“Captain Janeway, you are a shrewd negotiator. You do your species well.”
A week of heavy arbitrations between the Voyager staff and another alien species returned not only a fresh amount of much needed supplies but some new friends in this rather unfriendly region of space they were traveling through. The constant attacks every other day from various ships, each with their own ideas of who owned this space, were bad enough, but not being able to refuel for weeks on end left them vulnerable and Captain Janeway would have no part of that. She wanted to be as prepared as possible, and with many of Voyager’s systems breaking down because of inefficient energy sources, being prepared was made more difficult. Until now.
“Thank you, Ratan,” she replied to the tall man sitting across from her. One of five equally participating associates gathered for the meetings, he was without a doubt the leader of his group, even if they had no formal chain of command.
“I was quite surprised you could completely fill our list. Rumor has it many of the items we needed are difficult to come by in this sector.”
“This is true, Captain. But you forget one simple rule of trading: everything has a price. When the price is right, even the most difficult of items can be acquired easily.”
Janeway bowed her head in recognition and belayed her gratitude again, realizing they were very much like Ferengi, only shrewder and far more advanced technologically.
“On behalf of Voyager, I would like to thank you for playing host to us this week. We would have been content to stay on our ship and transport over to participate in meetings, but your hospitality has been exemplary.”
“It is the least we could do,” said Jargan, the man to Ratan’s immediate left. “It is our custom to seek out new alliances at any opportunity. Our only regret is that your crewmember was injured during one of the proofing operations.”
At that, Janeway looked over to Seven and acknowledged the injury. Yesterday Seven had sustained some minor cuts and burns on her right hand when a console she had been working at had malfunctioned and knocked her to the ground. A quick trip to the medical facility and she was cleaned up in minutes, but nothing like that had ever happened before and Jargan had displayed guilt over the accident ever since. Seven merely brushed the incident off and continued with the drills once she was cleaned up again.
“No harm was done,” Janeway assured him. “We’ve had our share of bumps and bruises and I’m sure we’ll run in to a few more before we get home.”
“You are very kind,” Ratan admitted. He briefly turned his attention to a man in the doorway and offered a nod to begin the commemorative meal that was customary for such events.
“Now we will celebrate this new alliance. This will be a feast for new friends,” he said as men began serving trays of the finest food, bottles of the finest wines they had to offer, and a woman resembling a belly dancer had even come to entertain them.
Unfamiliar to the eye, the meal strangely resembled something Neelix might prepare. And as was customary with anything he cooked, the food looked frightening at best, though sometimes there was a dish that was actually pleasant to the palate despite its peculiar appearance. However, since they had never come across any of these dishes before, only time would tell to see if their luck held out tonight.
Janeway looked over the selections but she couldn’t decide where to begin. Within her immediate line of sight, there was a plate with red stringy stalks, another dish holding what appeared to be a marinated meat of some sort, and yet another containing a black lumpy glob of something. She was beginning to think Neelix’s cooking wasn’t so bad after all.
“Captain, you must try these,” Ratan said, offering her a shallow bowl that contained a wiggly insect resembling a centipede. “These are Paka. They are a delicacy among our people, but so rare we only serve them during festivities.”
After watching how he handled the creature, Janeway hesitated before reaching into the bowl and taking her own. You’ve got no choice, she reminded herself. The last thing she wanted was to offend them.
“Please, do not chew or it will sting you with a deadly poison. You must let them slide down your throat,” Ratan said and demonstrated. Apparently he had done this several times before since he had no problem swallowing something that could potentially kill him.
Janeway grimaced, and she could feel the stares of her crew watching her every move. Still, she wouldn’t ruin this alliance with some personal aversion toward unknown food. In one swift move, she opened her mouth wide, closed her eyes, and put the insect in her mouth, and hoped for the best. She had to fight off her gag reflexes as she felt its slimy body and prickly legs squirm in her mouth and tickle her tongue before finally making its way down her throat. All in all it was pretty harmless, but the looks on the faces of her crew were absolutely priceless, especially Seven’s.
“Quite tasty, Ratan.” She looked around at the gaping stares and suggested they all try some.
The evening continued as pleasantly as it began, and when all the eating, drinking, and dancing had commenced they parted ways. A few final handshakes and well wishes and the crew had returned to Voyager. Ratan and the others watched carefully as they transported back to their ship.
As the final traces from the transport dissipated, Ratan remained facing forward and asked Jargan, “Has the implant been successful?”
“Of course. The samples were created after the accident and implanted today,” Jargan replied.
“Very well. Send out a detachment to watch them carefully and retrieve the product when the time has come.”
Jargan nodded.
“This will be our greatest accomplishment. We’re going to be rich, Jargan. Rich men.”
Jargan nodded again and both men smiled in unison at their brilliant plan.
Back on Voyager, Janeway sat alone in the messhall occupying her time by catching up on business. Normally she would have secluded herself in her ready room reading various reports pertaining to the side trip Chakotay took Voyager on while they were conducting business with Ratan and his crew. Tonight, however, she felt the last thing she wanted to do was seclude herself. Perhaps is was because she had been gone all week for trade negotiations and wanted to leave herself available to anyone who wanted a moment of her time. Or perhaps it was that other reason, the one she continuously ignored and buried deep within herself…the one that caused butterflies every time she entertained the thought.
And then the person in question entered the room and Janeway greeted her with much more anticipation than she was consciously aware she had.
“Hello, Seven.” Her eyes lit up and it was hard to conceal her grin. She felt as if her smile overtook her face. “Come sit with me so I don’t die of loneliness over here.”
She shoved aside data padds and made room for Seven. “What brings you in here so late?”
“Hello, Captain. I was about to replicate nutritional supplements before I assist Lt. Torres in Engineering,” Seven replied as she took a seat across from Janeway. “I have been experiencing abdominal contractions since returning to Voyager and I believe returning to my standard dietary intake will alleviate the problem.”
“Ah, too much experimenting for the palate this week, huh Seven?” Janeway smirked. “I’ve got just the thing you need,” she added as she placed a consoling hand on Seven’s before heading to the replicator. When she returned a minute later she was carrying what she claimed was the sure cure for any ailment.
“My mother’s soup. She thinks I don’t know the recipe so I used to let her coddle me when I would visit and catch a cold. It’s easy to do in those Indiana winters when you’re used to living either in San Francisco. I guess the ‘ol body gets pampered in a more temperate climate.” She carefully set a place for Seven to eat, complete with soup, bread, and juice as she continued talking about memories of her mother.
“Trust me on this, Seven. My mother claimed this would take the spots off a leopard. It’s got a bit of a kick to it, but I think it will do the trick for any bug you might have.”
Janeway watched as Seven looked at the soup with suspicion, probably comparing it with something Neelix might serve and wondered what “a bit of a kick” would actually do to her already sensitive stomach. As she maintained painting a vivid picture of her mother and life in Indiana, Seven took her first taste and admitted it wasn’t too bad. In fact, she rather liked it.
“You miss her,” she said between sips. “You have briefly mentioned her twice during trade negotiations and tonight you are discussing her in greater length.”
“My mother?” Janeway paused. She hadn’t really shared much of her private life with the crew, but somehow telling Seven felt natural. “Last week was her birthday. I guess she’s been on my mind a little more than usual.”
“I regret that you could not be with her on her birthday, Captain.”
“Well, one day soon…” Janeway trailed off. “Hey, how’s that soup?”
“Acceptable.”
Janeway laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Mother would be pleased.”
Before long, Seven had finished the entire meal and looked as if she was secretly longing for seconds. At least that was always her wish after sopping up the last drop of soup with the last morsel of bread whenever she was fortunate enough to have it served to her. Now she realized how her mother felt when she would look up into her eyes and convey her thanks with a single look.
“Thank you, Captain. I feel much better.”
“Always a pleasure, Seven.” Always.
Seven suddenly stood and made a move to return the dishes to the recycling unit, causing Janeway to react immediately by reaching out and stopping her. She wasn’t ready for Seven to leave so suddenly. Hadn’t she just gotten here? What was the rush? B'Elanna’s report didn’t indicate an emergency. Besides, she was an accomplished engineer. Surely she could figure this minor problem out on her own. She quickly grabbed Seven’s human hand and held it still for a second. The emotion that filled her in that moment was enough to temporarily paralyze her.
The warmth of Seven’s hand permeated throughout her body, almost as if she had been on fire. Curious, she looked up into Seven’s eyes for an explanation but strangely found herself at the same loss for words Seven seemed to be experiencing. Although she couldn’t explain it, the energy surge that quickly shot through her body in that exact moment caused her to freeze from further actions.
The seconds dragged on and her mind raced, but all her thoughts were incoherent. And then, for the briefest flash, she had a moment of clarity. Everything in her life was perfect, the past and future were all here in the present, and a feeling unlike any other she had ever experienced started to overcome her. It was only when she tried to focus on the images and make sense of them that she lost the feeling. She allowed her eyes to wander on their own, hoping somehow the images would return when she noticed Seven’s lips. Those lips that challenged her on so many occasions, refusing to follow orders, seemed so different now. They were suddenly soft and delicate…almost inviting…and they were moving. As if an alarm abruptly sounded within her, she returned to the moment in time to catch the last of what Seven was saying and causing her to release the grip.
“…recycle these now. I better get to Engineering before Lt. Torres becomes angry.”
“Yes…you’re right…I…didn’t mean to hold you up…I’m sorry.”
Janeway remained silent as Seven nodded, offered her thanks for the meal, and left for Engineering. She was feeling uneasy about the way she reacted a minute ago. She had experienced brief lapses similar to this from time to time, always in Seven’s presence, but they had never been to this extent. As she returned to her work, she made a mental note to speak with Tuvok about Vulcan meditation if the problem continued.
Engineering was chaotic at the moment. Lt. Torres was spewing out orders to the skeletal crew on duty as if the department was on fire, which was typical when she had to work the gamma shift, but to have her personally ask for Seven’s help on a problem seemed a little out of the ordinary, even to Seven.
“There you are!” B'Elanna barked. “I only asked for your help an hour ago. You said you were going get something to eat, but come on. Did you go all the way back to Earth for that meal?”
“I apologize,” Seven said, taking her position at the main engineering console. “I…became distracted.”
“Well, I hope whatever it was you left it behind. I need your full concentration.” She directed Seven’s attention to the warp drive readouts. “We’ve got a 12% variance that seems to be rising at 3% an hour. I tried everything I can think of but I’m still at a loss. You have any ideas? It’s not a big problem at the moment but if I don’t fix it we’re going to have an overload by morning.”
Seven glanced at the readings for a minute and noticed the same fluctuations Voyager had experienced before they had met with Ratan and his crew. Prior to their meeting, sensors had suddenly gone offline and they mysteriously dropped out of warp. It was only when Voyager came to a standstill that Ratan’s ship had decloaked and hailed them, identifying himself as “the miracle man who can get them anything they needed.” Captain Janeway was wary at first but soon jumped at the opportunity to negotiate for any supplies they were short on. One thing led to another and before long Ratan had invited Captain Janeway and several of the senior staff to stay aboard his ship while he fulfilled her order for several minerals known to be rare but in high demand.
“Have there been any inconsistencies while trade negotiations were being conducted?”
“No. We were off surveying while the talks were being done, but everything ran smoothly. Why?”
“It is possible the warp core is reacting to the radiation Ratan’s vessel emits. His ship discharges three times the amount of radiation for a vessel of that size. However, since we have concluded trade negotiations and left the region, there seems no reason why his ship would remain in subspace close to our proximity so that seems an unlikely cause. I am at a loss too.”
B'Elanna listened to Seven talk but eventually began getting a strange feeling from the woman. “What’s going on with you tonight?” she bluntly asked.
“Explain.”
“Well it’s unusual you don’t have some typical rude Borg response when you’re stumped by something, you haven’t made an attempt to take over the situation yet like you normally do, and you’re actually pleasant to be around for someone who’s as stumped as I am. You feeling ok?”
“I experienced a momentary sensory lapse in my cranial implant earlier and my respiration increased significantly. It is disturbing.”
“Maybe you should go to sickbay.”
“I was planning to speak with The Doctor after I regenerate.”
B'Elanna pursed her lips and went about her business trying to narrow down the problem. Unless it involved returning the warp core to its peak efficiency or there was a medical emergency, getting involved with Seven’s problems was something she didn’t want to bother herself with at the moment.
“Lt. May I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
Seven hesitated before continuing, well aware the subject matter she was about to bring up was a sensitive one for the chief engineer.
“When Lt. Paris touches you, how does it make you feel?”
“Excuse me?” B'Elanna barked back.
“When Lt. Paris touches you—“
“I heard you, Seven. I just don’t think it’s any of your business what happens when Tom and I are together.”
“I meant no disrespect. I was merely curious.”
“For more of your research on human mating behavior I bet, huh? Well forget it.”
Silence ensued as both women continued to work on the problem. For Seven, it was an innocent line of questioning, difficult to dismiss because of its potentially lead to a better understanding of her own reaction when Captain Janeway had touched her. On the other hand, B'Elanna loved talking about other people’s personal lives, but when it came to her own she was as evasive as they came.
“Lieutenant…how do you know when you are romantically attracted to someone?” Seven asked again.
B'Elanna’s curiosity was definitely peaked this time. “Is this about the captain?”
“Why do you assume this is about Captain Janeway?”
“Come on. It’s obvious that you’re experiencing typical reactions of a crush right after seeing the captain. She is still in the messhall, isn’t she? At least that’s where she was when I stopped by earlier this evening and she didn’t look like she was leaving any time soon.”
“Yes, Captain Janeway is working in the messhall, and she did offer me her mother’s soup.”
B'Elanna rolled her eyes. “It’s no secret that she treats you differently, Seven. Actually, I’m surprised you never noticed it before. Haven’t you ever wondered about the way she always wants to be with you? The way she practically worships the ground you walk on? I bet she even gets off when you don’t do what she says.”
Seven stood by and carefully considered B'Elanna’s words. It was true that Captain Janeway had treated her differently than other crewmembers. She had broken the chain of command at least a half dozen times, some of them serious occasions, and yet Captain Janeway only mildly scolded her each time whereas others who had committed lesser violations had been punished with double duties, horrendous assignments, or even stripped of rank. Captain Janeway did indeed treat her differently.
“Are you implying Captain Janeway wishes to invoke a romantic relationship with me?”
“Geez, Seven. I wouldn’t go that far, but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me if she did. Do you feel that way about her?”
“I am unsure. When I examined the crew manifest for potential romantic partners, I was not informed I could include females. I hadn’t considered the possibility of a romantic relationship with any of the females on this ship. However, if I were to include females in my search, Captain Janeway would certainly be the most suitable match for me. She has many admirable qualities that compliment my own…and I find her to be aesthetically pleasing as well.”
I’ll take that as a yes, B'Elanna mumbled under her breath. “It sounds like you should find out how she feels.”
“What is the proposed method of doing that?”
“Well, you could just talk to her about it. But try not to be so blunt. Maybe look for clues in her body language. I don’t know.”
“Her body language?” Seven was learning more about relationships in a few minutes of talking with B'Elanna than she had in all her social lessons with The Doctor combined.
“You know...Watch her. Does she smile and make eye contact with you a lot? See if she checks you out when you aren’t looking. Does she stand close to you or try to touch you a lot? Does she make excuses to see you off duty? Stuff like that.”
“Is that what Lt. Paris does to you?”
“You know what, Seven? This is getting a little too personal. I think you should talk to the captain about this. Thanks for your help but I can figure this out on my own.”
Seven acknowledged B'Elanna’s attempt to evade the topic and let it drop for now, leaving the engineer to her department and returned to the cargo bay. She decided she would have to watch the captain’s behavior more closely and figure this out on her own. She wanted to discuss this with The Doctor but hesitated discussing anything of a personal matter with him that wasn’t medically related because of his feelings toward her. It didn’t bother her in the least, but she knew it made the man terribly uncomfortable. Romance was by far the single hardest adaptation back into humanity she came across.
Here we are again. I have to stop doing this, Janeway mused as she entered Cargo Bay 2 late in the evening. She knew she was being naughty, sneaking in to see Seven before she went to bed, but lately she found she just couldn’t fall asleep without seeing her Astrometrics officer one last time each night before she drifted off to sleep.
In weeks past, Seven had been spending her evening in the captain’s quarters. At first the encounters were innocent: updates her on the latest Astrometrics specs or questions pertaining to Starfleet regulations. That quickly turned into debates on various Delta Quadrant topics and personal late night chats about human idiosyncrasies, just about anything that would get her into the captain’s quarter’s once they each went off duty. Although not consciously aware of what was going on but welcoming it nonetheless, she always treated it like a game of cat and mouse, looking forward to whatever Seven had in mind for their next encounter. Their encounter in the messhall earlier this evening certainly caught them both off guard though, leaving her feeling more flustered about Seven, but in a very good way. And it certainly intensified her desire to seek out Seven tonight.
As she slowly walked over to Seven’s alcove, she forced herself to suppress a smile. She always felt the need to smile when she would sneak in and catch a glimpse of the former Borg as she regenerated. There was something about the risk of discovery that she found thrilling. She didn’t think Seven would mind too much, her sneaking in like this, and perhaps that’s why there was never a security lock on the cargo bay doors, but she realized if someone had walked into her quarters to watch her sleep…she shuddered at the thought.
Warm feelings washed over her whenever she came here, watching her friend as she regenerated, uninhibited by protocol, and reflecting upon what they shared. The smiles became harder to suppress.
As she stood beside her Borg now, she watched the small flutters of her eyelids. What would you do if she opened those icy blue eyes right now and caught you staring? How would you explain yourself? She allowed her eyes to drift down Seven’s body, past the big blue eyes and full lips that drew her in earlier this evening, down her long, sexy neck. She wasn’t even aware she had moistened her lips as her eyes strolled down Seven’s body, wanting so very bad to touch her in more ways than simply holding her hand.
“Engineering to Janeway.”
The hail echoed like a siren and Janeway nearly fell off the alcove platform at its call.
“Janeway here,” she whispered, careful not to disturb Seven. Despite fantasizing about Seven waking and requiring the explanation of her presence, she honestly didn’t feel the need for it to happen right at this moment.
“Captain, I’m sorry to bother you so late.”
“That’s alright, Lieutenant. What can I do for you?”
“I think I found a way to fix the fluctuating in the warp core,” B’Elanna explained. “It’s nothing major. We can sustain warp 6 for a little while, but I’d like to shut down the drive for about an hour so we can realign the manifold intake valves and adjust the core temperature.”
“Go ahead. Alert the bridge and let me know if there’s a problem. Otherwise I’ll read your report in the morning. Janeway out.” And on that note she glanced at Seven one last time and headed back to her quarters, blissfully assured she would be able to sleep peacefully.
3 Hours Later
Janeway was deeply enjoying a wonderful dream as she slept that night, one of the most relaxing she had in months. She had been making love with Seven in a small lake as a waterfall in the background echoed out their cries of passion. A field overgrown with wildflowers dotted the outer banks, birds flew overhead, and a soft, warm breeze blew, filling her lungs with a sweet aroma. It was pure heaven. They were back on Earth, and although the location was clear it was probably on one of the Hawaiian Islands. She remembered Seven looked absolutely radiant; her long blonde hair blew gently in the breeze and the brilliant sunlight sparkled off her implants. She had only seen Seven’s hair loose a couple of times, both of which deeply enhanced her beauty, and her anticipation grew as they continued touching and tasting each other by the waterfall.
And then the pain set in and she immediately woke, forgetting all that happened in the lake just moments prior.
At first it was mild, almost like hunger pains. But then the gentle rumble in her tummy turned to agonizing convulsing spasms and forced her out of her grogginess within seconds. The pain became so intense she could barely move, but she willed herself to sit up and called The Doctor to come to her quarters immediately.
For several minutes he scanned her up and down, checking every vital organ as she complained about the pain. The minutes seemed to drag on for hours, causing him to sigh in frustration as he was unable to come to any conclusive prognosis regarding the source of her pain. Until her checked her heartbeat.
“I think I’ve discovered your problem, Captain.”
She waited for him to elaborate but all he could do was smile devilishly.
“Well?” she said, nearly biting his head off.
“It seems I was right again. I told you months ago when you stopped taking your birth control injections this would happen. It appears you’re pregnant,” he explained smugly.
Janeway winced in pain but still managed to snorted a laugh. “Check your readings, Doctor. I’m anything but pregnant.”
“I wasn’t sure what it was until I checked your heartbeat. I was surprised when I found two.”
“That’s impossible. Check again.”
He scanned again quickly but came up with the same results. “I’m sorry, Captain, but the tricorder doesn’t lie. You’re almost three months pregnant.”
Janeway sat in silence, awed by his discovery. It had been months since she stopped going to Fair Haven and stopped seeing Michael. And the last time she checked, holograms couldn’t impregnate real people. Could they?
“I assume Commander Chakotay is the father. I can’t wait to tell Mr. Neelix. I’m sure a baby shower is right around the corner,” he joked.
“Something’s wrong. It’s impossible for me to be pregnant. I haven’t…”
Oh God. She could see it now. A baby shower done Talaxian style spooked the hell out of her. Knowing The Doctor was as big a gossip as B’Elanna, she wanted to tell him she hadn’t slept with anyone in years just to keep this under control for a while. A secret like this would spread like wildfire. Not that it was any of his business though. Instead, she attempted to get out of bed and head to sickbay only to become so queasy that she nearly collapsed once she sat up.
“Doctor, I’m feeling very nauseas. Can you give me something so I can keep my dinner down?”
“Since there’s really not much else I can do right now, I’m going to give you a mild sedative to help you sleep. There’s nothing that that can’t wait until morning so we can do a full fetal scan then.” He injected a hypospray to her neck and left a minute later.
I’m pregnant.
This is ridiculousness. It’s not possible.
Oh my God.
What's Seven going to think?
Once again, Seven occupied her thoughts, but this time she was more concerned with the young woman’s reaction than to her current predicament. She fought the heaviness of her eyelids as the sedative made its way through her body, not once taking her mind off Seven’s reaction to the news, but it was a futile fight and she was asleep within minutes.
0600 Hours
Janeway woke at exactly the same moment the computer sounded to wake her. Still fuzzy headed and not feeling her usual self, she had dismissed The Doctor’s visit as nothing more than a bad dream. Aside from some holodeck escapades, she knew she hadn’t had any sexual relations with anyone since before Voyager left Deep Space 9. Since the night she left Mark.
“You’re just over tired and over worked. Take some time off and you’ll be fine again,” she told herself. She actually believed for a minute her delusions were caused by fatigue.
Until she sat up.
The pressing of her enlarged belly against her nightgown was evidence enough her bad dream was more reality than she cared to admit right now.
“Janeway to Doctor. I need you in my quarters immediately,” her panicked voice cried out.
By the time The Doctor appeared in her quarters she had managed to get out of bed and put on a robe, but when he saw her appearance he nearly fainted- quite a spectacular endeavor for a hologram.
“I don’t understand. You look like…” He took his tricorder out and scanned her again, confirming his suspicions. “Yes, the fetus has doubled since I left you. You’re now six months pregnant.”
“Doctor, not that this is any of your business, but I haven’t had…intimate relations with a man in a long time. It’s biologically impossible that I’m pregnant now.”
He frowned at her news, concerned that maybe she was delusional in her current state. “Let go to sickbay and see if we can figure this out.”
Janeway nodded, instructed the computer to inform Chakotay and Tuvok of the situation when they began their shifts, and began dressing. When she realized her uniform wouldn’t fit her without programming the specific alterations into the replicator, she gave up and went to sickbay in her robe. Patience was something she was short on right now.
0700 Hours
“I just heard,” Chakotay said as he entered sickbay. “Who’s the lucky guy?” he mused.
Janeway wasn’t in the mood for his jokes right now. She turned her head and flashed him one of her more serious expressions, the one that warned him not to make another joke if he didn’t want to spend the rest of the month wishing he were confined to the brig. When she slightly shifted her body, however, her belly was exposed and he got a better glimpse into the severity of the situation.
He was awestruck at how far along she had progressed in her pregnancy and baffled at how long she had managed to keep it a secret. “Captain?”
“The Doctor is still running tests, but it appears I’m six months pregnant.”
“Make that seven,” The Doctor injected. “The fetus seems to be growing at the rate of one human month every hour. At this rate, you should be giving birth by mid morning.” Occupied by the magnitude of the situation, he continued working at his monitor only to look up when the sickbay doors opened. This time Tuvok walked in.
“How is that possible?” Janeway asked.
“I’m not sure. From what I can tell the baby has human DNA and…oh, this is interesting. That explains a lot.”
“What?” the trio echoed in unison.
“I’m not sure I’m at liberty to say until the appropriate party arrives,” The Doctor hesitated.
“Doctor,” Tuvok began, “If this infant poses a security risk you are required to inform us.” Just as he had finished his statement Seven entered.
“Captain, I was concerned. Lt. Torres stated you were in sickbay and she wanted me to hand you this report on the…” she couldn’t even finish her sentence when she noticed Janeway’s physical condition.
“Ah, there you are. I was hoping you would join us,” The Doctor proclaimed.
Janeway’s heart nearly stopped at Seven’s presence and it was as if everyone else seemed to magically disappear. She was hoping to have some answers before having to explain this but she wasn’t so lucky. And now the look on Seven’s face told her she had to be straightforward. There was no beating around the bush on this one. “Hello Seven. The Doctor was about to explain how I seemed to have gotten seven months pregnant in the course of one day.”
All eyes now appeared on The Doctor. “Yes, well, now that all the relevant parties are here, I would like to congratulate the happy couple. Captain, Seven, you’re going to be parents.”
Both women looked at each other with equal confusion. Janeway wasn’t quite sure how Seven was feeling at this moment, but a flurry of nervousness shot through her own veins and she could have sworn she was blushing.
Parents? The word echoed in her head the same way “Borg” did for days on end when they were approaching the Northwest Passage in Borg space.
When no one spoke up, Tuvok managed to ask the one question that seemed to be on everyone’s mind. “How?”
“I’m not exactly sure how this happened.” He looked in Janeway’s direction and tried to make sense of it. “Since you told me you hadn’t had intimate relations in quite some time and all other readings are normal, I can only assume that we’re dealing with a form of bio symbiosis, similar to the melding of Tuvok and Mr. Neelix a few years back. It must have happened when you two were transported recently. What I don’t understand is why it created an entirely new life form. My guess is you must have been ovulating during transport and when the buffers were reintegrating your patterns it created the third being, but that doesn't explain where the Y chromosome came from.” He turned the monitor so that everyone could see his findings. “Look, the infant has human DNA, but there are also massive amounts of nanoprobes present in his blood. It’s the nanoprobes that are speeding up the duration of the pregnancy.”
“It’s a boy?” Janeway nearly choked on the question. No words could describe the joy she felt right now, despite her confusion of how this all came to be. When she looked to Seven for her reaction to all this, the first thing she noticed was an unusual expression on the young woman’s face. Was that…fear? It was a look she hadn’t seen before and it was so subtle she was sure no one else had even noticed it. She was becoming an expert when it came to Seven but she didn’t ever recall a time when Seven looked as frightened as she did right now.
Looking around the group, she noticed smiles adorning the faces of both The Doctor and Chakotay. Tuvok’s expression remained as devoid of emotion as she had come to know but she knew him pretty well too and could tell the man was indeed happy for her.
“Yes, it’s a boy. I hope I didn’t violate doctor-patient by confidentiality telling everyone.”
Janeway shook her head but was overwhelmed by the news and desperately needed time to process it all. Before she did anything else though, she needed some time alone with Seven. She asked Chakotay and Tuvok to inspect the transporter logs and look for anything unusual that would confirm The Doctor’s idea of the pregnancy. Despite the good news, her intuition left her with an uneasy feeling about this.
“I want you to also hail Ratan’s ship,” she added before Chakotay left. “Ask them if they know anything about this. They might be able to provide us with some information.”
Finally, when she was alone with Seven, she sized up the situation and addressed recognition of her fear. “Seven, I want to start off by saying I know this wasn’t planned, and these aren’t exactly the best conditions for a child, gallivanting around the galaxy like this with danger lurking around every corner, but I’m going to have this baby. I’m not about to put an end to this because it’s inconvenient for anyone, most of all me, but I want you to know that you are under no obligation whatsoever to care for this child. Neither of us are at fault, but I can’t place the responsibility involved with raising a child on your shoulders if you don’t want it.”
“Captain, I don’t intend to imply I am not interested in this individual. It’s the result of a transporter malfunction, but it’s also part of you, and because I have come to care for you as an individual, it is probable I will care for this child as well. However, I don’t feel a connection with this individual. I am…confused.”
“Well, it’s natural to feel that way, and I can’t say I blame you. To be honest, aside from some abdominal spasms, I don’t feel much of a connection either.”
“It would be an honor to raise this child with you, Captain. I have enjoyed spending time with Naomi Wildman and I believe this child can benefit from my time in the Collective. My only concern is with what you and I share. No doubt this will alter the nature of our relationship.”
It sounded selfish, but at least it was honest. Janeway thought carefully at Seven’s words before formulating her own response. She was overjoyed Seven had come to care for her as well over time, even using the word “love” once to describe her feelings once. She knew Seven wasn’t one to throw words around like that unless she meant it, and her feelings were probably intense, but did she really know what love was?
“Seven, I understand your concerns, but let me first start off by saying I am fully aware of what it takes to raise a child.” Not knowing anyone who raised a child under these conditions, Janeway took a moment to reflect upon her parents’ marriage and used that as an example. They had struggled hard over the years, and once they nearly divorced due to her father’s constant absence. “It can be a hardship, and there will be rough times along the way, but when you see the love reflected back at you when you look in your child’s eyes, in the end the prize is always worth the rocky ride. And as for a connection…that will come in time. Parents are usually given more time during the gestation to bond with the child before the actual birth. We haven’t been as lucky with that but I know we’ll both find a way to develop a strong bond with this baby.”
She wasn’t sure how convincing she was, but she knew Seven trusted her enough to give it her all, which was never anything short of 100%, and not once had she ever made concessions herself when it came to Seven.
“I’ll tell you what, Seven. If at any time you feel I’m being less to you than I have been I want you to let me know.” Seven’s nod gave her back some of the reassurance and support she needed right now. “Give me your hand.”
As Seven reached out her hand, Janeway took it and placed it on her stomach, allowing her to feel sharp twinges of the baby’s kicking and bringing smiles of happiness to both their faces that either hadn’t expected, catching them completely off guard in the process.
“Yup. That’s our kid in there,” Janeway beamed.
0900 Hours
“What the hell is going on now?” B’Elanna barked as the ship suddenly dropped out of warp.
“I’ve been on this all night and I thought I fixed it. Why won’t this damn thing work right?” She pounded her fists on the console hoping to get better results that way since nothing else up to this point had worked.
The engineering staff usually worked in sync with one another, but for some reason this morning no one seemed to be able to work together, causing one mishap after another and bringing the chief engineer’s temper to an all time high. Most of them were excited over the news of Voyager’s second child and couldn’t stop gossiping amongst themselves about it, which only forced B’Elanna to send most of them to other areas of the ship for minor repairs on problems that had been springing up all night. That left her with only Vorik and Seven to work with. Vorik she could handle, but it was Seven’s nonstop questions regarding the baby and Captain Janeway’s reaction that made life in engineering a living hell for her.
And now Chakotay requesting information about the ship’s status was just another nuisance to the unraveling mystery she had on her hands.
“I’m not sure what the problem is, Commander. I’m working on it now,” she stated.
“What’s the timeframe on this? We’re supposed to rendezvous with Ratan in less than an hour.”
“I’m not even sure what the problem is so I can’t give you a timeframe for repairs.”
“Well get on it. We’re dead in the water and I don’t like it.”
She mumbled a few Klingon curse words under her breath but acted totally professional to ears that could get her into trouble with the captain. “I’m doing what I can. Torres out.”
Efficient as always, Seven soon discovered the root of their problem. “Lieutenant, the complications seem to be coming from a leaking fuel injector. The entire warp core has overloaded as a result.”
“Great. Just great.”
“I suggest we begin repairs immediately,” Seven added in her usual cool manner, totally unaffected by the anthology of mishaps this morning. Although she was preoccupied with her own drama, she managed to keep her emotions under control. Until The Doctor hailed her.
“Doctor to Seven. There’s someone in sickbay who wants to meet you.”
In the background her heard the soft cries of a baby, her son, and the part of her that always controlled her fear suddenly unleashed a wave of terror through her body.
“It looks like you better go,” B’Elanna added with a crooked smile, oblivious to Seven’s unease, and despite wanting to get rid of Seven, she felt nothing but happiness now for her adversary. “Go on,” she encouraged softly. “Vorik and I can handle this until the rest of engineering comes back.”
The walk to sickbay was one of the longest she ever remembered, and during it a million thoughts swirled in her head. She came to realize, with a little help from B'Elanna, that she really did desire a romantic relationship with Captain Janeway. However, with the addition of a child, there was probably zero chance of that happening. The captain’s time would be swallowed up between her duties to the ship and her parental role now. She knew from experience that even with minimal responsibilities on the ship, Ensign Wildman hardly had any recreational time away from Naomi, so the same fate would most likely be worse for the captain.
And then she would have to focus her own attention on providing for this child. Would she be able to care for this infant the way she cared for Janeway? Being new to individuality herself, what could she possibly offer this child? How could she knowingly go on dangerous away missions with the potential of not returning when someone so young depended on her? As the questions continued, she finally realized that, above all else, the captain was right about one thing: she would eventually come around.
“Ah, there you are. Come meet your son,” The Doctor said, acknowledging her presence by greeting her at the door. “What shall we call you? Mommy? Momma?”
“Seven will suffice,” she said curtly, managing to stop him off before the names became even more ridiculous.
“Just a bit of caution,” he warned. “The captain is still very loopy.”
“Loopy?”
He smirked. “Her endorphin levels are through the roof. I had to give her something to lower them but she’s still in a highly euphoric state.”
“Don’t think I can’t hear you talking about me, Doctor,” Janeway said from across the room.
“Why have you not informed me of the onset of labor?”
“It all happened so fast, Seven,” Janeway responded. She was on the bio bed with a small bundle wrapped in her arms. “I wasn’t even dilated enough for a normal birth so The Doctor performed a fetal transport.” Seven still remained frozen in the doorway and Janeway waved her over to admire the newest addition to the Voyager family. “Would you like to meet your son now?”
Seven’s steps across the room were sluggish and hesitating. Clearly, fear had taken over. So much had happened since she stepped away from her alcove this morning that she didn’t have time to process it all yet and it made her very nervous. When she arrived at Janeway’s side, however, and she felt those same feelings she experienced last night reverberating from the captain again now, all of her fears went flying out the nearest airlock.
“I think you should hold him,” Janeway suggested. She knew if there was anything in the world that would get Seven to warm up it was the feeling of their child in her arms.
Seven took the baby, delicately, almost as if she were afraid of breaking him. The little fellow wiggled and cooed in her arms and she was unable to conceal her happiness any longer. “Captain, he has your bone structure,” she said.
“Yes, I suppose he does. But he also has your eyes.”
“And your hair color,” Seven added, noting the strawberry curls atop his head.
“And your legs,” Janeway continued, pointing out his long limbs.
The discussion seesawed back and forth a few minutes longer until The Doctor input his own observations. “Do you know what he has in common with me? He doesn’t have a name yet. I need something to call him in the Starfleet database.”
“To be honest, I hadn’t even considered that,” Janeway admitted. “What do you think?” she asked Seven.
“I think a designation at this time is irrelevant, but if you insist we could call him…Three.”
“Three?” Janeway flashed Seven a combination of a crooked smile and puppy dog eyes and it gave the young woman butterflies.
Before they could dispute the name further, the infant began breathing with difficulty. His chest heaved up and down as he gasped for air and the color in his cheeks had turned gray.
“Doctor, there’s a problem!” Janeway cried out.
The Doctor ran over and scanned the infant but couldn’t get clear readings. “His blood pressure is highly elevated. That’s about all I can tell.”
He took the baby from Janeway’s arms and placed it an incubator. That seemed to help a little, slightly slowing his breathing, but until he found a cause as well as a solution to the baby’s breathing problem it would have to remain in the incubator.
“Is he going to be alright, Doctor?” Janeway asked.
“He’s stable for now. I need to find out what caused this sudden onset or the problem will inevitably get worse.”
“Raton’s ship is scheduled to rendezvous with us shortly,” Seven said, concern evident in her tone. “Perhaps he can clarify what the problem is.”
Janeway nodded in concurrence then blurted out, “Hansen. I think we should call him Hansen.” She reached out, held Seven’s hand, and smiled. “What do you think?”
Seven was stunned. Had this been what B'Elanna was talking about…the hand holding, the smiling…it was beginning to make sense. And the way it made her feel when the captain did these things, as if she was someone special, could this be flirting?
“Hansen is acceptable.”
“Good then. We have a winner,” The Doctor said, noting the name in the ships database. “Hansen Janeway. It has a ring to it.”
Nearly an hour had passed and Hansen’s situation changed from serious to critical. Since The Doctor was still unable to find a cause of the problem, its cure escaped him too. Hansen’s only hope now rested on any information Ratan may be able to provide.
“Doctor,” Chakotay announced as he entered sickbay along with Tuvok and Ratan. “I brought Mr. Ratan here immediately. He claims to have some information that might help.”
“Greetings Captain,” Ratan said. “Mr. Chakotay has explained your situation to me. You have been impregnated by the Paka.”
“Is this common?” Janeway asked. As Seven remained by her side, she unconsciously took hold of Seven’s hand again, hoping it would somehow comfort her.
“No. To my knowledge, this has only happened one other time.” He walked over to examine the baby, using his own scanning equipment to perform the exam. “Several years ago, an alien was impregnated with the Paka after eating it. In that instance, the infant and birth mother did not survive. You are lucky to be alive.”
Janeway bowed her head in recognition of the seriousness of the situation. “Is there anything you can do for him? His respiratory organs are failing.”
“I’ve tried every method at my disposal and he hasn’t responded to anything,” The Doctor added.
“Our technology is more advanced, Captain. Let me take the infant to my ship and our doctor will attempt to remedy the situation.”
Janeway felt uneasy handing over the infant to someone she had just met only a few days ago, but at this point Ratan was their only hope. “Please, anything you can do will be greatly appreciated.”
The Doctor released the protective shielding around the baby and handed him over to Ratan. When he picked him up however, he noticed a significant increase in Hansen’s weight, no doubt related to the nanoprobes that sped his growth in the first place.
“I would like my chief of security to accompany you. I hope you understand.”
“Of course,” Ratan answered, remembering how efficient Tuvok had been during their negotiations. Although they had secretly tested his skills, the man hadn’t let one thing slip by his sharp guard. “Mr. Tuvok, shall we proceed?”
Tuvok and Ratan left for the transporter room and Chakotay followed shortly to return to the bridge.
No sooner had they left that The Doctor started easing the women’s tensions.
“He’s in good hands. I really tried all I could, but my matrix doesn’t have any references in it pertaining to the Paka or any species remotely close to it.”
“It’s alright, Doctor,” Janeway assured him. “Ratan’s people are more advanced and I’ve gotten to know them in the last week. I trust them to do everything they can.”
As the minutes ticked on, she began fidgeting around and became increasingly restless. They probably only had enough time to transport back to the ship by this time, but she still needed to occupy her time in a more productive manner or else she would go crazy.
“I can’t sit in her any longer,” she informed The Doctor. “I’m going to the bridge.”
Both Seven and The Doctor tried to persuade her to stay in sickbay but it was futile.
“I’m the captain of this ship and my place is on the bridge, so unless there is some medical reason why I need to stay in her that’s where I’m going.” She grabbed her robe and returned to her quarters to dress for duty. “At least now my uniform will fit,” she snapped as the doors abruptly shut behind her, leaving Seven and The Doctor in awe.
“She’s worse than a Klingon sometimes,” he uttered in pure frustration.
Her return to the bridge was as it should be. All senior officer were at their posts, minus Tuvok, and Seven occupied the science station behind her chair. When news of Tuvok’s return came through to the bridge, she immediately knew something was wrong and hailed the man.
“Captain, I have returned with the infant,” Tuvok said more soberly than his standard Vulcan tone had displayed. “We will be in sickbay.”
“Captain, Ratan’s hailing us,” Harry said.
“On screen.”
“My deepest apologies, Captain,” Ratan began. “Our doctor did everything within his power, but the infant did not survive.”
A crushing blow. Janeway fully expected positive news during her wait and hadn’t even prepped herself for this possibility. Although her attention remained focused on the screen, could feel sympathetic eyes on her, watching and waiting for her next move. She wouldn’t give anyone the satisfaction of showing any emotion though. Instead, she put on her stone face and blocked out her emotions using the meditative techniques Tuvok taught her many years ago. “Thank you for your efforts, Ratan.”
“Your crewman has returned with the infant,” he added. “Our sympathies are with you.”
Janeway bowed her head in acknowledgement and she could feel the tension and pain her crew felt for her lingering in the air.
“If there is any way we can be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact us,” he said before they exchanged goodbyes ended transmission.
“Mr. Paris, resume course to the Alpha Quadrant,” she ordered.
“Mr. Chakotay, if you would arrange proper services…I’ll be in sickbay.”
“Is tomorrow ok?” Chakotay asked.
“No. Today. The sooner the better. I want this behind us. We have a lot of lost time to make up.”
“Very well.”
She didn’t even have to ask Seven if she wanted to come. The young woman had automatically taken her place beside her as they both entered the turbolift simultaneously.
“You have the bridge, Commander,” she added as the doors closed.
Janeway entered sickbay ahead of Seven and the first thing her eyes fell on was Hansen’s lifeless body on a biobed across the room. It was disturbing looking down at a miniature replica of herself, or was it a miniature replica of Seven? She couldn’t tell. Both women’s features had played a significant role in his biological makeup.
“What happened over there?” she asked Tuvok.
“Their doctor performed a series of tests, all to no avail. He attempted to administer various medicines, but those too had failed to produce positive results. After several minutes, the infant entered a seizure state and several of the crew with medical experience assisted. I was asked to leave the room, Captain, while a mobile cart with a monitor of some type was brought in to assist, but I remained in the room the entire time. Shortly after, the infant died. I regret I could not be of further assistance.”
“Thank you, Tuvok. You did everything you could.”
She turned to look at Seven, curious by the woman’s silence. “How are you taking this?”
“I will adapt.”
She knew from past experience that when Seven relied on what she called “Borg language” that the woman was having trouble expressing her emotions.
“Would you like to talk about it?” she asked.
“Perhaps later,” Seven answered.
“Ok. Commander Chakotay is arranging services now,” she informed Tuvok and The Doctor. “I’ll be in my quarters if anyone needs me.”
Although she had served in Starfleet for many years and had seen more than her share of death, whether it be in battle or otherwise, something about this death was strangely plaguing her.
After the memorial, the mood on Voyager remained somber. It had been hours since anyone had seen the captain, and though no one spoke of it, everyone’s thoughts were on how this was going to affect her. Why no one had even considered how this would affect Seven was beyond anything she could imagine. Perhaps it was because they knew Captain Janeway had exhibited a serious bout of depression in the past, or maybe it was that they didn’t know Seven all that well. Regardless, what other people thought of her now was meaningless. The only thing that mattered to her was how the captain felt.
When Seven arrived at Captain Janeway’s quarters the computer informed her that the captain had requested a privacy lockout. She hesitated for approximately 1.3 seconds, remembering the last time she entered without permission and the consequences she suffered as a result. Being restricted to the cargo bay was a small price to pay now, and without further delay she bypassed the lockout and entered.
The room was dark, lit only by the glow of passing stars, and it was difficult to see much in the shadows. Yet somehow she knew the captain was in this room. She sensed her presence. She could hear her breathing.
“Why did you do that?” Janeway asked from across the room, her tone sedated. She occupied a chair in the farthest corner and had an unobstructed view of the door that now mimicked a stage for anyone who entered through it, and she seemed unsurprised by Seven’s arrival. It was almost as if she expected her to come.
“I wanted to see you. I was concerned.”
“There are protocols, Seven. You can’t keep overriding security every time you want something.”
“I’m sorry, Captain.” Seven walked in the room and approached Janeway, careful to remain at a distance so she didn’t intrude any more than she already had.
“This isn’t a good time for philosophical discussions.”
“I didn’t come for a philosophical discussion.”
“Why did you come then?”
“Captain, your heart shouldn’t hurt by itself. Please let me stay with you.”
Janeway smirked. “That’s sweet of you, Seven, but I think you’re mistaken. I’m not hurting. I don’t feel any pain at all.” She rose from the chair and came face to face with Seven. “In fact, I don’t feel anything.”
Seven looked into Janeway’s tired eyes. Evidently the events of the last twenty-four hours had taken their toll on the woman. She looked exhausted and was acting unemotional.
“On the contrary, I believe you are feeling quite a bit. My understanding is greater than you realize. Please don’t push me away. I’m here for you.”
“You know what I’m feeling? Please, Seven, enlighten me.”
Seven narrowed the gap between them and there was a deafening pause as she carefully thought out her words.
“You are angry and confused. You believe you should be mourning the loss of Hansen, but you don’t. You are saddened by it, as you would be with the loss of anyone, but you don’t possess the sorrow that a parent should have that accompanies losing a child. You are questioning your ability to remain in command. You are asking yourself, ‘How can anyone suffer a loss this great and remained unmoved by it? How does this affect my ability to think rationally?’ The answer is, Captain, there is no simple answer. You have to allow yourself to work out your feelings, whatever they may be. You barely knew Hansen. He was in our lives for approximately one hour. No one would be able to express the amount of sorrow you believe you should have.”
When Janeway didn’t say anything, she asked, “Do you want me to stay?”
“It’s a generous offer, Seven, but don’t need you to stay.”
“I didn’t ask if you needed me to stay. I asked if you wanted me to stay.”
Even through the barest light, she could clearly see tears welling in Janeway’s eyes as the captain fought her hardest to hold them back. A battle was being fought within the captain, and it was unclear which side would win: the captain or the woman.
But then, when a stray tear had made its way down her cheek, in one quick motion Janeway pushed herself away as Seven grabbed her and pulled her into a loving embrace.
Neither spoke a word, and through the strong hold Seven felt Janeway’s urge to resist any emotional display, trying desperately to keep the distance between herself and everyone else, but as the seconds ticked on and Seven’s hold didn’t ease up, Janeway finally gave in and hugged her back.
“How did you know?” Janeway asked.
“Captain, I believe I know you very well, despite your attempts to hide your true self from the crew.” She eased her hold and pulled her head back only far enough to allow herself to look into Janeway’s eyes.
“You display this façade that you’re unable to feel pain, that your command prevents you from feeling what everyone else feels, but you’re forgetting one important fact that even you cannot dispute. You are human. You try so hard to keep it hidden, but you must allow yourself to feel or you will never recover.”
“Are you sure about that, Seven? You hit the nail right on the head. The main reason I’m upset now is because I don’t feel upset over Hansen. Yes, I’m sad that he’s gone, but I’m not so sure I’m upset about losing him. I never felt a connection with him. I’m evil for not even caring about his loss as much as I should. This was probably my last chance to have a family and it’s gone.”
“You may be many things, Captain, but you are not evil. I believe you are experiencing emotional mayhem. The Doctor explained that this is a natural occurrence. Time will help. As for a family…this crew may be an assemblage of various species, but in all my years as a Borg drone I have never witnessed a crew that cares about a captain as much as this one cares about you. It is my belief that you already have a family.”
Seven silently watched as Janeway pondered her words for a moment and she got her first glimpse into the other side of Captain Janeway. The captain’s normal expression in times like this, unemotional and detached, had vanished and was replaced with a soft, caring appearance. Her eyes, soft and gray, spoke of pain and a longing to heal, searching for something she wasn’t quite sure she knew existed. She wondered if this was how she always looked behind closed doors when she was upset.
This newly soft side of Captain Janeway made Seven’s heart open. She felt a newer, stronger connection with her more pronounced than any other she had in the past, and as the feeling began to overwhelm her, without conscious thought, she leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Janeway’s lips. Surprisingly enough, there was no resistance as there was when she first hugged Janeway, and once again she had no desire to break the connection anytime soon.
Seven brought her hands up to cup Janeway’s face. Touching the captain’s lips this way, electrifying and sensual, sent shivers tingling down her spine. She had never kissed anyone before. When The Doctor was guiding her in the dating process, she had briefly researched different dating activities, but she never got the opportunity to test out her research. For some reason, she never felt the urge. Until now.
Sweet, passionate, and emotional, she now tasted the very essence of Kathryn Janeway. All the power and strength this woman held in her compact form. Seven found it impossible to resist. The kiss lingered on, feeling like forever on her lips and mind, and she knew she would never forget this moment. She didn’t want this moment to ever end. It was only when she realized that the captain was an experienced woman, that she probably had many people kiss her, and probably much better than her, that she broke the kiss.
Janeway was flushed. “Why did you do that?”
“I apologize. I should leave.”
“No, Seven. It’s quite alright.” She wanted to ask for another but resisted the urge…for now. “How did you learn to kiss like that?”
“Was it inefficient?”
“On the contrary, it was quite good.”
“I simply allowed my heart to speak what my words could not convey.”
As if the light bulb had suddenly gone on in her mind, everything became clear and Janeway was stunned. Not stunned by her own realization that Seven had invoked the same thing she felt in her own heart, but shocked that it had taken her so long to realize it herself. She had loved Seven and been in love with Seven for quite some time now, and it took losing what they shared, the melding of their beings into a new life form, to bring their feelings to the surface.
“Captain, it has been suggested to me, or rather I have discussed with Lt. Torres the possibility that you are physically attracted to me. Upon consideration of this possibility, it has also become clear that I am physically attracted to you as well.”
“What are you talking about, Seven?”
“What I mean to say is that I believe I want to pursue a romantic relationship with you. Do you want to pursue a romantic relationship with me as well?”
“Well, I’d say we have some things to talk about,” Janeway admitted, feeling fairly better than she did only a few minutes ago.
“Doctor to Captain Janeway.”
Saved by the bell, she thought. “Go ahead, Doctor.”
“Captain, I’d like to see you and Seven in sickbay as soon as possible. I have some disturbing news.”
“We’re on our way. Janeway out.”
Before leaving her quarters, she took Seven’s hand and gently kissed it. Suddenly she knew things were going to work out.
“What’s wrong, Doctor?” Janeway asked as she briskly walked through the door with Seven.
The Doctor was working at the main medical console when they entered and his frowning expression told them he had some bad news to report.
“Captain, I’ve been reviewing the results from the postmortem examination I conducted.” He moved aside and let them watch the monitor as he demonstrated his findings on the screen.
“Hansen’s tissue specimens were different than the original specimens I took before he left the ship. Naturally, I was suspicious so I conducted three different tests to compare cell membranes and DNA samples and came to a troubling conclusion. The Hansen that came back to Voyager is not the same one that left here.”
“What?” Janeway snapped.
“Look here,” he pointed to the screen. “The DNA of both infants was completely restructured. It fooled me at first, but since I didn’t have very long to study it, I overlook the obvious fallacies. At this point, I don’t even believe he was human. I’m sorry, Captain, but you weren’t his mother. You were only a host.”
Janeway and Seven both looked at each other with equal confusion.
“Wait. There’s more,” he warned. “His DNA may not have been human, but those nanoprobes he had were real. The nanoprobes in the Hansen that returned to the ship should have terminated and been destroyed once the body died, but according to these scans here, the nanoprobes weren’t even real. They were falsified to appear as nanoprobes. I think Ratan switched bodies.”
“Why would he do that?” Janeway asked.
“They are traders, Captain,” Seven added. “He did state that everything had a price. Perhaps their goal is to sell this infant for profit.”
“She’s right, Captain. A baby like that on the black market, with Borg nanoprobes, the price would be…” The Doctor couldn’t even finish his thought.
“Astronomical,” Seven answered. “That would also explain the problems with the warp drive. If they were following our trajectory while remaining in subspace, theoretically the warp core would overload and shut down.”
“We need to find that ship. Janeway to bridge.”
“Chakotay here.”
“Hail Ratan’s ship again. We need to find him immediately. He’s stolen Borg technology.”
“That might be difficult to do. If he’s returned to subspace we might not have a chance to find him.”
“Commander, I don’t want to hear what we can’t do. Find that ship,” she ordered. “Check with B'Elanna on the warp core status. If it’s still having trouble then he’s within tractor range and we just need to find him in subspace and pull him out. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Doctor, are you absolutely sure about this?” she asked.
“The scans don’t lie.”
Janeway thanked the man and walked with Seven to the bridge.
“Perhaps that explains why you did not feel a connection with him, Captain,” Seven said.
“You’re right. I’m very angry about it, but it makes me feel relieved that I’m not some unfeeling monger.”
“You are not a monger.”
Janeway laughed then changed the subject to something lighter. “Oh boy. What a day, huh?”
“It is becoming more interesting by the minute.”
“Say, when this is over, would you like to have some dinner? My quarters? I’ll cook.”
“I do not believe I will need food supplements until tomorrow.”
“I didn’t ask if you needed some dinner. I asked if you wanted to have dinner with me,” Janeway said slyly.
Seven smiled. Apparently her instinct to enter the captain’s quarters earlier uninvited had paid off.
“I accept.”
When they arrived on the bridge Chakotay updated her on the status of things.
“His ship doesn’t appear on our scanners anymore so we’ve been sending hails into subspace, but he’s not responding.”
“Are you sure he’s getting them?” she asked.
“Oh yeah,” Harry said. “He’s getting them alright. He’s just ignoring us.”
“B'Elanna says the warp core is running at peak efficiency so apparently he’s definitely not nearby. Otherwise we’d be having warp core problems again.”
Janeway sighed then filled the bridge crew in on the situation, explaining The Doctor’s findings and how it was important to find that ship. When an hour had passed and there was still no response from Ratan, she listened to Chakotay ramble on about letting it go, that there was nothing they could do at this point.
“Without knowing where to find him, we have no way of getting that baby back. We can’t even use subspace charges to bring him out because we don’t know where to set the charges. If he doesn’t want to be found then he won’t be found. He’s a skilled trader and smuggler and they’re renown for their survival techniques, even under dire circumstances. We have to give it up, Captain.”
As difficult as it was to admit, she knew he was right. “Keep transmitting those hails for twelve hours. After that we should be out of range and then it will be too late to do anything. In the meantime, I’ll be in my quarters.”
On her way to the turbolift she turned to look at Seven. “I’d like to speak with you in private. Can you meet me in my quarters in thirty minutes?”
Seven nodded and knew exactly what Captain Janeway wanted to speak with her about.
Janeway had only a short amount of time before Seven would be back and she wanted everything to be perfect the next time the young woman came to her quarters. The lights were on, the mess that normally resided here was cleaned up, the dinner table was set, and the replicator was programmed and waiting for its final command. She was putting the finishing touches on the table, lighting the candles, when the door chimed.
“I’m glad to see you waited for me to answer this time,” Janeway joked and moved aside, allowing Seven entry.
“You did not have the privacy lockout on your door.”
Not yet, Janeway mused.
Seven handed her a padd, updating her on the search. “When I left the bridge, Ratan had still not answered our hails. I think we have seen the last of him.”
“I’m not so sure. We may have seen the last of him for a while, but I’m not about to give this up. We’re going to keep looking. He’s out there somewhere and the Delta Quadrant is a big place. He’s bound to turn up sooner or later. I’m just mad that we got fooled like that. I guarantee you, Seven, those nanoprobes in the wrong hands could seriously alter the balance of power in this quadrant.” She shuddered at the thought. “That’s diplomacy at work for you. Sometimes it shakes your hand. Sometimes it bites you in the ass.”
“Captain?”
“Nevermind. Let’s not talk about work.” She wrapped an arm around Seven’s shoulders and guided her to the sofa. “I believe we have something else to talk about, don’t we?”
“You wish to discuss the nature of our relationship?”
“Why yes, I’m glad you brought that up. Seven,” Janeway placed a hand on Seven’s knee and looked into her icy blue eyes. “You mentioned earlier that you were attracted to me. I want you to elaborate on that. Tell me about your feelings.”
For Seven, there was no need to think about this any more. She had been thinking about this nonstop since she first discussed it with B'Elanna. All the signs she suggested Seven look for from the captain had been right in front of her eyes. And when she recognized her own reactions to simple touches and longing to be with the captain late into the night…she felt somewhat foolish for being so oblivious to it all this time.
“When I am with you, I feel as if my most trusted friend is at my side. I care about your happiness, your emotional well being, and there is no limit as to how far I would go for you. You make me feel special and good about myself, despite my weaknesses. I look forward to our discussions, our holodeck time, our dinners in the messhall. You are a unique individual and I...when I am with you I feel as if I have found perfection.”
“Oh Seven,” Janeway’s heart was melting. No one had ever said such sweet, loving things to her before and she wanted to cry. She wrapped her arms around Seven and gave her a long, loving hug, never wanting to let go.
“Is that how you really feel, Seven?”
“Of course, Captain. I wouldn’t lie.”
“I’ve very happy you said those things because it makes what I have to say much easier.”
Seven looked on with curious intent.
“Seven, for quite some time now I’ve been having feelings. God, this is difficult.” She let out a big sigh and decided to take another route, the most direct route she knew. This is where all those years of diplomacy come in handy, she realized. “Seven, those things you said…it sounds like you’re in love…and that pleases me because I have the same feelings for you, only I didn’t realize it until you kissed me earlier. So, to answer your previous question…yes, I would like to pursue a romantic relationship with you if you’d do the honor of giving this old lady the opportunity.”
“I believe I would be the honored one,” Seven said. She leaned in and gave Janeway another kiss, more passionate than the first, this time sealing their fate. Whatever may lay ahead, whatever obstacles they had to overcome, whatever hardships they faced in finding Ratan, they would do it together.
The End