Only for a Moment

Part 01

She felt the velvet walls close in tighter around her. The motion wasn't one brought on by pleasure. She felt her hand clasped in a tight vice of pain. None of this was happening the way that she had fondly hoped. This was all such nightmare; she didn't know how they would even begin to recover from this.

But she couldn't stop what she was doing. She had to keep going. If she stopped, every thing would fall apart.

And she couldn't help but feel personally responsible for everything that was happening. If she could, she would go back and change every single one of her recent decisions. It was her fault that Voyager had come to this place. It was her curiosity that had played right into their enemy's hands. But Seven was the one paying the ultimate price.

Looking up at the drone she had never seen Seven so terrified. Seven had never known fear. Her mind had been at peace when it had been connected to the Hive.

But that was before she had brought the drone to Voyager. Seven had learned much about humanity since her return to a normal existence. And she liked to think that she had been able guide Seven and help her through this rather difficult transition.

And now, she was teaching Seven some of the hardest lessons of all. Even though they were forcing her to do this to the drone. She knew that Seven wouldn't remember it that way.

Seven would see this as a horrible violation. She was betraying Seven's trust in a most basic and terrible fashion. But she didn't have a choice. As the Captain, Voyager's safety had to come first. Even if that meant that she had to hurt Seven.

Kathryn looked up, all the while knowing that she shouldn't. And what she saw only made things so much harder. Seven's eyes were wide open and filled with this blank horrified stare that crept right out of the drone's very soul.

And Seven's normally pale features had grown ghost white under the blinding flare of the bright fluorescent bulbs. The illumination was unforgiving. Kathryn felt like the entire area had been set up for some sort of horrible medical procedure. And she knew that in a way, it had.

She looked down to see her hand crudely violating the juncture between the drone's legs. More then anything, she wanted to stop. But Kathryn knew that she couldn't. If she didn't finish, then one of them would.

And she could hear them from the darkened alcoves behind. They were giggling and snickering as she moved over the body of her crewmen. It would be incomprehensible to let one of them touch her drone. She would never allow it.

So, here she was doing the one thing she never wanted to force on Seven. In some ironic way her mind was plagued with the guilt of every single fantasy that she had ever harbored. Kathryn knew that not a single moment of the day ever passed that she didn't think about making love to Seven. She could never even begin to deny the mounting desire that she sheltered for the towering blonde. But she never wanted this. She never wanted to hurt Seven.

Gently, she climbed up higher onto the drone's ample body wanting to look Seven directly in the eyes. The drone openly stared at her with long silent pleas for leniency or help. But this was one time when her Captain couldn't save her. In the span of a moment, Kathryn had gone from her most trusted friend to a vile enemy.

Carefully, she leaned down cupping Seven's cheek with her hand. The flesh was cool and moist beneath her palm. Seven's blue eyes had been crying. Her touch had made the drone cry. And at that very thought, Kathryn felt like weeping herself.

"I'm sorry?" Kathryn whispered unable to save her drone from this terrible predicament.

Seven didn't answer, not vocally anyways. But Kathryn heard the sharp intake of breath and subsequent strangled sob as she lowered herself back down to Seven's waist. She didn't want to hurt Seven. But they weren't giving her any other choice.

Desperately wishing there was some other way, she mentally begged for any other solution. She lowered her head to rest against the firm expanse of Seven's thigh. She was surprised to hear the rushing blood and beating pulse screaming against her ear.

Yet, she knew that she couldn't put this off any longer. Without any other choice, she lifted herself and moved back over Seven's body. And within moments, she had the drone crying out in abject pain?

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It had all begun so easily and seemingly innocuous. It had all presented itself like some sort of wonderful scientific opportunity. And she had been caught up in the excitement of it all. If only she paid more attention, then perhaps she could have saved Seven. Maybe she could even have saved herself.

But on that day that Harry started picking up life signs on a nearby planet, she wasn't concerned with things like caution. A cursory investigation wouldn't hurt anything. They were explorers, after all.

Shortly after their initial sensor readings Seven had come to the bridge. The planet, according to her wealth of Borg data, should be uninhabitable. Whoever was living there was obviously a master at recreating the very terrain of a world.

With an informative teaser like that she could hardly turn down such an opportunity. Even Seven herself seemed more then a little interested to see what manner of life had chosen to create a world for themselves on what should otherwise be a dead planet. And with little other discussion, they changed course and were headed off for the unknown.

Of course, their first few days in orbit around the world proved to be equally jovial as well as educational. The people of the world had literally welcomed them with open arms, ever eager to show off the technological wonders of their world. And Kathryn herself, had expressed more then a passing interest in their unique way of life.

They called themselves the Y'rians. And their planet seemed like a plethora of technological innovations that would make even the Borg salivate. But there was also a quiet side to the world that called out to the Captain's traditional background. And when they're representative came to Voyager, he told her stories that practically set her imagination on fire.

He called himself N'eli and represented his himself as little more then a type of glorified welcome wagon. But the Captain was happy to speak with him nonetheless. He was pleasant company. And his stories were amusing as well as informative.

So, she let her guard her down. They seemed harmless and well meaning. Aside from a few abnormal forehead growths they seemed human enough. And the Captain was quickly ready to pat herself on the back for a brief exploration well done.

But now she realized how horrible her mistakes had been. If she had only paid more attention to the way N'eli stared at Seven. She thought of it as little more then lust and perhaps a touch of curiosity. She never imagined the sheer lengths the man would go to. She never imagined how very much he burned to make Seven his own. And perhaps the worst mistake of all was thinking that she could never hurt Seven. Because now as she felt the drone writhe and twist beneath her, Kathryn knew that the drone would never be able to forgive such a heinous sin.

Part 02

She wished that they wouldn't watch. It just added to her burden and Seven's misery. But it was their custom.

They were here to provide a sense of legality to this terrible ordeal. They were here to make sure that their customs were carried out. And they were here to watch her shatter Seven's innocence.

Looking back now, Kathryn could easily see when it had all began. They had been in her ready room enjoying a cultured snack and educated words. N'eli had demurely complimented her on Voyager's prowess. And from there, the normally observant Captain had been mere putty in his hands.

He had told her stories of his peoples deep space travels. He had told her of the great empires and massive wealth that his kind had once commanded. But they had given it all up in hopes of achieving a simpler way of life.

Many of them had been lost to the Borg. Even more, had been lost to a warring neighbor. And after many years of useless bloodshed, they returned to a dark and dismal planet they liked to call Sodic. He told her that in his language the word meant origin or genesis. He told her that they had come home to start their lives over.

And from there, she was captivated by his every word. Her traditional upbringing would allow for no less. She hung on his every word as he told her of their massive cultural upheaval.

They destroyed every single one of their spacecrafts. They created massive bonfires that consumed all evidence of their former weaponry. They annihilated every piece of offending technology that they could find.

And from there, it was easy to return to the laws of their religious teachings. These were the laws of old, born over the span of millennia. And to listen to N'eli, the Captain began to think that these people truly were cut from a remarkable cloth.

He told her how they divided land and property by the rules of old. Even their legal system was concerned with morals instead of bureaucratic statutes. But most beautiful, was the way that their laws governing marriage had been brought back to life.

And at the time, she didn't even realize what he was truly saying. He sat next to her and told her of their mating rituals. He told of the sanctity of marriage. But more then that, he implored the absolute necessity of love.

The Captain, caught up in the sheer fairytale being spun around her missed all the obvious signs of danger. She totally ignored the fact that N'eli seemed rather preoccupied with her drone. But more important, was that she was totally negligible in her duties as Captain.

She had been sitting there with N'eli when Seven came in. The two had met briefly before and exchanged quick pleasantries. But from Seven's impatient stature and flashing data pad, she could immediately tell that her drone wasn't there for social reasons.

"Captain, I am picking up anomalous reading from the sensor array below." Seven began.

And from there, Kathryn listened as her drone commented on a type of metaphasic shielding being used to protect the population. The technology was revolutionary. And even her normally unimpressed drone was clearly intrigied by the wonders of N'eli's people.

"Well Seven if you like, I can show you around down there. The shield generator is a fascinating piece of technology. I'd be glad to give you a guided tour." N'eli had offered.

His statement had sounded so casual and pleasant. Kathryn hadn't even begun to suspect what his true intentions were. And she so carelessly, let Seven go.

Seven had been on the planet's surface for just over an hour when she got the call. Chakotay had summoned her to the bridge. There was an urgent message coming in that he thought she should look at.

When she arrived, she was more then a little surprised to see a rather grim Counselor staring at her from the view screen. His name was T'knar. And they had met before, but only for a brief moment. He had spent much time with Commander Tuvok educating the vulcan about the legal system of his people.

"Counselor, what can we do for you?" She had asked unaware that this was going to be the most difficult conversation of her life.

"I am afraid that I have bad news for you Captain. The member of your crew, Seven of Nine?she has been detained." He said looking down at his thick pudgy little hands.

"Detained? What do you mean?" She asked shaking her head in confusion.

"I am afraid that she had been arrested." He said clearly unable to meet her gaze.

"For what?" She asked in a low hiss.

Truthfully, she was terribly surprised by the news. And much to her shame, she had immediately blamed Seven for the mishap. After all, the drone didn't really have the best track record when it came to dealing with new people and customs.

"I don't think that this is a matter for public discussion. If you and your security officer will beam down, I can fill you in then." He said looking almost pensive at the thought.

"All right?" She said turning to the vulcan who was already half way to the turbolift.

"You have the bridge." She said to Chakotay before leaving on what stood to be the worst away mission of her rather lengthy career.

And in seconds she and Chakotay had arrived at what was quite possibly the nicest holding facility she had ever seen in her life. The room was filled with plush furniture, thick carpets, soft music, and even a touch of simmering innocence. This was certainly not the image she conjured when thinking of criminal justice.

T'knar immediately walked over to Tuvok embracing him in a manner that could only be construed as apologetic. She noticed N'eli, lurking in a distant corner of the room. And as he stood there, she couldn't help but think that he appeared to be a bit smug and almost pleased.

"I am so sorry that this situation has arose. I did everything I could to work it out from my end. But the facts that N'eli brought to our attention simply cannot be ignored. And though I explained that your customs are not our own, the Elders will not allow Seven to leave." T'knar rambled out in a deep voice filled with apology and regret.

"Please elaborate. What custom has Seven failed to comply with?" Tuvok asked taking up the brunt of the questioning.

There were questions that Kathryn wanted answers to. But she just couldn't tear her eyes from N'eli. Something about this whole thing just seemed so terribly wrong.

"Her body is not in keeping with the ritual of the first blood. It is a most serious crime to be of Seven's age and not have accepted the flesh of another. I am afraid that the only way Seven will be permitted to leave is through the ritual of first mate." He said staring into the unaffected eyes of the vulcan.

To Tuvok, they were just words that needed to find meaning his mind filled with logic. To Kathryn, they were like a sharp lance cutting through her very heart. And as she realized what the Elders truly wanted from Seven, she thought her very body might tremble to the ground. N'eli had planned this whole thing. He wanted to take Seven. He wanted her virginity. But there was simply no conceivable way that she was going to let him take from Seven the one thing that she desperately craved?

Part 03

She watched as Tuvok walked away. T'knar had graciously offered to go over all the important nuances of the ceremony. There were many legalities that would need to followed the very letter if the Y'rians were ever going to allow Seven to leave.

And in her current state of anger, she knew that such information would be useless to her. So, she sent Tuvok alone to listen to the short pudgy man. There was someone else that the she was dying to have a few words with.

"You knew about this." She hissed out crossing the short distance between herself and N'eli.

"Captain Janeway, please calm yourself. You seem?upset." He said giving her one long smirking smile.

"How could you do this to Seven. What are you thinking?" She demanded trying to push away her every urge to throttle the very life out of him.

"I did nothing to your drone. She is the one who hasn't complied with the ritual of first blood. And that here, my dear Captain, is a sin." He said delighting in the fact that the Captain's anger was rising to a near palpable level.

"Oh, don't worry Kathryn." He said leaning down to whisper vulgarly in her ear.

"I'll be gentle with her?I promise." He said laughing at the outraged expression that crossed her face.

Thankfully, Tuvok returned when he did. With shame, Kathryn was well aware of the fact that she was mere nanoseconds from a physical confrontation with N'eli. And that was certainly behavior unbecoming of a Starfleet Captain.

"Captain, is there a problem?" Her emotionally stable security officer asked.

"No, no problem." She quickly answered backing away from N'eli.

"Then I suggest we return to Voyager. There are preparations that must be made before the ritual can commence." He said carefully holding a large bound stack of paper scrolls in hands.

"Yes, Captain do not worry. You and Tuvok should return to your vessel where you can look this information over more carefully. And then, once you have decided on the particulars of the ceremony you will need to beam back down as quickly as possible. Seven cannot be allowed to leave until she complies with the ritual of first blood. And I am certain that you wish to get underway as quickly as possible." T'knar said kindly trying his best to diffuse a situation mounting in tension and anger.

"Of course. We thank you for your assistance in this matter." Tuvok said politely glancing at his Captain's rather furious features.

And within seconds, the Captain and Tuvok were safely aboard Voyager. She stormed onto the bridge with Tuvok following quietly at her heels. It was time to tell the rest of the senior staff what was happening. And it was a conversation that she wasn't looking forward to having.

But thankfully, Tuvok stepped in again to provide all the careful details that her mind couldn't even seem to tolerate. They all listened intently as he recounted the events that had taken place. Then he carefully, pulled out the scrolls that had been handed to him and began going over the minor tasks that must be completed for the ceremony to be a complete success.

"But Captain, I don't understand. You can't seriously force Seven to go through with this??? She was obviously set-up by that awful N'eli. He planned this all along." The doctor's shrill voice rang out into the silent air.

She had been strangely silent ever since Tuvok had begun his explanation. But she had felt them all watching her. Periodically they would send careful glances down the table to her quiet position.

She wondered what they were thinking. She wondered if they had an idea how furious she really was. If N'eli were standing right before her, she didn't think that anything in the world could stop her from throttling the very life out of his body.

"Captain, Seven and I have been studying their planetary shield. It's impressive yes, but not impenetrable. In fact, Seven had devised a method to control its functions from orbit. She was planning to give it to the Y'rians. She thought they might want it in case they ever decided to begin space travel again." The engineer said wanting the Captain to know that they did have another option.

"You mean it would be possible for us to deactivate the shield, transport Seven, and then leave?" Chakotay asked thinking that this sounded like far and away the best solution.

"Yes, we could reactive the shield once we break orbit." B'Elanna added trying to remain as calm as possible.

She and Seven were far from friends. But over time, she had begun to feel a certain camaraderie with the drone. And there were many occasions when Seven seemed to make all her Klingon instincts go right into hyper drive.

And this was certainly one of them. In all the ways that mattered, Seven was still very young and innocent. She didn't deserve this. And B'Elanna found herself desperately hoping that the Captain would agree to simply take Seven from the Y'rians.

"We can't do that. If we just transported Seven out of there we would be violating the Prime Directive. We have to respect their laws, even if they aren't our own." She said speaking all the words that no one wanted to hear.

"But Captain, you can't just throw Seven to the wolves!!! There has to be another way." The doctor screamed.

"Doctor, that's more then enough." She snarled getting up from the table to look at the planet looming below. She couldn't believe that this was happening. And in so many different ways she felt responsible.

All of them sat behind her in utter silence. She knew that many of them were screaming silent outrage at her through the very force of their minds. She couldn't blame them for that. They needed a focal point for their anger. And truthfully, she was feeling pretty outraged herself.

"All right, I think we're done. Dismissed." She said allowing them to filter out of the room.

But she stopped Tuvok with a cold stare in his direction. And Chakotay remained of his own accord. It was quite clear that he still had many thoughts to add on the matter at hand.

"Tuvok, is there any way we can legally prevent this from happening?" She quietly asked begging her security officer to point out some legal loophole that she had somehow missed.

"I am afraid not Captain. Apparently, N'eli scanned Seven as soon as she transported to the planet's surface. He has hard medical data that she has not complied with the ritual of first blood. Immediately, he contacted the Elders. And since he was the one who discovered Seven's noncompliance it is traditionally his right to engage in the ritual with her." Tuvok said giving his Captain all the hard facts that he was certain she really didn't want.

"Why would he do this? How would he even know?" Chakotay asked. To him, it was obvious that N'eli already suspected that Seven was a virgin.

It was quite apparent that he had gone out of his way to get her down to the planet's surface. The only question was why. To look at Seven he didn't think that anyone in their right mind would guess at her innocence.

"It was because of me. He figured it out because of what I said." The Captain softly mused.

She hadn't understood at the time why N'eli was so interested in the mating rituals of her people. And she didn't understand why he was so interested in Seven's single status. But she had quickly answered all his questions never once guessing that he meant to have her drone. And now, the Captain feared that she had handed him Seven's body on a literal silver platter.