Chapter 1
Prologue.
{We are the Borg. Lower your shields, and surrender your ship. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service ours. Do not resist. Resistance is futile.}
"Damn! We need to get out of here, strap in!"
"Mamma? Papa? What's happening?"
"Honey, go back to bed. We are busy here."
It happened so fast, the woman had barely told her daughter to go back to bed before Borg drones started to beam onto the ship. She felt herself being grabbed from behind and a sharp pain in her neck. The last thing she saw, before nothing but the Hive became of interest to her, was her daughter being assimilated. And her last free thought was that she had damned her daughter to a fate worse than death.
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
The young six year old girl walked through the cube just like one of the many other drones. She had just received her first assignment. While she was walking to the part of the cube where she needed to be to do her task, the voices were talking to her; giving her more information in mere moments than she had ever learned while being an individual.
{The energy wave must at all times stay between 6.4 and...}
{New drone, your designation is now 3 of 3, tactical drone 8,778. You will...}
{Species 6,372. Unremarkable. Their assimilation will not enhance our Collective. They will be destroyed before...}
{Sector 543 will need more attention. Two cubes have just been destroyed by an unknown species.}
{...8.2. When the energy wave is no longer needed drone 3 of 3 will need to adjust the...}
{Engaging the main force of species 6,372. Their ships are...}
{Drone 3 of 3. report to sector...}
--bleep. Regeneration cycle complete.
Seven stepped out of the alcove and held out a hand to steady herself against the console in front of her. Memories. She had remembered things before, memories from certain drones; specific actions and occasions that had been deemed so important by the Hive that the whole situation was stored instead of just the bare information. Never before had she relived her own actions so clearly though. Sure, she knew what had happened to her during her time as a drone, her eidetic memory ensured that; but she had never literally 'felt' the memories before.
Seven turned back to her alcove and ran a diagnostic cycle, waiting impatiently, and then frowning when the diagnostic cycle resulted in an 'all systems working within acceptable parameters.'
For a moment she thought about reporting the fact that she had seemingly dreamed to the Doctor, but then decided not to. She really didn't need yet another round of extensive testing that always occurred every time she reported some sort of problem with the Borg systems.
Instead she decided to just 'forget about it,' like Lieutenant Torres liked to say, and walked out of the cargo bay to start another day on Voyager.
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 1
"This is all your damn fault!"
"Mine?" Seven asked, arching her eyebrow. "I am not the one who resorted to throwing tools around, nor am I the one who threw said tool into the Captain's face; literally."
B'Elanna cringed, her mind going back to seeing the Captain lying unconscious on the floor with blood running from a slight, but prominent cut to her forehead. She had thrown her spanner away in frustration without really looking at where she was throwing it. In doing so, she had nailed the captain, who just happened to come into Engineering, right between the eyes.
B'Elanna cringed a second time at the memory of standing in front of the Captain in her ready-room and having the compact woman rip into her as if she had been using a bat'leth to do so.
B'Elanna turned and looked at the slightly blue haze of the force-field that held her and Seven in the cell. She turned away from the barrier in front of her and looked at the blonde that was sitting on one of the two beds, and was looking at the Klingon with a slightly tilted head.
"I still don't know what the hell Janeway was thinking by putting us in the same cell," B'Elanna said in frustration.
"As the captain told me when she informed me that I had to spend the next two weeks with you in this cell; either we will find a way to get along, or we will kill each other. Either way, her problem will be solved in two weeks time. Though I do not fully understand why I have to spend time in the brig. I was not the one throwing equipment around."
B'Elanna turned to look at the force-field once more. "Yeah, well, this is still your fault. If you hadn't begun altering the deflector settings without telling me, I wouldn't have gotten pissed."
"Lieutenant, I was following a direct order of the Captain. She outranks you; therefore I do not have to report to you."
B'Elanna turned around and stalked closer to the blonde. "Damn it, that's not right, and you know it! True, if the captain gives you an order like that, it would override my objections to you working on that at that moment. The point is that you still have to let me know, if nothing else so that I can reroute power away from the deflector."
"I am very capable of re-routing power."
"That is not the point," B'Elanna argued hotly. "Damn it, I need to know what's going on in engineering!"
"The deflector is not in Engineering," Seven reminded coolly. "Therefore, according to what you just said, there was no need to inform you."
B'Elanna was now standing face to face with the blonde. She had her hands balled into fists at her side and her nostrils were flaring. "You know exactly what I mean, Blondie."
"Lieutenant, are you about to strike out at me?" Seven asked with a raised eyebrow.
"What?"
"Do you want to hit me?"
"I'm sorely tempted," B'Elanna growled.
"In that case, let me remind you that my bones have been reinforced with a layer of Duranium. If you were to hit me, it is more likely that you would break your hand instead of damaging me."
"You have a damn answer for everything, don't you?" B'Elanna asked, realizing just how correct the blonde's statement was, and also realizing that no matter how frustrated she was with the Borg, she really didn't want to hit her.
"Yes."
B'Elanna turned away from Seven and walked back to the force-field. "Just shut up and leave me alone. That way we might actually survive this."
"Very well, Lieutenant. I will now 'shut up.'"
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
Day two.
11:00 am.
"Do you really think that changing the settings on the deflector will make that much of a difference?"
Silence answered B'Elanna's question.
"Carey told me that the antimatter regulator was a little off. I wanted to work on that yesterday, but, um you know what happened."
Silence.
"You know that you are acting like a damn child!"
Silence.
"Argh! You stupid bitch! You think that you are sooo superior, you don't know shit."
Silence.
"Alright, fine. Two can play that game. See who can stand the silence longer, you or me."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
Day two.
8:00 pm.
"Alright, fine. You win. Could you just stop not speaking to me?"
Seven looked at B'Elanna, and the Klingon could clearly see from the amusement in those brilliant blue eyes that it wouldn't be that easy.
"Alright. Seven, I apologize for telling you to shut up. Will you please talk to me?"
"You are so easy," The blonde finally said.
"Yeah? Well, you are a cold-hearted stupid bitch with a severe case of frostbite shoved so far up your ass that it shows with every word you speak. So I guess we're even."
"Lieutenant, I must object to that statement... I am not stupid."
B'Elanna looked at Seven perplexed for a moment before she grinned and sat down beside Seven. "I don't hear you objecting to any of the other things I said though."
"You bring out the best in me, Lieutenant."
"You know, one of these days you won't be the one with the last word."
"More than likely," Seven agreed. "But I am certain that day will not arrive for a long time to come."
B'Elanna was just about to react when she heard someone coming into the brig area. "Doc!"
B'Elanna was glad to finally see another person. The captain had ordered that there should be no guards in the brig area, wanting to make sure that the two women had nobody to talk to except for themselves. "Are you here to check if we haven't killed each other yet?"
"No, Lieutenant. As you know, the sensors in the brig as set to detect any amount of blood more than what you would get from your average bloody nose. So we would know if you had killed each other..." He interrupted himself when a thought occurred to him. "...Unless you strangled each other, I guess. Anyway, I am here to chaperone Seven."
"Hey! How come she is allowed to get out while I have to stay here?"
"She only gets out for nine hours, and I don't think that you would like to trade with her Lieutenant. I am to take Seven to sickbay for her weekly checkup, and after that I am to take her to Cargo Bay two so that she can regenerate for eight hours. After that, she will be brought back here so that you two can continue to enjoy your vacation."
"Oh."
They had spent two nights in the brig now, and B'Elanna had to admit that she had totally forgotten that Seven needed facilities that others didn't.
"Right, well see you tomorrow, Seven. Have pleasant dreams."
B'Elanna and the Doctor didn't see Seven flinch slightly at the Klingon's last words.
"Drones do not dream," Seven said after a moment of hesitation. B'Elanna couldn't know.
"Just a figure of speech, Seven," The Doctor explained. "It is a way of wishing a person a good night's rest."
"Ah, well I will not notice the rest since I am unconscious when I regenerate. I only remember stepping into the alcove, and stepping back out a second later. Or better said, it seems like a second. In reality the programmed regeneration cycle has ended."
"Well, that sure is one way of shortening the time in the brig," B'Elanna said before adding brightly, "Hey Doc, couldn't I regenerate some as well? You could set my cycle for two weeks."
"Sure, no problem. Would you like to come to sickbay now?"
"Sickbay?"
"Of course. That way we are in a controlled environment when we have Seven assimilate you so that you form the implants needed to regenerate like she does."
"Well, gee, I would love to, but I'm on a low iron diet. Maybe next year."
The Doctor deactivated the force field and took a step aside. "Come on, Seven, we must go now."
"Yes Doctor. See you tomorrow, Lieutenant."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
{Drone 3 of 3, report to sector 542. You will assist in assessing the information gathered from species 3,034. All relevant information will be absorbed into the Hive; all irrelevant information will be deleted. You will...}
{The feedback wave resulted in...}
{Sector 464 needs reevaluation. An unknown species has settled there. They...}
{The Omega molecule experiment has failed. Cube 37,443 has been destroyed...}
{Scanning compete. The magnetic pulses coming from the planet are beyond acceptable levels. We must stay clear of this planetary system...}
--Bleep. Regeneration cycle complete.
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
Day three.
6:00 am.
"Doctor, you were here the entire time?" Seven asked when she saw the Doctor working at one of the consoles.
"Order of the Captain, Seven. I was not allowed to leave you alone for one minute, and now I have to take you back to the brig."
Seven was getting annoyed at how far the captain was taking this. "Were you also to accompany me to the lavatory if I had to go?"
"Um, well you don't have to go to the lavatory," The Doctor said weakly, suddenly becoming uncomfortable with the situation that he thought funny at first.
"The Captain does not know that, unless she has read my medical file; has she?"
"Well, um, not that I know. I mean, I always inform her of the big things. I have to; those are still Borg implants. But the things that aren't really important are only mentioned in your private file and as far as I know, and I would know, that hasn't been read by anybody but me."
"Therefore she does not know if I need to use the lavatory," Seven persisted.
"Well, let's get you back to the brig before the captain comes to check if you have really gone back or used that time to stroll around some."
They moved out of the cargo bay before the Doctor spoke up again. "You have to see the Captain's side as well. B'Elanna really did go too far, she endangered someone of the crew. The Captain isn't even letting it weigh in that this person was the Captain herself. Nor is she letting it weigh in that she actually had a skull fracture."
"That still does not explain why I have to be in the brig as well."
"Because she knows that you are just as much to blame for the incident as B'Elanna. How often has she told you not to react to B'Elanna's antics and simply come to the captain if there was a problem?"
"The Captain does not seem to understand that this makes the problem worse. You do not resolve problems by running to the Captain for help every time. That will only result in B'Elanna starting to despise me."
"And that would be different... how?" The doctor asked as they left the cargo bay and headed for the turbolift.
"At the moment B'Elanna does not despise me. In fact, I do not even think she really hates me. B'Elanna and I merely have different opinions of different subjects, and both of us are too stubborn to simply agree with the other."
"Then you better work on that, because I get the feeling that the captain is at the end of her patience. If you two don't find a way to get along, it might very well be that soon an alcove will be put in the brig so that you can regenerate there the next time you are imprisoned, and the next time, and the next time."
Once they entered the turbolift Seven looked at the Doctor. "Do you think that will change at some time in the future?"
"Well, it really is up to you. Just stop annoying B'Elanna and you will,"
"I am not talking about that," Seven interrupted. "I will decide how I act towards Lieutenant Torres. Not the Captain, not you, nor anyone else for that matter. I was talking about me not having to use the lavatory. There is still the chance that my implants will stop working; the removal of my abdominal implant is scheduled for the week after I am released from the brig. The state of my implants change on a regular basis. Will there ever be a time where I have to deal with normal human bodily functions?"
The Doctor was slightly stung by Seven's cool words, but he knew that she had a point. Since the first fight between the women, several of the crew had been pushing them in one way or another. It had begun as mere suggestions when the two women only had a fight every month or so, but lately the fights had greatly increased, and so had the pushing. The Doctor decided that the time had come to stay out of it and just let them deal with it themselves. Maybe the Captain had a point after all by putting them in the brig together. As the Captain had said, they would find a way to get along, or end up killing each other. Which of course, as the doctor knew, was only theoretical talking since the safety sensors in the brig would automatically kick in if there truly was any kind of violence going on in any of the cells.
"I'm sorry, Seven, that will never happen. As you know, the Borg removed your entire digestive system, right after the stomach. The digestive implant they put in its place turns everything you eat or drink into energy, kinda like the replicators do when you put something in it to dematerialize. But if it ever stops working, I can't simply remove it like I'm going to do with your abdominal implant in a few weeks. If your food processing implants ever stop working, I will have to replace it with the Federation equivalent; an internal dematerialize catheter. It won't turn things into energy anywhere near as efficiently as your implants do, but it will make sure that you can live your life like everyone else."
"Do not apologize, I merely asked so that I would know what to expect. I think that having to use the lavatory will be a human experience that I will not miss."
"Seven, having to use the lavatory is not solely a human thing," The doctor reminded as the door of the turbolift opened and they stepped into the corridor.
"I know, Doctor. Remember, I know the biological functions of more than ten thousand species. I also know that having normal biological functions embarrasses a lot of people. For instance, in the beginning Lieutenant Torres was hesitant to use the lavatory that is attached to the cell we are in."
"Probably because there is no door that can be closed," The doctor ventured to guess.
"I do not see how that makes a difference."
The doctor sighed and was glad that they had reached the brig. "I'll download some information into a PADD for you to read once your two weeks are up."
"Very well, Doctor. Good morning, Lieutenant Torres."
B'Elanna came up to the force field, glad that finally there was something else to do than just sit and watch the wall. "Morning. Hi doc."
"Lieutenant," The Doctor greeted. "Please step away from the force field."
"Oh, come on, do you really think that I'm going to rush you and escape from the brig? Where the hell would I go?" B'Elanna asked annoyed while she backed up a little.
"Sorry Lieutenant, I'm just following procedure." The Doctor raised the force field again once Seven was in the cell. "Well, see you again in three days."
"Hey Doc, come on, surely you can stay a moment and talk a little."
"Sorry Lieutenant, I have clear orders from the captain." The doctor walked to the door and was gone after a last; "Ladies."
"Were you playing with the Doctor again?" B'Elanna asked as soon as Seven had sat down on her bed.
"Lieutenant?"
"I saw how glad he was to be here, as if you asked him a question he didn't want to answer. I know you, you do that if he is talking about something you don't want to talk about. You then change the subject to something he will either go on and on about, or something that will make him shut up."
Seven decided not to react to the 'I know you' remark. "Yes, I was 'playing' with him. He was once again pushing me on how I should deal with you, so I asked him about the bodily functions which results in having to use the lavatory, and why some people seem to be embarrassed by having to use said lavatory."
"That'll make him change the subject alright," B'Elanna agreed with a grin. "For a doctor he can be a real prude sometimes. So you didn't like his advice on how to deal with me? Why not?"
"Lieutenant, I do not need people to tell me how to deal with you. Nor do I need them to tell me that if I stop annoying you, you and I will not have as many altercations."
"That almost sounds as if you like picking fights with me," B'Elanna accused.
Seven tilted her head slightly and looked at the Klingon for a long moment. "Maybe I do."
"Why?" B'Elanna merely asked.
"I... enjoy them. Your reactions are amusing, your profanities are entertaining. The emotions you depict are raw and powerful. You... amuse me, Lieutenant."
B'Elanna grinned. "Call me B'Elanna."
"Why?" Now it was Seven who had asked the question.
"Because I want you to. Because I got to admit that I also like our fights. You are the only one who doesn't fear me when I blow a fuse. I mean, sure, the captain and Chakotay will stand up to me, but only long enough to order me to stand down. They don't actually do things to provoke me some more."
"Lieutenant... B'Elanna, there is nothing I should fear about you." Seven could see that the Klingon was about to react and she could guess why. She lifted her hand slightly to stop the woman from speaking. "I did not say that to insult you. It is a fact; you do not possess the physical strength to harm me. I am stronger, faster, and more resilient than you. My implants make me far superior to any Human considering those traits, and if not far superior, still considerably superior to Klingons. You could not hurt me seriously without weapons unless I would not at all defend myself."
"I could use a phaser," B'Elanna objected.
"You could," Seven agreed, "but anyone could use a phaser to kill me. That does not mean that I should fear you while you are unarmed."
B'Elanna grinned. "You know, I've never really wanted to hurt you, oh, I sure wanted to wring that long neck of yours on more than one occasion, if you know what I mean. But I've never really wanted to hurt you. I like that I can sometimes let go with you. I can't do that with any of the others on the ship. Even when I was dating Tom, he always lifted his hands in mock surrender whenever we had a fight. If anyone should know that they don't have to fear my temper, it should be my lover, right?"
"That depends. Did you tell him that he didn't need to fear it?" Seven asked reasonably.
"Well, um, no. But that doesn't matter. He should have trusted me. He should have trusted me enough to know that I wouldn't have killed him if he disagreed with me."
"That explains why you terminated your relationship, but it doesn't explain why he still wants to rekindle that relationship."
"Because," B'Elanna stopped herself just before the words she wanted to say had left her lips. "Just forget about it, alright?"
"Very well, B'Elanna." Seven merely waited. She knew that she didn't have to wait long; she was right.
B'Elanna sighed. "What would you like to hear? The blunt truth, or the truth I would tell the Captain?"
"Both," Seven said, smiling at the Klingon.
"The answer I would give the Captain would be that Tom wants me back because he doesn't want to be alone, which is part of the truth."
"And what is the blunt truth?"
Now B'Elanna turned to look at Seven, giving her a grin. "The blunt truth is that he wants me back because I'm damn good in bed."
Seven looked at the Klingon with wide eyes. She had never expected B'Elanna to be that blunt.
"Didn't expect that answer, did you Blondie?" B'Elanna asked with a grin.
"No," Seven was forced to admit. "But if you knew that this was the only reason for him, why did you start a relationship with him to begin with?"
"I didn't say I knew that to begin with, nor that this was the only reason for him. After all, he only found out how I am in bed the first time we had sex," B'Elanna disagreed.
"No, I said that this was the reason why he wants me back. Look, Tom and I were good friends who liked to be with each other. We both thought that this would be enough to make it into a workable relationship. Well, it didn't turn out that way, so I broke it off. That is the part where Tom and I differ, he doesn't mind being friends that share a bed at times; I do."
"You object to having sex with a person that is your friend? Would you prefer to have sex with someone you hate?" Seven asked confused.
"Still trying to figure out mating behavior?" B'Elanna asked, not really sure if she should be amused or not.
"No, I am just trying to make sense of your statement."
"Well, it's just that I want more. I want to feel a connection with my lover, a connection that is more than a 'drinking buddy' friendship."
"I believe I understand. Because this was enough for Mister Paris he wants it, you, back to continue in the same manner. But because you now know it is not enough for you, you will not take Mister Paris back. Do you also consider your friendship with him over?"
B'Elanna thought about that for a moment. "No, but at the moment I also don't consider him as close a friend as he was before we became involved. Once he stops trying to get back into my pants I might try to tighten our friendship again. But if I do that now, he will get the wrong message."
"I see. Thank you for explaining."
"No problem." B'Elanna looked at Seven for a moment before asking, "Say, Seven, you aren't in a relationship at the moment, right?"
"That is correct," Seven agreed, wondering where B'Elanna was going.
B'Elanna nodded her head slightly. "Then tell me, do you masturbate?"
"What?!" Seven asked, her voice louder and higher than normal.
"I asked if you masturbated. You are human, have human urges, surely you sometimes need some good old fashioned sexual release."
"I, I, I... That is none of your business."
B'Elanna grinned at the blonde, having expected that answer. "Can't have it both ways, Seven. You can't ask me personal questions and then say it is none of my business if I do the same to you."
"I did not ask you personal questions," Seven defended.
"You asking me about Tom isn't personal? You asking who I would have sex with isn't personal? Get real! It only isn't personal because it suits you. Ever heard of the saying 'tit for tat'? You don't want me to ask you personal questions? Fine, I can live with that, but then you better not expect any answers to any question directed at me that I find personal."
They were both quiet for a moment; B'Elanna thinking that she had made her point, and Seven thinking about if B'Elanna actually had a point.
A few minutes later it was Seven who broke the silence. "Yes."
"Yes?" B'Elanna asked, not knowing what the blonde meant.
"I answered your question. Yes, I do masturbate."
B'Elanna grinned, she couldn't believe she was having this kind of conversation with Seven, but then, it was bound to make time pass quickly. "Figured that if you answered my personal question, you can go on asking me personal questions?"
"Yes. Was I wrong in that assumption?"
"Nooo, I'm game if you are. As long as you remember that I give as good as I get, if not better. You should always expect a question from me on the same level that you have asked."
"Very well. B'Elanna. Do you masturbate?"
B'Elanna grinned and patted the mattress beside her. "Come on, if we are having this kind of talk, we might as well get a little more comfy and not shout across the cell."
Seven moved to B'Elanna's side and B'Elanna leaned a little closer, not really whispering, but still talking a lot more quietly than she had until then.
"Seven, I am a half Klingon with a sex drive of a full Klingon, and I don't have a sexual partner. What the hell do you think I do?"
"Meditate?" Seven asked in an amused voice.
"Not likely, I like the other option way too much. Now tell me, where, how?"
"The cargo bay of course. As for how... I think that is a little too personal."
B'Elanna's eyes got wide when she realized how her question could be understood. "Oh Kahless, that is not what I meant. I didn't mean to ask you how you... you know. I mean, you don't have a private corner to hide in. How can you... you know? And especially in the Cargo bay, like you just said? Someone can walk in there at any moment!"
"I though that such a heightened level of risk would appeal to your Klingon side." Seven was silent for a second before admitting, "I know how you meant the question."
"Funny, and risk is fun, but that would be a little too much for me."
"It is too much of a risk for me as well," Seven admitted with a smile. "I have set up a small program that I can activate if I want. It shuts down all sensors in the cargo bay, and ties into the sensors in the corridor. If someone walks past the crew cabins and continues to the cargo bay, a signal will warn me with enough time to put my biosuit in order."
"Doesn't the Captain wonder about the sensors failing in the cargo bay on a regular basis... I assume that it is a regular basis?"
"Yes, very regular," Seven agreed. Somehow it was easier to talk about 'it' if one simply didn't mention 'it.' "And the Captain does not suspect anything. I actually told her that I would take the sensors off-line from time to time."
"What did you tell her as to why you would do that?"
"I told her that sometimes I need some time totally alone." Seven hesitated for a moment. "I sincerely doubt that the captain even assumes that I would need time for... that."
"So you never have time to truly enjoy? Only a rushed release?"
Seven hesitated for a moment. "It is sufficient."
"It shouldn't just be sufficient. It should be fun, and you should have a choice. Maybe today you want to have some fun in the shower. Or maybe on the couch in the living room."
B'Elanna shook her head slightly. "And it isn't even only about, that. You should have quarters for yourself."
"There is no room," Seven sighed.
B'Elanna had never before heard the blonde sigh like that. It sounded... real.
"I asked the Captain. But she told me that no more crew quarters are free. The only quarters that are free are the VIP quarters, and giving me one of those will send the wrong message to the crew."
"But... but what about the quarters Kes lived in?"
"Taken up when someone of the crew wanted to live alone."
"What a load of bull. It is normal for the lower crew to double up."
"True," Seven agreed, "but even before I came on board, the Captain changed the rule, on a suggestion by Commander Chakotay. Since it might take so long to get back to the Alpha Quadrant, they thought it made no sense to let the unused crew quarters lie empty."
B'Elanna closed her eyes for a moment. "You are right. Sorry, I forgot that they did that." A thought hit B'Elanna and she decided to ask. "You slept the last two nights, where do you normally sleep when you don't have to regenerate?"
"Normally I do not sleep; I consider it an unnecessary waste of time. I only slept when I was in sickbay for removal of my implants, and when I visited Harry and did not leave again before I had to be on duty the next day."
B'Elanna raised her eyebrows at the implication. She knew that Seven and Harry had enjoyed a brief relationship, but just how close that relationship had been was a subject of many a gossip flow on Voyager; spurred on by the very annoying fact that Harry was actually one of the very few guys that didn't boast about... activities. "So you slept at night for a few weeks all added up by now," B'Elanna finally asked.
"Correct. But otherwise I do not sleep. I need to regenerate for a minimum of eight hours out of every seventy-two hours. But I can regenerate more. I simply regenerate on those nights where there are no task left that I can perform."
"Well, I still think that's not right. But... anyway, you got anymore embarrassing questions for me?"
"Of course."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
Day 5
"Ice Princess."
"Ice Princess? But I called you things much worse than that."
"True," Seven agreed. "But you asked me which insult I liked the best, not which one I found the worst."
"I still can't believe that doesn't bother you at all."
"Why should it bother me? If you say something it still does not mean that it is the truth. Besides, I sincerely doubt that someone who calls me a 'mindless bitch who will get us all killed' one moment, and asks me to check the warp drive the next moment, actually means those words. When you say things to me, you at least do it to my face. As I said yesterday; I find it very amusing to see your reaction."
"Hmm, so, Princess, why is it better if I call you things to your face, instead of calling you a bitch behind your back?"
"Because I know that I do not have to take your words seriously. But when I hear someone whisper about me, I know that they think that I can not hear them and therefore their words are genuine. Having you call me a 'clueless drone' is amusing, hearing one of the crew ask another one if they think that 'those' are implants as well, that I do not find amusing."
B'Elanna couldn't help herself, a laugh escaped before she could clamp down on it. "Oh, I'm sorry Seven; I really shouldn't laugh at that."
"You find that amusing, Lieutenant?"
"Lieutenant?" B'Elanna repeated. "Oh ho, am I in trouble?"
Seven gave the Klingon a long and cold look before offering a small smile, more a mere turning of the corners of her mouth than an actual smile.
"No, you are not in trouble. I can actually understand the amusement value of such a remark, and that proves my point. Had you, or anyone else for that matter, made that remark while talking to me, then I would have found it amusing. But when two crew members are talking about me as if I am a piece of meat, then it is not amusing."
"Because they are making fun of you, and not with you."
"Correct."
B'Elanna smirked, she just had to ask. "So, are they implants?"
"I can assure you, those parts of my body are that way fully thanks to my human genes," Seven said in her superior voice.
"So you really don't mind if I shout insults at you?"
"Not at all. In fact, I think I would miss it if you stopped."
"That's good to know... You stupid bitch."
Seven merely smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
Day 6
"What do you find the most annoying thing, B'Elanna?"
"You mean besides you?"
Seven merely lifted an eyebrow.
"Alright, let's see. The most annoying thing... that would be if someone questions my Engineering skills."
"Which I do almost on a daily basis."
"No, no, no," B'Elanna disagreed. "That is kinda the same thing as when I call you stupid and then ask you to do something important the next moment. Besides..."
"Besides... what?" Seven asked when B'Elanna stopped talking.
"Well. Alright, look, I never said this, and I won't even admit to it under torture, but a lot of times when you question something I'm doing, you do have a point. When you tell me that there is a more efficient way, there more than likely is. I'm not blind to that fact, Seven. More often than not you do have a point; it is just that you bring that point in such a damn annoying superior way that I'm almost always tempted to tell you to mind your own business. I don't know if you have ever noticed, but normally I always end up at least looking at your suggestion... once I've yelled at you to get out."
"I noticed," Seven affirmed.
"Right, well, what I meant was if people question my Engineering skills because they don't know better, but think they do. For instance, when I tell the captain some repair will last about ten hours and she tells me to have it fixed in five hours. She thinks it's possible because she read somewhere once that 'this' engineer 'there' did it in five hours. But she forgets the small fact that they were docked at a Federation Starbase and that the Engineering team of that Starbase was helping out. I mean, damn it, if I could fix it in five hours than I would have said that it would be ready in five hours, right? But nooo, she just tells me to have it fixed in five hours and then when I can't do it in five hours she gets that little 'you let me down' look in her eyes. Or when Tom asked me to help him with building the Delta Flyer, and then when I do things how they should be done, he gets upset because it doesn't look like he wants it too. As if I deliberately changed things just to annoy him. He doesn't seem to be able to understand that I'm not allowed to use old-fashioned dials and buttons. Hell, those lever switches he wanted to use would break right off in your hands if you used them a little too rough."
"Which would more than likely be at a time when you can use it the least, like in a battle," Seven added.
"Right," B'Elanna agreed, then she asked, "So tell me, what do you find the most annoying thing? Me messing up those orderly work schedules you always come up with?"
"No, the thing that annoys me the most is when people talk to my chest instead to my face."
"What do you mean?"
Seven gestured for B'Elanna to get up while she did the same. She went to stand in front of B'Elanna, keeping her eyes firmly glued to the Klingons breasts.
"So tell me, Seven," Seven started, her eyes never wavering from their target for a second, "when do you think the sensors will be back online? That's great. Do you think that there will be anything of interest in the next sector?"
The chest in front of her started to shake slightly when B'Elanna started to laugh.
"Alright, I get the message; get your face out of my chest already."
Seven sat back down and gave the Klingon a smile. "That is exactly what I wanted to say on more than one occasion."
"So why don't you?"
"Because it is not worth the effort. The only result would be that they would stay fully away from me. That... is not something I like."
"Don't like to be ignored?" B'Elanna guessed.
"I do not like to be prevented from being a part of the Collective that is Voyager," Seven corrected.
"So instead you put up with all the bullshit you get from people?"
"B'Elanna, the fact that it annoys me, does not mean that I do not fully understand that it is a Humanoid trait. Full breasts, round hips, a trim body, those are nature's signs of advocating a suitable Mate that is well suited for baring healthy and strong children,"
"That's bull," B'Elanna interrupted.
"It is not. If you wish I can recite 16,524 medical studies on the subject. Only in 2,973 of those studies did the races consider other bodily signs indications of fertility. Either way, I can live with the fact that some of the crew can not suppress their basic instincts as well as others. However, if they were to ignore me like they did when I first came onboard... I do not know if I could handle that."
"Yeah? Well you should just try it my way. First growl at them and then ask them while snarling, 'what the hell are you looking at?"'
"Maybe I will try that next time."
"You do that. Alright, next thing. Let me see..." B'Elanna pondered for a moment what she was going to ask next. "What is your favorite food?"
"Created by the replicator, or created by Mister Neelix?"
"Yes," B'Elanna merely said.
"My favorite food created by a replicator is..."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
Day 10.
Seven's eyes followed B'Elanna as the Klingon paced back and forth as far as she could in their small cell. B'Elanna had assured her that she did that to get rid of some energy. Which had led Seven to conclude that the woman must have a lot of energy to expend since the Klingon started pacing at least once every hour, unless she was sleeping of course. But despite her pacing B'Elanna continued with her story.
"So Harry walked up to the guy to ask him the way, right? Then all of a sudden the earth drops from under his feet and poor Harry lands in a pile of fertilizer."
"How is that possible?"
"Seems that they keep the fertilizer in basins under the ground so that it is stimulated more by the bacteria that can be found in the ground, or something like that," B'Elanna explained as she sat down beside the blonde.
"We never really asked. Anyway, so here we were on our way to a meeting with the First Minister. The transporters weren't working, and we really couldn't send Harry back to the shuttle because, well, we can't just send someone off by themselves on a planet where we don't even know if the people are really that friendly."
"What did you do?" Seven leaned a little closer. She was fully engrossed in the story B'Elanna was telling.
"What could we do? Nothing. There wasn't a river or lake in sight, and we were already expected at the First Minister's residence an half hour before. So we went on. We found the First Minister's residence and announced our presence. Harry was literally black from the fertilizer and he stank an hour against the wind."
"That must not have been a pleasant meeting, from what you told me about the 'name' the First Minister had."
"That's what I thought," B'Elanna agreed with a grin. "Here we were going to meet this minister who has a well-known hatred against 'off-worlders'. But he came waltzing into the room, stopped, sniffed the air, looked at Harry, and started laughing. He nearly laughed his damn head off. That ended up to be one of the best away missions I have ever had. It took a week before Voyager found us and during that time we were spoiled as if we were some kind of Royalty. Though I think that Harry didn't like his stay anywhere as much as I did. Whenever the minister saw Harry that week, he started laughing again."
"That reminds me of the away mission I was on with Commander Chakotay and Commander Tuvok."
"Tuvok and Chakotay? That doesn't happen often, one of them must always stay on the ship... preferably."
"I had only been on board Voyager for five months at that time and I assume that they were sent along to help me with my mission just as much as to guard me; to make sure I would not use the opportunity to return to the Collective."
"Was there ever a chance of that?" B'Elanna asked. "I mean, in the beginning you did pretty much anything to get back to the Collective. But once you had gotten used to being an individual there weren't signs of you wanting to go back... at least not that I know of."
"There was a risk of me returning," Seven had to admit. "For several months I would compare situations to how I would have dealt with them if I had still been part of the Collective, and there were several times where going back to the Collective was more tempting than staying on Voyager was."
"So, why did you stay?"
Seven stayed quiet for a moment, a moment that seemed to stretch into minutes. Finally it was B'Elanna who spoke up again.
"Never mind, anyway, you were telling me about this away mission."
"Because of you," Seven said softly.
"Because of me... what?"
"It is because of you that I stayed. True, the call of the Collective was sometimes very tempting, but then I would think of the fact that if I went back, I would no longer be able to interact with you. Our altercations, they, they make me feel alive. They did so even back then. If I were to go back, I would no longer feel that. That, was unacceptable."
"Bu... Wha..." B'Elanna shook her head slightly. "I... I don't know what to say to that Seven."
"You could tell me that you do not think that we will ever stop having altercations."
"Not likely," B'Elanna snorted. "What ever gave you that idea?"
"Because we are now on our tenth day of being in this cell, and we did not have an altercation in the last six days."
"Well, yeah, but... Look, the reason for that is very simple; we stopped talking about ship's business then. Or better said, we stopped talking about actual projects that are going on in Engineering. I'm sure that once we are out of here we will be right back to disagreeing on everything that goes on in Engineering."
"In that case, you might want to try to no longer throw your tools around during our altercations; otherwise I think we could be spending a lot of time in this cell."
B'Elanna grinned. "I will try, but that is all I can promise you."
"Then it will have to suffice."
"Anyway, back to that away mission, what happened that was so funny?"
"Well..."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
Day 14
"What's wrong, Seven? You are so quiet."
"I am contemplating what will happen next. We will be released from this cell in six hours."
"Well, I don't know about you, but the first thing I will do is go home and take a long aqua shower. I have had all I can stand from that sonic shower here."
"No, I mean what will happen to us."
"What do you mean? I'm afraid I'm not following."
"I liked the conversations we had here. Even though we were forced to spend time together, I ended up liking that time. I am sorry to see that this will be over once we step out of this cell."
"Who said it was going to be over? You know where my quarters are, don't you? You are welcome to drop by whenever you want... Wait, let me rephrase that; whenever you want, as long as it is at a reasonable time and not in the middle of the night."
"Would you mind if I came to the mess hall when you have your lunch break and sat down at your table?"
"Why would I mind that? You would be more than welcome."
"If people see us spending time together, they might actually assume that were are friends."
"I... see," B'Elanna said thoughtfully. Then she decided to jump and simply not care where she landed. "Well, I don't see anything wrong with that. I mean, we are friends, aren't we?" B'Elanna was rewarded with the biggest smile she had ever seen the blonde make.
"Indeed, I believe we are."
"But that doesn't mean that I will all of a sudden agree to everything you suggest," B'Elanna said with a fake growl.
"Of course not. Nor does it mean that I will now stop pointing out the many mistakes you make."
"We will see about that, Princess, we will see."
Continued...