Star Trek: Voyager
"Voyages of the Soul"
Episode IV: Soul's Risk
By
Disclaimers: Star Trek: Voyager is copyright to Paramount Pictures, I’m just borrowing the characters for a while.
Comments are welcome at: shaych3@yahoo.com.
"Captain's Personal Log. Supplemental. It has only been a couple of weeks since our last planet-side vacation, and the crew is already beginning to show the signs of being cooped up. Thankfully, it is not as bad as it was when we were stuck in the Void for so long, but lately there hasn't even been a Malon garbage scow to liven up the days." Captain Kathryn Janeway paused to rub the bridge of her nose. A class 8 migraine headache was beginning to form. She considered going to the Doctor for a hypo of something relieving, but then decided that she'd just tough it out. After all, the headache was her own damn fault. She was the one who'd decided that she'd save some replicator rations by cutting down her coffee allowance.
"The Malon," she sneered, "have decided that we are too big of a target to hit, thanks to the outstanding efforts of Tom, B'Elanna, Tuvok, Harry, and Seven in building the remarkable shuttle, the Delta Flyer. It's a hot rod of a shuttle, but it's also an exceptional piece of engineering." She stopped and massaged her temples yet again, then picked up the small blue crystal that she had placed on her desk, near her datapadd. As it always did, just holding the smoothly planed silicate relaxed her, seemed to draw the tension out of her, allowing her to focus once again. "After this shift, I intend to meet Seven in the holodeck for a round of Velocity. It should be quite a challenge, as she's getting quite good at the game."
She's also getting quite good at other games, as well. Kathryn thought to herself, remembering the recent trouncing she'd taken in a hand of poker the other night.
Ever since their week-long holiday together on that M class planet, Kathryn could sense that she and Seven were growing closer, that the times when the younger woman would challenge her authority just to do so were getting fewer and further between. She almost couldn't count the times that she'd caught Seven with some other expression on her face other than the plain mask of Borg calm that she'd shown the world for the last year. There were smiles now, and wry looks of amusement and there had been pain, and hurt when One had died. Seven was growing up, and she was growing quickly.
Captain Janeway wasn't the only one to notice Seven's sudden maturity, either. Several of the crew, both male and female, were taking more time to talk to the Borg, engage her in conversation. There were only a few crewmen, like Ensign Wildman and her daughter Naomi, that actively avoided Seven. As a captain, Janeway didn't know whether to be worried about that, or let it work itself out.
She also didn't know whether or not to be jealous of the attention that Seven was getting from everyone else. Now that she was no longer the ship's pariah, she didn't have as much free time to spend in the captain's quarters, playing poker. The game the other night had been their first in a long time. So Kathryn had vowed to do something about that, to make every effort to be a part of the young woman's life, because, for some odd reason, she couldn't not be a part of Seven of Nine's life.
She had also recognized that since the incident under the waterfall, she had found every excuse she could to touch the young Borg. It was disconcerting, these desires. She had known for some time that she was drawn to Seven, but had chalked up her flights of fantasy to the five year long self-induced celibacy. The Hirogen array that had allowed their first contact with Starfleet in four years not only gave them all a sense of relief that someone knew about them, it also freed her from the man she had intended to marry. Afterwards, she found herself considering many of the crew, and not a few aliens, as potential dates, and in doing so, had sent her hormones careening out of control. At first, she thought that she would most likely allow her first officer's not-so-subtle attempts to woo her to succeed, but the more she entertained that notion, the more the blue-grey eyes of a certain rebellious Borg invaded her thoughts.
That had been the surprise of the decade for the captain. Never before had she been attracted to a woman - she knew it was possible, she just didn't consider herself the type. Now, not only was she considering it, but her dreams, her unoccupied thoughts were coming up with inventive ways in which to go about it. Yet she held back. She knew she could charm Seven into falling for her, Kathryn Janeway was no stranger to the effects of a strong personality, but she wouldn't, couldn't do that to Annika. She couldn't muddle with the young woman's emerging grasp of emotion and individuality. So she kept her desire hidden, wrapped it up and stowed it away to be taken out and looked at with wistful amusement and then repackaged and placed back in the darkest corner of her mind. But still, the Borg did make her fingers tingle in that all-to-familiar way, the sensation telling her that there was more to her feelings for Seven than she cared to consider.
A smile teased the corners of the captain's mouth as she reached into a drawer in her desk and pulled out one of those precious memories. It was a holo-image of her and Seven, relaxing together on that planet, by their pool. The innocent smile on the Borg's face wrapped Janeway's heart in a blanket of warmth that kept her going until the end of her shift.
***
"Seven of Nine!" The Doctor exclaimed, when the young woman walked into sickbay. "And how is my favorite ex-drone today?" He asked, pulling out his medical tricorder and calibrating it to scan the implants that were integrated with Seven's biological systems.
"I am not well, Doctor." She stated calmly.
"Hm! Well, step right up and we'll see what we can do to help." The Doctor affably suggested. Seven nodded, and stepped up to a bio bed, allowing the EMH to scan her. Minutes passed as the hologram made notations in a padd, then, he set the tricorder aside, put his hands on the bio-bed next to Seven and cleared his throat.
"It is bad, then, Doctor?" Seven recognized this as the Doctor's "bedside manner" and knew that he only trotted that subroutine out in the direst of cases. The EMH took a deep breath.
"Seven, I'm afraid that you have all the symptoms of hyper-hormonal overdose." The Borg looked stricken. "Your oxytocin levels are immeasurably high and your endorphins are spiking the charts -- I’m afraid what you have is incurable." Seven blanched.
"How long until the disease progresses to necrosis?"
"Oh, I'd say…" he looked at her chart, "at least 125 years… give or take a year."
"Doctor?" confusion tainted Seven's voice, and her eyes narrowed slightly. The Doctor stood up straight and stared down his nose at his patient.
"Seven of Nine, there is nothing wrong with you… you're just experiencing your first crush. So, who's the lucky crewman? Is it Mr. Kim? Mr. Paris?" He queried, delicious anticipation lighting his eyes.
"Doctor. I do not have a crush on Ensign Kim or Lieutenant Paris. Nor anyone else on this ship."
"An alien then?" He pressed.
"No. If that is all, I have to get back to Astrometrics."
The Doctor sighed, and waved his hands. "Yes, you're done. Go on, leave me in the dark. Me, your mentor, your guidebook to humanity…"
"Good day, Doctor." Seven said primly as she slid off the bio-bed and left sickbay.
The EMH harrumphed. "She's just got to work on her sense of humor!"
***
Seven marched all the way back to astrometrics, fuming silently. How dare the Doctor accuse her of having a… a… a crush! Of all the emotional expressions she could have as a human, surely that was the one that her remaining Borg implants would override. Surely she couldn't fall prey to… love. It couldn't be love that made her want to touch Kathryn everywhere, to reach out and… Her vaunted intelligence failed her here. Every time she thought about the Captain, and the things she wanted to do to and with her, her imagination couldn't provide anything beyond a sense of warmth that raced through her body, setting her blood afire with longing and need. She stopped in the middle of a passageway, and took a deep, long breath.
I am Borg. I will not feel this way. I will not want… Kathryn, this way. I will adapt. She relaxed as she felt the smooth calm of Borg efficiency crawl over her, quieting her raging nerves. It lasted all the way through the rest of her shift, and right up until the very minute she stepped into the holodeck and faced the captain for their game of Velocity.
***
"Contact Janeway. Match, Janeway. Game, four all." The computer's strident tones informed the two opponents. Captain Kathryn Janeway looked up at the six feet of sweaty Borg that was sprawled on top of her and decided that she just didn't care. About anything. Hell, the whole ship could blow up this very minute, and that would be just Fine by her. Then Seven got up and suddenly, Janeway really wanted a cold shower. Their Velocity clothes clung to them, drenched in patches, the captain's more so than Seven's because the Borg barely sweated. But there was a definite sheen to the porcelain skin, and Janeway could see a bit of liquid dripping delicately off of the starburst implant on her opponent's right cheek. They both stopped for a drink of water, wiped themselves down with a towel, then turned to face each other once more.
"Computer," Janeway ordered, "begin round." The hovering disc hummed into life, floating between them. Seven and the captain fired simultaneously.
***
On the Bridge, Chakotay was just settling into the command chair, relaxing into the feel of the form-adapting softness and pondering the idea of asking Kathryn out to dinner when something sent the ship hurtling sidewise.
"Report!" he barked at the ensign manning ops.
"Sir. We've been struck by something, sir." The young man babbled while punching in information into his station.
"I know that, Ensign. Tell me what it was." Chakotay stood up, almost ready to go and do the man's job for him, but he restrained himself. Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, reading some information at Tactical, looked up.
"Shields are at 74 percent, and dropping."
"Ensign, I need that data, now!" Chakotay almost growled. The ensign, nearly vomiting from his panic, finally punched the right key.
"It was a nuclear explosion, sir."
"What?"
"Yes, that's it. It looks as though we hit someone's leftover waste…" the ensign trailed off, reading telemetry.
"Damage report?" Chakotay grimaced. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to undergo radiation treatments.
"Minor bumps and bruises are being reported. Ensign Brooks broke her arm falling out of a Jeffries tube. Shields have stabilized. Transporters are offline…" a shrill screech filled the air, and then a portion of the Ops console exploded outward in a hail of sparks and smoke.
When the air cleared, Chakotay was standing over the ensign, reaching out to help him up. "Are you okay, Ensign Larson?"
The battered, slightly crisped young man nodded hesitantly. "I think so sir."
"Good. You were about to say?"
"The holodecks, sir. They're… all haywire." The young Bajoran shrugged.
"Explain."
Larson stumbled over to the extra station and keyed in some commands. Soon, a schematic popped up on a small screen. "Look here. Normally, we can see when the holodecks are being occupied, and who is in them. Also, if we had the proper command codes, we could see the program being run. Now, all I see is this." He punched a key, and a bunch of white noise filled the screen. Larson's face twisted worriedly. "Sir, I'm afraid we cannot access holodeck controls from here… and I'm pretty certain that the safety protocols are off-line."
Chakotay's hand went up to his mouth, and he shook his head. "Damnit, Kathryn, why'd you have to play Velocity today?" He looked up as Lieutenant Torres arrived to begin the repairs on the ops console. "All stop. Yellow alert. We've got a little bit of a problem."
***
"Contact, Seven. Point, Seven."
"You're getting quite good at this, Annika." Janeway commented as she accepted the younger woman's hand up.
"Thank you, Captain." Janeway shook her head ruefully.
"Annika, call me Kathryn, please. In a Velocity match, I'm not your Captain, but your friend." For just the briefest of instants, Seven had a look of sheer terror on her face, but it vanished before Janeway could be sure.
"As you wish, Kathryn." She replied, almost mechanically.
"Seven?" Janeway asked, concern edging her voice.
"Yes?"
"Is something wrong?" Then things went to hell in a handbasket. Suddenly, they weren't standing in the middle of a Velocity court, they were hip deep in warm ocean water, as seagulls flew overhead and clouds drifted by in a too blue sky. Sunbathers and swimmers roamed the beach and waterfront, while further inland, a series of buildings dotted the skyline. Both women frowned.
"This is not part of Velocity, Captain." Seven noted dryly.
"No, it isn't. Computer, freeze program."
"Unable to comply."
"Computer, create exit."
"Unable to comply."
"Janeway to Chakotay."
"Go ahead Captain." Janeway could hear the strain outlining her first officer's voice.
"Is there something I should be aware of, Commander?"
"Sorry, Captain. Yes. We ran afoul of somebody's radioactive garbage scow, and as result, some systems are temporarily offline. B'Elanna and Harry are working on it though."
"Exactly which systems are offline, Chakotay?" asked the captain, steel in her words.
"Transporters and holodecks have been affected, Captain." Chakotay could tell that his captain was not pleased with him.
"I see. Is there anything else I should know?"
"Yes. As far as we've been able to ascertain, the holodeck safety protocols are offline, as well."
"Commander, why wasn't I notified of this immediately?" Now, the bark of true command hit Chakotay full force.
"My apologies Captain, but the incident only occurred 5 minutes ago." Not the full truth, but he would save that for later, in his report, where she could dress him down in private.
"All right Commander. Just hurry up and get it fixed. I'm not sure how much I relish the idea of being in the holodeck with the safeties off."
"Of course, Captain. Oh, and Kathryn."
"Yes, Chakotay?"
"You might want to find something other than Velocity to occupy your time."
"Very funny, Chakotay. Janeway out." Kathryn turned and looked at Seven. "Well, I guess our playtime is over. I suppose we should get out of the water, with the safety protocols off, there's no telling what may be swimming around in here."
"Aside from the subunit holograms?" Seven asked with a straight face, nodding toward the group of children running and playing in the surf. Janeway chuckled.
"Exactly. Come on, I'm sure the hotel still has my favorite room available."
***
"Captain Janeway! How wonderful to see you again." Maurice, the concierge of the Holo-Hotel gushed when the two women walked into the lobby.
"Hello, Maurice." Said the captain warmly. "We just dropped in. I hope you still have my room available?"
"Of course, Captain. It's always ready for you. If you'll just sign in." He stepped behind the ornate mahogany desk and lifted up a leather bound register. The captain took the pen on the counter and signed herself, plus one guest, in.
"Thank you, Maurice. We have no bags this time, so we'll just go right up. We'd like to change out of these wet clothes." She handed him their phasers, not seeing the need to bring the now useless weapons up to the rooms. The dark-skinned clerk placed the phasers into a cubbyhole and handed them each a claimcheck.
"Absolutely, Captain." He smiled pleasantly. "If you need anything, just pick up the phone."
Janeway nodded absently as she directed Seven over to an old-fashioned style lift. The doors slid open to reveal a 20th century vertical shafted elevator. "After you." She stepped aside to allow Seven to pass.
Seven lifted an eyebrow and cocked her head, then allowed a small smile to touch her lips as she stepped onto the elevator. Janeway followed behind her, and as the doors slid shut, she punched a button on the panel.
"A most inefficient form of transport, Captain." Seven commented, looking around at the velvet and gold foil walls and at the Oriental rug adorning the floor. "This turbo-lift is only bi-directional."
"I know, Seven. It's a replica of an ancient elevator. I suppose Neelix thought that it would at 'atmosphere' and 'charm' to the hotel." Janeway smiled.
Seven pondered this, then said, "I understand." The elevator began to rise, slowly, and with a few creaking noises. Seven shifted her feet uncomfortably. "I suggest, Captain, that you have Neelix create quieter elevators from now on."
The captain frowned. "It wasn't this noisy last time. This must be a manifestation of some of the system degradation. I wish I had a tricorder." Wordlessly, Seven handed her one of the ubiquitous scanning devices. Janeway made a face. "You would have made a great Girl Scout, Seven."
"Captain?"
"Never mind." Janeway opened the scanner and started gathering data. "As I thought. Whatever is keeping us in here is also eating away at the stability of the program. Perhaps I can…" she punched a few keys on the tricorder. Suddenly, the creaking stopped, and the elevator began a smoother ascent. "Ahh, much better. Maybe I can't get us out of here, but I can make our stay a little more pleasant." She smiled smugly. The stood in silence for a few seconds, then a terrible crash rocked the elevator, sending them careening to the floor.
"Captain, I do not think those modifications helped." Seven said, while attempting to pick herself up.
"I don't think that was a result of my tampering. Janeway to the bridge."
"Bridge here, Captain, go ahead." Chakotay responded.
"Report. What the hell was that?"
"Another one of those garbage scows has run into us, Captain. We're working on a way to scan for them now. Tuvok has suggested that if we could see them before they hit us, maybe we can detonate them a safe distance from the ship."
"Good work, gentlemen. But don't forget to get us out of the holodeck. As much as I enjoy a vacation, I would rather choose my destination."
"Understood, Captain. Bridge out."
"Well, this is just peachy." Janeway said, finally standing up and putting her hands on her hips. The elevator had ceased to move. Seven had retrieved the tricorder from where it had fallen out of the captain's hand and was scanning the lift.
"Captain, I do not believe 'peachy' would be the way to describe our present circumstances." Seven's forehead crinkled in a slight frown as she regarded the information displayed on the scanner's screen.
"Problems, Seven?"
"The 'elevator' is non-functional."
"Wonderful. I've always wondered what it would feel like to be stuck in a small room for an undetermined amount of time." Don't go there, Katie… baaaad memories there. She hastily pushed down those long ago memories of another small, dark box…
"We are not 'stuck' Captain. There is an access hatch located above your head." Janeway looked up, and she could see the faint outline of a trapdoor.
"Excellent. Give me a boost, please." Seven lifted the captain up so she could push open the trapdoor, then continued to lift her while she climbed through. Once Janeway had pulled herself up completely, she looked around the shaft. Cables, pulleys and wires flopped about, and the smell of oil permeated the air. A ladder tracked up one side of the chute, leading toward an exit in the roof of the hotel. She knelt down and called into the elevator car, "Come on up, Seven, there looks to be a way out."
"Step away from the hatch, Captain." Seven replied. Janeway moved away, while the Borg took a standing jump, grabbed the edge of the trapdoor and pulled herself through.
"You make it look so easy." Janeway said blandly.
"It was." Seven replied, dusting her hands off. She gestured to the ladder, "After you, Captain." Janeway smirked, and began to climb. As they moved away from the car, the light dimmed some, but there was still enough to navigate by.
They were making good time, when an explosion rocked the ship. The shaft trembled, they were thrown about, the hologram destabilized and flashed. There was another explosion, this one sounding very close, and suddenly, they could hear the rushing sound of water filling the elevator shaft.
Janeway slapped her comm badge. "Chakotay, where are those transporters?"
"Still offline Captain, we're working on it."
"Damn!" Janeway cursed. The she looked down to Seven. "Are you okay, Seven?
"I am… injured, Captain." Seven replied, through clenched teeth. Janeway took a closer look. Somehow, during the confusion, the ladder and part of the elevator shaft had come undone, wrapping itself around Seven's left leg, then collapsing. The captain could see that the Borg's leg was unnaturally twisted. The shaft heaved again as more water gushed in. Seven bit off a choked gasp as the metal encasing her leg twisted tighter and Janeway winced in sympathy.
"All right, Seven. We'll get you out of here." The water had reached Seven's feet. Janeway climbed down until she was close to Seven, then examined the metal of the ladder around the Borg's leg. It appeared to be duranium. Damn. I just don't get any breaks today, do I? She thought, and gently probed Seven's leg with her fingers. Seven hissed in pain, and Janeway realized that the limb was broken.
"That is… painful, Captain." Seven said haltingly.
"I'm sorry, Seven. Can you reach down and pull this away with your left hand?" Seven tried to do as the Captain suggested, but couldn't twist her body enough to get a grip. She tried another way, her eyes widening in pain, but she could grasp the twisted rungs. She pulled, but nothing happened. She pulled again, harder. Both she and Janeway heard the audible snap as the metal closed even tighter around her leg, snapping the bones. The Borg moaned in pain.
"Cap…tain, I don't think it's working." Seven gasped, leaning against the ladder, silent tears streaming down her face. The water had now reached Seven's hips.
"Seven, you are not to give up, do you understand?" Janeway inserted the steel of command into her voice.
"Yes, Captain." Seven replied, weakly, and struggled to turn and work at the metal some more.
"No, Seven, don't hurt yourself any further. There's got to be another way." Janeway looked up, and not more than ten feet away was a set of doors leading to the upper portion of the hotel. She started climbing back up, got to the doors, and attempted to open them manually.
It wasn't easy, but the doors opened. Fresh air blew in, and dim light flooded the shaft, reflecting back off of the still rising water. The light was so bright to Janeway that she realized that their original illumination, the light from the elevator car, had died out. She breathed a sigh of thanks to whoever had watched over them enough to allow the lights to die, but not to send a current of deadly electricity racing through the water.
They had a way out. Now all she had to do was free Seven from a trap the Borg herself couldn't break. She tapped her comm badge.
"Chakotay, where are my transporters?" Bridge sounds echoed strangely in the shaft as the First Officer's reply came back.
"Still working on it Captain. B'Elanna and Harry think they've got the trouble narrowed down to five different systems."
"Work faster, Chakotay." Janeway's voice was deadly serious.
"Understood, Captain. Bridge out."
Janeway sighed. When Murphy decided to take an interest in the Voyager, he certainly didn't allow himself to get bored. She looked down at Seven, who was now submerged to her shoulders in water. Frowning, she climbed back down, then dropped off of the ladder, to float next to her Astrometrics officer.
"Captain? What are you doing?" Seven asked, as she felt the captain dive under the water and probe the area around her shattered leg.
Janeway surfaced, brushed her now-wet hair back and said, "Examining the problem."
Seven nodded sagely. "The Scientific Method. A wise choice. However, I believe you will fail."
"I'm honored by your faith in my abilities." Kathryn responded sarcastically.
"It is not your abilities I question, Captain. I am merely stating a fact based on conclusions drawn from available data."
"If you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it."
"As you wish. You must save yourself, Captain. This ship cannot function without you, whereas I am only one of many."
"Unacceptable." Janeway retorted sharply, her heart dropping to her feet at the mere thought of letting Seven die.
"It is the logical answer, Captain. I am Borg, or at least, partially so. If you allow me to drown, my nanoprobes will keep my body from degrading beyond restoration for 73 hours."
"Not a chance. Allowing you to die is not an option, do you understand me?" Janeway had reached out and put her hands on Seven's shoulders, forcing the Borg to look at her. The water was up to Seven's neck. "I will get us out of here. I swear it."
"Captain, you are being stubborn and inefficient about this." Seven calmly pointed out.
"Captain's prerogative." Janeway wryly replied, unaware that her hand had slid around the back of Seven's neck and was absently stroking the dampening hair that had come free of its french twist.
"Kathryn?" Seven whispered uncertainly as the water rose further, brushing against the younger woman's chin now.
"Shh. It's all right, Annika. I'm here." Kathryn pulled herself close to Seven and gently lifted the Borg up as best she could, without putting a strain on the younger woman's injured leg.
"I am… frightened, Kathryn. I do not wish to… die." Seven whispered into Janeway's hair. Kathryn pulled back some, and looked Seven in the eyes.
"You won't. I promise. I've come to… care far too much for you to let you go so easily now." She let go of Seven briefly to tap her comm badge once again. White noise sputtered back at her. "Shit. So much for Starfleet technology." She looked back at Seven, and realized the water had risen again, because the Borg had tilted her head back to keep breathing. Tenderly, the captain reached out and touched the young woman's cheek. Seven's eyes were still open, the clear, deep blue darkened by fear. She was taking shallow, gulping breaths now.
Inwardly, Janeway raged. The water continued to rise, carrying her upwards, and closer to the doorway to freedom, but the warped metal that pinned Seven in place was fast becoming a death trap, and the captain knew that there was nothing that she could do about it. Just like at Tau Ceti… Her inner voice chided her. You never were much good at water rescues, were you, Katie Janeway?
"No…" She answered herself quietly, a single tear of frustration snaking down her cheek. Her head was even with the doorway now, and she could see into the devastated hotel hallway. The holosuite program was well and truly trashed; wreckage strewn about haphazardly, like some giant being had come along, picked the hotel up, shook it about, then set it back down, sideways.
Then she realized that if she was where she was, then Seven was…
"Fuck!" She took a huge gulp of air and dove under, searching with her hands for Seven of Nine. Shortly, she encountered the Borg. Opening her eyes, she could see that the young woman had closed her mouth and eyes, and was peacefully floating free of the ladder, anchored in place only by her trapped leg. Quickly, Janeway reached out, grabbed Seven's shoulders and pulled her to her. Fastening her mouth on the Borgs, she forced Seven's mouth open and exhaled, blowing air into oxygen starved lungs. Seven nearly choked before she realized what Janeway was attempting, then she gratefully took in the air, then held her breath as the captain let go and shot upwards, towards the air pocket above.
When she got to the top and broke the surface, she shook her head took two big breaths of air, then another for Seven and dove back down. The captain continued this chain of carting air down to Seven for several minutes before having to stop and catch her own breath, bitterly regretting every second she was depriving the young woman of fresh air. That was when she noticed that the water was no longer rising. Instead, it was washing out through the open doors, flooding down the halls and out into the ruined hotel. Figures… she thought before taking yet another breath and diving down to the woman waiting below.
Time ceased to exist for Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine. All that mattered was inhale, dive, exhale, surface… The mantra that played over and over again in the captain's mind. Hours passed as Janeway kept Seven alive by force of will alone, her stamina long since having deserted her. This was one battle Kathryn would not concede, a war with the elements she would not lose. She was exhaling into Seven's waiting mouth when she felt the blessed hum of the transporter grab her and yank them away to safety.
***
Chakotay raced to sickbay. Once B'Elanna and Harry had found the problem -- a repeating error loop going through one of the transporter relays, he'd ordered an emergency site to site transport of the Captain and of Seven. He didn't even stop when he saw the doors, shouting out an emergency open command. The doors shushed open to reveal -- Janeway and Seven, transporting in, locked in a passionate embrace. The first officer stopped cold. Face burning, heart pounding in his ears, he cleared his throat. The two women broke apart, and Seven nearly collapsed in the captain's arms.
"Well don't just stand there, Chakotay, help me get her into a bio-bed." That's when the ex-Maquis noticed that both women were soaked, and that Seven's leg was mashed nearly beyond recognition. The Doctor was already grabbing a tricorder and several other instruments. Chakotay helped Kathryn move Seven onto the bio-bed.
"Thank you, Commander." Seven croaked. She looked at Janeway, awe coloring her face. "You kept your promise." Then she passed out. He turned to the captain.
"Well, I bet you've got quite a story to tell."
"Some other time, Chakotay." Then she too collapsed, and the first officer was hard pressed to catch her and lay her down on an adjoining bio-bed. The Doctor looked up from tending Seven.
"Commander, if it's not too much trouble, could you please have Mr. Paris come down here to assist me? Seven will require several hours of reconstructive surgery, and I'd prefer to have a nurse."
"Sure, Doctor. Chakotay to Paris."
"Paris here."
"Tom you'd better get down to Sickbay, you're needed for Nurse Duty."
"On my way. Paris out." Chakotay turned to look at Kathryn, his face softening as he regarded his captain. He noticed, that even in her exhausted state, she had turned towards Seven of Nine, and he wondered what that portended. Interesting times are ahead, I'd say… He thought as he picked up a medical tricorder and began to help out with prepping Seven for surgery.
fin
04/14/99