trade agreement with you, Captain Janeway," the premier said, his sentiment echoed in the faces of the other representatives. "If you would be so kind as to provide us with a list of your requirements and a list of what possible items you have to offer, I'm sure our governments can fulfill all your needs."
"That would be our hope as well," she said diplomatically, maintaining eye contact and smiling comfortably. It was a skill expected of every Starfleet captain, the ability to appear sincere and open during the most stressful times. "We are quite interested in the minerals and ore deposits within your mountains. They may prove to be very useful to Voyager. In exchange, my chief engineer indicates that your propulsion system would benefit from some design changes that I'm sure would be of considerable value to you."
"Agreed. Our engineers have worked for years to get better economy from our fuels, but I'm afraid there has been little improvement in that area for the last decade or so," he said. "You understand of course, that your arrival is the biggest thing to have happened on our planet since the great meteror showers." He smiled proudly. "You'll find that our country is rich with culture and commerce. We wish you could stay longer but even a year would not be enough for us to get our fill of you, I'm afraid."
"As much as we would love to stay, I'm afraid that's just not possible." This greeting was a wonderful change from most encounters that Voyager experienced, and Janeway was determined to take full advantage of it. The chance for shore leave of this quality was also something that would be most appreciated by a crew trapped for endless months recovering from one battle or another. "We can only remain in orbit for a few weeks, but I would appreciate being able to provide my crew with shore leave, if that's acceptable?"
"This city had some of the finest hotels in all of Caron," he boasted. "I will arrange for them to send a list of rooms available to the central command, and instruct them to include maps and tour guides for any of your crewmembers who ask for it. I will warn you, however, that you are the first aliens we've ever met, and I'm sure everyone will be wanting to ask your people questions. There are several groups that would pay thousands, perhaps millions of colira if some of your crewmembers would provide interviews for the broadcast system. Garrock dipped his head slightly. "We are most curious about you," he admitted.
"Understood. I'm sure my people are just as curious about you." Janeway filed away the information about being the 'first' aliens, intending to talk to Seven later and fill in the missing pieces. "At the moment, however, I'm afraid we must return to our shuttle to relay information to our ship."
"I shall arrange for your escort to the landing field, Captain Janeway," he said. "In the meantime, would you care to join us for a small press conference? I'm afraid the whole world is waiting for more information about our wonderful visitors from space."
The muscle in Janeway's jaw twitched. She hated this part, but forced a smile on her face and grabbed Lt. Ro's elbow, forestalling the Bajoran's attempt to move near the exit as B'Elanna and Seven had. "Lt. Ro and I would be honored," she said smoothly, tightening her grip on her command candidate. "Lt. Torres, I assume you and Seven are on your way to meet with the Caros engineers about the metals and minerals which are available?"
"Aye Captain," B'Elanna said, vaguely startled but attempting to recover quickly. Obviously, she was wondering how the captain knew she was trying to sneak Seven out so that the pair of them could go looking for the local taverns.
"Good," Janeway said ... and quirked an eyebrow at the pair. Maintaining her grip on Ro's elbow, the captain smiled at Garrock. "We would be honored to accompany you, Premier."
Lt. Ro Laren privately wondered why her name had come up on the away team rotation. Since being transferred from security to bridge duty, Ro was not expected to fill her earlier role as Tuvok's second in command and escort to the captain. Yet when the order came down to her padd, the instructions were clear, assigning her as the security detachment to protect the captain. Ro mentally shrugged off the thought that she was being sent back to security, astute enough to know that Captain Janeway had every intention of making the Bajoran command material. She could only conclude that the captain was trying to expose her to the diplomatic side of command.
Then again, Ro noted sourly, as the Premier offered Janeway another smokestick which the captain happily accepted, perhaps Tuvok's motives for assigning her to the away team were just what they appeared; an attempt at keeping the captain out of trouble. To the Bajoran's dismay, Premier Garrock offered her a smokestick as well, an offer which could not be refused by Ro, if the look in Janeway's eyes was anything to go by. The harsh smoke filled Laren's mouth, and she was hardpressed not to cough convulsively as she nodded her thanks to the dignitary.
"There's a bit of a mint flavor to this particular variety," Janeway noted conversationally as she moved closer to her officer. Ro looked at her askance. The Bajoran did not taste mint and in fact, was certain several of her taste buds would never recover from the foul shock.
"I fail to see how diplomacy is achieved by adding toxins to our bodies," Ro muttered in a low voice, holding the smokestick away from her as blue tendrils of smoke wafted from the burning end.
"It is part of their culture and sharing a few smokesticks won't hurt." The gleam in Janeway's eyes made Ro uneasy. It was the same look the captain had just before they went into the tavern which subsequently landed them both in jail. "It makes everyone more comfortable to know we share the same habits."
"If you say so, Captain," Laren said as, flanked by dignitaries, they made their way down the long hall to the room where all the communication equipment had been set up for their 'press conference.'
"Trust me, Lieutenant," Janeway said as she took another puff of her smokestick. "Have I ever steered you wrong before?" She glanced at the Bajoran and grinned faintly. "Don't answer that," she added quickly.
"Aye Captain," Ro said, glumly, wondering how long it would take for her leader's penchant for getting into trouble to appear.
Seven was less than two paces away from Kathryn when the Borg stopped and frowned. In a public, rather than private setting, Seven could only communicate her immense displeasure at the telltale scent emanating from Janeway by a glare that could singe steel. Recognizing the look, Kathryn wondered if there was anything in the replication programs that would allow her to carry a portable mouth freshener to eliminate the taste of the smokesticks. Certainly the captain's ingenuity and cunning, as provided her by years in Starfleet, could accomplish something as simple as outwitting her annoyed spouse and allow Janeway to continue to enjoy this little vice.
"Condition gray," Janeway said, not daring to look at her wife as they entered the vehicle shaped like a large tube, that had been waiting to take them back to the Delta Flyer. That earned another frown from Seven, who immediately recognized it as maintaining silence until the team had returned to the confines of their own vessel. Certainly the Borg did not agree that there was a need for such a security measure, and the look in Ro's eyes mirrored Seven's assessment.
Per Janeway's instruction, however, nothing was said on the ride to the location where the Delta Flyer was parked, but the daggers being thrown by ice blue eyes let the captain know there was going to be trouble when forced silence was no longer an option. Janeway could only hope Seven would wait until they were back in their quarters before blowing up, and wondered how she was going to get rid of the lone smokestick concealed in her tunic pocket. However, as they approached the landing area, everyone's attention was drawn to the throngs of people, held back by barricades and an impressive military force carrying simple projectile rifles who had surrounded their vessel.
"Will you look at that?" Janeway marveled, her mind spinning in its attempt to determine how many Ginsians were there.
Laren frowned as she looked out the window. "We could arrange for an emergency beam out to the Delta Flyer," she suggested.
"There's no need for that, Lieutenant." The captain allowed a small smile to come to her lips. Nothing like a good distraction to keep a certain astrometrics officer from worrying about trivial things such as smokesticks. "They're just excited to meet us."
The Caron security forces finally cleared a path and the cylindrical transport moved forward, stopping just outside the protective field surrounding the Delta Flyer. Having seen their arrival through the viewports, Tom Paris lowered the shields and cracked the hatch to welcome them back.
"Report," Kathryn said as she entered the Flyer and settled at the small but comfortable table in the aft section. Tom and Seven followed, Ro and B'Elanna joining them a moment later, after supposedly making sure the outer hatch was secure, but more likely stealing a quick kiss in the cockpit.
"Well, we certainly are popular," Paris said. "I've been monitoring the communications channels, of which there are well over a hundred in six different languages. We're on every one of them." He threw a smile over his shoulder. "We are the talk of the town."
"I'm sure the first glimpse of Vulcans caused just as much of an uproar when they originally arrived on Earth," the captain said. "Did you run sensor scans while we were gone?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said. "These mountains are full of ore; beryllium, along with ninety percent pure dilithium, but the other minerals and rock make it too dense for the sensors to penetrate."
"Sounds like we'll have to send a team in to check it out."
"The dilithium is not far from the beryllium deposits. The portable mining bore should be able to break through that rock with no problem."
"Is there any sign that they have advanced into mining of that nature," Seven asked curiously.
"There are caves and caverns scattered about, as well as underground pumping stations for the fossil fuels, but most of their structures seem to be made out of wood and stone with very little metal. Their electrical systems are all wired to massive generators built into dams placed along their river systems. Very efficient for a race that only seems to use natural materials for their technology."
"So it would seem," Janeway agreed. "B'Elanna, make sure when you go with the engineers that you're careful not to reveal too much. We don't want to give their advancement that much of a boost. Seven?"
The Borg nodded. "The collective's recollection of species 724 does not suggest this level of technological achievement."
"Let's hear it for Ginsian ingenuity." It still didn't tell her the reason why there was no mention of the Borg's visit in the condensed historical archives she had looked at. But perhaps there had been no one around to write about the assimilation, too concerned with survival to put down in permanent form what was going on around them. They also seemed conspicuously devoid of a oral tradition of passing on history.
"Captain, what of the celebration?" Ro asked, knowing the others were unaware of the offer. Janeway favored her with a force six look. However, where far lesser officers would have been on the floor, the Bajoran remained sitting up, seemingly immune to the damage the glare threatened.
"So glad you mentioned that, Lt. Ro," Janeway said with acid sweetness. "It seems that our arrival coincides with the nation's annual Lowurt festival. It celebrates families and children, and they have, of course, invited Voyager's crew to be special guests at the week long celebration." She watched Tom's eyes light up and favored him with only a slightly lower intensity glare than she had given Lt. Ro. "I have agreed to meet with the Premier tomorrow to get more information about the celebration before I make a decision. Apparently he has a record of last year's celebration that he feels would be an accurate representation of what to expect."
Janeway groaned and squeezed Seven tighter, resisting the young woman's attempt to roll out of bed. "Don't go yet. You told B'Elanna you would meet her at 1100 hours. We still have an hour or so nor, are you finished with me, yet."
Seven nuzzled the rich, auburn hair, smiling faintly. "And what did my insatiable wife have in mind?" she asked playfully.
The couple, not required for active duty while the ship was in orbit, but with an evening of diplomatic functions ahead of them, were taking the rare opportunity to lounge in bed long past what would normally be their wake up call. They had indulged in several hours of cuddling, complete with a multitude of teasing ... and arousing ... exchanges and Seven's attempt to leave was outrageous to the captain.
Kathryn insinuated her knee insistently between Seven's statuesque thighs. "What would you like, darling?" She kissed her way up Seven's jaw. "Hmm? Do you want me to use my lips and tongue?" Janeway could not resist smiling at the responding moan. "Or would you prefer me to just feel my way around?" She demonstrated her point by letting her finger idly circle Seven's hard nipple.
"You are teasing me," the highly aroused Borg said, turning her head to capture her wife's mouth with a searing kiss and rolling them over in the process. "It is not wise to tease a Borg," she warned, with a playful nip to Kathryn's throat.
"No, not ... ah, not especially ... unwise either." The normally articulate captain found it hard to form words, especially with Seven bend her head to glide her tongue delightfully over Janeway's small breasts.
"You should be punished for such insolence," Seven said between mouthfuls of soft flesh.
"And just what ... mmm, oh yes, do that ... what punishment do you ... ah, do you think is appropriate?" Kathryn had no doubt that whatever it was, she would enjoy it immensely. "A tongue lashing perhaps?"
Seven pressed her thigh harder between Janeway's legs, feeling telltale moisture at the juncture. "For an offense such as this?" She lifted her head, letting her long white blonde hair brush lightly over Kathryn's chest and undulated her hips, pleased with the answering motion from the woman beneath her. "You are quite moist," she noted. "I believe you require something ... more involved than a mere reprimand."
Janeway swallowed and nodded, intrigued. "Yes."
"You are aroused."
"Very," Janeway agreed. She groaned when Seven's thigh pressed harder, the Borg's lips scant millimeters away from her ear.
"Do you need to be taken, Kathryn?" Seven whispered, her voice low and husky with desire.
There was no hesitation. "Please."
"I thought so," Seven muttered before reaching over and sliding open the drawer, retrieving the wooden rectangular box. She set it on the nightstand and kissed Kathryn's ear, letting her tongue slip out to trace the delicate shell. "Is this what you want?" she teased, flipping open the lid to reveal their Wonder Wand 9000.
"Yes," Janeway said breathlessly, her hips moving in an attempt to express her need. "Please Annika, now."
Seven kissed her hotly while pressing the remote control into the captain's hand. "You are too impatient."
Shifting slightly, she brought the accessory to her groin, closing her eyes briefly as sensors slid out from the end and attached to her engorged protrusion while other appendages wrapped around her hips, securing the Wonder Wand firmly to her body. She noted that Janeway had already changed the parameters, reducing the phallus from it's maximum thirty inches down to seven, adjusting the girth and color as well.
"Perhaps you should slow down," she suggested, inserting her hand between them to slide questing fingers through Kathryn's wet crease. "You enjoy it far more when I procede at a controlled pace."
"But maybe you've been teasing me for hours and I can't wait any longer," Janeway countered, her chest heaving as Seven continued to move her fingertips back and forth. "Besides, you're the one suddenly in a hurry to leave."
"Yes, but you enjoy that," Seven pointed out, moving her explorations lower. "Yes, you are definitely enjoying it." She pulled Kathryn's breast into her mouth at the same time she lovingly entered her with two fingers, the digits sliding in easily.
"V-very much so," Janeway panted, her hands wrapped tight around Seven's biceps. "Annika ... darling..." She gasped as those wonderful fingers slowly withdrew. "Please ... Annika, take me. Now ... before I do something ... damaging to you."
Seven ached her eyebrow, the implant rising, but she did not laugh. "Indeed?"
She nudged with her knee, amused when she saw how quickly Kathryn's legs parted. Apparently her wife was more aroused than she had anticipated. "If that is what you need," she said, kissing Janeway's chin while using her free hand to guide the device into position. "Then by all means..." With skill that only came from practice and careful study, Seven moved the head of the wand up and down, coating it with the abundant moisture and rubbing the engorged nub. Kathryn's hips were in constant motion, trying desperately to get what she wanted where she needed it. Seven raised up slightly, thwarting her anxious wife's efforts. "You shall have it." With that, she pressed forward, the head finding the slightest of resistance before velvet walls drew it in.
"Oh!" Seven gasped at the sensation, realizing Kathryn had adjusted more than just the dimensions of the accessory. The Borg usually kept the sensitivity low, preferring to concentrate on pleasing Janeway rather than on her own sensations. However, Kathryn had apparently changed that, allowing Seven to feel each minuscule pulse around the wand, each tiny, loving squeeze by Janeway's inner muscles. "Oh Kathryn, you ... you must turn the setting down." Already Seven's hips were moving, drawing the wand in and out, though due to the increased sensitivity, the Borg would have sworn it was an extension of her own body and not an accessory built by the Ferengi.
"Why would I ... ah, want to do that?" Kathryn asked, her body undulating forcibly against Seven's. "Maybe I like ... you a little ... out of control."
"But, I cannot concentrate at this level," the Borg responded weakly, bringing her mouth down hard against Janeway's, conveying her love with a passion, claiming the smaller woman with her lips and kissing her until the urges became too strong to ignore. "Kathryn."
"Yes my darling, Annika," Janeway said, the remote tossed aside as she filled her hands with the soft mounds of Seven's breasts. "You are so beautiful."
Seven's analytical mind could not come up with a reply, limited as it was to non-sensible grunts with each thrust. She threw her head back, digging the fingers of her left hand into the sheets and mattress below. "Kathryn ... my Kathryn" Her eyes closed of their own accord, her mouth falling open. Her highly intelligent mind, enhanced by the endless wealth of knowledge of the Collective, refused to accept reality any longer. There was no accessory between them, no device manipulated by remote control. There was only Annika and Kathryn, loving each other the only way they could, totally and without reserve. Seven's thrusts became short and fast, matched by her soft grunts of pleasure. "It feels so good inside you," she gasped, gripping Janeway's shoulder with her right hand.
"That's it, Annika. That's it ... just ... a little more"
"I love you Kathryn ... oh ... oh, Kathryn."
"Faster ... oh, god ... yes ... yes ... a little more ... THERE!"
Try as she might, Seven could not hold out. Urged on by Janeway's demanding words spoken in a timbre that sent shivers down the Borg's spine and caused all sorts of other feelings between her legs, the incredible feeling of her love's inner walls clamping down and holding her inside, she cried out as an intense orgasm ripped through her. She dimly heard Kathryn's answering cry and felt velvet covered muscle grip her tightly.
It was several moments before Seven moved, spurred on by her wife shifting beneath her. "I love you," she murmured, covering wine shaded lips with her own, and reluctantly withdrawing from Kathryn's body.
Janeway reached up and rested her hand on Seven's cheek. "Oh my darling, I love you too." Without words, they shifted until the Borg had retrieved the remote from the floor beside the bed and removed the device, tossing it briefly aside. Then, she stretched out on her back, Kathryn snuggling up neatly against her chest. "You do the most wonderful things to me, Seven of Mine."
Seven smiled at the newest endearment from her spouse and brushed her lips over Janeway's brow, nuzzling the auburn hair. "As you do to me, Captain of My Heart."
That earned the Borg a long loving kiss which she happily accepted.
"I don't want to move," Janeway admitted, intertwining their fingers.
"I will cancel my game with B'Elanna," Seven offered, perfectly content to spend the time cuddling with her spouse.
"No, darling," Kathryn said, planting a gentle kiss on the Borg's neck. "You promised you would be there, and I know the two of you haven't had much time together."
"It is hard," Seven admitted. "We must find time when you and Laren are on duty or like tonight, take time away from you."
"Sweetheart, it's not taking time away from me any more than your Starfleet classes are." Janeway's eyes were a soft blue, full of love and adoration. "You have fun with B'Elanna and don't worry about me. I have some reports and paperwork I need to catch up on before we go down to the surface." She saw no need to mention that there was an exquisitely carved lighter and a smokestick hidden in the top drawer of her desk.
Seven thought about it and nodded, rolling away from Janeway and scooping up the discarded wonder wand before she stood. "I also must stop by and see Naomi this morning. She was having problems last night deciding what to wear." The Borg tilted her head. "B'Elanna and I will meet Sek in the Wildman quarters at 1200 hours."
"How long do you think it will take?"
"No more than five minutes for Naomi and I to decide on her outfit, but Sek and B'Elanna will be there."
"Tack on another hour while they argue over what the best outfit is, I assume?"
Seven gave her wife a look. "You were not there the morning of the wedding." The Ordeal Of The Hair still sent shudders down her spine. "They have different tastes. Anticipate it taking three additional hours."
Janeway propped herself up on one elbow, enjoying the view of a naked Borg standing in the ensuite doorway, even with the wonder wand dangling idly in her hand. "If it were my kid, I'd just toss a set of dress whites on her and that would be the end of that."
Startled, Seven paused for a second before glaring at her wife. "You would not dare."
Janeway swallowed, clearly understanding her error. "I suppose a nice dress would be acceptable as well," she corrected herself meekly.
Seven sighed. "You would," she decided before entering the ensuite.
Obviously their children would need closets of their own. The captain quietly pondered her chances of successfully annexing the VIP quarters. After all, they had already taken the bedroom for use as a walk-in closet. Did a few more square meters really matter?
Then, as the thrum of water wafted out to Janeway's hearing. it occurred to her that she was wasting time lying in bed while her partner was under the shower and undoubtedly in desperate need of having her back washed. She quickly rolled out from between the tangled sheets and trotted into the ensuite, pleased to discover that her partner had barely begun.
"Oh no," Seven protested, as the captain slipped in behind her. "Kathryn, I must meet B'Elanna."
"We still have time," Janeway murmured insistently, as she took the sponge from the young woman. "Besides, wouldn't you like your back washed?"
Seven eyed her narrowly. "You will limit yourself to my back?"
"Of course," Janeway promised, somewhat insincerely. But since she suspected her partner's objections were not entirely sincere either, she doubted Seven really minded. In fact, since Seven preferred sonic showers to hydro, there was also a suspiscion that it was not exactly Janeway initiating this encouter and it was verified when Seven put her hands against the wall and braced herself, bending her head, apparently surrendering to whatever Janeway wished to do. When Janeway deliberately limited herself to scrubbing the Borg's back, as requested, Seven looked over her shoulder with surprise.
"Kathryn?"
"I'm being good," Janeway said mildly as she rubbed the sponge in lavish circles over the smooth line of her partner's spine, the suds slipping provocatively over the lean, golden form.
"Yes," Seven said, with a touch of disgruntlement in her tone, "you are."
The starship captain offered her an elegant leer. "Perhaps you need help with your front as well?" she suggested in her most innocent tone.
Seven considered it for a moment. "Perhaps," she allowed with apparent reluctance.
She really was getting quite good at this game, Janeway thought as she slipped her arms around her partner's waist, soaping Seven's stomach and then lower, to the triangle which lathered up quite nicely. Seven made a soft sound in her throat as Janeway pressed her body against the young woman's back and buttocks, dropping the sponge to free her hands which she used to cup the Borg's full breasts, her thumbs stroking the firm tips lightly.
"How is it that you can overcome my determination so easily?" Seven whispered.
Janeway nuzzled the back of her neck. "Hmm, maybe I'm not the one who's insatiable," she suggested, rather than point out that the Borg's 'determination' wasn't all it could be. She released one breast and let her right hand trail down her partner's abdomen to the juncture of her legs which was far moister than mere warm water and soap could account for.
Seven whimpered slightly as Janeway's fingers found her nodule and fondled it sweetly, easily sliding in the viscous fluid.
"Mmm, do you like that, darling?" Janeway asked, feeling emphatic tremors echo through her with every soft moan of her partner. Few things aroused her as much as witnessing her partner being pleasured and she slid her nipples provocatively over Seven's back, enhancing the young woman's desire.
"Very much," Seven managed.
"Do you remember the first time we ever made love in the shower," Janeway whispered huskily.
"Yes," Seven said. She paused, gasping. "I spent several minutes explaining how improbable it was that it could be done successfully."
"And I showed you in much less time that it could," Janeway replied smugly. Then, the captain was barely able to grasp Seven around the waist as the young woman's knees buckled, trying to keep her steady as the Borg's climax took them both unawares. Janeway was incapable of bearing her partner's greater mass entirely, of course, but she was able to keep Seven from falling in the time it took for her to recover her bearings. All through the quivers and weakness, the captain kept her fingers constant in their pleasuring, guiding her partner through her pinnacle with tender skill.
After a moment, Seven straightened and turned around, gathering the captain up in her arms.
"I believe I shall be a little late for my match," she said, kissing Janeway so hard, the good captain saw stars as she was pressed lovingly against the nearest bulkhead as the water cascaded over them. "B'Elanna will simply have to understand."
"I don't suppose you wish to explain how this happened?" the Doctor asked as he ran the dermal regenerator over Seven's cheek.
"Lt. Torres perspires excessively," the Borg said calmly. "Especially when she is losing at Velocity. I ... slipped." She did not add that perhaps she was a little more fatigued than she should have been, not having had the proper time to recover from her previous 'workout' with her partner. However, her nanoprobes tended to encourage a fast recovery once she was actually at rest, so she did not think it relevant at the moment.
"Ah, that would explain how you managed to introduce your face to the beam," he said sarcastically. "Next time tell her to wear a headband."
"Next time, we shall go body surfing," Seven countered firmly.
"I don't know if she would appreciate your trying to drown her again," he said, remembering the tirade the Klingon went on after the last time Seven tried to teach her to body surf. The Klingon/Human hybrid boasted a denser body mass than most women, causing her to sink rather than float at the best of times. In the enthusiastic wave action that Seven had come to enjoy, Torres had as much hope of controlling herself on a board as she did of sprouting wings and flying out of trouble.
"Nonetheless it will be my turn to choose the holodeck program, and we will go body surfing," Seven insisted, hopping off the biobed and standing with her hands linked behind her back. "I spoke with Naomi Wildman prior to arriving at the holodeck. Why did you tell Neelix not to let her have anything to eat before participating in the recreational pursuits available at the celebration tonight?"
"Because children, fast food and rides that shake you all over the place are never a good combination," he said. "Perhaps I should add that to the general log and alert some of our more adventurous crewmembers as to the consequences of overindulging."
"I do not understand," she said, her head tilted slightly. "You issue these warnings before every shore leave and yet no one adheres to them. What is the purpose of such futile efforts?"
The Doctor sighed, a habit created out of frustration rather than due to any need to breathe. "Because it makes me feel better to know that at least I warned our resident daredevils and thrill seekers." He moved closer and lowered his voice though they were the only two in sickbay. Sek, his holographic medical assistant and fledgling ship's counselor, was making rounds to all the crewmembers to administer antitoxins and anti-venoms to protect them from anything the planet might have to offer in terms of viruses and bacteria. "This way I'm perfectly justified in giving them a lecture when they come whining into the sickbay demanding that I fix whatever damage they've willingly caused themselves in their pursuit to prove they're invincible. Captain Janeway, in particular, loves to show just how little she believes in following Doctor's recommendations."
"Captain Janeway is very stubborn," Seven agreed, a fond expression in her eyes. "But I will keep her from overindulging." The barest corner of her lip turned up. "She does not like it, however, when I remind her to maintain her health."
"I'm sure," he said. "But better you than me. In fact, perhaps I should be sending you the reminders of her appointment times instead of her." He put the dermal regenerator down and made a few notes into the padd. "So are you and Naomi going down tonight?"
"Yes," Seven said with Borg subdued excitement, her eyes sparkling brightly. "Tonight is the high moon, when the Carons celebrate the Child. Naomi is the only child on Voyager old enough to partake in the festivities, and they wish to have her say hello to everyone via antique microphones, wires and speakers. Captain Janeway will be there as well." Her eyes saddened a bit. "It is unfortunate that Ensign Wildman could not."
"Yes it is," he agreed. "But she will be able to attend with Naomi in three days."
"But Naomi won't be part of the celebration in three days," Seven pointed out. "Just tonight. It bothers her that her mother cannot be in attendance during her moment of attention."
"Exobiology is Samantha's specialty, Seven," the Doctor reminded her. "The roots and fauna they've discovered could be of great use to Voyager, especially in terms of medical uses. I understand some of the fauna produce a higher yield of oxygen, something which could be of great use in cargo bay two. The vegetation and plants in the park benefit the whole crew, including Naomi, not just the newborns. Ensign Wildman is the best we have at identifying the possible uses for the plant life, which is why it was necessary for her to be there instead of at the celebration." The Doctor gentled his tone, knowing Seven's thinking on the matter was based on what the six year old felt, which was the disappointment at not having her mother on what seemed to be such a special night. "No doubt Ensign Wildman is also upset by the situation, but she knows that you and the captain will take care of everything," he added, with a more compassionate expression.
"I understand," Seven said, filing the information away to explain to Naomi, who had been practically crying earlier in the morning when her mother broke the news to her.
With the Ordeal of the Dress finally completed, though not without a few choice expressions tossed between B'Elanna and Sek, Seven returned to her quarters and settled down at her workstation, a stack of padds piled neatly beside her. That was how Captain Janeway found her when she entered their quarters later that afternoon.
"Kathryn."
"Hello, love," Janeway returned, crossing over to receive her hug and kiss. "Where's Jake and what are you working on?"
Seven tilted the large padd so her wife could see the screen. "Jake is with Ensign Liam. I am attempting to create safety equipment which will protect the infant crewmembers until their motor skills have developed sufficiently. Little Harry came into sickbay while I was there and I discovered that he has been treated twice for falling and hitting his head because his balance and muscles are insufficient to keep him in an upright position."
"But babies learn from experience, which includes falling from time to time," Janeway said gently, taking Seven's hand and guiding the tall blonde from the workstation to the couch.
"I do not understand," Seven said honestly as she followed willingly. "You would not let a member of the crew perform a function they were not capable of."
"Babies learning to walk is not the same as putting a scientist in charge of a rescue mission," Janeway pointed out. "A baby's learning process is different. They don't understand language nor do they have the cognitive functions that adults do. They learn by trial and error, and that is going to include a few bumps and bruises along the way." She lifted Seven's arm and snuggled under it against the Borg's chest. "Darling, no matter what you do, you cannot protect children all the time. Our children are going to fall more than once before they learn to walk and if they're anything like their mothers, they will be even more adventurous than most, which means more injuries."
"Our children will not take the chances that their mother does," Seven promised, looking pointedly at Janeway.
"Children have to have some adventure," Kathryn pointed out, ignoring the implication in her wife's words. "But perhaps they won't burn down the shed."
"What?" Seven's eyes were wide with alarm. "Explain," she said firmly.
Janeway cringed, not really wanting to reveal that particular incident. "When I was ten, I accidentally started a fire which burned down a small shed." She decided not to add that it was her failure to properly extinguish a cigarillo she had managed to acquire from a neighbor boy, which was the true cause of the fire.
"It is no wonder you are not allowed in your mother's kitchen," Seven said. "I do not believe I want you to reveal this information to our children. I do not want them picking up your bad habits."
"My bad habits? Darling, I don't go around burning down sheds. It was just the once."
"But you do insist on smoking those foul sticks. You had one today," she accused. "Yet you were not on the surface. I can only conclude you have smuggled some onto the ship and are hiding them." She paused, her eyes icy. "I have already destroyed the ones I found hidden in the bedroom," she revealed. "Do not bring any more into our quarters."
Janeway was silent for a moment. "How did you know?" she asked, wondering if the mouth fresheners had failed somehow.
"Unlike the planet's surface, where the flow of air currents blow the smell away from your uniform, you were obviously smoking within an enclosed room. It is in your clothes, in your hair and clinging to your skin," Seven explained. "You will now shower and change while I prepare dinner."
She stood up and headed for the kitchenette, leaving her partner to fume in silence which the Borg pointedly ignored. Obviously, this was one issue that Seven was absolutely not going to bend or compromise on with her partner. Janeway knew that the young woman had researched the health risks of the long-term smoking of similar leaves in Earth's past and while the element which had caused most of the long-term effects ... an addictive drug known as nicotine ... wasn't present in these particular smokesticks, Seven was still convinced that such a habit would not do her partner the slightest bit of good. Not to mention the Borg's own personal revulsion to the byproducts of stale smoke. With a frustrated sigh, the captain disappeared into the ensuite.
When she came out, dressed in a fresh uniform, Seven had finished assembling the items she needed for the meal and had combined them in careful proportions. While Seven was quite accomplished when it came to recreating Gretchen Janeway's recipes, a suggestion by Kathryn had resulted in the Borg trying to create her own recipes, blending ingredients and cooking methods while using the captain as her taster. It was a job the auburn haired woman never minded doing, except when Seven was going through her spicy and hot phase. This late lunch was one of those pleasurable efforts, a chicken and steak stirfry combination with an appropriately light wine. Every friendly system they passed through, as few as there were recently, had provided Seven with an opportunity to replenish their wine collection.
"It smells wonderful," Janeway said, after a somewhat terse silence, trying to put their minor disagreement aside as she began to set the dining table. "But won't we be too full to enjoy the food offered at the festival tonight?"
"I have found Ginse food to be extremely bland and pasty. You will not like it," Seven said with authority, bringing over the meal to set it on the table before taking her seat and beginning her meal.
Janeway's fork stopped halfway to her mouth. "When did you try Ginse cuisine?" she asked in astonishment, not to mention being a bit put out by Seven's rather presumptuous tone over what she would and would not like. She had the distinct impression that perhaps she was losing a battle without even knowing one had started. "I thought you and Lt. Torres were reviewing the engineering requirements."
"We were," Seven said, her dinner plate suddenly requiring her unwavering interest.
Janeway took the bite which had been interrupted and chewed her food slowly, eyeing her partner with dawning suspicion. She swallowed and quirked an eyebrow. "I'm waiting," she said in what was clearly a captain's tone of voice.
"The Carons were most agreeable in providing us nutritional supplements while we were waiting for our transport," Seven said carefully.
"Do I dare ask if you two managed to also ingest any liquids while you there?"
"We did not go to a tavern," Seven said quickly, then added in a low voice, "There were several samples of local fermentation offered by the Ginse engineers, however. They apparently carry 'coolers' in the back of their land vehicles."
"Hmm..." Janeway took several bites before she continued. "Still, Lt. Torres must be slipping. I was sure she would have found a tavern as soon as the two of you were out of my sight."
"She did," Seven admitted. "However I was able to convince B'Elanna that we should not go in."
"And just how did you do that?"
"I started by telling her that you would not be pleased." Seven's eyes took on a mischievous twinkle. "But it was Lt. Ro's displeasure that was my 'ace in the hole'. When I mentioned that Laren would not be happy with her, B'Elanna agreed not to enter the tavern."
Janeway smiled. "Well that's one way to do it." She scraped the last bit of dinner from her plate. "You really don't play fair at times, Annika."
"Indeed," Seven agreed. "Sometimes 'playing fair' does not work. Manipulation is a handy skill to have. For example, I should not have argued with you about bringing smokesticks into our home." The Borg made a distasteful face at the mention of the foul cigarillos. "I merely have to point out that there is a couch, as well as the bed, on which you may sleep. That would have worked equally as well and I would not have had to become ... upleasant to you."
Janeway gave a faint smile and sat back, dabbing her lips with her napkin. "Point taken. I won't bring any more smokesticks into our home." Privately she mourned the loss of the half dozen she had hidden in various parts of their quarters with the hopes of enjoying them when Seven was away, but fortunately there were more hidden in the desk in her ready room. "Naomi seems excited," she said, trying to change the subject.
"Naomi is very excited," Seven corrected. "This will be a new experience for her."
"Being a spokesperson for children, you mean." Janeway said. "Yes, I suppose it is. Not to mention her opportunity to play with youngsters her own age. That's an advantage I had growing up in the agricultural community. I always had friends in my peer group to play with, and if they weren't around, I always had Phoebe."
"Naomi does not have any friends her own age." Seven noted, somewhat sadly. "That is a shame."
Janeway rose and took her dirty dishes to the replicator. "I have to agree with you there, Annika. If I had known we were going to be out here so long..."
She left the thought unsaid, having beat herself up many times over the years about her decisions while in the Delta Quadrant, and she wondered, not for the first time, if their decision to delay children until they returned to the Federation was the correct one. So lost was she in her thoughts, she was startled when she felt gentle arms wrap around her, not having heard her partner come up behind her.
"If wishes were horses," Seven said gently, putting the lightest of kisses on Janeway's neck. "I love you, my Kathryn."
"And I love you too, darling," Janeway said, turning and burying her face in the crook of Seven's neck.
Seven allowed the indulgence for several moments before disengaging and stepping back. "We need to change and meet Tuvok, Naomi and Sek at the hanger bay."
"Hmm, I know," the captain said regretfully, "but holding you forever is far more preferable." Janeway moved in for another quick kiss, then another, which lengthened in duration.
"We shall hold each other tonight, after we return from the surface," Seven promised, stealing a kiss of her own before reluctantly moving away. It would be a full evening and there was no time for her to indulge in this sort of playfulness any longer ... as much as she might like to.
It was after nightfall before the festivities got underway. The large park was thronged with people, colorful lights, and rows of booths filled with games of chance and a variety of confections, beverages and foods. Identified by uniform, the Voyager crew were treated as guests of state, not allowed to pay for any of their drinks or meals. Games of chance and merchandise, however, were expected to be paid for in full, but they were allowed to negotiate on the price of course. Janeway loved negotiating, especially when it went her way.
Although padds were allowed to be used by the Voyager crew in front of the Carons, the people understanding them to be an advanced form of their own computers, phasers and tricorders were kept hidden away on the Delta Flyer. Energy weapons and scanners were not something even remotely envisioned in the Ginsians' future by the most speculative of their fiction, and thus care was given to keep them out of sight.
B'Elanna's suggestion of a design change in the city's main power supply was of such apparent worth to the government that they immediately sent Voyager enough payment for each crew member to have 100 colira, small flattened shiny discs made of ore taken from the mountains and used as currency. When they were shipped aboard the Delta Flyer, a quick check with the tricorder confirmed dilithium existed within each disc which for once, made them quite precious to Voyager as well. With the crystals as the main source of power for their warp engines, a supply of dilithium was never ignored, and since the element was considered to be the 'impurity' in the currency, Janeway was able to negotiate successfully with the Caron government for access to the deposits, promising more design changes which B'Elanna guaranteed would help in 'removing this impurity' very inexpensively while not introducing them to any new technology.
Tom had been manning the Delta Flyer all day, making trips from Voyager to the surface and back, not at all thrilled that the transporters were to be kept a secret. Lt. Ro was scheduled to take over halfway through the beta shift, allowing Tom a chance to go to the festival, though he would have to return to Voyager to sleep before repeating the process tomorrow. Sometimes it didn't pay to be the best pilot on the ship. At the moment he was waiting in the cockpit, the Flyer parked in the landing area while his latest set of passengers disembarked. First was Tuvok, the legs of his trousers bulging slightly, no doubt hiding whatever he felt was too important to leave behind but didn't want seen. Tom remembered old movies showing men hiding pistols in special harnesses on their legs, and he supposed that Tuvok had a phaser stuffed into his boot.
Behind the Vulcan, Seven, dressed in her away mission clothing, exited the craft. Tom noted that she had added one enhancement to her outfit, a hook and loop system in the front which allowed her to close the black vest, making it fit her better rather than just flopping open in the event the six foot gazelle had to run somewhere while wearing it.
Clasping Seven's hand, Naomi looked around with wide eyes. The child was dressed in a simple peach colored top and long pants, a small gold pip worn proudly on her collar, as well as a fully functional comm badge upon her chest. It was smaller than the standard version, B'Elanna having altered it after Seven pointed out the futility in putting something so big on a small child's thin shirt. As an afterthought, B'Elanna also added an extra clasp to the badge, remembering how easily she lost things as a child and not wanting to have the comm badge fall off in the middle of a festival with hundreds of thousands of people in attendance. B'Elanna did not want to have to answer to the captain for it, but more importantly, she did not want to have to answer to Samantha Wildman.
Sek was also in attendance. With so many people waiting to meet the Voyager crew, the hologram's eyes were keener than Tom had ever remembered them. Even before becoming the ship's counselor, Sek had an intense interest in cultures and peoples, and was looking forward to learning more about the Carons. The Delaney sisters, Jennifer and Megan, and Megan's husband, Harry Kim were also on this trip, their son Harry Jr. left in the care of the ship's daycare provider who volunteered to watch the infants should the parents wish to go to the surface. Megan and Harry had little time to themselves since Harry Jr.'s birth, and they were both looking forward to a few hours of just being a couple. Janeway had offered only once to babysit for them, but Seven had offered on several occasions since. According to what Tom had heard from his best friend, Janeway always looked totally frazzled whenever the young parents arrived to pick little Harry up. The normally cool and collected captain was usually found sitting on the couch, just staring at the devastation in the room with a lost look in her eyes as if she couldn't figure out what had happened in the previous few hours. Tom had heard the rumors about Janeway and Seven wanting children, and wondered if the Borg was trying to get some practice in, as well as checking to see if the captain could survive it.
Tom watched the rest of the crew disembark and closed the hatch door with relief. Only three more runs to go. "Computer, play music, Earth, North America, late twentieth century, rock, Beatles." At least the rides back were enjoyable, he thought, as he went through the pre-launch sequence.
"No." Janeway took a deep breath, wondering why she hadn't insisted on Ensign Wildman or Neelix escorting Naomi. Priorities, she reminded herself, that was why. Neelix was visiting with an ambassador from one of the smaller countries who purported to have recipes and herbs that made even the most vile foods taste wonderful. As morale officer and once more, full-time cook, Neelix made it a point to trade for those things that didn't normally fall into diplomatic negotiations. Unbeknownst to the captain, Seven had given Neelix most of her allotment of coliras in case he was able to secure some wines for her and the captain. Unbeknownst to Seven, Janeway had given most of her coliras to Neelix to buy the softest material he could find. Searching through a seldom used database, Janeway had come across an outfit that she thought would look absolutely exquisite on her tall wife. The captain was even more pleased when it turned out that programming instructions were included. All she had to do was provide the correct measurements and material. At the moment however, Seven was eyeing the game booth again. Flashing an exasperated look at her beloved wife, Janeway nudged her past the game booth.
"But Naomi likes--" Seven began.
"No," the captain said firmly. "I can appreciate that Naomi likes many of the prizes but you are not going to spend all your coliras trying to win them for her."
"Naomi?" The proprietor of the booth they were standing in front of jumped over the short wall, intercepted by the Caron security force escorting the aliens. "I would be most honored if I could give the precious Naomi whatever gift she would like," he said, smiling endearingly at the child.
"Really?" Naomi asked, her eyes full of awe.
Janeway inhaled deeply and counted to ten as several expectant glances centered on her. This had happened from the moment they entered the festival, Naomi's name having made the news as the only child of Voyager able to attend. The child adored the fawning, smiling prettily and waving at everyone who waved at her. Sek carried in her arms two odd looking toys made of cloth and stuffed with a soft batting, the shapes resembled the four legged creatures Janeway had seen people walking about the city. They looked similar to dogs but sported a much longer neck and had teeth which were flat instead of pointed. Despite the fact they were obviously domesticated, Janeway repeatedly refused Seven's suggestion of bringing Jake down to 'play' with the other animals. Jake's 'playing' with the B'Rethna had cost her hundreds of replicator rations when Jake broke into Harry Kim's quarters and destroyed anything that wasn't secured to the deck. She didn't want to be required to give over the secret of the warp core in order to cover whatever damage her free-spirited Irish Setter might wish to create on the surface.
"We simply don't have room on Voyager for every gift they want to give you," the captain said, trying to make the child, as well as Seven and Sek ... obviously believing that Naomi should get every present ... understand. Tuvok stood quietly by her side, his face showing what Janeway swore was the Vulcan equivalent of tolerant amusement. When three pairs of disappointed eyes looked back at her, Kathryn wondered grouchily if Seven's next move would be to cry, a tactic Janeway was completely defenseless against.
"You're going to have to carry it this time," she said evenly to her partner. "Sek's hands are full."
"Ah!" the man from the booth exclaimed, smiling and reaching over the short wall in search of something. With glee he pulled out a bright blue backpack with alien lettering etched across it. He tossed it over the heads of the security force, his aim perfect as Sek only had to reach out to snag it with her hand. Janeway rolled her eyes and nodded in defeat. Instantly Tuvok took up residence at the captain's right side, protecting her as their small group moved over to the game booth to accept the proprietor's gift to Naomi. To the young child's credit, she was gracious and pleasant to everyone who presented her with a gift or wanted to touch her forearm, the equivalent to a handshake on this planet. Looking at the large stage in the distance, Janeway wondered if they would ever reach it.
"What are they doing?" Sek asked, looking at the variety of rides before them. "The centrifugal force alone would cause headaches, not to mention," the hologram pointed at a rail car system flying rapidly over tracks arranged in a series of curves, turns, and waves, "the neck aches, back aches and stomach irregularities that is certain to cause."
"It's called a roller coaster, Sek," Janeway explained. "And no, we're not going on it," she said sternly, cutting off the look she saw forming in Seven's eyes. To her right, Tuvok was relieved, certain that Starfleet never meant for their chief of security to ride in such a contraption. It was completely illogical.
Still it took over an hour for the group to make their way to the stage, Sek's new backpack now stuffed to the brim with toys and trinkets courtesy of the Caron people. When the counselor realized people were just throwing them over the heads of the security force, she deliberately stayed a few steps behind Janeway, allowing her to catch the gifts and stick them into the backpack. After all, her subroutines included diplomacy and wasn't it impolite to the extreme to refuse a gift?
Premier Garrock was waiting for them at the platform, along with several dignitaries Janeway recognized from their initial landing. The primarily male group all took the time to kneel down to Naomi's level and greet her, the universal translator built into the comm badge allowing the young girl to accept and answer them all politely, thanking them for the invitation to visit their beautiful planet and wishing them well on this most special of holidays. Janeway wondered who had been coaching Naomi, then decided that it most likely had been Samantha Wildman and Neelix. Whoever did it, Naomi Wildman was charming the pants off of the Ginsians and smiles were on every face.
"She is a very personable young girl," Premier Garrock said as he took up residence on Janeway's left.
"That she is, Premier," the captain answered, noting that Seven was keeping her eyes on the child at all times. Like a cheetah protecting her cubs, Janeway thought.
"We are most honored that you have allowed her to visit on this most special of all nights," he said. "Our children are our future, and they are the ones celebrated the most during the holiday of family," he explained.
"So each day honors a different role?" Sek asked, stepping closer and joining the conversation. "I understand you honor the dead on the fifth day."
"Yes," he said, obviously pleased at the hologram's knowledge. "Mothers are honored tomorrow and fathers are graced after that. Has anyone explained to you about the sky lights?"
"No, they haven't," Sek replied, clearly interested.
"We use explosive charges to light the sky with brilliant colors. Oh, you will enjoy this, I am sure. I authorized extra funds to the sky lights this time to honor the people of Voyager. Allow me to show you." He took Sek's hand and led her away, chatting animatedly the entire time. Janeway's uneasiness was lessened somewhat when she saw that the Premier did not remove Sek from the stage, but merely took her over to a side table where he showed her charts of some sort. Janeway noted that her holographic medical assistant/counselor was developing into quite the ambassador for Voyager. Unlike the Doctor's acerbic wit, Sek carried a far more compassionate attitude and tone, picking up on moods with just a moment's observation, and causing anyone she met to feel comfortable around her.
Sek had not let Janeway know about her sensitivity to an individual's mood, but the captain was aware from the way the hologram looked at her at times. It was the same look Janeway used to get from Starfleet Betazed counselors and the defenses she had learned long ago always kicked into play, slamming the command mask down hard and blocking any insight into her soul. Blocking it to anyone, that is, but her wife who seemed to be able to pinpoint Kathryn's inner thoughts just by checking out the color of her eyes. Janeway remembered reading about plastic lenses that people wore before corrective vision surgery was commonplace. The lenses had been offered in a variety of colors and she wondered if such a thing could be replicated. Certainly there were many times when she did not want her emotions to be so easily picked up, not even by Seven.
Janeway was pulled from her musings by the sight of the premier moving to the large group of microphones sitting on a podium in the center of the stage. Immediately the crowd grew quiet and Janeway made her way over to the chair reserved for her, noting that the other members of the team were taking their seats except for Tuvok, who maintained his constant presence at her side.
"Families of Caron and the rest of Ginse," he began, his voice booming seconds later over the multitude of speakers set up throughout the festival area.
Janeway knew someone from Voyager was carrying a tricorder and discreetly recording the ceremony for Ensign Wildman, although Voyager was promised magnetic tape copies of the ceremony from different angles by all the communication stations that were recording it for the news and posterity. Still, Kathryn mused, noting how prim and proper Naomi was behaving as the Premier went on with his speech, if it were her own child being honored in such a way, Janeway would be the first one there with a tricorder, saving every precious second of it. Of course, she also had to admit to herself that she was also notorious for putting duty before personal preference, and she supposed that she couldn't blame Samantha for carrying out her duty to the ship to the best of her ability. Sometimes, a person wasn't always able to strike the right balance, as hard as he or she tried. The captain noted the discrete conversation going on between Sek, Seven, and Naomi. The Ocampa sat on the child's left while the Borg sat on the right. Apparently the two women were still coaching Naomi on what to say as the child's head bobbed up and down.
Finally the Premier stepped back and Naomi hopped off her chair, pausing when she saw the height of the podium in relation to her own size. One of the Ginse made a sound in his throat that sounded much like laughter and said something to the man next to him, who in turn, nodded and relayed the message to the next ambassador in line. Janeway watched the humorous exchange until the ambassador seated at the far end of the stage motioned to someone just behind the edge of the stage, and a stool was quickly scuttled out to the podium. The Premier made the laughing sound as well and scooped Naomi up, placing her feet on the top of the stool.
"We forgot the stepper," he said bashfully into the microphones. Seconds later the crowd broke into a sea of laughter, and it took several minutes to get them to quiet down again. The Premier motioned at Naomi and stepped back. Janeway saw for the first time what looked like nervousness, or downright fright, on Naomi's face as the young child stared out into a sea of recording equipment and hundreds of thousands of Ginsians. Seven made a sound and gave Naomi a reassuring smile.
"Good evening people of Ginse," the child said in her high voice, pausing to let the speakers relay her words after the universal translator deciphered them into something the Ginsians could understand. "The family of Voyager is honored to be your guests on this special holiday." Naomi linked her hands behind her back, her breathing returning to something close to normal and the look of terror leaving her young face. Apparently Naomi was losing her 'stage fright'. Or at least, had decided that 'being Borg' would get her through her ordeal.
Janeway listened as the youngest member of Voyager who wasn't in diapers charmed the people of Caron and all of Ginse with words of thanks for the hospitality and wishes for the people of this 'most friendly planet'. Naomi's rhythm of speech was interrupted by the constant need to stop while the speakers relayed her words and the crowd reacted to them, but the rehearsed speech and winning smile did more for Voyager's diplomacy efforts than anything Janeway or the rest of the crew could ever have done. On the night of celebrating the Child, Naomi was the child of honor, a gift from the stars to bless their special day.
After her short speech, Naomi smiled and waved to the crowd enthusiastically, a scene that would be replayed on the front of every news story on the communications monitors and printed on every news board throughout the country the next day. The Premier led Naomi off the stage to a large circle cordoned off by heavy rope. Seven immediately followed, refusing to let Naomi out of arm's reach for even a second. The children of Caron began to file in, introducing themselves and touching Naomi's forearm in a gesture of greeting. Naomi returned every greeting with one of her own, mimicking the gesture they were familiar with. Janeway noted the proud faces of parents surrounding the ring, no doubt impressed by their own children's good behavior.
Truth be told, Janeway had to admit that she and Phoebe were never this well behaved when Gretchen took them to the local fairs and carnivals growing up. She directed a smile toward her young 'captain's assistant' and busied herself in conversation with the dignitaries surrounding her.
Finally the formalities were complete and the Premier announced the start of the sky light show. Janeway leaned back in her seat and watched as a series of fireworks began to light up the sky. A quick glance showed the captain that Seven and Naomi were lying on the ground in the middle of the children's circle, the Borg smiling when Naomi smiled, both making childlike ooh and ahh sounds along with the other children. Janeway's smile crept up slowly until it was full blown, a woman watching her wife affectionately and wishing, not for the first time, that they had a child of their own with whom to share special moments like this.
One of the very few side benefits to being separated from Seven, as far as the captain was concerned, Tuvok noted, was the opportunity to accept and smoke the smokesticks being offered to her by representatives of various governments. After accepting the first one, the captain was inundated by more, hastily retrieved from somewhere else by the various ambassadorial lackeys. Sniffing the leaf wrapped cigarillos, Janeway found each to have a slightly different fragrance and smiled appreciatively at each one offered. Soon her tunic pockets were full, and Janeway resorted to pulling rank to make Tuvok place a dozen in his inside tunic pocket, much to the Vulcan's obvious distaste even if all he did was merely nod and take the offensive sticks from her. The security chief clearly did not know why the captain insisted on taking them since Seven would never let Janeway smoke them in their quarters. As the limit on his pocket was being tested by yet another smokestick, the Vulcan resigned himself to the fact that his captain, a close friend for many years, a person he trusted with his life and would gladly lay his life down for, would receive her just desserts when Seven found out. Sometimes Kathryn Janeway just had to learn the hard way.
A polite tap on her shoulder alerted Janeway that Tuvok required her attention.
"Captain, if I may point out," he began.
"I'll keep them hidden in my ready room," she answered, aware of what his concerns were about. "If we can lower the fire suppression sensitivity for incense and candles burning, surely adjusting it for these little sticks won't be too difficult."
"It is of course, your decision, Captain," he said evenly, letting Janeway know without words what he thought of the idea. "However, we have far more of these ... items," he allowed, certain Janeway would not have approved his initial thought, "than you could possibly conceal in your ready room." He held up a backpack much like the one Sek had, stuffed with smokesticks and fancy lighters, along with an invoice for several cases which someone, no doubt a distributor of some sort, had pressed into his hand.
"I see," she said slowly, eyeing the sticks as a child would a tray of sweets. This was not good at all. Janeway had no intention of giving up her precious booty, but it was certain to cause more dissension with Seven, who had clearly put her foot down about allowing Janeway to bring any into their quarters. And there was no way she was going to be able to hide cases of them in any of the cargo bays.
Tuvok supposed the captain was lucky that the fight she and Lt. Ro had gotten involved in at the space station's tavern caused her to lose the box of smokesticks Twimm had given her. He had been informed by Seven herself that even the taste of it in the captain's kiss several hours later had caused the Borg to issue her a lecture about the dangers of smokesticks, including the very intimidating threat of not getting a kiss from those finely shaped lips.
"Please politely decline any future offers," Janeway said with honest regret. "Just show them the bag and explain we have too many now. And cancel that shipping invoice."
"We could always offer to return half of what we have, as well," Tuvok offered.
Janeway gave a short laugh and shook her head. "Not a chance, Mr. Tuvok. I'm holding you personally responsible, as head of security, to make sure that bag is put into a stasis pouch and secured within my ready room."
She took another look at the children's circle, noticing both Seven and Naomi pointing at the latest pyrotechnic display, a series of timed explosions that spelled out Voyager in both Federation symbols and that of the Caron people. Kathryn leaned over until she was within whispering distance of her Vulcan friend, not wanting her spouse's Borg enhanced ears to pick up on the conversation, despite the impracticality of it due to the noise the fireworks and crowd were making.
"I'm trusting you as a friend not to tell Seven about them."
Tuvok stiffened, ready to point out that Janeway would probably no more than light the first one in her ready room and Seven would appear to stop her, but decided against it. Sometimes the captain really did have to learn the hard way. "Understood."
"Thank you," she said, sitting up in her seat, undoubtedly knowing that somewhere along the line she would pay dearly for this, but quite unable to help herself.
After the fireworks, the group was broken up to mingle and explore the crowd. Among the sea of Carons and other assorted Ginsians here for the celebration, several bands of red, blue and gold appeared in the crowd, off duty Voyager personnel cleared to participate in the night's festivities. Since the festival lasted for ten days, it was easy enough to schedule rotations with assurances that if everything stayed on the up and up, the shore leave would be extended to allow the crew to enjoy as much of the celebration as possible.
Sek, Seven and Naomi had been swallowed up by the crowd, but were still within communicator range. Tuvok took advantage of the separation to send an ensign back to the Delta Flyer with Janeway's goodies. He had given precise instructions to seal the pack in a stasis pouch and hide it in the aft compartment behind the head, hoping that would be enough to keep Seven, or anyone else for that matter, from smelling the foul weed. As it were, even an hour after the last one had been removed from his tunic, Tuvok swore he could still smell the sweet but pungent odor clinging to him.
To his dismay, he noticed that Janeway had not packed away all the smokesticks she had received, a half dozen sticking proudly out of her pocket, a rainbow of colored bands identifying which country each came from. One such stick, bearing a bright gold paper band, was stuck neatly between her teeth while an ambassador happily held a flame out for her. Janeway puffed twice and removed the stick from her mouth long enough to smile and thank the ambassador before resuming her obvious enjoyment of the foul smelling present. The captain walked over to him, happily puffing away. "Are you having fun, Mr. Tuvok?"
He politely took a step to the side, noting the direction of the wind and thus, the smoke. "I am not here to 'have fun', Captain. I am here to keep you from ending up in jail. It tends to have a negative effect on Seven which in turn makes Lt. Torres rather unbearable to deal with which makes Lt. Ro--"
"I get the point, Mr. Tuvok," she said, holding her hand up to stop him from going on. "I guess I'm lucky I have you here to keep an eye on me then, hmm?"
"It seems you are one of the harder assignments for me to get volunteers for," he said evenly. "Even from Beta Squad," he said, referring to the most elite of the security team, a group of crack shots and skilled officers who usually jumped at danger.
Janeway laughed and rested her free hand on his shoulder. "I don't doubt that for a minute, Mr. Tuvok. I'm not entirely sure Lt. Ro has forgiven me for not telling her that I had already canceled the self-destruct on the shuttlecraft."
"Yes," he said slowly, remembering the incident. "Lt. Ro was quite displeased at passing out while on duty." In fact, for days the Bajoran had ranted and raved about the captain's sense of humor ... or lack thereof ... to anyone who dared come near her.
"I'm sure it was more than just displeased. The rumor mill said she offered to trade a week's worth of replicator rations to anyone who was willing to take her place the next time I needed an escort to the surface."
"I heard it was three weeks," he replied, causing Janeway to laugh once more.
"When was the last time Seven checked in?" she asked, the thought occurring to her that it had been too long since hearing her beloved's voice.
"One point six hours ... and three smokesticks ago," Tuvok said, shifting out of the path of the smoke again.
"I'd better check on our wayward crew members," she said, facing him to conceal her actions from the majority of the passing celebrants, a futile effort, since like specimens under glass, anyone sporting a band of color across their shoulders was stared at and given all the attention of a fine piece of artwork. "Janeway to Seven." There was a pause. "Seven, respond."
"Seven here," came the reply. "We are getting ready to go on a ride. The Carons are most accommodating, allowing Naomi to go to the front of a very long line. Based on a maximum of two persons per Floop and fifteen point six minutes per ride with only ten Floops, it seems illogical to wait hours in line to partake on such a ride. Explain."
Janeway smiled. "Sometimes the reward is worth the wait." Like waiting for Seven, she thought idly, remembering the time she had lost her memories of the beautiful and patient Borg, and had to prove her love by wooing her lover. "Is Sek with you?"
"Negative," came the reply, surprising Janeway. "Sek and the Premier were engaged in a conversation about irrelevant things, and Naomi and I wished to participate in fun events, as Floop is reported to be according to the children and adults that have just come back from their rides."
"Well you two have fun. Make sure you find Sek before you go on any more rides," she instructed, taking a puff of her smokestick and savoring the taste. "And Seven?"
"Yes Captain?"
"Be careful. Don't let Naomi out of your sight."
"Naomi Wildman will not leave my sight," Seven vowed gravely. "Captain, it is our 'turn'. We must board our Floop now."
"All right. Janeway out."
"Excuse me, Captain," Tuvok said, moving yet again and wondering to himself if there was any place he could stand and not get a face full of smoke. "Would it not have behooved us to ask what exactly a Floop is?"
Janeway pulled the smokestick out of her mouth as a vaguely stricken look came over her face. If Naomi wished to go on a ride, neither officer had any doubts that Seven would take her. Was it a safe ride?
"The Caron people let their children on the ride," she tried.
"The Caron children are not half-Human and half-Katarian, nor have they been raised within a starship environment," the Vulcan pointed out.
"I'll ask someone," Janeway said, turning and looking for an ambassador. Of course, being the captain of the infamous starship, she was surrounded by all sorts of dignitaries from one country or another who were more than happy to press even more smokesticks on her and explain that the Floop was a simple ride. Two people sat in a boat, shaped like a donut ... from what Tuvok could derive from the drawings in the dirt and the description ... with the bottom of the hole filled in to allow the occupants to sit safely inside. Shock absorbing sides protected them from the artificial walls which made up the chutes that the water flowed down. The ride ran parallel to the faster moving river, in spots, but both Federation members were assured that all precautions were in place, and that there was no way the Floop boats could leave their narrow chutes. The worst the crewmembers could expect was to get wet when the water running along the bottom splashed from the impact of the Floop boat with the side of the channel. A totally harmless ride which was a source of great enjoyment for young and old, and one of the festival's most popular attractions.
"Satisfied, Mr. Tuvok?"
"Not entirely," he said, raising his eyebrow at the picture in the dirt. "There is a certain amount of danger inherent in a ride of this nature. Danger seems somewhat easily found by the various crewmembers of Voyager."
"You worry too much," Janeway said, happily putting the smokestick between her teeth. "Besides, we're not talking about an away team mission, we're talking about a ride designed for children. It's only Naomi and Seven; how much trouble could they possibly get into?"
"Precisely," he said simply, frowning as the wind changed ... again.
"Hello Captain, Mr. Tuvok," B'Elanna said as she approached, Ro Laren by her side.
"Lieutenants," Janeway responded, as the Vulcan nodded politely.
The large series of artificial lamps gave plenty of illumination in the middle of the festival grounds, allowing Tuvok to see the couple clearly. Both were dressed in their standard uniforms, gold band for B'Elanna and red for Laren but the Bajoran had forgone her usual red headband for a white one with silver designs that the security chief was certain had a Klingon origin. As with the captain and Seven, Tuvok knew Ro and Torres had gone through some very rough patches in their relationship but at the moment it seemed to be on the upswing.
"I trust you are having a pleasant evening?" Janeway asked.
"That would depend on what you call pleasant," Ro said evenly. "Lt. Torres insists on trying to kill herself on these horror rides."
"You have got to try the Widow Maker, Captain," B'Elanna said excitedly. "You go at least a hundred meters in the air and then it just drops."
"It sounds rather suicidal," Tuvok pointed out.
"Well, it stops just before you hit the ground, but what a rush," Torres said. "I have got to program this place into the holodeck."
"I hope the Ferengi never visit this place," Ro said. "These people have never heard of any of the Rules of Acquisition. They ask us how much we want to pay for something rather than telling us the price."
"I trust you are being fair in your dealings with the Caron?" Tuvok said evenly.
"Absolutely," B'Elanna chimed in. She got a look in her eye and turned to Laren. "Would you get us something to drink, please?"
Tuvok was in shock at the person before him, though of course, he did not show it. Voyager's chief engineer would never dream of saying please, let alone get that adorably devoted look on her face, not even after several anger management lessons with him. But now, even the Klingon ridges on B'Elanna's forehead seemed to soften when in the presence of Ro Laren.
Once the Bajoran was gone, B'Elanna opened her tunic, untucked her shirt, and pulled a small box out from its hiding place within her bra. Janeway kept an impassive face although it clearly required biting the inside of her cheek while Tuvok was appropriately disconcerted. B'Elanna was oblivious to both reactions as she opened the hinged box and held it out before her. "What do you think?"
"It's ... very nice," Kathryn said, looking at the finely crafted bracelet studded with ... the captain blinked. "Are those dilithium crystals?"
"As best I can tell without a tricorder," the Klingon said. "It's a present for Laren. I got it for a song, of course. They think these crystals are just pretty rocks."
Janeway smiled at the bashfulness in B'Elanna's voice as Tuvok raised an eyebrow. Even though the Klingon had proclaimed love at one point for Tom and later for Chakotay, it was nothing compared to the feelings so clearly evident for Ro Laren. "I'm sure she'll appreciate it."
"Her birthday is coming up," B'Elanna said. "She doesn't know about the bracelet so don't say anything, okay?"
"I promise," Janeway replied, politely averting her eyes as the Klingon put the present away and straightened out her uniform. The timing was good as Ro appeared seconds later with two tall glasses of ale. Now with a closer look, Tuvok was certain the designs on Laren's headband were Klingon. He privately wondered what gifts were to be bestowed on B'Elanna, noticing a slight bulge in the back of Ro's tunic.
Beside him, Janeway puffed on her smokestick and looked out over the crowd. The Vulcan followed her gaze, noticing the significant number of children running about. Soon Voyager would have to adapt to children who required more space than Safe Haven and the park for their recreational enjoyment. Perhaps Torres' idea of incorporating this scenario into the holodeck was a good idea after all.
"So what's next, oh adventurous one?" Ro asked B'Elanna.
The Klingon dared a wink at the captain as she took Laren's hand and led her away. "I was thinking of you, me, a hollowed out log and a slow ride through a nice dark, private tunnel. Think I can talk you into it?" she asked sweetly.
"Lead the way," Ro replied.
"Are you ready Seven?" Naomi asked, being checked for the third time by the friendly worker who wanted to be absolutely certain the child was safely secured behind the safety web restraint.
"I am," Seven said, her straps adjusted precisely to minimize her movement during what she was told would be a 'bumpy and wet ride'. A brief image, of an away mission where she and Kathryn were trapped on a planet and she had plunged into a raging river, crossed her mind. The undertow had bounced the frightened Borg in all directions until she forced herself to calm down and make it to shore. Even after all this time and the swimming lessons Janeway had given her, Seven still felt a bit of apprehension at the sight of water rushing past them, the boat staying in place only because of a rope secured around a short post.
"This is fun," the young girl said happily.
"I am glad you are enjoying yourself," Seven said sincerely. The smiles which had been evident on Naomi's face all night were a welcome sight to the Borg, who had no idea that her own smiles were just as frequent as a result.
Without Sek there to talk them out of it, Seven and Naomi had enjoyed several rides that most certainly would have sent their overprotective hologram running for the captain. There was the tea cup ride that not only generated great amounts of centrifugal force as the car spun its passengers around, but also produced endless giggles from the young Katarian. After that, they had gone on the 'Bumpy Bear', a ride where each person drove his or her own land vehicle on an enclosed track. The objective of the ride seemed not to win the race as much as it was to smash into the other cars. Naomi mastered that ride quickly, learning just where to connect to make Seven's car bounce, and since each hit caused the young girl to smile, they visited that ride twice. Then it was here to the Floop ride, proclaimed second only to the Widow Maker as the best ride at the festival according to the Carons following them around. Now, strapped into the Floop and hearing the sound of the water rushing by the bottom, Seven's heart rate increased slightly and she was having a great many 'second thoughts'. However, seeing the smile on Naomi's face, she didn't have the heart to tell the child that she was feeling uneasy about the ride.
The ride operator said a few quick words, wishing them well, and the crowd surrounding the ride entrance cheered as the rope was released and the pair from Voyager began their descent down the chute.
At first it seemed that Seven's fears were unfounded as the Floop leisurely followed the route formed by the chute. The water splashed against the outside of the boat but none came in. Apparently the Caron's claims of a 'wild ride' were exaggerated greatly.
Then the slope increased, escalating the speed of the Floop.
"Keep your hands inside!" Seven yelled as they impacted against the side and the round boat began spinning as it moved faster down the chute. Naomi's hair was whipping about from the wind, and Seven was certain her hair would be completely disheveled by the time they reached the finish. From the way the boat was bouncing, spinning, and rocking, Seven wasn't at all sure that her stomach would make it to the end.
To Naomi's great joy and Seven's bitter consternation, the chute's incline increased again as did their speed. This is too fast, Seven's mind screamed as they raced through a curve, a splash of water coming up to hit the Borg in the face. There is no control, no way to stop this. They approached another curve and Seven's fear about the speed proved to be justified as they crashed into a panel that, unlike the others, did not simply bounce them around and send the Floop merrily on its way. Instead, it splintered and gave way, the resulting rush of water pulling the spinning Floop over the side and down the embankment.
"Seven!" Naomi screamed as the buoyant tube bounced off the ground and assumed a vertical position. The Borg could only remain where she was helplessly as the Floop rolled over and over, across the thick grass, over the firm ground until there was no more ground. Seven felt the earth give way to water and her mind immediately recognized the sound of rushing water and realized where they were. No longer were they in the nice safe confines of the ride parameters, they were helplessly trapped in their seats as the Floop raced down the raging river.
"Stay in your seat!" Seven yelled back, terrified that Naomi would disengage her safety device in her fear and obvious need to be held. Seven was also terrified, the memories of her trip down the river racing through her mind. Focus, the deep voice of her lover said in her mind. Don't panic. If you panic, you can't help yourself and worse, I can't help you. Kathryn could help? Yes. Another wave of water crashed over the side of the Floop, soaking their legs and feet. Seven pressed her comm badge. "Seven to Janeway."
"Janeway here. What's all the noise?"
"Captain there is a problem!" she yelled, trying to be heard over the rushing water. "Request emergency beam-out!" There was a fizzle and a spark as water crashed over the back and soaked Seven's upper body. "Captain!" She pressed the badge again, disturbed to not hear the subtle chime. "Naomi Wildman! Use your comm badge."
The terrified child nodded, terror filling her and needing to look to Seven for help and protection. "Naomi to the Captain," she said as best she could but the voice still came out scared and shaky.
"Na-mi!" Janeway's voice sputtered through the wet comm badge. "We can ... bout ... min ... rals."
It took a second for Seven to mentally fill in the blanks. They were too close to the mountains, practically within them, and the rivers, according to the data the Borg had read, actually entered into the giant rock. The minerals were interfering with both Voyager, and the Delta Flyer's transporter beams.
"River!" Seven screamed, hoping her voice carried over the thundering rush of water to Naomi's comm badge. The intelligent young girl understood and said it herself into the badge but the answering reply was unintelligible and Seven was unable to make out even one word. In the darkness there was no way for the Borg to see what was around her without concentrating on her optical implant but that was impossible. All her energy was going into trying to remain calm in front of Naomi and trying to figure a way out of this mess.
Twisting and turning only served to threaten the Floop with capsizing so Seven was forced to sit back and trust in the safety restraints as the water continued to torment them. Naomi had long ago given up any hope of keeping her tears back, this event being even more terrifying than the time the aliens invaded Voyager and held her and the rest of the crew hostage. The river was fast, swifter than even the ride, and the amount of kilometers was quickly piling up. Seven's stomach violently protested the 'junk food' they had indulged in as the Borg did her best to bail the water out from the bottom of the Floop with her hands. It was over an hour before the river gave them any relief, the whitecaps giving way to slightly calmer water, though still carrying them along at a tremendous pace.
"Seven?" Naomi's voice seemed to echo around them.
"Yes, Naomi. I believe we are inside some kind of cavern."
Definitely an echo. What concerned the Borg greatly was how far away the ceiling sounded. This was a large cavern and since the river showed no sign of slowing down, it meant that they were going inside the mountain.
Naomi screamed and Seven gave an uncharacteristic yelp as the Floop suddenly fell over the side of a steep embankment and flipped over. There was a sudden stop, as if the Floop was caught on something and Seven felt the pressure in their bubble increase. They were being pushed under water, the Borg realized. Panic threatened to take over, but reflexes and the drive to protect the precious bundle entrusted to her care kept Seven from thrashing about. Instead, she opened her eyes, blinking in the darkness and forcing herself to focus on her optical implant, which fortunately seemed still to be functioning despite the abuse it was undergoing. Naomi was awake but quiet, her eyes wide although the child certainly couldn't see anything in the darkness. Seven determined that the height of the Floop's sides were to be credited with protecting them as the buoyant vessel kept their heads, if not their hair, above water. The Borg's mind filed that information away neatly, wanting to compliment the engineer who had included such a vital safety design. "Naomi ... Naomi Wildman."
"I-I'm here, Seven," the scared child answered.
"Stay absolutely still," the Borg said, her optical implant giving her the most limited of vision, shades of green light and shadow as she activated her night vision. Eventually the pressure on the Floop lifted, and they bounced back to the surface, the water rippling gently below their faces. Seven waited a minute to assess the situation. "We are upside down, and it appears that we are still moving with the river, though the speed has considerably decreased."
"Y-yes," Naomi agreed. "We're not g-getting splashed on anymore."
"Correct." Seven regarded the rapid respiration of her companion and carefully sorted through her words. "Naomi, you are being ... very brave. I am proud of you." Those seemed to be the correct words for the situation as the child's respiration immediately lightened. Seven mentally noted how much of a good thing that was, considering that they were now existing in an air-tight, and non-replenishable, bubble. "However I must point out that we cannot remain like this."
"W-what are we g-going to do?"
Seven realized there was an alternative reason for the young girl's teeth to be chattering, beyond simple fear. The temperature of night had been reasonable warm enough, but it was much colder in the cavern and Naomi was soaked with water from their ordeal. No doubt, her systems were quickly surrendering to hypothermia. "We must get out of this vessel and get to shore. Voyager will find us."
The Borg didn't feel it necessary at the moment to tell the six-year-old ... no matter how intelligent she might be ... that Voyager's sensors were useless so long as they were near the mountains. If they were deep inside, as indeed, she suspected they were, then they were lost until they found a way out. Pushing the negative thought from her mind, Seven concentrated on their current situation, trying hard to shut out the sound of teeth chattering just a few feet from her. The only way out was up, up where the air was. It would require either flipping the Floop over, something Seven dismissed as impractical in light of there being nothing for her to grab hold of, save the short length of rope which kept hitting her head.
"Naomi. I believe I have a way for us to get out of here," she said, reaching for her harness restraints at the same time. "You must stay absolutely still. I will return the Floop to its correct position and guide you to shore by pulling on the rope. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes. I-I won't be able to s-s-see you."
"I will be just outside," Seven said firmly. "Do not doubt that. I will get you to safety." And with that, Seven released the last of her restraints and pitched downward into the cold water where she submerged and swam clear of the overturned Floop.
With her Borg hand keeping the wet rope secure, Seven found it impossible to flip the Floop over. It was a good two and a half meters above her and the best her jumping and grasping could do was make the buoyant vessel bounce, an option the Borg discarded the instant she realized it might scare Naomi. She didn't dare use her left hand on the Floop, afraid her implants would puncture the ring and cause the gases trapped inside to escape, collapsing it around Naomi and bearing her down with it as it sank before Seven could pull her clear.
Left with no other choice, Seven tied the rope around her waist, her eidetic memory pulling up diagrams of the knots Starfleet found necessary to be included in a cadet's training. It was a skill which Tuvok felt required a full week of classes, capped off by several tests. B'Elanna was not happy with that course, though she had been quite proud of displaying a knot formation before class one night that reminded Seven eerily of those she had seen in pictures of hangings. She had frowned at her friend's effort, and Tuvok had shown an equal distaste for B'Elanna's contribution.
The rope secured, Seven understood that whichever direction she chose, she had no way of knowing how far she was from shore. Borg strength was more brute than endurance, and Seven had to force down the acid taste of fear in her mouth. Fear is a most unpleasant emotion, she noted, realizing it must be ten times worse for the young girl trapped alone inside the bubble. Seven's only advantage was that her vest was somehow acting as a sort of semi-flotation device, keeping her higher in the water than she otherwise would have been without it.
Carefully sensing the current around her, Seven remembered her beloved wife's instructions to her on the holodeck. "Feel the water. It's calmer the closer you get to land. When it doubt, move to the side that is less choppy." The words served her well as it took only a few strokes in each direction to determine that going to the left led to calmer waters. Seven carefully moved around the makeshift vessel, needing the Floop floating in front of her rather than behind. It was easier to push with her head than pull should the current pick up. Seven took longer than truly necessary with checking the knot once more, verifying the security of her work and feeling the length of the knot with her fingers to make sure there were no new frays since the last time she checked. She had promised Samantha Wildman that she would personally protect Naomi during the celebration, and she had no intention of breaking that promise, not to the ensign, or to herself. Nothing was going to take Naomi away from her. Taking a deep breath to clear her mind if nothing else, Seven kicked with her legs and began the arduous task of getting them to shore.
"Both shuttles report no signs of life," Tuvok said, the update being channeled away from the general comm badges to his badge, the frequency of repeated reports with no sightings taking its toll on Janeway's nerves. The festival was eerily quiet, only hushed murmurs of the few families still lingering, offering moral support to each other as they worried, along with the Voyager crew, over the missing females. "However, that is to be expected with the interference."
Both the Type-four shuttle, Edison and the Delta Flyer were crossing over the terrain between the ride chute and the river, everyone agreeing there was no way the Floop could have gotten past the raging current. The lack of sensors made the advanced technology of Starfleet mute, the Delta Flyer forced to rely on its front lights to brighten up the darkness in search of a bright gold ring and two important people. On the ground, Voyager crewmembers, armed with every wrist light ship's stores had, were crisscrossing the ground, calling out Seven and Naomi's names over and over, making sure they hadn't missed anything in the darkness. The Carons were also in the search, communications going out all over the city sending thousands of people to the riverbanks in hopes of finding the pair.
The Premier was on the stage, frantically trying to get more information from the people around him. Crewmembers had their comm badges, which while not strong enough to reach Voyager due to interference from the ore, were still capable of carrying for several kilometers. A looping call to Seven's and Naomi's comm badges was in place should there be a chance of them hearing it and responding. Janeway remembered the last time Seven had been caught in a raging river. The comm badge had failed then too, but the projections given for upgrading the devices far outweighed the need to make them water proof instead of water resistant, so the job was filed away in the 'maybe in the future' category. When they returned to Voyager, that particular upgrade would be moved to the 'do as soon as possible' category.
The fastest transport had been dispatched to the location where Samantha Wildman and the rest of the science team was. While the Delta Flyer or the Edison would have been quicker, they were needed more to cover the vast distance of river that existed before it disappeared into the mountain.
Chakotay came running up to her, the light on his wrist glowing dimly. "It's too dark, even with the lights from the Carons, to really see anything, but we're not finding any wreckage and the reports from miles down the river are the same."
"Have Ensign Wildman and Neelix arrived yet?" she asked wearily.
"I checked before I came over to see you. The Premier says she should be here in less than an hour. Sek went with the transport and will tell them before they arrive here."
Janeway looked at him, the pale shadows from the hastily arranged lights around the stage showing the strain on her face. "Yes," she allowed slowly. "Sek is the counselor. She'll be able to help Ensign Wildman and Neelix."
"That's what she's there for," he said. "To help. We'll find them, Kathryn," he added in a softer tone. "You have to remember Seven is with her. She's not going to let anything happen to that child."
"Captain." They turned to see B'Elanna running at them full force, the Klingon breathing heavily.
"Lieutenant," Janeway said expectantly. There was no need to ask.
"There's a path of broken branches and a depression in the ground near the riverbed but it's hard to tell for sure because everyone's been trampling all over the area. The tricorders just keep giving me weird readings or nothing at all."
Janeway nodded and looked away, blankly staring at the Premier racing about the stage. "Where does that river lead?"
Chakotay stepped in, having gotten the details from the Caron. "It is mostly rapids between here and the mountains but there is a point" He paused, causing the captain to whirl about and stare at him. "Um ... there's a fork where it goes off to the right, between two mountains." He paused again, fully aware of the angry but tired eyes trying to bore through him. "It leads to a series of waterfalls." There was no need to ask how high the falls were. It was written plainly on the first officer's face, and Janeway went white as she remembered the scenic tour she had been given earlier that included those falls. The water fell over a thousand meters before crashing against the large rock formations below
"And the other way?" she said faintly.
"It goes into a cavern. The shoreline is too narrow for any Caron vehicles but there's hundreds of people on foot combing through there."
"Can Tom get one of our crafts into the mountain?"
"No Captain. There's only a small mouth, barely above our heads on the shoreline. It can't be more than thirty meters at its highest point."
"Are there any water craft that can withstand the force of the river?" It was a blind shot but Janeway had to try. Chakotay looked down and shook his head.
"Captain if I can get back to Voyager I'm sure I can construct--" B'Elanna began but was silenced by a wave of Janeway's hand.
"We don't have the luxury of time, Lieutenant." She turned to Chakotay. "Get those lights charged up and take whatever equipment you need from the Carons to help. Keep everyone on it but make sure they're careful. We don't need to be looking for more crewmembers," she added with a touch of guilt when she realized how desperate she sounded.
"I understand, Captain," he said softly, wishing he could do something, anything to ease the tremendous burden sitting on the captain's shoulders at the moment.
"I'll contact Tom again," B'Elanna offered gently. "Maybe there's another way to reconfigure the sensors to pick up Seven's Borg frequency." But Janeway was aware that they had tried every trick the engineer knew and received nothing but scrambled data in return. Still the look on the Klingon's face made the captain believe there just had to be a way.
For all their sakes.
"Oof!" The air abruptly left Seven's lungs as the Floop crashed into her, stopped momentarily by the soft sand inches below the waterline. Weary beyond anything she could remember in her existence, Seven used her Borg enhanced left hand to dig into the silt and gain a footing. The Floop continued to bounce and her grip broke free, moving them several meters further downstream before Seven could try again to get herself and the boat out of the current. She had underestimated the force of the river, having spent the better part of three hours trying to reach the shore while the currents continued to take her and the Floop downstream at an alarming rate. Her voice was hoarse from shouting words of encouragement to the frightened child trapped in the dark bubble. Naomi did the best she could but she was, after all, still a small child scared out of her wits. Twice Seven had to give up her task to swim back into the bubble and calm the little girl down. The effort was emotionally and physically draining until it was only her indomitable will that kept them going.
The knot around her waist was the only thing that kept Seven from losing the Floop when her last ditch effort found her pressed into the soft sand, the mass of her body forming an anchor that the remaining current couldn't fight. Slowly, mindful of how easily the current could catch the Floop and ruin all her hard work, Seven pulled and pulled until the river slowly released its hold on the Floop. Collapsing against the sand, Seven listened to Naomi's voice. "Seven, is it safe now?"
"Yes," she huffed, wondering where they were and how they were going to get out of there when she felt as though lifting one finger would take all of her remaining energy.
"Can I remove my harness?" Naomi asked. "I only feel dirt now."
Seven nodded her head for a second before realizing her action couldn't be seen. "Yes. Let me know when you are free." She heard the soft clicks followed by the sound of Naomi rolling free from her harness.
"I'm free." The child's voice was much closer, obviously having moved to where she thought Seven was.
"I am going to lift the Floop now," Seven said as she slowly made it to her knees. The weak feeling was strong, begging the Borg to surrender to it. "You will have to come out as soon as you can," she instructed. "Grab hold of me and do not let go."
"I won't," Naomi promised, digging through the dirt the instant she felt the Floop lift. Once contact was made with Seven's leg, the Borg shoved the Floop forward, freeing Naomi. The rope still trapped around her waist, Seven could only weakly hold the young girl as she started to cry. "I'm so scared," Naomi sobbed, her arms tight around Seven's neck.
"I know," the Borg whispered, lightly patting the wet back even though she wasn't sure why. Perhaps because that was what Kathryn did whenever Seven needed comfort. "We will be rescued," she promised, certain Voyager would find a way to locate them. She felt the shiver in her arms and realized there was a much more pressing matter. "We must find shelter and heat."
"W-where?" Naomi asked, easing her grip on Seven's neck as the Borg sat up.
"We will get some light and then look for suitable combustible materials," she said, dismayed when the remaining strength in her left hand failed to undo the wet knot around her middle. Reluctantly Seven mentally altered her implants, forming the blades needed to cut through the rope, severing it with one rather weak swipe.
That task completed, she pulled at the opening to her vest, grateful for B'Elanna's suggestion that they make all the interior compartments waterproof and secured, reducing the risk of losing any of the precious equipment stashed away in the various pockets. Seven's vest didn't sport any equipment powered by energy, not wanting them spotted in the event of a scan, but it did carry a large number of other useful items. After her previous missions, Seven had taken her vest to B'Elanna and instructed her on the set of improvements she required, including more pockets and secured flaps. Research and experience had provided Seven with other improvements in terms of inventory. Seven reached into one pocket and removed several beeswax candles and a small pouch containing flint sticks, or matches as Janeway referred to them.
Seven lit a candle and handed it to Naomi. "Set it in the sand in front of you. It will give off both heat and light." She lit another then put the rest away, torn between wanting to make it bright for Naomi and needing to be practical when it came to preserving their rations. Still the combined lights from the candles allowed the pair to see each other, something Naomi seemed to appreciate very much. The child's respiration and heartbeat were beginning to return to a normal, if tired, rhythm.
"I'm still c-cold," Naomi said wearily.
"I shall help you." Reaching into another pocket, Seven produced several plastic vials. Selecting three, she put the rest away. "Naomi. I require that you take this medicine. It will protect against disease and pneumonia."
The girl did as she was told, dependent completely on Seven to care for her. The Borg, cold herself, became alarmed at the temperature of Naomi's hand. Her mind flashed through the vest inventory and the possible uses of its contents. She did a few mental calculations in her head while reaching for the silver flask stashed in one of the most protected places in her vest.
"Naomi, you must drink this until I tell you to stop," she said, holding the flask of liquor to the child's lips. "But sip it."
Seven's mind was racing, determining the effect of alcohol not only on a child, but a child whose physiology was as unique as Naomi's. There was very little data on Human/Katarian hybrids but Seven had studied it extensively, as well as every other species represented on Voyager, during her studies in emergency field care under the Doctor. Her eidetic memory even kept track of who was allergic to what, a handy thing to know when having to determine which medicine to give someone in a life or death situation. The training had allowed Seven access to the crew's medical records, including Kathryn's, which had been an eye-opening experience. Upon discussion with her wife, Seven discovered that Janeway was allergic to a certain type of flower and the bite of an insect which had never been completely identified, the entire team beaming out immediately at the sight of their crewmember puffing up and having convulsions. Since Janeway couldn't even remember what the insect looked like, Seven made it a point to keep the medicine needed to help her spouse in one vial in the bottom of a pocket in her vest. With Kathryn Janeway, it never hurt to be as prepared as possible.
"That's sufficient," she said, giving Naomi her full attention. Seven stoppered the flask and returned it to it's proper location. "What are you feeling?" she asked, needing to know, before she went any further.
"I feel warm inside," Naomi said slowly. "Tingly."
"That is the brandy and the medicine. The Doctor assures me that the amount you have been given is not harmful. It shall help warm you while I build a fire." Seven pulled two ration bars out of a large compartment making up part of the padding of the back. Tearing open the foil, she handed one to Naomi. "You must take nutritional supplements now. Do not move from your present location." Taking a moment to make sure both candles were secure, Seven rose and lit a third candle, the light offering little in the way of illumination. Unfortunately it did show that there was nothing but rock around them, nothing flammable except...
Seven narrowed her eyes, considering the danger of such a move. Burning the Floop for heat took away their only method of getting down the river if they had to leave this location. No. Until she knew for sure how to get help, Seven didn't dare destroy their only way out. She sat down behind Naomi and removed her vest, setting it out on the ground next to her. "Did you eat your nutritional supplement?"
"Now I know why Mommy threatens to make me eat ration bars when I complain about dinner," Naomi said, earning a small smile from Seven who filed away that information to use in the future with her own children.
"There is nothing I can use to build a fire," Seven explained, not finding any reason to keep the truth from the child. From another pocket she pulled out a thin Starfleet-issue away mission blanket, completely dry, thanks to the new pocket design. "We shall have to conserve and share our own heat. I would recommend we undress and lay our clothes out in order to dry, but that seems impractical," she said, noting the dampness of the cavern. "The blanket shall have to keep us both warm." Foresight, and a devious mind, had made Seven opt for packing a king-sized blanket instead of the standard size. One never knew when one might be stranded with a certain auburn-haired captain and be in need of keeping said captain warm. Regardless of the reasons behind it, the large blanket was a welcomed shelter in the darkness and soon they were huddled beneath its protection, Seven doing her best to keep Naomi warm. "We require rest now. When we wake up, we will decide what to do next."
"Acceptable," Naomi yawned, snuggling closer to the large body holding her. "Mommy's going to be worried about me," she said into the darkness, the candles extinguished to conserve resources.
Gradually, Seven felt their body heat, aided by the reflective properties of the surrounding material, overcome the chill of their wet clothes. "I agree," she said quietly, mindful of the echo and the slowing breathing next to her. "I am sure everyone is worried." Seven tried hard not to think of how Kathryn would be at the moment, no doubt half out of her mind with worry. I will get back to you, my wife, she thought, wishing more than ever that she and Janeway shared thoughts the way the collective did, but only them and no other voices. Have faith just as you have told me so many times.
"Seven?"
"Yes Naomi?" The Borg was disconcerted by the sad tone in the girl's voice.
"I miss Mommy. I miss Neelix. I miss Fluffy."
"You will return home to them," Seven promised in a gentle tone. "As soon as I find a way out of here or Captain Janeway finds a way to rescue us."
Knowing the child needed more reassurance, the Borg brushed Naomi's strawberry hair away from her face. "I know you are scared, but we will leave this place. It is very late at night now. The Captain is undoubtedly waiting for daylight to assist her in locating where we are." She listened to the weary yawn coming from somewhere beneath the blanket.
I will protect you, Naomi Wildman. You are required for my happy existence. I will get you home. When sleep finally claimed the exhausted Borg, it was with the vision of soft blue-grey eyes and auburn hair drifting before her eyes as a final, irresistible lure to unconsciousness.
"There's no doubt about it now," Chakotay said, holding out the Caron equivalent to coffee. They were told the active ingredient was similar to caffeine but the tricorders could not confirm it. The first officer had been forced to try it, determining after a few sips that, while it was nuttier than he was used to, it would pass, and if there was something the captain needed at that moment it was coffee. "The marks are clear in the daylight."
"So they went into the river." Janeway's tone was flat, devoid of anything less than full command mode. Further away, a series of hastily erected tents stood, most occupied by Voyager members sleeping after a full night of searching the blackness in unfamiliar terrain. The insistence on safety ropes saved two crewmembers and three Carons who strayed too close to the river's edge in the darkness. Still, pulling them out had been a lesson in brute strength against nature, and Chakotay knew better than to tell the captain what he thought the amusement ride boat's chances were against that massive force.
"There's still no sign and the aerial vehicles are up now. It should be pretty easy to spot that gold boat in amongst all that green and blue."
"Keep me updated," Janeway said, dismissing her first officer with her tone. Realizing for the first time that there was a drink in her hands, she brought it to her lips and carefully sipped it, four years of replicator coffee still leaving a bad taste in her mouth. Janeway noted the odd flavor but didn't give it any further notice, swallowing without tasting, concentrating on the thousand and one things going on in her head. The teams were still working their way into the cavern, all the powerful light systems being moved through the sandy banks by carts on tracks. The Caron topographers indicated that the last exploration showed the tunnel went on for almost a hundred kilometers prior to dropping down into a chasm that could not be forged. It would be late in the afternoon before word came back that the teams had reached that point without a single clue. There was no choice but to turn back.
Sek, Megan Delaney and several Caron mothers were surrounding Samantha Wildman and Neelix when the news w