Chapter 28
The reign of One of Many, née Annika Hansen; Queen of Borg.
Year 00, Month 6, Day 12, Hour 19, Minute 23.
Seven, B'Elanna, Pagsha, and Anidan were walking through one of the public meeting areas on their way to check out one of the recent restructurings; the place that Anidan would soon be calling her new workplace. B'Elanna saw a lone figure sitting at one of the tables and hesitated.
"Why don't you go ahead? I think I see someone that I need to talk to for a moment."
Seven saw where her Mate was looking and asked amused, "Should I send for a doctor?"
B'Elanna grinned, "Neh, she isn't touching anything that's mine. Go on, my Princess, I'll be along shortly."
Pagsha also looked at the woman sitting at the table; still liking what she saw. And as she followed Seven and Anidan, she nodded to her self as she made a decision. She knew that a lot of people preferred to wait until they were with someone they loved. She wondered why. It wasn't a guarantee. You could think that you loved somebody more than life itself, only to find out that they were playing you to get you into bed. Pagsha preferred her way. She would much rather lose her virginity to a woman she knew for a fact was very experienced, and new exactly what she was doing. And on top of that, had a body that made Pagsha wet just by fantasizing that she was allowed to touch it.
Pagsha nodded once more. Yes, if things went anywhere close to the way she preferred, then the next day she would know what having sex felt like.
"May I sit down?" B'Elanna asked as she put a hand on the back of a second chair at the table.
Katzi looked up in surprise. "Oh, sure. Sorry for not seeing you; I was thinking."
"Of home," B'Elanna said in understanding. "Having second thoughts." It wasn't a question, Katzi realized.
"No, yes, well... kinda but not."
Katzi stopped talking and B'Elanna waited patiently, giving the woman time to put her thoughts into words.
Finally the Zamonan continued. "I have no second thoughts at all about what I did, about taking you up on the offer of joining the Borg. I'm amazed at what I've seen so far and I do like all the new things. If you would make me the same offer again I would still choose for serving. I don't mind that part. It's just that... other things. Like waking up and smelling nature. Here all is filtered. If you take a deep breath you don't smell anything, with the exception maybe of temporary things, like how I smell you now. But as soon as I go to my quarters the only thing I smell there is myself."
Though it was on the tip of her tongue, B'Elanna decided not to voice the comment about if the Zamonan was implying that B'Elanna stank. Being half Klingon, with the full Klingon sense of smell, she knew only too well what the Zamonan meant.
Oblivious to the thoughts of the other woman, Katzi continued. "At home I would walk out the door and see trees all around me. Here I walk out of my door and only see metal plates. At home I could decide to leave the path and just go off into the forest. Here I can't leave the path because those tracks are corridors."
"You don't see trees, that's true. And you also can't leave the path at any moment," B'Elanna agreed. "But you can still walk around. Just because you don't have to be in a certain part of the ship doesn't mean that you can't walk there. I know, it sounds like a weak excuse. All I'm really saying is that you don't have to stay in your quarters or sit around in some meeting area all the time. Walk around, get to know the ship."
"That won't make me forget about home," Katzi noted.
B'Elanna nodded her agreement. "It won't. But it will get you acquainted with the ship and it will help you in starting to see this as your second home. Believe me, I know where you're coming from. When I moved from the colony I grew up in to Earth so that I could join the Academy I obviously traveled on a starship. It was my first time. First I was exhilarated. I love technology and being able to actually travel on a starship was like a dream come true. That is until I went to my assigned quarters that night. It was just a smaller room, no luxury at all."
B'Elanna chuckled. "It was only later that I found out that on a starship of any kind, having a room for yourself 'is' luxury. In fact, it's one of the reasons I became so good at my job. Very early on at the Academy I already decided that I was going to be a Chief Engineer on a starship because as Chief Engineer you always get assigned single quarters. Anyway, on that ship I had the same experience as you. I woke up the next morning in that strange room, walked out onto a strange corridor and realized in dread, 'is this my future? To be stuck in some heap of metal? What have I done?' But I was stuck on that damn ship for two weeks, so just to pass the time I started to explore the ship. It didn't happen overnight. In fact, I can't really tell you when it happened. But I can tell you that by the end of that trip I was sorry to leave the ship because I felt at home there. It was on that trip that I realized that my future lay between the stars."
To her own surprise, Katzi realized that her somber mood had somehow disappeared during the story. Enough so that hearing that last sentence made her laugh. "Boy, were you in for a surprise."
B'Elanna laughed as well. "Yeah, somehow I didn't quite expect that this future included ending up in the Delta quadrant, meeting this irritating blonde that became my Mate, and becoming the second in command of the Borg on top of that. But nevertheless, I was right. My future did lie between the stars."
"Talking about your Mate," Katzi said hesitantly.
B'Elanna lifted her hand to stop the Zamonan from continuing. "Listen, time wise that's not so long ago, but events wise that's ancient history. So much has changed since then. For one thing you said that you learned that you had to treat potential Mates differently."
"Treat potential conquests as women and not as things to use," Katzi corrected amused. "I won't lie. Between that event and me breaking my back two months later, I managed to get two women in to bed; both more than once. I didn't stop my womanizing, but I did stop deliberately hurting their feelings afterwards. Besides, it all changed once I broke my back. I have moved on to wanting other things. Not that I won't take the opportunity if it presents itself, but it's no longer a priority for me."
"As I said, so much has changed." B'Elanna grinned. "And as for wanting Seven... well, as I already told you on Zamona, I can only really compliment you on your excellent taste in women. I didn't like the way you handled it, I can't fault your taste. I'm just lucky enough that I was there first; mine."
Katzi lifted her hands in mock surrender. "All yours."
B'Elanna extended her arm halfway across the table. "As long as that's clear, how about we put this behind us and start looking in front of us? I could use a warrior as friend. Someone that knows that honor is more than just the word. Someone that knows that a blade has more meaning than just a thing with a sharp edge."
Katzi looked at the extended arm for a moment before clasping it. "It is my honor to accept your offer and I extend the same offer to you."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
The reign of One of Many, née Annika Hansen; Queen of Borg.
Year 00, Month 06, Day 14, Hour 20, Minute 48.
Pagsha looked around her and nodded. She was in the first ever restaurant to be opened on Unimatrix 01. It had opened a mere three days before with Seven and B'Elanna being served the ceremonial first meal. Pagsha liked the restaurant. It had a nice and welcome atmosphere and she loved the Keldian food. All in all a perfect setting for a goodbye dinner. Because of that fact Pagsha was sure; it would be a goodbye dinner.
"Any suggestions?" Katzi asked.
"Try the Gilkad soup, but don't order anything else at the moment. Don't be misled by the word 'soup.' It's actually very filling, and if you are still hungry afterwards you can order a second round; that's normal with Keldian food."
"Alright, I'll try that," Katzi said with a smile as she activated the choice on the PADD; placing the order. She put down the PADD and smiled at Pagsha. "So here we are."
"Here we are," Pagsha agreed as she put down her own PADD after making the same selection. She took a moment to look at the woman across from her.
Katzi liked to wear her black hair relatively short. Bangs that stopped just above the eyes, and the rest of the hair just as long, but combed to the sides and back. Surprisingly flawless skin of a sexy light brown chocolate color. Gray eyes, a slightly hooked nose, and a wide jaw. Pagsha would describe Katzi's face as handsomely rugged. No, Katzi didn't have the most beautiful face Pagsha had ever seen, but the thing was that the face fit the woman perfectly. Katzi was a tall woman with broad shoulders. A beautiful face with fine and delicate lines would have looked just plain wrong. Pagsha decided that she really liked the strong angles that made up Katzi's face. Which made her even sadder that things would be over even before they could have really begun. She really would have liked to make a life with this woman, but she had no illusions of that ever happening. She sighed and braved ahead.
"Katzi, let me get right to the point so that we can enjoy dinner without having to wonder... Can we still be friends? I like you, and I would like to spend more time with you, but if you normally move on all the way if you move on, I'd like to know that."
"And I'm moving on?" Katzi asked, somewhat amused by the fact that for a change, the 'let's move on' talk was given to her instead of she being the one giving it.
"Katzi, I knew exactly what I was getting in to when I approached you the day before yesterday. I knew that I'd be nothing more than just another notch on your belt for you; another conquest. But that's alright. I wanted to experience what it was like to make love, and I'm glad that the person who taught me was someone that knew exactly what she was doing. You were great, wonderful... it was so much more than I had even expected."
"Why thank you," Katzi said amused. "But let me assure you, you weren't that bad yourself. Inexperienced, yes, but you can be inexperienced and still damn good. In fact, I was very happy to hear you ask 'can we do that again tomorrow' afterwards. You know, you are partially right; I knew you would be easy."
It was blunt, but true. But Katzi figured that if Pagsha could admit that she had slept with her to gain experience, she herself could admit that she had slept with Pagsha because the woman had practically begged her to sleep with her.
"If I move on I could have fun here," Katzi continued. "I have a feeling that with more and more Borg drones becoming Individualist drones this place is a dream come true for me. Women, lots of women, to have fun with. And not just that, also lots of new species. I could not only have a belt with notches for women I slept with, but also an entirely different belt for women of different species I slept with."
A little nod in Pagsha's direction. "I already managed one. Yes, I could have a lot of fun here on Unimatrix 01." Katzi was quiet for a moment waiting until she had eye contact with Pagsha before asking softly, "But what if that's no longer what I want?"
"What do you mean?" Pagsha asked confused.
"My accident made something clear to me," Katzi said, breaking the eye contact and lowering her eyes for a moment.
When she looked up again there was something in those eyes Pagsha hadn't seen before, something she liked a lot though.
"Pagsha, including you, I have slept with forty-eight women. About half of which I've slept with more than once. But you know... when I was lying in that healer's hut... I was alone. Some friends came to see me when they could, but I didn't have a partner. Someone who would just sit with me because of nothing more than the simple fact that she wanted to spend time with me, no matter what my condition was. I never knew how lonely my life was. I..."
Katzi looked away. She had always been so good with words, why was it suddenly so hard? She forced herself to look up again, look into those open eyes, never seeing any difference between real brown and artificial gray, only seeing concern and confusion. "I was so damn alone. I shared my bed with so many, but when it came down to it I was alone. Pagsha, I don't want to be alone anymore."
"Wha... just what are you saying?" Pagsha asked, not daring to hope that she was hearing what she thought she was hearing.
"Last night... I saw something in your eyes..."
"My eye you mean," Pagsha corrected.
"Your eyes," Katzi corrected back. "I saw something I liked a lot, something I wouldn't mind seeing every day. Pagsha, I know I'm not the easiest person to trust, having slept with every woman that winked at me. But if you give me the trust to not stray, if you believe me when I say that I would really like to try and make things work with you, if you can do that... I promise you that I'm yours, and yours alone. I'm not going to tell you that I'll be yours forever; I can't look into the future. Who knows, maybe we start hating each other's guts in a few weeks. But I promise you; as long as we are in a relationship you'll be the only woman I'll make love to."
"Or have sex with?" Pagsha asked.
"Or touch, or be touched by, in any sexual way at all," Katzi said, wanting to be very clear.
"I find it interesting that 'you' are asking 'me' to be in a relationship," Pagsha said with a smile.
"Don't you know?" Katzi asked, smiling as well. "The best of warriors always fall for the innocent ones. Pagsha, I know you would like to have a relationship with me. I'll be honest with you, I have seen that look in your eyes before; enough times to make it a double digit number. I never cared before... No, that's not right, I did care. I got a thrill out of knowing that they wanted me but couldn't have me anymore because I decided to move on. I have played with women, hurt them, broke hearts... I'm sick of it. All the games. All the mindless sex. When it came down to it, when I needed someone..."
She stopped speaking when the words got stuck in her throat. Never before in her life had saying words hurt so much. She wanted to look away. Away from those concerned eyes across from her. She didn't. She knew that she had to go on, for the both of them.
"When it came down to it, when all I needed was someone to kiss my forehead and tell me that it was all going to be alright... I was alone. Please Pagsha, I don't want to be alone anymore. I want you in my life. Please don't think that I want just anyone and you just happen to be a convenient person. I want YOU in my life. I want there to be an 'us' when I speak about me. And I want that other part of that 'us' to be you. What do you say? Do you want to give it, us, a try?"
Pagsha couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had been raised with the idea that a relationship was a marriage with a man that she had to share with over at least ten other women. But here was a woman, the woman of her dreams even, asking her, almost begging her, to be in a two person relationship. Asking her, begging her, to be part of a two person 'us.' There was no question in Pagsha's mind about what her answer was.
"Do I ever. Yes, most definitely yes," Pagsha agreed with a broad smile. "You know, I thought that this was going to be a goodbye dinner, instead it turned out to be a..." A frown. "A..."
"A commitment dinner," Katzi supplied helpfully.
"Commitment dinner?"
"Yes, with us Zamonan, if we get interested in someone, we commit ourselves. Don't worry, it's nothing too hefty. It just means that I'm yours and your are mine... And that anyone that also wants to start a relationship with you better be prepared to go through me first, because as long as you don't break off the relationship with me, I have the right to kick some sense into anyone daring to go after you."
"My, doesn't that sound possessive. Does that mean that you are all mine too? That I can call you mine in front of others?"
"It does, and you can."
Their food was brought out and with a smile they started to eat. "So does that mean that after dinner you'll go home with me and teach me a couple of more things?" Pagsha asked with a wink.
"It would be both our pleasure," Katzi said, returning the wink.
They ate a few minutes in silence in which Katzi noticed that Pagsha's eyes were drifting all over her body. Even though she had gotten the black body armor uniform, Katzi was off duty and at those times she still preferred to wear her Zamonan leathers, and the short skirt and halter top left not much to imagination.
"Will you do me a favor?" Pagsha finally asked.
"If I can, sure."
"As long as we are in a relationship, could you keep looking like that?"
"This?" Katzi asked, looking down her own body. "Well, actually, I was thinking of trying to get back to the way I was."
"More muscles?" Pagsha asked excited.
"A bit, more like getting them more defined," Katzi said, amused when she saw an expression starting to form on Pagsha's face that she had seen the night before as well. Pagsha was getting excited.
"But you don't go into those bulky muscles that serve no real purpose, right?"
Wanting to test her theory, Katzi put down her spoon and flexed her bicep, making the muscle stand out. She moved the index finger of her other hand over the muscle from beginning to end.
"No, see how my muscles are still covered just enough to give nice slopes where the muscles begin instead of those hard corners? I like that, and I want to keep that."
The finger moved to the underside of the arm while she flexed her arm a little differently to make that muscle stand out. "No, I want to concentrate more on the harder to train places like here..." Another finger move. "...And here."
Seeing the look on Pagsha's face Katzi started laughing. "We're supposed to be eating, wipe away that drool will you."
Pagsha grinned. "I can't help it; I like muscles."
"You really are easy, aren't you? All I'll ever have to do is flex my arms or stretch my back and you'll be all over me. Now tell me, why would I even try talking up another woman to get her to sleep with me when all I have to do with you... is get naked? Just say 'let's go to bed' and start to undress and you'll be right there, helping me undress even faster."
Pagsha laughed at the question and statement. "You're right; I'll doubt that you'll ever be able to take your shirt off without my hands being all over you."
Then she frowned. "Um, about the easy. I don't want you to have the wrong impression."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that as an insult or anything," Katzi was quick to say as she moved her now empty plate aside. "I won't,"
"No, that's alright. You're more than welcome to say that. In fact, um," A small blush. "I kinda like being easy for you." A deep breath. "I just want it to be clear that I'm only easy for you. Please don't think, or worry, that I'm going to be just as easy for others. I," Pagsha stopped talking as their empty plates were removed.
Neither of them had any real interest in more food, but both of them had a feeling that the conversation they had now was best finished in a safe place, a place where they wouldn't give in to urges they both had at that moment. So a second round of food was ordered. Katzi settled for the fruit bowl while Pagsha chose the dessert platter. Once they were alone again, Pagsha continued, head lowered a little and looking up at Katzi through her eyelashes.
"Since we're going to try and make this work, let me tell you something. You are my fantasy come to life, literally. When I touched myself before, I fantasized about this female warrior. Muscles all over her body, but muscles that are from real training, not just for show. Tall, with broad shoulders. Likes to take charge in the relationship, but doesn't boss me around. Firm, but caring and understanding. You know, when my Queen and Princess were looking for an assistant, the Borg had my character traits listed as; pragmatic pacifistic but unyielding protector, docile but determined. The Borg were right. I don't like to fight, but will fight for what I believe in. I don't want to be in charge, but do want to be able to stubbornly stick to something I believe in. I want someone to take charge, I want a partner with dominating tendencies, but that would never think of wanting to actually control me. As long as you're that to me, with keeping in mind that if I give my final say on something that it really is my final say, even if you don't like it. If you give me that, you better believe me that I'll always be easy for you. If you want me, whenever you want me, you'll have me."
"Even if you're not really in the mood?" Katzi asked surprised. She was used to having Zamonan lovers, of whom even the non-warriors were used to deciding for themselves if they were in the mood for some fun. Katzi had prided herself on the fact that she had been able to make more than enough of them change their mind about whether or not they were in the mood. But never before had she met someone who was willing to give herself so completely, someone that was almost certain to at all times react positively to her amorous advances.
"Even if I'm not really in the mood," Pagsha affirmed. "After all, just touching you will put me in the mood."
"Deal," Katzi said decisive. "But one condition. If you're..." Katzi wiggled her hand back and forth... "Eh, not really in the mood, I still get what I want, but if you're really for real not in the mood, you tell me and I'll promise you I'll stop." Katzi grinned before adding. "Of course, you will have to make it up to me at a later time when you are in the mood."
"Oh, I think I'll like that," Pagsha said, already looking forward to the tall woman having her way with her on a regular basis. "But to be clear. That's what I want privately. When I'm on duty, I'll take my responsibility seriously and as that First Officer, I'll have no problem with ordering you around if that's needed."
"And I wouldn't want to have it any other way," Katzi assured before asking, "But do you really want such a... dominant partner in your life? I mean, it's easily said here, and it might even be what you fantasize about, but fantasy is fun; reality can be harsh."
"Yes, most definitely yes. As I said, I don't want someone that tries to boss me around, but someone that takes charge. I don't want to get asked 'what do you want to do today?' I want to get asked, 'I'm thinking of us doing this today, sound good?"
"As long as you're being kinda asked and get the opportunity to say that you don't feel like doing that, right?"
"Right. So, are you up to taking charge?"
Katzi grinned, she actually loved the idea. "As you just said; yes, most definitely yes."
She looked down at her bowl of fruit to pick one to nibble on, but after a few seconds her eyes still hadn't come back up. Finally she spoke up, her eyes still on the bowl of fruit. "About me training again, there's one effect it has on my body besides building my muscles It removes fat from my body... my breasts will get even smaller."
Finally she looked back up into the eyes across from her. "I know you liked to play with them."
"Smaller, or small to the point of basically nonexistent?" Pagsha asked, amazed how the self-confident woman across from her could turn so insecure in mere seconds.
"Smaller," Katzi said. She picked up a fruit about the size of her fist and used the table knife to cut it in half from top to bottom. "Before the accident, which is the stage I want to get back to, my breasts were about this big."
Katzi handed the half fruit to Pagsha. "Only wider of course. I won't have a lump like that. I'll still have slopes, just not much of a mountain, if you know what I mean."
Pagsha looked at the fruit for a moment before looking back at Katzi and running her tongue across the roundness of the half fruit in a way that made Katzi look around to see if others had seen the overly suggestive sight; apparently nobody did.
"That's alright," Pagsha assured. "Still plenty to play with, especially since the real things will be peaked by those very tasty nipples of yours."
"So you don't mind? Getting my body the way I like it, and keeping it like that, will take continues work. It would eat into any times we are off at the same time."
"That depends."
"On?"
"On whether or not I can watch you train, and have my way with you after seeing your muscles move has made me horny like there's no tomorrow."
Katzi laughed at the remark. Oh it was going to be fun spending time with Pagsha. More so because finally here was a woman that didn't mind at all if Katzi spent hours training... as long as she could watch. "Oh, I think I'd really enjoy such a nice end to my training, my Little One."
"Little One?" Pagsha asked before grinning, showing Katzi how much she liked the sound of the endearment. She picked up one of the smaller desserts, bit off the tip and then spent a moment to use the tip of her tongue to liberate some of the cream inside. Seeing how Katzi was looking at her tongue move, Pagsha made a little show of slowly swallowing the cream.
"Now," Pagsha finally said. "Are we going to finish this food, or are we going to get out of here for an entirely different kind of dessert?"
As an answer Katzi stood up and offered Pagsha a hand. "Shall we?"
"We definitely shall."
Continued...