Star Trek: Voyager

Water for Chocolate

by

sHaYcH

 

Disclaimer:  Ah huh, here we go again.  For those of you singing along, follow the little black dot...

 

These characters are not mine.  I am only borrowing them.  They, and all their backstory and other pertinent information belong to the megacorporation, Paramount Pictures.  Of course, I thank the gods every day for these characters' existence.  They are so much fun to play with.  I'll put them back when I'm done, I swear. : )

 

Contents:  WARNING this product contains depictions of women loving women.  If such material is not a standard part of your literary diet, and you feel that you will be offended, please locate another story to consume.  Thank you. : )

Comments are always welcome at: shaych3@yahoo.com but please remember, flames are for roasting hamburgers, not bards. : )

 

Everything about this story I owe to two people:  My mother, for always believing that I was a good kid, and Erin, for loving everything I wrote, even if I thought it was drek.  Thank you, forever.

 

---

 

"Captain!" Harry Kim called as he raced down the passageway after the diminutive figure of Captain Kathryn Janeway.

 

"Yes, what is it, Mr. Kim?"  Janeway stopped long enough for the young ensign to catch up, then started walking again, heading toward astrometrics.

 

The young ensign shuffled his feet a bit, catching his breath.  "Well, I -- I don't want to disappoint you again, like with Tal, so I... I wish to request permission to engage in a romantic relationship with another crewmember," the young ensign blurted.

 

Janeway's eyebrow arched in curiosity.  Tal was a member of the Varro, a very insular, almost xenophobic race of humanoids.  She had, after long discussion with the Varran commander, forbidden her crew to have any personal relationships with the other crew, since the species bonded empathically with their lovers.  Harry had defied her orders and had almost died as a result.  Kathryn chuckled inwardly.  Afterward, she'd made certain Harry understood his duty to her, the crew and to Starfleet.  Apparently, he'd taken her more seriously than she'd intended.  "I see.  Who would the lucky person be?"

 

Harry grinned boyishly, then blushed.  "Ensign Del Roy from stellar cartography."  Del Roy... she mused, trying to match a face with the name.  Ah yes...  Even though she'd only worked with the bright young officer a few times, she recalled that he was handsome, with icy blue eyes, jet black hair and an infectious grin that he seemed only too willing to bestow.

 

"Well, so long as Mr. Del Roy doesn't object, I don't see a problem with it.  As you were, Ensign."

 

"Yes, ma'am."  Harry nearly saluted, then raced away.

 

"Boys will be boys," Janeway chuckled as she rounded the corner and stopped before the doors that led to astrometrics.  It suddenly occurred to her that she had no reason to be here.  She was off duty -- in fact, she was rather tired, and had been looking forward to spending an hour luxuriating in a bubble bath.  She was about to turn around when the doors whisked open, and Seven of Nine strode out, nearly bowling the captain over.

 

"Pardon me, Captain.  I did not see you."  The Borg's arms were laden with pieces of dark greenish-black polymer.  Protruding wires spilled to the ground, sweeping the floor by the younger woman's feet.

 

"What in creation is that?"  Janeway asked as she regained her footing.

 

"It is the remains of my ablative armor plating."

 

"What the devil was it doing in astrometrics?"

 

"I was attempting to use some of the internal temperature control circuitry to regulate the thermostatic relays of the astrometrics display screen," Seven explained patiently.

 

"Why?"  Seven didn't miss the note of curious humor in the captain's voice, and the wry grin twitching at the corners of her beautiful face only added to the overall tone of amusement.

 

"It is my nature to contrive to create a more effective, efficient work environment."

 

"I see."  Janeway covered her mouth with one hand as if sagely absorbing Seven's statement, but she was clearly trying not to laugh.  "Well, carry on then, Seven," she said, sweeping her hand down in an "after you" motion, stepping out of the way, and allowing the Borg to pass.  Seven walked by, then stopped and turned.

 

"May I be of assistance, Captain?"

 

"No, not at all."  The captain replied, turning to go to her quarters.  "Why do you ask?"

 

"Because, you were standing outside of astrometrics, and on this shift, I am the only crew member on duty."

 

"Oh.  Well.  I ..."  Captain Janeway, usually glib in any circumstance, found herself unable to come up with a plausible explanation.  What were you doing outside of astrometrics, anyway, Katie? an internal voice asked.

 

"Bridge to the Captain." 

 

"Janeway here, go ahead, Tuvok."  Saved by the proverbial bell, Kathryn thanked whatever higher power was listening.

 

"Captain, we have made first contact with a new species.  They wish to discuss an opportunity for trade."

 

"Understood.  On my way."  Kathryn nodded to Seven, then said, "When you've found a new home for your toys, perhaps you could join us on the bridge?"

 

Seven looked away, almost chagrined.  "Yes, Captain."

 

 

On the bridge, negotiations for fresh supplies had already begun when Captain Janeway exited the lift.  The forward viewscreen was on, giving the crew an up-close and personal look at what could best be described as a bipedal, sentient... dog.  The -- Captain, Janeway assumed -- of the other ship might have been a many times removed descendant of her Irish Setter, Molly Malone.  He -- at least, she assumed it was a "he" from the deep baritone voice -- had a much shorter nose than an actual terran Setter would, making his head more humanoid, but his body was entirely covered with heavy dark red fur.  Patches of chartreuse green fabric and dark gray metal garishly clashed against the seemingly soft natural coat.

 

"Captain, this is Alpha Dagrel.  He is the leader of the pack-ship, H'wWlL," Tuvok informed Janeway as she took her command chair.

 

"Alpha Dagrel, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance.  I am Captain Kathryn Janeway, of the starship Voyager."

 

Dagrel opened his mouth in a slight pant, then smiled, showing off a mouthful of large, pointed teeth.  "The honor is mine, Bitch Janeway."

 

Janeway was only momentarily taken aback by the honorary.  "I understand you wish to trade with us.  What is it that you are seeking?"

 

"Our diet requires us to ingest a certain amount of vita-nutrients.  Our pack-ship has run out and there are no hospitable planets for many parsecs.  We were hoping that you would have the supplies.  We are willing to trade these --"  Dagrel held up several dilithium crystal shards, "or anything else we have in abundance."

 

Kathryn nearly grinned delightedly, but held back, nodding.  "Please transmit the data on the vita-nutrient you require and my crew will see if we have any surplus."

 

The ensign on ops duty, a Bajoran ex-Maquis named Karyk Vyr, studied the information the other ship sent then said, "Captain, it appears the substance Alpha Dagrel is seeking is -- water."  Janeway walked over to the ops station and glanced at the display of the molecular breakdown of the substance that the Alpha required.  It was indeed water.  Not quite Earth standard -- there were a few extra elements, elements that were difficult to find in combination in space.  But not if you had a replicator.  And the, Janeway looked at the name of the race provided by the universal translator, Caninii were willing to trade a huge amount of dilithium crystals in order to get it.

 

Visions of more ration slips danced in Kathryn's eyes, including an elusive quarry -- her mother's caramel brownies.  She could almost taste the gooey, sticky chocolate sweet.  It was the first recipe she'd programmed into the replicator, followed closely by a strong Colombian blend of coffee.  Mmm... coffee and brownies.  It was too much for her to resist.  "How many of the crystals are you willing to trade, Alpha Dagrel?" the captain asked.

 

"I will trade five hundred kilotons of the crystals for as many barrels of the R'rwolr as you can spare.  Please, Captain, I am not a begging man," Dagrel turned his liquid brown eyes to Kathryn, "but we must have this to survive.  My crew's lives depend on it."

 

Kathryn Janeway smiled, a wide, open smile of welcome.  "Alpha Dagrel, I believe we can come to an agreement."  Caramel brownies here I come, Kathryn thought, nearly rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

 

Yes, and wouldn't you just love to feed one of those luscious delights to Seven of Nine, one itty, bitty, bite at a time?  Then, lick all those tasty crumbs off of her even tastier lips? a base, inner voice queried.  Kathryn's ears flared red at the visions and sensations that ran rampant over her, then spun on her heel.

 

"Tuvok, see to the negotiations.  I'll be in my ready room."

 

"Aye, Captain," he turned and began inputting data into his console, sealing the bargain and overseeing the transfer of the crystals to a cargo bay.  He then sent a message to Lieutenant Torres, requesting that she inspect their newly acquired cargo.

 

Janeway nodded to her security chief, then carefully walked across the bridge to her ready room.  Once inside, she rested her head against the cool duranium of the doors.  "I am losing my mind," she stated to no one in particular.

 

 

Seven of Nine stepped onto the bridge just as the viewscreen went black. 

 

"Seven." Tuvok said, nodding to her. 

 

The Borg returned his greeting with a nod of her head and moved to stand beside him, hands clasped behind her back.

 

 

"Tuvok," she replied, inclining her head.  "The captain requested that I be here to view the negotiations."

 

"They have just been concluded.  You may view the logs at station two, if you wish." 

 

"Thank you."  Seven strode over to the extra science station and reviewed the logs of Voyager's contact with the Cananiid Alpha Dagrel.

 

As the logs played, she grew more and more concerned.  Finally, she turned and said, "Commander Tuvok, has the trade taken place?"

 

"Yes, the crystals are already in cargo bay one.  Lieutenant Torres is on her way to catalog them now."

 

"I must inform you that a grave error has been made."  Seven's face was grim.

 

"Oh?"  Tuvok raised one sculpted eyebrow casually.

 

"Yes.  The dilithium crystals you traded for are not what they appear to be."

 

"You are sure?"

 

"Yes.  Species 115 was added to the Collective several hundred years ago.  They were nomadic hunters, scavenging a group of planets in a solar system several parsecs from here for food.  Their main source of food was a creature they called the F'lirR."  Seven closed her eyes briefly and concentrated while her cortical implant accessed assimilated memories.  "Their prey was a lepidoptera hybrid.  Larger, meatier and dangerous to hunt.  Unlike the terran variety, these creatures possessed a means of defense.  The cocoon of the creature was made of dilithium, which the F'lirR excretes as a waste product."  Seven frowned.  "Those are not crystals, Commander, they are pupae."

 

"You stated that the creatures were dangerous," said Tuvok as he stepped away from his station and began to pace.

 

"I did.  The creatures emit a high frequency sonic wave that can deafen or kill when they emerge from their cocoons," Seven replied as she stood.

 

"Tuvok to Lieutenant Torres.  Erect a level ten force field around cargo bay one and evacuate all personnel.  Mr. Karyk, is the H'wWlL still in the vicinity?"

 

Vyr checked the scanners and shook his head.  "No, they jumped into warp as soon as the transport was made."

 

Janeway, drawn to the bridge by Tuvok's order chuckled darkly.  "'Take the money and run' must be as much a maxim for the con-men of their culture as it is for ours."  She frowned, then said, "Seven, do you know where the creatures originate from?"

 

"Of course, Captain.  The F'lirR home world is the main hunting ground of the Cananii."

 

"Set course for the F'lirR home world then.  Perhaps we can return these pupae before they hatch."

 

"Yes, ma'am."  Ensign Tom Paris accepted Seven's coordinates and then laid in a course at warp five.

 

"Thank you, Tom.  Seven, you're with me.  Tuvok, you have the bridge."  Janeway spun on her heel and walked to the turbo lift, followed closely by Seven of Nine.

 

On the lift, Kathryn turned to Seven and said, "I'm curious about these 'F'lirRs'.  Are they just animals, or are they intelligent?  And if they are intelligent, can we communicate with them?"

 

"I do not know the answer to those questions, Captain.  The Cananii were not interested in talking to the butterflies, only in eating them." 

 

The captain snorted over Seven's mild joke, but internally she was bidding her coffee and chocolate a fond farewell.  She hoped against hope that the F'lirR were intelligent enough to communicate with or that somehow her crew could come up with a way to defend against the butterfly's sonic attack.  Either way, Janeway hoped that they could harvest some of the dilithium for use in Voyager's systems.

 

The lift came to a stop and the captain and Seven stepped off, quickly heading for the cargo bay.  B'Elanna was entrenched outside, arguing with a group of security officers.

 

"I don't care what his orders were, I need to get in there and scan those crystals!" the fiery lieutenant shouted, waving her tricorder around wildly.  "I mean, Kahless' teeth, are we breathing on the word of the Captain's pet Borg now?"

 

"Only if you require instruction on how to respire, Lieutenant," Seven stated as she and the captain drew abreast of the group.  Janeway, who'd been ready to dress down B'Elanna for her insubordination, stopped and allowed Seven to speak.

 

B'Elanna spluttered as she saw the duo, then clammed up.  But her eyes spoke volumes as the captain overrode the lock out commands on the door.  The doors whooshed opened and the three women took a long look at the sight revealed.  Barrels and barrels of meter-long shards sat in the center of the room, each shard pulsing with a slightly bluish light.  Seven quickly brushed passed B'Elanna and the captain, striding into the room and scanning the shards with a tricorder.

 

"Dilithium, phosphor, silicate and other trace minerals.  There is a detectable heartbeat which appears to be linked to the luminous pulsations."

 

"Fascinating.  Can you tell how old they are?"  Janeway asked as she walked around the barrels, studying the crystals.  She was tempted -- oh so tempted -- to pick one up, but she refrained, knowing that anything might cause the creature inside to emerge and emit the dangerous sonic blast.  B'Elanna was not so careful, picking one up and shaking it roughly.

 

"Doesn't look like much to me." the half-Klingon engineer said as she tossed the crystal back into the barrel.  The crystals tinkled as they were struck and the other crystals began to pick up the tinkling sound, echoing it back and forth around the room.

 

"Lieutenant!"  Janeway barked.  A crackle erupted from one of the barrels, sending the three women scurrying into the hallway.  "Computer raise the force field and lock out the cargo bay.  Seven, seal the door."  The Borg nodded and immediately began entering complex code into the door's entry pad.

 

B'Elanna had the grace to look abashed.  "I'm sorry, Captain.  I didn't realize..."

 

Janeway turned and leveled a force ten gaze on the lieutenant.  "That's right, Lieutenant.  You didn't realize.  And if I didn't need you in engineering to make sure that the ship gets to the F'lirR home world in one piece, you'd be spending the rest of our journey home confined to quarters.  I will have to think long and hard about placing a formal reprimand on your record.  You know better, Lieutenant.  I suggest you remember that in the future."  The captain's voice never rose above a tense whisper, but B'Elanna's bleak expression showed that she'd rather have been yelled at until her ears bled.

 

"Yes, ma'am."

 

"Good.  Dismissed."  Janeway immediately turned to Seven, who was standing off to the side.  "What's the worst we can expect?"

 

"If one of the beings gets out of the cargo bay and encounters something it finds hostile it will emit a shriek that is capable of liquefying the brain matter of a hominid within ten meters and shattering eardrums within thirty meters."

 

"Computer, seal off all vents, jeffries tubes -- anything large enough to allow something the size of a --" 

 

Janeway looked at Seven, who closed her eyes briefly then said, "a terran starling."

 

"A starling to escape.  Then back up those seals with a level ten force field.  B'Elanna?"

 

"Yes, Captain?"  The engineer snapped to attention.

 

"Get to engineering.  Make sure this ship makes it to that damn planet in one piece!"

 

"Yes, ma'am!"  B'Elanna raced off.

 

"Seven, get to astrometrics and begin scanning the area for other Cananiid ships.  Perhaps we can learn more about the F'lirR from one."

 

"Yes, Captain."

 

As her people raced off to do their jobs, Janeway closed her eyes and prayed that they'd make it.  They had to.  She still had to feed caramel brownies to a certain six-foot Borg.

 

 

After briefing Chakotay and Tuvok on the situation, the captain made her way to astrometrics, where Seven was scanning the region for other Cananiid ships.  In the corner of the screen was a smaller, inset view of cargo bay one.

 

"Captain," Seven said by way of greeting, "I took the liberty of establishing a surveillance on the cargo bay."

 

"Wonderful.  Anything interesting occur?"

 

"I have observed several of the cocoons vibrate.  In barrel four there are three crystals that bear visible fractures in the silica.  No other phenomena have occurred."

 

"Have you..."

 

"I scanned in all spectrums and magnifications.  At its present rate, the crystals should continue to fracture, coming completely apart in 12.3 hours."  Seven tapped her console, switching the view in the smaller screen to show the barrel with the breaking crystals.  Janeway could see minute fracture lines crisscrossing the shard. 

 

The captain frowned a bit and put her hands on her hips.  "Well, I guess we'll just have to get these things home before midnight then.  I'm fairly certain we don't want to be around when they turn into pumpkins."

 

"Captain?" 

 

"A reference to an old Terran fairy tale, Seven."  The Borg's face went blank as she searched her memories.  Then she nodded, while tapping out a sequence of code that switched the scanning vectors of the astrometrics computers.

 

"'Cinderella'?  I understand."

 

"You know, I think you personally might qualify as an example of a 'Cinderella' story, Seven."  Janeway commented as she leaned against an empty console, watching the Borg work.

 

"I would?"  Seven asked, with a hint of curious inflection in her voice.

 

"Yes.  Of course, it is a loose interpretation, but still -- you started off as a Borg drone, which would roughly equate to the kitchen drudge," Janeway held up a hand to forestall the question she saw perched on Seven's lips, "and through the 'magic' of a fairy god-hologram, you have metamorphosed into the beautiful individual you are now."

 

Seven absorbed the captain's statement then said, "Captain, I'm not sure that the doctor would appreciate the appellation of 'fairy god-hologram', but your assessment holds a certain logic.  I am a 'Cinderella' story."

 

Janeway grinned.  "Well, Cindy, have you got any news for your evil step-mother?"

 

Seven turned away from the console to regard Janeway with dancing blue eyes.  "You do not fit the role of the evil step-mother, Captain."

 

"Oh?  What role do I fit?  The wicked step-sister?"

 

"No."  Seven's mouth twitched in a wry smile.  "You are ..."  A muffled explosion forestalled Seven's revelation.  Quickly, both women looked over the sensors.  Seven expanded the video of cargo bay one to fill half of the screen.  The women could easily see that the explosion had come from the center of barrel two, where several of the cocoons had ruptured simultaneously.  Crystal dust speckled the air, glittering in the faint light.  Spreading delicate wings were lifeforms that resembled butterflies yet were as large as birds.  There were six of them and they had all taken flight, fluttering around the chamber, running into walls, their carbon-silicate bodies chiming softly on impact.

 

"They're beautiful."  Janeway breathed as she drank in the iridescent multi-colored hues of wings and body.  She watched as each F'lirR learned the mechanics of flight as well as the boundaries of the cargo bay.

 

"As aesthetically pleasing as they may be, they are highly dangerous."  Seven stated as her fingers flew over the console controls, establishing stronger seals on the cargo bay and the deck, as well as initiating a sound damper in the room itself.  The danger was demonstrated promptly when one of the F'lirR attempted to fly out the view port and instead, smacked itself senseless against the transparent aluminum.

 

Once the creature was able to pick itself up off of the cargo bay floor, it tried to exit via the portal again, and when the desired result didn't happen, it let out a warbling cry that was picked up by the other five F'lirR.  The sound reverberated around the room, picking up intensity and volume until Seven had to cut off the sound pickup entirely.  They continued to watch, and the devastating effect of the noise was soon proven when the wooden barrels powdered under the onslaught of the creature's sonic fury and spilled the crystalline cocoons out onto the deck.

 

"Well, that almost outdid my sister Phoebe for temper tantrums," Janeway smirked.

 

 

Twelve hours later, the captain gathered her crew in the briefing room.  In that time, Seven had not found any other Cananiid ships, but Voyager was now very close to the F'lirR home world.  While Seven searched for ships, Lieutenant Torres, Ensign Samantha Wildman and the doctor studied the creatures and developed an environmental suit capable of withstanding their defensive sonic blast.  Ensign Wildman had been the one to discover that the creatures' diet consisted of an unusual blend of silica, water and plant matter.  Once their dietary needs were met, the newly emerging F'lirR appeared to be content to flutter around the cargo bay or to perch wherever there was a ledge large enough.  Some had even crowded around the viewport to watch the stars stream by as Voyager streaked through space.

 

When the anti-sonic suit had been tested -- by Seven, of course -- Janeway had stood in astrometrics nearly chewing her lip in half.  But the creatures had merely settled around the bulky form that Seven presented and had flown off when she moved.  She had to deliberately frighten one into emitting the sonic burst to be certain of the suit's dampening power and it had come through with flying colors.

 

That was an hour ago, and now, gathered in the comfortable surroundings of the conference room, Janeway was able to mentally berate herself for her worries, all the while drinking in the site of Seven, healthy and whole, sitting to her right.  The captain cleared her throat and said, "All right, what do we know?"

 

Samantha Wildman, who was attending the meeting, stood and walked over to the wall display console and keyed in a few commands.  One of the F'lirRs was displayed, broken down to its component parts.

 

"The creatures are a lepidoptera hybrid, as we suspected.  They are both carbon- and silicate- based life forms, requiring nutrients that contain both carbon and silica to survive.  They appear to have an average wingspan of one meter and can be as small as sixteen centimeters in length at full maturity.  Their cocoons, made of a dilithium compound, turn to powder when they emerge."

 

The captain, recalling the aliens encountered along with the rogue Federation ship Equinox, asked, "Are they sentient?"

 

Harry Kim stood and cleared his throat.  "After extensive tests, and after running every sound emitted by the creatures through the universal translator, we have concluded that they are not."

 

"Right," Sam nodded in agreement, then said, "the creatures only possess a tiny brain; large enough to allow for instinctual behavior, but not intelligence or language."

 

Sam sat down and Seven stood up, beginning her report.  "As you know, the NullSonics EV suit performed well under the assault of a fully agitated F'lirR.  Lieutenant Torres' crew are in the process of manufacturing enough suits for an away team.  Once we reach the planet, we hope to beam down and search for any deposits of dilithium, or any other material, that may be of use to Voyager."

 

"Thank you Ensigns, Seven," Janeway nodded, acknowledging each person, then said, "Tom, what's our ETA for the planet?"

 

Ensign Paris mumbled, "According to my calculations we'll get there in about two hours at our current speed."  Tom then looked up from his padd, flashed one of his trademark grins and said, "But if you need to be there now, I can get you there in seconds at warp nine." 

 

"Oh no you don't.  We don't have any idea of what that kind of speed would do to the creatures in cargo bay one," B'Elanna said bitingly, glaring at Tom until he looked away.

 

The captain, who was about to say something similar, if in a nicer fashion, chose to let the engineer handle Paris.  After all, they were dating.  "Chakotay, when we get there, I'd like you to lead an away team to the surface.  Check it out and see if there's any possible way we can mine some dilithium."  I will get those damn brownies if I have to go down and dig up the dilithium myself! Kathryn told herself firmly.  Even if she didn't actually share them with Seven in the way that her fantasies suggested, she still hoped to be the first to introduce the younger woman to the delights of sweets.

 

"Of course, Captain.  Tuvok, Seven, B'Elanna, I'll need you with me.  And I'll take Nicoletti and Ryerson, too."

 

"Aye, sir!" 

 

"Man your posts people, let's get these butterflies home safe and sound.  Dismissed."  The captain stood and pulled down her tunic, then exited to the bridge.

 

 

Voyager reached the F'lirR home world without incident.  Ensign Paris established orbit around the class M planet.   Scans indicated that the world boasted some of the strangest flora and fauna a Starfleet vessel had ever encountered.  Planetary Geology dubbed this unique world "Crysalis" because its ecosystem was a blend of carbon and silica.  Here, life forms had evolved that wore fur, feathers or scales made up of the two basic compounds.  Even the lowest of life, such as insects, were tiny bits of flying glass.

 

Harry was able to beam all of the passengers in cargo bay one straight to the planet's surface without harm, allowing Chakotay's away team to follow shortly.  The team found signs of Cananiid hunting parties, as well as evidence of landing parties of other life forms, but no clues pointing to the planet housing a sentient, indigenous life form.

 

Captain Janeway gave the go ahead for Chakotay's team to spread out and search for possible dilithium deposits.  They did not have far to go.  Under the loose layer of sand-like topsoil was a hard-pack layer of the crystalline matrix that powered Voyager's engines, and secondary systems.  The team carefully extracted a sample of the ore and beamed it to geology.  Within minutes, it was confirmed; the crystal would indeed be very useful to Voyager.

 

Six excavation sites were established.  Janeway was determined to mine enough dilithium to fill a third of cargo bay one.  Each shipment of ore was beamed to Voyager, processed and stored in sealed chambers -- just in case. 

 

On the first day of the mining operation, the F'LirR were no where to be seen.  The only denizens the crew reported were small, firefly-like insects that seemed more curious than anything about Voyager's people.  After two days of no ill encounters, Ensign Samantha Wildman was able to successfully negotiate protective suits for a science team.  She included Naomi among the team, wishing to use the benign planet as a way to give her daughter her first taste of an away mission.

 

Seven of Nine also accompanied the group, serving the dual role of scientist and unofficial guardian of the captain's bridge assistant.  Janeway had insisted that the Borg go, knowing that Seven would be a far more effective security guard than anyone in a yellow tunic.

 

It was Naomi who found the first signs that there had once been a civilization on the surface.  When she reported her discovery, a minor war broke out between the science departments.  Anthropology and Archeology were both clamoring for time planet-side, and Janeway spent several hours negotiating with the various teams until an acceptable agreement was reached. 

 

The ruins covered only an area of ten square meters and the buildings, once holographic mock-ups had been developed, proved to be made for a very small people.  The doorways were barely large enough for Naomi to walk through, and Seven had to crawl in to see the remains of what the Archeologists had determined to be a sort of "Town Hall".

 

There were no written records, no pictorial evidence of what the previous occupants looked like, only some crude tools, and a few scattered skeletal remains.  Anthropology had a field day working all hours to determine that the creatures were in fact bi-pedal and that they probably had two arms and two legs -- rather humanoid in appearance. 

 

After some discussion, Ensign Wildman and the doctor developed a holographic representation of what the beings might have looked like, basing their designs on the scant clues the crew had discovered.  The two scientist then invited the command staff to view their creation.

 

"Lilliputians," was the captain's comment, when she saw the diminutive creatures.

 

"Elves," countered Tom Paris, picking up the holobase and turning it around in his hands, staring at the holographic Crysalian.

 

"Dwarves," stated Harry Kim with a twinkle in his eye.  "The only elves that small would have to live at the North Pole, Tom."

 

"I suppose they'd be employed by Jolly Old Saint Nick, as well?" the doctor rolled his holographic eyes.  "Whatever they called themselves, they are no longer with us."  He tapped some commands into a padd and the hologram of the Crysalian native vanished.

 

"Thank Kahless for small miracles," B'Elanna said, then grinned at her own bad pun.

 

"That will be enough," Janeway ordered, then she said, "Chakotay tells me that we are almost finished with the mining.  Once everyone is safely on board, I'd like to be on our way to the Alpha quadrant as quickly as possible."

 

"Amen to that, Captain," Paris smiled and mimicked a toast.

 

"Tuvok, you will see that each crewman is issued an extra ten ration slips per day for the next two weeks.  After that, increase the ration slips to ten per week for as long as our good fortune holds out."

 

Voyager's command crew almost -- but not quite -- broke into cheers at the captain's pronouncement.

 

"As you wish, Captain."  Tuvok replied.

 

"Well then, let's get moving."  Janeway watched her people exit the conference room, then walked out and across the bridge to the door to her ready room.  She looked at Harry and nodded.  "You have the bridge, Mr. Kim."

 

"Aye, Captain."  The ensign nodded and walked around to perch on the edge of Chakotay's chair.

 

 

On Crysalis' surface, Naomi Wildman was seated cross-legged under a leafy crystalline frond plant that dappled the girl's EV suit with a plethora of rainbow colors.  She was avidly watching Seven of Nine, who was in the process of scanning a huge monolith of crystal that they had discovered the day before.  The forty-meter high protrusion scanned out to be a fine example of quartz and Seven had decided to see if there were some way to use the shards that appeared to slough off of the main trunk like bark from a tree.

 

The thin whine of a tricorder blended with a myriad of animal and avian sounds, creating a harmony unlike anything Naomi had ever heard before and she was nearly asleep when a deeper, bass melody caught her ear.  Curious, the child stood and followed the sound around the base of the quartz tower and through a cluster of ferny bushes.  She was about ten meters from Seven when the sound ceased as suddenly as it had begun.  Naomi stopped walking and looked behind her, expecting to see a clear trail back to her friend, but the bushes had closed in, obscuring her path. 

 

Not quite frightened, Naomi reached into her haversack and withdrew the tricorder that her mother had insisted she carry.  Carefully, she opened it up and oriented it on Seven's combadge signal.  Then, she slowly began to follow the course it plotted for her.  But when she arrived back in the clearing with the crystal, Seven was gone.  Confused, Naomi tapped her combadge. 

 

"Naomi to Seven of Nine."

 

No reply.

 

"Seven?"  Naomi asked again, and again, there was no reply.  Panic began teasing the edges of her mind, inviting her to play.  "Naomi to Voyager," she tried, sucking on her bottom lip and wishing that she had her Flotter doll to hug.

 

Nothing.  Dead air bounced back, punctuated by an occasional crackle.

 

Full blown fear blossomed in Naomi and she mashed the combadge whimpering, "Naomi to Mom?  Hello?  Are you there?"

 

Static.  "Mommy?  Anybody?" she sniffled, fighting tears.

 

Still no answer.  Slowly, Naomi forced herself to calm down.  She had to do this, because she was Captain Janeway's Bridge Assistant and Bridge Assistants did not cry.  Besides, she was Seven's pupil, and if she'd learned one thing from the aloof Borg, it was that tears did nothing to alleviate the problem at hand.

 

Naomi knew where she was.  She also knew that Voyager's crew had known where she was.  If there were a problem -- such as an attack -- they may have decided to leave her where she was safe while they dealt with the attackers.

 

"Probably some stupid Meilon or Hirogen or something," Naomi muttered to herself, walking over and curling up under the rainbow tree.  She folded the tricorder up and replaced it in her haversack, checking to see that she still had her ration bars and her water flask.  The EV suit was equipped with oxy filters and a temperature control unit -- there was no danger of her freezing or boiling anytime soon.  As long as she didn't do anything to puncture the suit, she would be fine.  Just fine.  She'd show everyone what a good, brave girl she was, she would.  She wouldn't cry.  Nope.  She sniffled.  A tear leaked anyway and she sniffled again, closing her eyes and concentrating on the music of the planet, straining to hear the birdsong she'd been listening to before she'd wandered away.

 

Naomi fell asleep under the tree, tears slowly trickling down her face as birdsong and crystal song blended around her.

 

 

Seven of Nine woke up in a chamber made entirely of amethyst.  The dark purple of the silicate throbbed with a pulsing life of its own, creating a sound not unlike that of a beating heart.  She was alone in the room, sprawled as if she'd fallen and landed on her back.  Stiffly, she sat up, wincing at a twisting pain that shot down her right arm.  Across the room, resting against a violet colored outcropping of crystal was her tricorder.  Slowly, she stood and moved to retrieve it.  The instrument appeared functional as she flipped it open and scanned herself awkwardly with her left hand.  Her right shoulder was dislocated and her collarbone was fractured.  She was also not wearing her EV suit.  Some thing or some one had removed the dark grey protective garment.

 

She felt no other ill effects though, so she slipped the tricorder into her pocket and went to tap her combadge, which was not there.  Her lips twisted into a snarl.  Now she was mildly annoyed.  She was also concerned about Naomi, who would certainly be frightened to find herself all alone on the planet's surface.

 

Seven tried to remember how she had gotten into the chamber, but the best she only had a fuzzy recollection of noting an impression in the quartz that resembled a handprint.  Curiously, she'd placed her own palm into the shape.  She recalled an explosion of sound -- not unlike when she'd first been assimilated -- and then nothing until she'd awakened in the amethyst chamber.

 

She looked around her spartan quarters, noting that the walls emitted a faint light, allowing her to see fairly well.  What she could not see, her ocular implant made up for.  Slowly, she began to scan the room, searching for a possible way out.  Eventually, she found only one possible fracture.  She determined that it could be an exit and began to push against it.

 

The throbbing sound got louder, and more staccato, like a sharp tattoo played on a drum.  She tried again, and got the same noise, only a bit louder and higher pitched.  She kept trying for nearly fifteen minutes, until her muscles ached from the strain.  Her only reward was the same sound, modulating with her pressure. 

 

Puzzled, she considered what the noise might be, and the only answer that presented itself was so ridiculous, she nearly choked on it. 

 

"Impossible," Seven said aloud, surprised at how little her voice echoed in the room.  Yet, she was a scientist, and so she tried again, this time pushing less hard. 

 

The throbbing sound again, though not as loud or as rapid, and there seemed to be a wheezy quality to it, as if it were tired.  Seven frowned.  Ticklish crystal was not something she wanted to try and explain to Captain Janeway.  If she ever got out of here, that was.  Absently, she stroked the fracture line, and the sound immediately changed, becoming a rapid thrum that nearly rattled her teeth out of her head.

 

"I must make a note not to consume Neelix's leola root stew before an away mission," Seven told herself.  Being trapped in a crystalline room that laughed and purred was surely some nutrient deficiency-induced nightmare.

 

 

"What do you mean you can't find them?"  Kathryn's voice was at its lowest register, a deadly combination of steel and gravel that had flayed the hides of more than one officer.

 

"I'm sorry, Captain, but neither Seven of Nine nor Naomi Wildman was at the beam out coordinates.  I scanned the entire planet and couldn't find them," Crewman Dell said nervously. 

 

Samantha Wildman was also present, having been summoned along with Captain Janeway.  She paled, hearing the news, then steeled her jaw.  "Captain..." she began, but one look from Janeway silenced her.

 

The captain closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking.  Ensign Kim had informed her of a huge sonic storm that had come boiling up from the planet's southern hemisphere, covering the area where Seven and Naomi were supposed to be, and making it impossible for them to beam an away team down immediately.  Long range sensors were no good, the sonics of the storm creating too much interference for the computer to search through. 

 

"Janeway to Torres."

 

"Yes, Captain?"  B'Elanna replied from her quarters, where she'd been about to crawl into bed.

 

"Those EV suits you designed -- can they withstand a level eight sonic storm?"

 

B'Elanna thought fast.  They'd designed the suits to be impervious to the sonic blast of the F'lirRs as well as be wearable on a planet's surface.  However, they had not known about the planet's unusual weather system.  Hesitantly, she said, "they should, as long as the wearer is under cover.  Is everything all right, Captain?"

 

"Seven and Naomi are still on the planet."

 

In her quarters, B'Elanna cursed silently, rubbing her eyes and grabbing her newly replicated uniform.  There'd be no sleep for her until they retrieved their crew.  "I'm on my way up, Captain."

 

"Meet me in the conference room.  Ensign Wildman, you're with me."  The captain was not insensitive to the worried mother, and she had every intention of including her in whatever plans for rescue they made.

 

 

Even after gathering her best minds together, there was nothing that Captain Janeway or her crew could do but wait.  The storm raged for nearly two days, and during that time, everyone prayed to whatever they believed in and paced nervously.

 

Kathryn did not sleep.  She could not.  Her gut twisted every time she though of Naomi -- and Seven, especially Seven -- trapped on the planet.  Instead, she poured over sensor readings, hoping against hope to find something -- anything -- that would be a clue as to how her people were doing.

 

 

Naomi woke up as evening set on the first day and noticed the difference immediately.  Even though her suit was supposed to keep her body at a specific temperature, she felt cold.  She could also sense a strange vibration in the air.  Her third clue that things were about to get strange was that all the birds and animals were gone and the forest was eerily silent.  She looked at the sky and saw the gathering clouds.

 

Naomi remembered what Ensign Kim had said in the mess hall to Ensign Paris about Crysalis' "killer storms -- they're like some psycho combination of a sonic shower and a hurricane" and felt the claws of panic sink deeply into her mind.  Whimpering, she backpedaled through the bushes and brush until she thudded against a huge tree trunk.  Her feet continued to move, shoveling up great clods of dirt, but the tree behind her prevented her escape.  Sobbing, she sank to the ground and awaited her fate.

 

The wind began to rise around her and with it came an eerie song that lulled her with its beauty.  Her eyes grew heavy and she shook her head, fighting off sleep.  She wasn't really tired, but the siren's call was too much to resist and she settled back, blinking owlishly.  Ethereal music filled the air, bringing tears to the sleepy child's eyes and she dozed lightly.  The liquid flutter of wings forced her eyes open and she watched in awe as thousands of the F'lirR, somehow drawn to this place where she slept, came arrowing in and landed everywhere, clustering by the hundreds on every available surface.

 

Naomi gazed at the astonishing site as the strange butterflies gave off a dim glow that painted the area around her in an array of hundreds of colors and patterns.  A living crystal blanket of the creatures dappled her body, warming her.  She relaxed when she realized none of the F'lirR were attempting to emit their sonic blast, but instead, were humming softly, lulling her to sleep.

 

As she lay there drifting, the storm rolled in, wreaking havoc on the odd landscape.  Trees and plants were uprooted by the horrendous winds or shattered by the shrieking wail that accompanied them.  Fear threatened to overwhelm the girl until she noticed that the storm could not touch the F'lirR; they remained steadfastly adhered to their chosen perches, including the ones that covered her body.  The last thing she saw before sleep claimed her was two tiny butterflies landing on her face mask and spreading their lavender wings, blotting out the night sky.

 

 

Her internal chronometer indicated that she'd been stuck inside of the amethyst chamber for 17.43 hours, but her stomach complained that it had been forever.  Seven frowned, disliking the human frailty of hunger, and regretting that she did not have her EV suit, which had packages of ration bars in one of the pockets.  She'd given up trying to get out, concluding that someone had to have put her in the room.  Eventually, they would her out, one way or another.  She didn't see any bones or carcasses in the room, so she hoped that boded well for the owner's timing. 

 

She settled down on the floor, leaned against a wall and tried to ignore the persistent ache that her right shoulder had become.  The sharp planes of the crystal’s surface made for a poor bed though, and she had trouble getting comfortable.  Slowly, she drifted off, dozing fitfully as she struggled to sleep on the unyielding rock.

 

The sound of voices brought her out of her haze.  She cocked her head, listening.  No, it was not voices, per se, but sounds in a regular pattern that might be a form of communication.  Seven attempted to isolate the sounds, placing her left ear against the crystalline wall and concentrating on the vibrations.  As the metal of her ocular implant brushed the dark purple crystal, an arc of blue-white energy leapt from the surface of the crystal, striking her.  Seven cried out in pain, then toppled over, unconscious.

 

Seven came to only moments later, but as she looked around, she saw that she was now surrounded by beings -- beings made entirely of crystal.  They were standing, floating and otherwise perched around the chamber, which had seemingly expanded in size until it was larger than either of Voyager's cargo bays. 

 

One creature, a brightly glowing composition of sun-yellow fibrous crystals that seemed to be woven into the form of a humming bird, dove straight for her face, stopping to hover in mid air only millimeters from her nose.  It chirruped at her once, then flew away.

 

Groggily, Seven said, "State your intentions."

 

Another crystalline animal, this one in the form of a field mouse, scampered up her leg to perch on her shoulder and chitter glassily in her ear.  Without warning, the mouse darted off as a serpentine rope of smoky quartz slithered up to Seven and laid an apple-like object into her lap.  Curiously, Seven picked up the fruit and scanned it, noting that, aside from herself, it was the first carbon based object she'd seen in the room.

 

Her stomach rumbled as she examined the offering and she clamped her teeth down hard, refusing to give in to her Human side.  The snake rose up and gazed at her, swaying from side to side as she continued to scan the fruit.  The “apple” was quite beautiful.  The flesh was a deep golden-red and there was a sweet fragrance that wafted up to her nose, enticing her.  Seven licked her lips unconsciously, as she held the scanning device over the fruit.  It had been a long time since she’d eaten last, and at that, she’d only consumed a small amount of what had been given to her.  The tricorder readings showed that the fruit was harmless; completely compatible with her Borg physiology.

 

Her stomach growled again, rattling her backbone.  Enough! she told herself, and took a tentative bite.  Fifteen minutes later, when she did not appear to suffer any ill effects, she consumed the entire thing, seeds and all.  She was licking the incredibly sweet juices off of her fingers when the tittering sound of laughter filled the room. 

 

"Look Mama!  It preens its paws like a four-leg fur-wearer."  The voice was musical, glassy and sharp.

 

"Hello?  Is someone present?"  Seven asked warily.

 

"By the First Crack!  It worked!  She can hear us!  Thank the Shard!  Hello, surface walker.  We are the Earthkin."  A tall, thin being of striated teal blue and purple crystal stepped out of the mass of huddled people and approached Seven, extending his hands palm up.  Seven looked up at the -- male -- she assumed, from the depth and strength of his voice and was pleasantly surprised to see that his face was humanoid, having two eyes, a nose and a mouth.  The shape of the face was rather angular, but not ugly and Seven found herself wanting to trust the open smile and warm bluish glow that emanated from the being.

 

"I can understand you.  Do you have a universal translator?"

 

"Of a type.  The squishfruit you consumed was loaded with special shards that bore our language to you.  It might be more accurate to say that you can now speak our language.  But that is irrelevant, Stranger.  We welcome you to our Geode.  You are the first non Fur-Wearer that we have met and we are gladdened to see that the Great Stone has finally taken the hated killers from our world."

 

"Fur-Wearer?  Do you mean species 115, the Cananii?"

 

"Yes!  They are most hideous.  They eat our grandchildren!" the thin being said sadly.  "But enough sadness!  I am Fluro, the speaker for this Geode.  Welcome."  Again, he held out his hands, palm up.

 

Seven, having the assimilated memories of thousands of species, observed the gesture, then responded by gingerly placing her hands over Fluro's.  "Thank you.  I am Seven of Nine, Astrometrics officer of the Federation starship Voyager."

 

"Starship?  Do you mean a skyflier?" Fluro asked, voice guarded.

 

"Yes.  Voyager is a space-faring vessel."

 

An ominous growl erupted in the chamber, echoing off the crystalline walls and nearly driving Seven to her knees with the intensity of it.  "Murderer!  She IS a Fur-Wearer!" one of the beings keened, the sound piercing Seven's skull like daggers.

 

"No!" she shouted, covering her ears.  "I am not species 115!  I am Borg!"

 

"Stop!"  Fluro shouted, causing the walls of the Geode to shudder.  The noise died away and he nodded.  "There.  That's better.  My friends, listen to me.  Until our guest proves otherwise, she is to be treated fairly.  Recall the Great Stone's words -- there are other Sky Walkers besides the dreaded Cananii.  Perhaps she truly is one of them.  If she is, it behooves us to greet her with open arms, and perhaps prevent the horrors that accompany the Fur-Wearers from occurring again."  The Speaker's words calmed the assembled Earthkin, and soon, the beings drifted away, leaving Seven alone with Fluro.

 

"Thank you, Speaker Fluro."

 

"You're welcome, Seven of Nine.  We Earthkin know that our voices are dangerous to Surface Walkers, but we forget our power in our anger.  Now tell me, are you of the Sky Walkers that returned our Surface kin, the F'lirR?"  Fluro seated himself across from Seven, who had crossed her legs Indian-style and was resting her injured arm on her leg.  The food she’d eaten gave her nanoprobes much needed energy and soon, the pain in her shoulder faded away to a dull ache.

 

"Yes, I am.  However, I believe you already knew that."  Seven's mind cleared and she recalled the reports of nighttime sightings of "crystalline men" made by several members of Voyager's crew.  Commander Chakotay had dismissed the rumors as mirages and will o' the wisps.  Seven felt mild satisfaction in knowing that she would be able to prove him wrong.

 

Fluro laughed, a rich sound that reminded Seven of rocks falling into a pool of water.  "You are an observant one, Seven of Nine.  Very well.  Yes, we did know that you were of the Sky Walkers that returned our kin -- as well as dug up and removed our garbage in large quantities.  You can imagine what a stir that created in the Geode.  A group of Sky Walkers that not only returned our young, but took away our garbage as well!  It was thought to be a great joke, until you touched one of the Shards."

 

"The quartz monolith.  It is more than it appears?"  Seven asked curiously, recalling the strange feeling of the rock’s surface.  Then, her brow furrowed.  Naomi Wildman had accompanied her on her study of the planet’s curiosities.  "I -- was with a companion when I was studying the stone.  Where is she?"

 

"Ah yes, the splinter.  She is well.  Protected by our kin, the F'lirR.  We could not reach her as we could you -- she was too far away from the influence of the Mothershard.  Do not concern yourself, Seven of Nine, your kin is safe."  The glow of Fluro's body flickered briefly as he leaned forward and patted Seven on the shoulder comfortingly.  Involuntarily, she flinched away from the strange being’s touch.  The Earthkin's hand was cool and surprisingly soft, but her shoulder screamed at the contact, the nanoprobes having been exhausted in their effort to repair the damaged tissue and bone.

 

"Thank you," Seven replied tightly, closing her fingers of her left hand into a fist and exerting every ounce of willpower she had to keep from crying out in pain.

 

"Great Shard!  You are injured!  Why did you not say so, Seven of Nine?  Dia, Chadra, come and bring the Healer!"  Fluro stood and clapped his hands together, the sound of it echoing through the chamber like breaking glass.  Two of the humming bird type of Earthkin appeared and flitted off just as quickly.  Shortly, a very small, raccoon-like Earthkin arrived, carrying a woven bag that bulged unusually.

 

"Hello?  Ah, yes.  Here we are.  You are the Seven, yes?  Good, good.  I am the Mender, Tyxal.  What would be the ah, difficulty?"  The Earthkin healer spoke in a whisper soft voice that reminded Seven of tinkling bells.  She studied his face, which was a strange mottling of gray and brown crystalline fur.  He had a kindly appearance, for all of his strangeness, which made Seven feel safe for the first time since waking in the strange chamber.

 

"I have a torn right rotator cuff, a fractured collarbone and severe trauma to the surrounding tissue.  However, my physiology is unique, even to what you term 'Surface Walkers'.  I do not know if you will be able to repair the damage,” she reported to the healer gravely.

 

"Ah, ah, ah."  Tyxal shushed her, waggling a dark brown finger at her.  "I am a Mender.  Let me work, shardling."

 

"I will comply," Seven stated simply, allowing the healer to examine her with an amazing assortment of bits and pieces of crystal.  Surprisingly, his touch brought no pain, only a curious buzzing sensation.  The mender began to hum, and as he did, Seven noticed that his body illumination pulsed in time with his voice.  Experimentally, she added a descant contralto to his humming.  When she did, the glow got much brighter and a smile soon appeared on his face.

 

"You are a Chanter as well as a Sky Walker, Seven?" he asked, forgoing the formality of her entire name.  He whistled happily as a bluish-green crystal that he'd just placed on the Borg's shoulder emitted a brief sonic pulse, sounding much like an old fashioned wolf-whistle.  "Ah!  Yes, here it is.  All right, shardling, this may cause you some distress, but I assure you, it will be over quickly," and before Seven could stop him, the Mender shredded the cloth of her biometric suit and pressed the very sharp crystal into her flesh.

 

Seven cried out at the penetration, but the pain was astonishingly brief, vanishing as soon as the crystal itself did.  Wonderingly, Seven watched as her entire shoulder fluoresced a brilliant blue-green.  A liquid warmth spread from the point of the crystal's entry out over her entire body, taking with it every last ache and pain.  Wearily, she yawned and was again surprised when her stomach growled, indicating its demand for nutrition.

 

Tyxal chuckled.  "Ah, good.  Just like any shardling.  Quick to heal and hunger.  Good," he rubbed his hands together happily, "very good.  My work is done."  He bowed to Seven, then took her hand in his and brushed his glassy, yet soft and warm muzzle across her knuckles.  "My lady Sky Walker, I thank you for the privilege of serving you."  He released her hand and scooped up his bag and shards, then said to Fluro, who'd stood off to the side watching the whole scene silently, "Speaker, you should feed this youngling, then allow her to sleep.  I also believe she should be returned to the Motherstone and allowed to go.  Neither she nor her people will harm us."

 

Speaker Fluro stepped forward and clapped Tyxal on the shoulder.  "Wonderful, Mender.  Thank you!" the Speaker said gruffly.

 

The noise of their two bodies crashing together made Seven wince.  She wondered briefly if Neelix would feel uncomfortable around a people whose bodily movements created noises that distinctly resembled the breaking of dinnerware.

 

"Thank you, for your care," Seven added, after she'd rotated her arm around, still amazed at the rapid healing.  Not even the ubiquitous Starfleet bone-knitters and dermal regenerators healed so quickly and completely.  She spared a moment to think of the Doctor and how he would love to study the Mender and his medical abilities, but the rumble of her stomach stole away her thoughts.

 

Tyxal smiled and his body pulsed with a warm orange glow.  Raising on hand in farewell, he nodded at Seven, then turned away and scampered off, vanishing into the dark purple wall of the chamber. 

 

Fluro dimmed, his body’s aura almost vanishing and then he flared brightly.  "Well, I suppose I'd better follow the Mender's orders.  You seemed able to eat the squishfruit.  Is that your only dietary requirement?"

 

Together, Seven and the Speaker determined a meal that she could consume without offending the Earthkin.  After eating, Seven spent some time telling the Speaker about Voyager, about herself and about her dual heritage.  He was quite interested in the fact that she was also a hybrid of earth and flesh, like his distant kin, the F'lirR, with metallic components standing in for the silicates of the butterflies.

 

Their conversation only lasted a few hours, as she was indeed exhausted.  "My apologies, Speaker, but I must regenerate," Seven said after she'd yawned for the third time in a sentence.

 

"Of course, of course.  But first, the Geode has petitioned the Great Shard, and the Mothershard has agreed: We would like to gift you with a history matrix."

 

"That is a fine gift, Fluro."  Seven sighed, "but I have nothing to give in return."

 

Fluro's light, which Seven had learned was the Earthkin's "life spark" dimmed down to almost nothing.  "By taking our gift, Seven of Nine, Sky Walker, you will be giving one.  You see, we are a dying race, we Earthkin.  Our world is changing; soon, it will undergo the Great Shake, and life will be remade as the Great Stone sees fit.  Yet, through you, and the Voyager skyflier, our Tales and Chants can live on, even if we do not."

 

Seven did not know what to say.

 

Fluro continued.  "You told me of a substance you'd recently consumed -- chocolate -- how you had enjoyed it's ineffable flavor, well, think of the situation as this:  We are giving you water, something simple and easily found -- but you, you are giving us chocolate, possibly the best chocolate we've ever had.  Please, accept the matrix  -- carry us to the stars."  Fluro placed his hand on Seven’s arm; the Borg was surprised at how soft the glasslike flesh really was.

 

"You do not need to argue further, Speaker Fluro.  I will accept your gift,” she replied sincerely, covering his hand with her own. 

 

The Speaker's light flashed brightly, causing Seven to wince.  "Thank you.  Sleep now.  In the morning, you will be reunited with your kin."  Fluro stood and smiled gently.  Seven watched as his spark pulsed and two other Earthkin arrived with a blanket woven from a myriad of brilliant colors.  The Speaker covered Seven with the quilt as she drifted off to sleep.

 

 

Captain Janeway's away team beamed down into the most amazing site they had yet witnessed  on the amazing planet Crysalis.  Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of the F'lirR blanketed the area around the quartz protrusion where Seven and Naomi had last been seen.  As the last man of the team beamed in, the captain opened her tricorder, and began scanning for life signs. 

 

After a moment’s search, she pointed to a large tree and said, "Over there.  I'm picking up faint signs."

 

Carefully, the away team picked their way through the unusual undergrowth.  As they neared the giant tree, Captain Janeway began make out the tiny shape of a booted foot, covered by dormant F'lirR.  Then, almost as they were within speaking distance, the glass-like butterflies awoke and rose as one unit.  The crew watched in awe as the creatures spread their wings and flew gracefully away, leaving the clearing empty.  The departing insects revealed little Naomi Wildman, still curled up beneath the tree, fast asleep.

 

Ensign Wildman, who had been allowed to join the away mission cried out happily, "Naomi!"

 

Naomi sat up and blinked groggily.  "Mommy?"

 

Janeway nodded imperceptibly and Samantha ran to her child, scooping her up into her arms and hugging her as close as the EV suits would allow. 

 

"Captain!"  An excited shout from over by the stone got Janeway's attention.  She turned and saw Harry and Tom supporting a sleepy-eyed Seven, who was without her EV suit.  She had an unusual mass of crystal clutched under her left arm and the shoulder of her right arm was completely shredded, exposing not a little cleavage.  A beautifully woven blanket was draped over her shoulders, the fabric of which rippled and shimmered as she moved.

 

Kathryn blinked as she felt her blood heat and race pell-mell through her body.  "Seven.  Where is your EV suit?"  Her voice was tight with anger that she could not understand why she felt.

 

Seven snapped to attention, eyes cool and posture perfect.  "The Earthkin claim that it was damaged when I passed through the Motherstone, Captain."

 

"I bet this is going to be some report."  Janeway muttered, then tapped her combadge and said, "All right Chakotay, get us out of here."

 

 

It was, indeed, some report.  As a scientist, Captain Janeway was hard put to accept all of the former Borg drone’s claims about the inhabitants of Crysalis.  But Kathryn could not deny the evidence before her eyes.  The Earthkin history matrix sat on her desk, glowing softly. 

 

Even now, she was still stroking its smooth surface, letting the various memories stored within dance lightly in her mind’s eye.  The captain had already spent several hours reviewing the contents and she was amazed at the richness and grandeur of the Earthkin’s lives.  Several millennia worth of data had been stored in the silica, easily extracted by touching the crystal and closing one's eyes.  The physical interface, made possible by a chemical reaction in the viewer’s body, opened a visa of images that once the mind accepted them, became stories.

 

Oh, and what wondrous stories they were!  Kathryn could not decide if they were fact or fiction, and at this point, it did not matter.  She, or rather Seven, had been entrusted with the matrix, and she would not let the Earthkin down.  She would preserve the history of the people that had saved Seven and Naomi's lives and she would carry it all the way to the Alpha Quadrant, where it would be studied and listened to for years.  She knew that once in the Federation, whole new schools of study thought would likely spring up in connection to this one piece of rock. 

 

Water for chocolate.  She had started this week trading water for dilithium, just so she could have some sweets.  She had ended up with her candy, and so much more.

 

So now what? she asked herself.  Voyager's fine.  The crew is ecstatically replicating frivolities and we're in a system that is dilithium rich.  This is likely to go on for some time.  What do we do know?  Or rather, what do I do now?

 

There's always those caramel brownies you wanted to hand feed to a certain six foot tall Borg... her inner voice reminded, providing her with provocative images of Seven's mouth closing over her fingers.

 

"Oh stop that!"  Kathryn growled at herself in frustration.

 

"Captain?"  Seven of Nine's voice asked curiously.  Janeway opened her eyes to see her astrometrics officer standing before her desk.

 

For a moment, she could not recall having allowed the woman to enter, then she remembered that she'd asked Seven to come up as soon as she was done with her physical so that they could discuss her report.  Seven must have come in while she was woolgathering.  Janeway sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, feigning an impending headache.  "Sorry Seven, I was just arguing with myself."

 

Seven's ocular implant rose expressively.  "Were you winning?" she asked, quite seriously.

 

Kathryn laughed, knowing her officer's unusual brand of humor -- humor that had only recently begun to flourish under her tender care -- was offbeat at the best of times.  "Not really.  I think my baser self is playing dirty."

 

Seven smirked.  "Perhaps you should cheat, Captain.  It is efficient and, quite often, the only way to win."

 

"Somehow, cheating myself sounds so -- wrong.  No, I'm afraid that I will just have to concede the fight.  Anyway, I wanted to go over your report, and to ask you how you were feeling."  The captain steepled her fingers below her chin, assuming her "listening" pose.

 

"I am functioning at normal parameters, thank you.  The doctor says that I have not suffered any ill effects from the planet's surface.  My shoulder is completely healed and since I have regenerated, my body has received the nutrients it required."

 

"Excellent.  I'm curious to hear your opinions of the Earthkin."  Janeway gestured to the chair that was placed opposite of her.  "Please, sit down.  This will take some time."

 

Delicately, Seven perched on the chair, while the captain began to ask her questions.  Dutifully, Seven answered them, occasionally stealing glances at the history matrix.  She'd been in constant contact with the stone for nearly four hours before being discovered by Ensign's Kim and Paris, and the history of the Earthkin still seethed restlessly in her head.  She'd already caught herself daydreaming at odd times, considering what it would be like to live among them. 

 

They were a Collective of sorts, she'd discovered, only without the controlling center, as each Geode was autonomous.  Yet the Geodes could act in concert when threatened, and all Earthkin considered themselves to be of one race.  It was fascinating. 

 

She also remembered, with a certain awe, that even when Speaker Fluro had learned that she was a Borg, they had not feared her.  Indeed, in their history there was no mention of her former Collective and she didn't think she'd ever again meet a race that would accept her so wholly.

 

The conversation wound down, with both women ending up staring at each other across the desk, and suddenly, Seven realized that she was staring into the captain's eyes, calculating the exact shade of blue they were and contrasting it with the fiery red of her hair.

 

Seven's stomach chose that moment to remind her that although she was Borg, she was also very Human.  Frowning, Seven said, "It is time for me to ingest a nutritional supplement, Captain.  If there is nothing else?"

 

Kathryn blinked.  She'd been caught in the icy depths of Seven's eyes, falling into the coolness and drowning happily.  "Uhm, yes.  Seven, would you like to learn a new game?" she asked casually.

 

Seven's brow furrowed.  She and the captain had a habit of meeting occasionally for Velocity, or for some other sport, but it had been quite some time since she and Kathryn -- the name the captain insisted she be known by when off duty -- had "played" together.  The idea of spending time in the captain's company was at once provocative and fearsome.  "I am always interested in experiencing new forms of Human interaction, Captain," Seven finally said, deciding to set her fear aside for now.

 

"Wonderful.  Meet me at my quarters tonight at 21:00 hours.  We'll have a go at some old fashioned board games."  Kathryn smiled warmly, and Seven's insides turned to water.

 

"I will see you then," Seven tried one of the all-purpose phrases the doctor had taught her when she first joined the crew.

 

"Until then.  Dismissed."

 

 

It was 20:45 and Kathryn was a wreck.  She had raced back to her quarters to sweep through them whirlwind fast, straightening and cleaning.  She had made neat piles of the padds, books and the many other trinkets she had collected over the years, yet her quarters still seemed somehow inadequate.  For a brief instant, she considered recycling everything, and leaving her quarters bare except for her furniture, but common sense took over at the last minute and reminded her that losing her mind was not a good way to start an evening.

 

Once she had stopped berating herself for acting the fool, she quickly wasted a few rations on replicating an assortment of old and new board games, as well as a plate full of caramel brownies.  These she placed under a stasis dome to keep until Seven arrived.  Her inner voice chuckled lasciviously at the brownies, but she refused to let herself be baited, rationalizing that she did have to provide some kind of snack for the two of them to munch while they worked through the ins and outs of Monopoly and Candyland.

 

At five minutes till the hour, she replicated a pitcher of milk, a pot of tea and a carafe of coffee, hoping to cover all bases in the drink department.

 

At exactly 21:00 hours, her door chime beeped.  Janeway's knees went all gooey and she had to forcibly keep herself upright as she stood and called out, "Come in."

 

The doors slid open and Seven walked in, dressed in her customary biometric suit, though this one was a new color -- a deep, rich forest green.  The color nicely complimented the Borg's reddish blonde hair, which was pinned up in its habitual bun.  Kathryn didn't know why, but she felt mildly disappointed by the attire.  She had hoped for something less -- efficient.  Yet, the outfit suited Seven so perfectly, highlighting the smooth curves of her body, and granting her an aura of vulnerability that was so incongruous on a member of the feared Borg. 

 

But Seven is not just Borg, anymore.  Not since you took her in and gave her back her Humanity, Katie.  For good or for ill, Seven is a product of both her heritages.  She is both vulnerable and strong, and that combination draws you like a moth to a candle's flame.  Be careful you don't get burned, she told herself firmly.  To Seven, she said, "Seven, I'm glad you came.  Have a seat.  Care for a drink?"

 

"I do not require liquid at this time, but thank you for your offer."  Seven replied, smiling slightly.  She looked around the captain’s quarters curiously and then asked in a tone of mixed curiosity and anticipation, "What are we to play today?"

 

Kathryn smiled at Seven's enthusiasm.  "Well, I've replicated an assortment of games.  Take your pick," she indicated the table, where a dozen boxed games rested, stacked neatly on top of each other.

 

Seven examined each box, opening a few and fingering the playing pieces, even scanning the rules of some.  Janeway stayed out of her way, putting her hands into the pockets of the denim jeans she'd replicated and pacing slowly around her quarters, surreptitiously moving a picture here, a vase there until she was sure she was about to start picking lint from the carpet.

 

Finally, she looked at Seven, who was still looking at the boxes.  "Have you found one?"

 

Seven frowned slightly.  "I have not.  These do not appear to be challenging enough."

 

Kathryn nearly bristled, but kept her temper in check.  "All right, what would you like to play?"

 

"I wish to engage in an Earthkin game."

 

"An Earthkin game?"  Janeway repeated, baffled.  "Why?"

 

Seven paced around the table, clasping her hands behind her back.  "Ever since I was given the ability to speak their language, and the gift of their history, I cannot think of anything else.  I have lived their lives in my regeneration periods and in my waking moments.  I visualize segments of their existence and I wish to understand it.  I want to know why I am drawn to their culture.  There is a -- game -- that, when played with a trusted companion, will allow a seeker to touch the future."

 

"This does not sound like a game, Seven.  This sounds like some kind of Earthkin gypsy trick!"  Kathryn was not amused.  As a scientist, the very idea of an oracular device went against everything she believed in, and the very thought of Seven wanting to use such a "game" angered her for some undefined reason.

 

Seven reeled back as if slapped.  Stiffly, she drew herself erect and said, "If you do not wish to participate, then I have no opinion on the games which you have provided.  Whatever you wish to teach me, I will learn."  Her tone was mechanical and completely emotionless.

 

Kathryn's heart plummeted to her feet.  Katie Janeway, you are being a complete ass! Her mental voice berated her, ironically enough, in her sister Phoebe's voice.  The woman just wants you to broaden your horizons and you can't let go of your own prejudice enough to look at Tarot cards?  For shame!  The combination of Seven's demeanor and her own inner dressing down caused Kathryn to rethink her opinion.  "I'm sorry Seven.  Please, explain your game to me," she said contritely. 

 

Seven stopped pacing, looked at Kathryn, raised her eyebrow, and said, "It is simple and elegantly efficient.  Nine crystals are given to each participant.  Each crystal carries the ability to mesh with another.  The participants touch crystals until they mesh. When they do, a vision will come, allowing the viewers a chance to glimpse into the maelstrom of their problem.  As the crystals mesh, they build a single matrix that, when activated, will show a short glimpse of their future."

 

"And you believe that this will allow you to understand why you are so affected by their culture?"  Kathryn asked skeptically, still slightly put off by the idea.

 

"Yes, I do."  Seven's eyes were earnest, pleading with the captain to allow this to happen.  "Please, Captain.  I have asked so little of you."

 

Kathryn felt her resolve melt away.  "All right.  What do we need?"

 

Seven smiled brilliantly, then walked to the replicator.  "I believe I can create what we need," she said absently as she began programming in the request.

 

Kathryn sat down at the table, amusedly watching Seven tap controls on her replicator panel.  Minutes later, Seven joined her, bearing a wooden box.  She opened the box, displaying eighteen different colored crystals laid out in three rows of six each. 

 

"These are the playing pieces,” she explained.

 

"Wonderful.  Would you care for a drink now?"  Janeway asked again, wishing she could add an alcoholic beverage to the selection she had on the table.

 

"Yes, I believe I wish to partake of a liquid refreshment."  Seven surveyed the drinks, adding, "I will have milk."

 

Janeway chuckled softly.  She remembered when Naomi had first introduced Seven to milk and how the older woman hadn't been able to drink enough of it.  Her thirst for milk had ebbed over the months, but she still drank it almost exclusively over any other beverage.  Kathryn poured a glass for Seven, and made herself a cup of coffee.  She took a sip, and said, "How do we begin?"

 

Seven picked up her glass, took a huge gulp of the milk, leaving a creamy white mustache on her upper lip, and said, "First, I will deal out the crystals."  She reached into the box and removed the eighteen slivers and one by one, divided them between Kathryn and herself.

 

Janeway picked up each crystal and examined it, delighted by the colors and shifts in the texture.  Each shard pulsed with a faint glow, something that amazed and confounded the captain.  Vague memories from the history matrix touched her mind, and she realized that she was holding something very sacred to the people that had saved Seven and Naomi.

 

"Now, we will each choose a crystal, and try to unite it with the other," Seven continued, choosing a deep green sliver that had a rapid light pulse.

 

"All right."  Kathryn said, and chose a dark blue stone that had a steady, faint light.  The stone warmed quickly in her hand.  "Now what?"

 

"Attempt to fuse the crystals together."  Seven demonstrated by reaching her hand out to Kathryn, palm up and crystal resting lightly in the center.  "Touch your crystal to mine."

 

Kathryn couldn't help smirking playfully.  "This could be mildly flirtatious," she said, as she held her chosen crystal out over Seven's, then touched the two stones together.  A clear, bell tone rang through her room as the two stones met and Kathryn nearly dropped the crystal when a brilliant blue-green light blossomed from their hands, casting dancing shadows everywhere.

 

"Join them, Kathryn," Seven said calmly.  Swallowing, Janeway pushed the two stones together, closing her eyes at the brightness of the light.  As her and Seven's hands clasped around each other, in her mind's eye, a faint picture formed -- Seven, in her full Borg state, as she first greeted Kathryn aboard the Borg vessel.

 

Emotion rippled through Kathryn's body and her breathing escalated.  She recalled every second of that first encounter with icy clarity, how she had been so immensely shocked that her liaison was a Human, not to mention Female and Beautiful.  So terribly beautiful, even concealed as she was by the trappings of the Borg.  Then Kathryn was further shocked to realize that Seven could sense her thoughts, that she knew that the captain found her beautiful.

 

Wonderingly, Seven fell into the vision, wrapping the knowledge of Kathryn's feelings about her physical appearance around her heart like a warm blanket.  In return, she allowed herself to relive that day, when she came to, programmed with the Collective's will to comply with the Human Janeway, and then assimilate the entire crew of Voyager as soon as Species 8472 had been defeated.  She felt Kathryn's recognition and sensed that somehow, the Starfleet captain had suspected that the Borg would make such an attempt.  She also felt Janeway's compassion for a Human child, assimilated and forced to comply with the will of the Collective.

 

The vision began to fade, but before it vanished completely, Seven was able to impart that she had, as a drone, come to admire the captain's individuality, and perhaps, in her most secret of hearts, desire it.  The pictures and feelings faded, leaving Kathryn and Seven staring dazedly at their linked hands.

 

"Do you still feel that this is an Earthkin 'gypsy trick', Kathryn?"  Seven asked softly, as she let go of the captain's hand to search for another crystal.

 

Janeway shook her head emphatically, "No, I do not.  I am truly sorry, Seven.  Without thinking, I mocked another culture's belief system and that was wrong of me.  Please, I want to try another one."  She was absolutely stunned by the wealth of feelings this “game” engendered in her, but she was not about to quit now.

 

They each chose crystals and tried again, but this time, nothing happened.  Seven carefully put her crystal down and began picking up others and touching them to the one that Kathryn held.  Finally, a thin shard of tiger's eye melted into the block of jasper that the captain had chosen.

 

Immediately, Seven was overwhelmed by the memory of being the only living being on duty on Voyager.  The ship was crossing a nebula that gave off a form of radiation deadly to the rest of the crew, so to save their lives they had all been placed in coldsleep units while Seven and the Emergency Medical Hologram piloted the ship.  During the journey, the radiation damaged the ship's systems and the doctor went off-line, leaving Seven truly alone for the first time in her life. 

 

The silence had nearly driven her crazy, causing her mind to invent a murderous alien bent on destroying Voyager.  She had battled the apparition while struggling to hold on to her rapidly crumbling sanity.  Kathryn was astounded at the depth of Seven's fear; so much so that she actually reached her other hand out and put it over their linked hands, trying to convey through both touch and emotion how not alone Seven was.  They opened their eyes and smiled at each other.

 

"You are not alone, so long as you are a part of our family, Seven," Kathryn said quietly as Seven took the two blocks of fused stone and touched them together, creating an unusual amalgam base of crystalline matrix.  The matrix pulsed weakly, giving off both a warm glow as well as a low, nearly unheard tone.

 

"I know that now, Kathryn.  It has taken me some time to accept and understand that.  I have not had a true family since my parents were assimilated and I had nothing with which to compare my current existence.  Then I realized that I did not need to compare my existence now to my existence as a child, because both have affected who I am."  She took a long drink of her milk.  "Are you ready to continue, or do you wish to suspend our activity?" she asked, wiping her mouth on the back of her sleeve.

 

"Oh, I think I could go for a quick break right about now," Janeway answered truthfully, refreshing her coffee, then sipping the brew, relishing the imagined sensation of hot caffeine racing through her veins.

 

They sat in silence, comfortably enjoying each other's company.  Idly, Kathryn fingered each of the crystals, pre-determining that she would select a piece of amethyst next, liking the way that its light seemed to get brighter as she stroked it.

 

Seven was lost in thought, studying Kathryn's hands, wondering what it would feel like to have the strong fingers touch her.  They were deceptive, she'd learned recently.  They appeared fragile, but were really strong as iron.  The flesh of Kathryn’s palms was soft, smooth, yet tough enough to perform the hundreds of odd tasks that the captain required of them on a daily basis.

 

Secretly, Seven felt that the captain's hands were perfect, especially compared to her Borg-augmented ones.  Five minutes passed, then ten as each finished her drink.  Finally, Seven selected a slice of moonstone and said, "I am ready to complete this game."

 

"All right."  Kathryn set her cup down and picked up the amethyst point.  Together, they pushed the two stones together, not surprised by the deep bass tone that was emitted by the fusion. 

 

This vision was one that came from both of their memories.  They were in the brig of the Dauntless, just after Arturis' deception had been discovered and had just begun to discuss their options.  The vision did not provide sound, but both women could recall the conversation, and both were surprised to realize that they were both feeling the same thing at the same time: pleasure at how well they worked together under pressure.  Added to that pleasure was the knowledge that both women immensely enjoyed being in the other's company.

 

The scene vanished, leaving behind a sense of intimacy between Seven and Kathryn that neither had noticed existing before.  Their fingers were entwined like new lover's, instead of simply clasped over the fused silica.  Each drew a breath, and silently, Kathryn placed the new crystal onto the matrix base, where the pieces flowed together.  Just as quietly, each drew and tested more crystals until two more rang with a joyous piccolo tune and provided the next vision.

 

What they saw was Kathryn, sitting in her ready room, reading a letter from Mark.  The captain felt her heart thump painfully against her ribs as she remembered how deeply the words in the letter had cut into her heart.  Until that point, she had not imagined her return to the Alpha quadrant without Mark waiting for her.  Tears welled up in her eyes, and suddenly, Seven's other hand was cradling their clasped hands and Kathryn could feel the Borg's thumb slowly rubbing the skin of her hand comfortingly.  Emotion flowed from Seven to Kathryn; compassion, acceptance and caring.  It was then that Kathryn realized that Seven truly cared for her, the person, above and beyond the respect she had for the Captain.

 

They opened their eyes and together, they placed the miniature matrix on the larger base.  "Seven, I --"

 

"You are my friend, Kathryn, not just my captain."  No other words were needed.

 

They continued, discovering, to their surprise, that some of the crystals would not bond.  They did, however, flow into the matrix, taking on a metallic appearance.  There were now just two crystals left.  In tandem, they brought the shards together, and went into their vision accompanied by soft guitar-like melodies.

 

Snap-shots of their lives fluttered through their minds.  Pictures of times shared and times apart, containing the deepest emotions they had felt.  The transporter accident that created One and the terrible sadness that both women bore at his death.  The Borg vinculum that nearly destroyed Seven's mind and the fear that Kathryn had at almost losing Seven.  Their encounter with Kashyk; Kathryn was astounded by the amount of jealousy that the memory of his face roused in Seven of Nine.  All were images of Seven's time aboard Voyager. 

 

Then, the pictures came faster, going further back into each woman's life, to a time before Voyager.  For Seven, she was flying through the air, a shuttlecraft in her laughing father's arms.  Kathryn was again the defeated tennis champion, walking home dejectedly in the rain, drenched to the skin and shivering against the chill. 

 

All this, they felt together, sensing the memories twining and coiling into a core of solid energy that perfectly joined the two women together.  Tears spilled down both of their cheeks as they laid the final chunk of rock onto the matrix base, then, still holding hands, they touched the matrix.

 

Drums, rolling thunder, a heartbeat.  Sound washed over the room, rebounding off of walls and echoing in their ears until the sound and their hearts beat as one.  Breath came slow, eyes closed and tears stopped.  A shushing sound of wind, then actual wind tousled hair, unpinning Seven's red-gold mane and ruffling Kathryn's dark auburn strands.  A flute and harp found the rhythm of their breath and each inhale produced a harmony of string and wind that both energized and relaxed.

 

A chime.  Dawn.  Through closed eyes bright light blinded, then, as the light dimmed they opened their eyes.  From the top of the oddly sculpted matrix, a portal opened.  Roughly head-sized in diameter, it was fuzzy, then cleared to show the Amethyst Geode where Seven had spent two days in the company of the Earthkin. Seated in the center of the room was the Mender, Tyxal.

 

"Ah, Seven.  Good.  It is so wonderful to feel your presence in the Geode again.  This must be, yes, the precious Kathryn herself!  Welcome, Sky Walker Janeway.  The Great Stone greets you and names you kin."

 

Puzzled, but game, Janeway replied, "Thank you.  Mender Tyxal, I believe?"

 

"Yes, yes!  You know me, how wonderful!  But, oh yes, we must be quick.  The shalroth'a loses spark quickly.  You are desirous of knowledge, and I am the one chosen to bear that knowledge to you.  See what you seek, shardlings."  Tyxal's image wavered, and was replaced by rows and rows of golden corn, green and living, bending to a breeze.

 

Kathryn's breath hissed through her teeth.  She knew this place.  It was Indiana, her homeland.  Through the corn ran laughing children, followed by adults who laughed and shook their fists playfully at the running children.  One of the adults stopped and watched the other run, and then she looked up, shading her face from the sun with a hand.  It was Kathryn, older, a little gray-haired, but definitely Kathryn.

 

The other woman caught up with two of the children and tackled them to the ground, rolling around on the grass, laughing and tickling each other mercilessly.  Sunlight glinting off of metal named the other woman to be Seven of Nine.  The two children, one so like Kathryn that he had to be her son, hugged Seven.  The other, obviously a child of Seven's, followed, sweetly snuggling her mother.  Seven and the children touched foreheads, enjoying a moment of tenderness.  Then, both children bounded up and raced across the fields to be caught one by one by Kathryn, who swung them up into the air.

 

Janeway reached for the picture, eyes blurred with tears.  Children?  For her?  With Seven?  It was at once the most ridiculous, and the best idea she'd heard ever.  It made so much sense that she heaved a great sigh of relief.

 

Seven, also crying, could not speak, could not think, but could only watch as the image faded back to Tyxal.

 

"Now you have seen what the Great Stone has intended.  Will you follow your chosen pattern, or will you spall off, and create a new one?  It is, as ever, your choice.  We of the Earthkin have been delighted to aid such worthy shardlings as you.  Go in peace, my friends!"  Then, he too vanished, leaving the matrix to quiet and become nothing more than an unusual hunk of multi-colored rock.

 

Silence.  Then, "I have more questions than answers, but I know that I have received one perfect answer from this game," Seven said quietly.

 

"Yes?" Kathryn whispered.

 

"You are my future, Kathryn Janeway."  Seven brought their still joined hands up to her lips, kissing Kathryn's knuckles softly, then rubbing her cheek against them, "and I will not deviate from that course."

 

Kathryn let go of Seven's hand to cup her cheek.  "Oh Seven," she said, voice ragged with emotion.  "Oh, my dearest darling, yes.  You are my future as well, Annika Hansen," she added, using Seven's Human name. 

 

Instead of hating the name, as she had when she had first been severed from the Collective, Seven loved it.  She loved the shape of those two words as they fell from Kathryn's mouth into her heart, calling her home from the cold.

 

"Kathryn..." she replied, seeking the words that would capture the sensation that was rising hot and fast from deep within, struggling to break free.  Words were not adequate.  Action seemed the only efficient answer, and she leaned over, touching her mouth to Kathryn's softly, attempting to be butterfly light in her caress.

 

When Seven moved away, Kathryn sighed and said, "Oh, God," then chased the Borg's mouth down and kissed her deeply, returning with her kiss all the indefinable emotions she felt.

 

An eternity later, they separated, breathing rapidly, hearts pounding.  Seven tipped her head back and touched her lips with her fingertips, exploring the wet and bruised flesh slowly.  Entranced, Kathryn watched as Seven's fingers danced lightly over well-kissed skin.  "Again," Seven whispered, both a demand and an aching plea.  She lowered her head and caught Janeway's eyes with her own.  "Kiss me again, Kathryn."

 

She did, taking her time, letting herself truly realize that the lips she was kissing belonged to Seven, that the hand resting on her shoulder was Borg and the hand on her knee was Human, and that the soft warm flesh under her fingertips was Seven of Nine's.  Gently, Kathryn caressed the back of Seven's neck, slowly stroking the skin above the line of Seven's biometric suit.  The Borg made a sound somewhere between a moan and a purr and leaned into both the kiss and the touch. 

 

Tentatively, Kathryn opened her mouth and ran her tongue along Seven's bottom lip, eliciting a delighted gasp of pleasure from the Borg, who then opened her own mouth, allowing Kathryn's tongue to come in and waltz.

 

At this point, Kathryn paled -- she didn't know where to go from here.  She had a pretty good idea of what the end result would be, but getting from where they were -- necking amorously at the dining table -- to the provocative destination of her large bed was something of a mystery.  Not that Kathryn was by any means virginal, but, well, this was a woman she was kissing. 

 

Seven, perhaps emboldened by Janeway's new kiss, slid her hand along Kathryn's leg, up her side to stop and cup one heaving breast gently.  Kathryn gasped, breaking away from the kiss briefly, before recapturing Seven's mouth in a deeply wanton embrace.  Suddenly, it didn't matter anymore that she didn't know exactly what to do, because Seven had rolled her fingers over Janeway's nipple, stopping when the flesh grew rigid, then continuing to explore the phenomena leisurely, drawing gasps and moans of appreciation from the captain.

 

"You like this."  It was not a question, but a heated statement of pride.

 

"Oh yes," Kathryn whispered back.  "It feels so good.  So good."  They kissed again, and then Kathryn forced herself to stand up before she strained something.  Seven looked confused, and opened her mouth to say something, but Janeway put a finger over the perfect lips and shook her head.  "Come here, Annika," she purred, backing away slowly.

 

Seven followed, striding after the captain with slow, deliberate steps.  Kathryn stopped at the bedroom doorway, not quite ready to take the final step onto what she knew would be a long, perilous journey.  Seven stopped, noticing the captain's hesitation. 

 

"Is something wrong, Kathryn?" she asked, concerned.

 

"No," Kathryn replied hesitantly.  Then, as Seven approached again and touched her face, she whispered, "Yes.  I'm scared, Seven."

 

Seven wrapped her arms around the woman she had discovered that she loved and nuzzled the top of her head.  "Tell me your fears, Kathryn," she said in a tender voice.  "Share them with me and I will help you fight them."

 

"Oh Seven, I'm terrified that falling in love with you will be my undoing."  Kathryn looked up at Seven and touched her cheek.  "For so long, I have existed on will alone.  I was alone because I had to be, had to keep myself apart from my crew in order to maintain order.  When I would feel the pressures of my position begin to drive me into someone's arms, I shielded myself with my engagement to Mark.  But when that shield vanished, I was left vulnerable.  Then you came into my life," she smiled, stroking the soft flesh lovingly, "and I didn't know whether to toss you out the nearest airlock or to give you back what was stolen from you."

 

"I am pleased you did not choose the airlock option.  Borg do not breathe well in a vacuum."

 

Kathryn laughed, an easy sound of mirth that eased some of her tension.  "I'm not sure how the crew is going to handle me in a relationship.  Especially Commander Chakotay, who might have once been in your place."  Janeway sighed, then said softly, "Mostly, I'm scared to breathe, afraid that each breath brings me one minute closer to death and one minute further away from spending my life in your arms."

 

"Borg do not experience fear, Kathryn," Seven stated harshly, in her most "Borg" of voices.  Then softer she said, "But I do.  I am Human and afraid, yet I know that if I do not touch you -- if I do not love you -- then everything that I have learned about being Human will be meaningless."

 

"I'm not denying your love, or mine, Seven.  I'm only -- I don't know if I can be the person in the vision right now, darling."

 

Seven bowed her head, "I -- "

 

"Bridge to the Captain."  Tuvok's voice was a reminder to both women of the world outside of the captain's quarters. 

 

Janeway responded, "Go ahead, Tuvok."

 

"Sensors have detected a massive surge of electrokinetic energy from the planet Crysalis."

 

"On my way."

 

"Understood."

 

"Seven, I'm sorry --"

 

"I understand, Captain.  Voyager must come first now, but someday, I will be the one whose call you will answer above all others."

 

Stunned at Seven's candor, all Janeway could do was nod.  She grabbed her tunic and together, they left for the bridge.

 

 

 

On the bridge, Tuvok had called up Crysalis on the forward viewscreen.  Awed, the bridge crew watched as the planet's surface developed millions of huge cracks, then, in one giant implosive explosion, vanished. 

 

The captain's eyes met Seven's as the both recalled Tyxal's final words to them:  "Now you have seen what the Great Stone has intended.  Will you follow your chosen pattern, or will you spall off and create a new one?  It is, as ever, your choice."  Achingly, Janeway listened to Ensign Kim report the damage.

 

There were no survivors, not one speck of a huge planet teeming with life remained.  Grief plucked a minor tune in the captain's heart.  She had secretly hoped to meet the Earthkin before leaving the system.  Then, Harry said, "Captain, something's happening!"

 

She flicked her eyes to her board, then up to the screen.  A tear opened in the fabric of space and out of that breach came a coalescence of blue-green energy that swirled and frazzled, then, expanded outward to form a planet, whole. 

 

Astonished, Janeway barked, "Mr. Kim?"

 

"It's a class M planet, Captain.  Bioscans show plants, animals, minerals, water... atmosphere compatible to humans... everything, almost perfectly similar to Crysalis -- except, everything is carbon based."

 

In that moment, Kathryn understood what Tyxal had tried to tell her.

 

Life was fleeting.

 

Every moment had to be lived to the fullest.  Water must make way for chocolate.  The Earthkin had given her a gift -- the knowledge to face her fears and accept the love that Seven offered, regardless of the consequences.

 

My choice, huh?  Well then, I choose chocolate.  She looked up at Seven, who was standing at the science station next to Tuvok, and mouthed, "My quarters, twenty minutes," and then turned back to listen to the rest of Ensign Kim's report.

 

 

Nineteen minutes, thirty-seven seconds later, Seven of Nine was standing outside of Kathryn's quarters, nervously playing with the edge of her skirt.  Upon interpreting the captain's statement, she'd excused herself from the bridge, and raced to cargo bay two where she'd searched through the Doctor's catalogue of biometric outfits.  Amazingly, she'd found a simple skirt and blouse combination that didn't look as if it would take forever to put on.  The skirt was a dark charcoal gray and the blouse was watery blue.  A pair of sandals and a dab of perfume from the bottle she'd found in a market bazaar on a world long since forgotten completed the ensemble.  The last thing she replicated was a single, long-stemmed red rose.  This she held behind her back as she tapped the announce key and waited.

 

Inside, Kathryn had cleaned up what little mess there was from earlier and was in the process of trying to decide where to put the finished matrix.  She was just on her way to the bedroom when the door chimed.

 

Clearing her throat, she said, "Come in."

 

The door opened and Seven walked in.  As the door shushed closed, she drew her arm from behind her back and presented Janeway with the rose.  "For you, Kathryn.  A token of my…affection."  Though the phrase was clearly learned, Kathryn was still touched by the thought and she set the matrix aside to take the rose and inhale deeply the lovely fragrance.

 

"It's beautiful, Seven.  Thank you," she said as she set the flower aside in a vase.  "As you can see, I was just cleaning up."

 

Seven looked around the room, stopping to gaze meaningfully at the piles of padds and books still untouched.  "I see."

 

Kathryn laughed.  "I know I'm not the neatest captain in Starfleet dear, but really, it isn't that bad, is it?"

 

Seven considered her answer, and then smiled in return.  "No, it is far neater than Ensign Brooks' quarters."

 

The female ensign had a reputation for being hazardously messy.  Kathryn chuckled again, amused by her beloved's obvious distaste for disorder.  "Here, why don't you help me a bit?  I've been trying to think of a good place to put this," she hefted the matrix and looked around the room at the significant absence of shelf space.

 

"The Earthkin place the shalroth'a in a place of honor in their Geodes once they have experienced the visions," Seven said, looking at Kathryn.

 

"I anticipated that.  I was thinking maybe -- the bedroom?"  Kathryn put action to words, walking into her bedroom.  Seven followed, stopping at the doorway and clasping her hands behind her back.  Janeway had gone straight to a small bookcase that nestled against the wall just beyond the foot of her bed.  Settling the crystal on the top, she looked up at Seven and said, "What do you think?  Here?"

 

Seven craned her head around the edge of the doorway.  "It is aesthetically pleasing..."

 

"But?"  Kathryn prompted.

 

"How will I see it if its place of honor is your bedroom?"

 

Kathryn grinned shyly, walked over to Seven and wrapped her arms around the Borg's neck.  "Oh, darling, I think we can work out visitation rights, don't you?" she asked as she stood on tip-toe and began kissing the younger woman.

 

Seven leaned into the kisses, opening her mouth and allowing Kathryn's tongue to come in and play.  A few breathless minutes later, she pulled away and panted, "I believe that is an efficient plan," then proceeded to kiss Kathryn hard, pulling the smaller woman close to her, wanting to somehow fuse herself to this woman who aroused so much emotion inside of her.

 

Kathryn felt Seven's need and reacted to it, slipping her hands up under the Borg's loose shirt and cupping heavy breasts tenderly.  Seven gasped as Kathryn's fingers moved from under her breasts to her back where they undid the fastenings of the bra she wore.  "Kath...ryn…" Seven stuttered as she felt the captain's hands touch her bare flesh for the first time.

 

"Is this too much, darling?"  Kathryn asked, slowing her caresses to gentle strokes.

 

"No!" Seven exclaimed, fearful that this new, delicious contact would vanish all to quickly if she admitted to her fears.

 

"Mm, it's okay if you want to take this slow, Annika."  Fingers that had aroused now soothed, slipping around to scratch her back softly.

 

"I -- I don't know what I should want, Kathryn.  I just know that I want to be with you,” Seven replied helplessly.

 

"Okay, let's try this: what do you want to do, right now?"

 

Seven thought, absently running her fingers through Kathryn's hair, and finally said, "I wish to touch you -- here."  Putting statement to action, Seven wrapped her hands around the captain’s breasts and squeezed.  "And I wish to recline -- on your bed."

 

"That can be arranged," purred Kathryn, who backed slowly into her room, and when she felt her bed touch the backs of her legs, she sat down, pulling Seven down with her.

 

"That was interesting, Kathryn," Seven said as she regained her balance, then stretched out on the bed, opening her arms for the captain.  Janeway kicked off her shoes, snuggling up to Seven.

 

Seven noticed Kathryn's action and asked, "It is preferable to remove one's footwear when in bed?"

 

Kathryn smiled and climbed on top of Seven, causing both women to inhale deeply at the intimate contact.  "Mm... yes, most of the time."  Using her toes, she pushed the sandals that Seven wore off, then began to rub their feet together.  "Especially when you want to do this."

 

Seven's breath hissed out as her pulse beat a tattoo against her throat.  "Yes, I can see the efficiency of removing one's footwear in bed now." 

 

Kathryn chuckled.  "You know, sometimes people even take off their clothing," she kissed the tip of Seven's nose, then her lips, then her chin, then brushed a stream of kisses over her throat to the edge of her collar.

 

"They do?" Seven asked breathlessly, one eyebrow also rising.  "I believe that would acceptable.  Now."  She reached down and slipped off Kathryn's tunic, then pulled off the white blouse she still wore underneath the uniform top.  The regulation sports bra joined the other garments in the small pile she had already made. 

 

"I knew there was a reason I loved you Seven... your take-charge attitude never ceases to amaze me," Kathryn said brokenly as Seven's fingers closed over her breasts, rolling the nipples firmly between thumb and forefinger.

 

Seven looked at her hands, at the flesh she was lovingly touching, then looked back up into Kathryn's face, falling into stormy gray eyes that wrinkled with a smile so powerful that all Seven could do was whisper, "You are so beautiful, my Kathryn."  Hands slid away from flesh to hold a face suddenly alight with tears and smiles.  "I love you."

 

Golden and sweet the words slid from Kathryn's ears to her heart.  Time slipped away as clothes melted off of bodies suddenly too warm.  Fingers skipped across flesh, mouths dappled kisses over bodies silvered by the light of the stars.  Blankets fell to the floor, ruins of the passion evoked between the two women. 

 

At the foot of the bed, on a forgotten shelf, a crystal hodgepodge matrix began to thrum, calling out a melody of flutes and drums that wove around the room, closing out any other sound but those of soft moans and cries of desire.

 

 

In a realm untouched by time, a raccoon made of tiger's eye and a man carved of fluorite sat in front of the twin to the matrix that was now on it's way to the Alpha Quadrant.  A faint glow pulsed at its core, growing stronger with each moment that passed.

 

The fluorite man smiled, blue crystal drops skidding down his face to clatter against the floor.  "You were right, old friend, they were the Ones."

 

The raccoon chuckled and slapped the other lightly on the knee.  "Ah, yes, well, the Great Stone never lies, my friend.  When I was given the shalroth'a vision of Seven of Nine so long ago, I knew that she would be the one whose joining would renew our world."

 

The two stood and walked away from the crystal whose glow continued to grow brighter and brighter.  Fluro looked back once, then turned and stepped into the wall where he joined the rest of his Geode as they emerged from their stone cocoons on the surface of their new world, wearing the flesh of their new bodies and turning their faces up to greet their sky once again.

 

 

fin

2/15/01

 

A little note to my readers:  I actually wrote this story well over a year and a half ago, but in the intervening time, I have changed computers twice.  Both times I changed over, I continued to work on editing this story, but never seemed to quite finish.  Recently, I had to reinstall the operating system on my computer and I discovered that this story had yet to be done.  I thought that now might be a good time to put the finishing touches on this story.  I hope that you will enjoy it.  I welcome your comments and constructive criticisms at: shaych3@yahoo.com.

Location, Location, Location

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