Seven took a deep breath. She had thought this through carefully and was sure this course of action was her best chance at success, but she wasn't looking forward to it. As she took a final step forward, the doors slid open and she stepped through, halting just inside to scan the room.
There he was, at the bar, his back turned to her as he talked to the bartender. Memories rose and followed each other silently; standing beside him, looking over his burly shoulder as he inadequately sliced a carrot; the coarse feel to his skin as they had kissed; his adamancy that it was important to her development that she did not break up with him.
In all honesty, she had learned one or two things from the holographic simulation. It had shown her that she did indeed use order; efficiency and her strive for perfection to not have to deal with the chaos of emotions. It had also made it perfectly clear that if she wanted to do something with those emotions without literally risking her life, she would have to undergo extensive surgery. Was it worth it?
Well, not for him, she considered. One other thing had become abundantly clear, pursuing a romantic relationship with someone you were not in love with, even if that person was available and had many admirable qualities, was an exercise in futility. In theory it should work, in fact it should have many advantages over falling in love, and Seven was a little confounded by the apparent paradox. She did, however, except the results of her experiment.
So now here she stood, having to tell the Commander she had no romantic interest in him. If only she hadn't… they hadn't… She took a deep breath to steel herself and walked over to the Commander.
'Seven, glad you could make it,' his warm voice held true pleasure at seeing her.
'Of course, however, I am unsure if it is wise to stay.'
Chakotay looked dumbfounded. 'What. Why?'
'The invitation was phrased as if it concerned a date. Is this the case Commander?'
'Uh, well. I thought we could get to know each other a little better and… ehm,' the Commander was obviously at a loss.
She had thought this through carefully and hoped that her next words would be clearly understood yet at the same time would constitute a gentle letdown. She hesitated a second; obliqueness felt very strange to her, and a little wrong. Fortifying herself, she took a deep breath. 'I would not mind getting to know you, you are a man with commendable individuality.'
'Oh,' Chakotay looked blankly at her, and then slowly it seemed to dawn on him. 'Ah,' he was silent for a moment. 'Really?'
His amazed exclamation threw Seven off guard. Should she respond? It made it clear though that he had known about her experiment. While it didn't please her, it was useful information to have.
'Well, let's just have a drink then,' Chakotay managed a smile.
Now it was Seven's turn to be surprised, she had not expected such eloquent acceptance, but decided to take advantage of it. 'One other thing.'
He looked questioningly up at her.
'Did you tell anybody about your… intentions for this evening?'
'No.'
'Good,' Seven finally sat down next to him at the bar. 'I will have tea.'
Chakotay wasn't sure if he should be offended, but he let it go, drew the bartenders attention and ordered some tea.
Tuvok took out his Keethara to meditate and carefully placed it on the table. He drank a glass of water and used the bathroom before he sat down. Placing the Keethara's building blocks on the surface beside the board, he used the time and the familiar ritual to clear his mind and focus on the problem at hand.
Tuvok knew that when it came to affairs of the human heart, it was wise to look beyond logic. However, he seemed to have gone a little too far in his quest to help his friend. Slowly he started putting the blocks together. What was the purpose of being her 'counsel' if she did not seek him out or listen to him? The base of the structure was set and he took a moment to consider it before deciding on how to continue.
His tactic to get her attention had served its purpose, but the results were not entirely desirable. She still hadn't listened to him. Too little logic. He had not taken into account how much she depended on his predictability. She knew how to be unpredictable when a situation required it, yet, did not like to be surprised by the people she depended upon. Which in itself was logical. His mistake. Her recent decisions might even have been a test to see if he would refrain from giving advice. While he was trying to draw her out, she had been testing him.
He was beyond the halfway point, only a few blocks remained on the table and he steadily continued to work. A new plan. Since she had imagined the worst about the Holodeck incident, it was logical to assume she expected the worst about his advice. It pertained to the same problem and she had avoided listening to it. He would have to approach her in a different manner, lead her to a discovery of her own.
It was similar to teaching. Sometimes you didn't give students the information; you gave them the experience from which they could draw their own conclusions.
Looking at the work his hands had accomplished during his meditation he saw the structure was more harmonious than he had expected. Tomorrow he would put his plan into action.
B'Elanna and Seven had three modified drills lying in front of them. Yesterday they had tested the prototype extensively; satisfied with their work B'Elanna had ordered two officers from engineering to fit five drills with the modifications. It was a bit of a risk, since they didn't know which plan would be chosen at this point, but they hoped their initiative and hard work would pay off. Encased in isolating material and more finely tuned than ever, the motor didn't make a single sound. The drill bit itself usually made a light cracking noise every time it slammed back from a rock, but was now braced against a hydraulic ring that cushioned the recoil. The main problem they still had to find a solution for was the sound of rocks breaking and falling, but many other things needed their attention as well before this plan could work.
Poring over their padds the two women were almost working together cordially. It probably had something to do with their common goal, neither wanted to burn their fingers on an alliance with the local population, albeit for different reasons. For Seven it was the unpredictability of any unknown race which would make failure more likely, for B'Elanna it was the sinking feeling that dealing with strangers would entail a lot of patience and diplomacy. She could pull off both, but she'd rather not.
If they fought whilst trying to figure out a way around the trading option, it would cost them precious time and they'd also run the risk of Janeway's anger who might pull them off the project altogether.
Engrossed in their work, they didn't even notice the two officers walking in with the last two drills until they carefully laid them on the table in front of Seven and B'Elanna.
'We're done, Lieutenant,' one of them said hesitantly.
B'Elanna sat up and thanked them for their work. Stretching to relieve the sore muscles in her back, she heaved a sigh. 'What do you say Seven, join me for lunch?'
B'Elanna looked tired, Seven had to acknowledge. 'Acceptable.'
'We can take our padds, discuss further ideas.'
Taking one look at Neelix's work, Seven decided a nutritional supplement would do for her. Unfortunately she hadn't counted on the Engineer's hands-on attitude, which led to them sitting opposite each other both with a plate of pot-roast of sorts. Fortunately, it tasted a lot better than it looked.
'So Seven, any leads on our forcefield problem?' B'Elanna asked with a mouthful of pot-roast. They were tackling the problem from different ends. Seven was trying to create a small vacuum in which sound from the drill could not be heard. B'Elanna was working with the concept of sound as a vibration and the resonance of a vibration being damped to zero by another vibration if their cycles are out of phase by a half.
Seven caught a glimpse of B'Elanna's half-chewed food and she had to control her features to not show her distaste. Why could humans not wait to speak until they swallowed? She put aside her irritation to answer the question. 'I have found a way to create a forcefield contained vacuum, however there is still the problem of the limited area in which it works.' Seven caught a movement of something red from the corner of her eye. The Captain, instinct told her. 'Have you made progress?'
Before B'Elanna could answer, Janeway was at their table. 'Good afternoon ladies.'
'Captain,' they said in unison.
'Well, aren't we the well oiled team this morning. Work going as smoothly?'
B'Elanna nodded. 'Yes actually, Captain. We have quiet drills and are working on two different plans to keep as much of the other sounds from escaping as possible.'
'Good, glad to hear it.'
The Captain looked tense, Seven noticed. She wasn't really ignoring her, she received the occasional glance, but most of her attention was focused on B'Elanna. Somehow, it hurt. She wished to see one of the Captain's smiles again, but apparently, even her teamwork with B'Elanna or the news of their progress wasn't enough to replace the strained look. There used to be a time when she needed a lot less to make the Captain smile. Even one of those small crooked ones would do.
'Captain, would you join us for lunch?' Seven asked hopefully.
'Sorry, too busy Seven, I'll see you both at the meeting, end of alpha shift,' and with that, the Captain left.
Seven felt disappointed, the Captain hadn't even considered her invitation. She was sure that anything she said would have been dismissed out of hand.
'She just came in here to check on us,' B'Elanna hissed in indignation.
'What do you mean?'
'She walked in here, spoke to us for two seconds and walked straight out. She obviously has a lot of faith in us!' B'Elanna said sarcastically.
'Seven, may I have a moment of your time?' Tuvok addressed her in the corridor as she was walking with B'Elanna back to engineering. She gave B'Elanna a nod to continue without her.
'Tuvok, I do not have much time.'
'Neither do I, I will keep this brief. When was the last time you played Velocity with the Captain or engaged her in a philosophical discussion?'
Seven raised an eyebrow. 'What are you alluding to Commander?'
'As you pointed out you do not have much time; humor me.'
'We… shared a drink while on Quarra,' Seven finally answered.
Now it was Tuvok's turn to raise an eyebrow.
'I prepared a meal before we were pulled into the void,' Seven tried again.
'I believe that meal was aborted. Was that the last time you spent non-work related time with the Captain?'
Seven ground out a terse 'yes'. Her patience was wearing thin. 'The point Commander?'
'Might I suggest you initiate another encounter?'
'She does not seem willing to socialize with me.'
'Which is why I recommend it, I think there are a few misconceptions between you; they will not disappear with silence. I advise you talk to her.'
Her jaw clenched, this situation was not her fault, if the Captain had a problem with her, she should come to her. However, Seven did not have the time or the inclination to discuss this with Tuvok. 'Thank you for the advice Commander,' she turned on her heels and stalked away.
Tuvok was not necessarily dissatisfied with the execution of the first part of his plan, he thought as he walked back to Commander Chakotay's office. He planted a new idea into Seven's head of that he was sure. If left to herself this might not lead to action, so all he had to do now was create a trigger. He wasn't just head of security, he was the ship's tactical officer as well, and he'd earned that position - a long time ago.
In her Ready Room, alone, Janeway felt downright miserable. She had practically run out of the Mess Hall, just because of an invitation to lunch. It was disgusting.
Her head rested on the back of her sofa, her feet on the table, as she gazed up at the ceiling. A replicated sandwich lay forgotten on a plate resting on her lap, on the table a cup of coffee was growing cold.
She needed to do something about this situation. It was affecting her job performance, she hadn't even asked what B'Elanna and Seven's plans were. Tuvok was right. She took a deep breath, hesitated, than determinedly touched her comm badge. 'Janeway to Tuvok.'
'Yes Captain,' the bodiless voice floated into the room.
'Report to my Ready Room.'
'On my way.'
Quickly she sat up, took a few bites from her sandwich and forced it down with a big gulp of cold coffee. She recycled the remains, wiped her mouth, washed her hands and sat behind her desk just as Tuvok chimed for entrance.
'Come in.'
'Captain.' Tuvok stood with his usual perfect posture, rivaled only by Seven's.
'Take a seat.' He did. She gathered her composure around her like a protective blanket. 'All right Tuvok, let's hear it.'
Feigning incomprehension to stall, he asked 'What are you referring to Captain?'
Janeway frowned in irritation. 'You know exactly what I'm referring to.'
'Ah. Seven.'
'Yes, Seven.' Janeway rolled her eyes.
'The simulation may have given you the impression that Seven is no longer interested in the relationship you previously had with her,' Tuvok began.
'You mean because she thanked… the holographic… me for-'
'Yes,' Tuvok interrupted, it wasn't exactly a lie, he was simply creating a situation in which he could say what she expected to hear. 'I believe Seven was merely experimenting with different social situations. One of them saying goodbye to a certain aspect of your relationship with her.'
'A certain aspect?'
'The protégé - mentor aspect,' Tuvok clarified.
Understanding slowly appeared on Janeway's face and she seemed to relax a little. But something else was bothering her far more, something he couldn't address now.
'Exchange it for something more equal,' Tuvok continued, 'however that time hasn't arrived yet.'
'It hasn't?' the Captain's expression was quizzical.
'No,' he stated emphatically. 'Seven is, apparently, interested in dating again. The last time she had a date, she did so without being able to ask you for advice.'
'I remember.' Janeway grimaced as she recalled the obviously hurt Seven after that incident.
'It was not a resounding success.'
Janeway smiled wryly at his understatement. 'Are you telling me to give her advice on dating the Commander?' Her face unconsciously soured at the thought. She couldn't, but she could not leave Seven to flounder on her own either. A groan almost escaped her lips.
Tuvok noticed her changing expression. 'I am advising you to not make the subject off limits,' he stated gently.
This was what she had been afraid off and she knew, had known that as soon as he'd said it, she wouldn't be able to ignore what she felt she should do.
Tuvok did not enjoy seeing his friend like this, but at least now, they would start talking, and maybe the Captain would look at Seven again. Really look at her and see what was so plain to see for the security officer.
'Thank you, Tuvok. Anything else?'
He stood, indicating that he was ready to go back to work. Many other things he probably ought to say, but they would have to wait.
She nodded and he left.
The senior staff meeting was well underway. Chakotay and Tuvok had already finished outlining their plan. They had studied all of the data from the away mission and sensors carefully and drawn up a straightforward strategy that had a realistic chance of success, wouldn't cost them too much supplies and was reasonably safe. It also had a couple of gaps, because a lot depended on the Boratan's response to their proposition, and it might take a while to bring to it's conclusion.
There appeared to be a group of nomads who seemed to spend most of their time outside the mountain ring but did occasionally visit Amalgata. There was evidence of trade between the two groups, although it didn't happen often. The nomads traded exotic animals, hides, bones, plants and exclusive craftwork in exchange for medication, certain clothing and tools. The plan was fairly simple; pretend to be nomads, replicate the goods they normally traded and ask for dilithium in return. Complications could be: how would the nomads know about the dilithium? Why would they need it? Finding the person they needed to talk to about mining it. And the fact that the Boratan's would mine it in an old-fashioned way which would be time consuming. Whether these would become big problems or minor snags depended largely on the Boratan.
Tom Paris had heard most of what had been said so far, but part of his mind was occupied with a different problem. He had hoped for a continuation of the tension of the previous day but although communication wasn't as smooth as it usually was, tension didn't peak as it had yesterday. However, he observed the new developments with interest. The Commander still smiled regularly at Seven but was more at ease with her, which Seven openly reciprocated. Seven seemed to be a bit wary of the Captain, nothing too obvious; more covert looks as if she was trying to gauge her. Tuvok on the other hand had stopped ignoring the Captain and was back to his usual behavior. And the Captain, finally, was clearly still tense but not as on edge as she had been when she had been before.
Something had happened between Chakotay and Seven, between Seven and Janeway and between Janeway and Tuvok. But what? Interesting, very interesting.
While B'Elanna was talking, Tom started to wonder if there really was one thing that was bothering all four of them, as he had previously assumed, or if there were several unrelated issues. It was possible, however, that meant too many possibilities to adequately guess. No, he decided, let's go with the 'one-problem-concerns-all idea', that would make speculation a lot more fun. Inwardly he grinned.
Tom's mind abruptly stopped wandering when Seven stood up, produced a three-foot long drill from behind her chair and proceeded to turn it on. The room was deathly quiet as everybody looked at the modified machine hitting the air silently. She pointed at a little device almost halfway down the handle, below the drill's controls. 'This turns on the small forcefield contained vacuum which Lieutenant Torres has explained.' She pushed the button and with a soft crackling sound an invisible forcefield came to life.
The decision had been made, the meeting closed and people were getting up to retire after a long day. Janeway quickly picked up her padds and walked over to Seven. Starting to put her hand on Seven's arm, she hastily pulled it back as she recognized that after the last few days that would probably be a little presumptuous. 'Seven,' she quietly said.
Seven turned, her face giving nothing away. 'Captain.'
God, she was nervous, Janeway realized. 'It's been a while, I was going to run the Da Vinci program later, would you care to join me?'
Seven silently continued to look at her. 'Yes Captain,' she paused. 'It has been a while.'
Janeway could do nothing but wait, she tried to smile warmly at Seven but wasn't sure if she succeeded.
'I would like that,' Seven finally answered.
END OF PART II