CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The Doctor stood in the transporter room as angry as a hologram could be. "Captain, you can’t do this. There’s no telling what could happen." Actually both the Doctor and the captain knew exactly what could happen. He had already explained that if the strain didn’t kill Seven, it could still do enough emotional and psychological trauma to cause a re-emergence of her fractured personalities. They both knew what that could mean.

Seven stepped forward. "Doctor, it is my decision. I am the only one who can free Voyager. I must go."

Janeway helped Seven onto the transporter pad. "And I’m going with her."

"What?" the Doctor and Seven said in unison.

"I am still Captain of this ship," Janeway said.

"It is not safe," Seven said. "I will not allow it."

Janeway raised her eyebrow at her lover and then turned to the Doctor. "You’ve informed Mr. Paris of the best way to treat Seven?"

"Yes," he managed. He still couldn’t believe Janeway was beaming down. He couldn’t accompany them himself because the crystal structure of the moon would destabilize his holo-matrix. "I cannot approve of this. Captain, I’m barely managing to keep Seven stabile. The effects will be magnified by proximity to the device. You simply cannot do this."

Janeway didn’t have time to argue. "I don’t want to Doctor, but we don’t have any other options." The captain took the med kit from him and turned to the transporter operator. "Energize."

Torres watched as the captain and Seven materialized next to the shuttle. Torres and Paris had set up pattern enhancers several minutes earlier.

Seven lost her balance as she materialized, but Kathryn’s hand reached out and steadied her. Seven eyed the pattern enhancers skeptically and then faced Janeway. "You told me the interference had been dealt with."

"It has," Torres said. "Unfortunately the crystal of this ‘rock’ still makes transport a little tricky."

Kathryn’s hand was still on Seven’s arm, and she wasn’t about to let her go. She felt Seven tense. "Seven? How are you doing?"

"We should get started," Seven said instead of answering the question. "Take me to the door that I must open."

Chakotay nodded. "This way. We’ve deactivated all of the devices in the caverns. We can go straight there." He moved to the front of the small party and didn’t look back.

"Come on, Seven," Kathryn said gently.

They moved toward the caves but Janeway was suddenly yanked back when Seven stopped abruptly. Seven was looking down at what was left of a Borg corpse. She knelt down, oblivious to the Captain being wrenched down with her as the young woman raised for eighteen years as a Borg drone stared at the remaining skeletal structure of a drone that left the Collective only through death. The skull was still there as was most of the upper body, but the rib cage had collapsed into itself. The only things holding the bones together now were the implants. Seven touched the implant on the left side of the skull. It was positioned exactly where her own eyepiece was. She noticed the device on the long dead drone’s jawline was identical to her own.

"Hey," Torres said. "Seven, this way." B’Elanna pointed and Seven stood and followed Chakotay.

The captain had never heard B’Elanna’s voice quite that gentle. Janeway still held Seven’s arm with her left hand, ready for any sign that the six-foot blonde might be in distress. In her right hand she held the med kit as they walked silently into the caverns and then she felt Seven move closer to her.

"You okay?" Janeway asked.

Seven took several more steps before speaking. "The emotions are increasing in intensity."

"Tom," Janeway said.

"Let me have the med kit," he said, taking the med kit as they continued into the caverns. He opened it and quickly found the hypospray the Doctor had prepared, the hologram having spoken to Paris at length about Seven’s care. Paris scanned the young woman and then injected her. "Better?" he asked.

"I will complete the assigned task," Seven said, pulling away from Janeway’s arm and quickening her pace. The captain let her go, knowing that her lover had her own way of doing things. Seven continued at her hurried pace until she was walking alongside Chakotay. She glanced at the phaser rifle in his hands. "Commander, do you expect the dead Borg drones to reanimate?"

He glanced over at her. He wasn’t usually someone she joked with. At least he thought she was joking. "No," he said with a smirk, "But you never know."

She walked alongside him a few more paces. "Commander, if I should… If I get worse, I…" she took a breath and tried again. "May I ask a favor of you, Commander?"

"What is it Seven?" he asked.

"If I get worse, do not allow Kathryn witness my demise."

Chakotay realized how difficult it was for the former Borg to ask anyone for help, and how frightened she must be to ask a favor of him. "It won’t come to that, Seven."

"You cannot know that. Will you honor my request?" Seven asked.

"Yes," he said.

They reached the section of the corridor where the walls became completely Borg. Seven found it almost comforting, but then remembered her last visit with the Borg Queen and shivered. She walked in silence with Chakotay and after a few moments Janeway joined them, Seven comforted to feel Kathryn next to her. When they reached the turn off that led to the locked doorway, Seven felt her terror increase again. She unconsciously reached out and took the captain’s hand.

"Seven?" Kathryn asked. "Are you okay? You’re trembling."

The former drone ignored the question. "Are we almost there?" Seven asked the Commander.

"Yeah," he said. "That’s it up ahead."

Seven moved to the panel and began to access the codes. She worked for several minutes then backed away and rubbed her chest. "Mr. Paris," she said in a calm voice. "I am experiencing discomfort. I require another injection."

"Sure, Seven," he said, adjusting his hypospray while the others looked on. Seven was still trembling and sweat was beading on her porcelain features. Tom moved next to Seven, scanning her to verify his dosage, and his eyes widened. "Seven, you need to sit down." He tried to shove her to the ground but she shrugged his hand off. He grabbed his med kit.

"What is it, Tom?" Janeway asked. Paris took a second hypospray out and spun around and injected Seven. "What is it?" Janeway asked again.

"Nothing much, Captain," he said with sarcasm dripping from his voice. "She’s just about to go into cardiac arrest. I gave her a stronger adrenal suppressant."

Janeway was already at Seven’s side. "Annika, you should have said something. We need to get you back to Voyager."

"No, I must finish," Seven said, going back to the panel. "And I did say something. Mr. Paris has treated me. I must complete my task."

Janeway looked at Chakotay and they both moved closer to Seven. Voyager’s two commanding officers knew they had to let Seven finish. They watched as she worked on the code for another five minutes. Finally she looked over at them and nodded. Janeway and Chakotay stood closest to the door with their phaser riffles at the ready. Torres and Paris were behind them, pressed against the walls of the narrow corridor.

The captain gave Seven a final nod. "Open it."

Seven put in the last of the encryption string and the door wrenched open with a slight shudder. The ancient doors creaked as they opened for the first time in centuries, a hiss of stale air blowing out as the seal was broken. The doors squeaked a final time as they disappeared into the walls and the away team peered beyond the doorway. It opened onto a large spacious room lit by the familiar Borg green glow. Janeway looked throughout the room and shifted her rifle to one hand, taking her tricorder and scanning the room. Secure in her findings she stepped through. The others followed and spread out to search the room.

"Over there," Paris said, pointing to a smaller room off to one side. Janeway came over and looked in.

"Seven," she said. "I need you." Seven moved quickly across the room and joined Kathryn. She looked in and then over to the captain. "Is this what it looks like?" Janeway asked.

"I am uncertain. I have never seen anything like it. What does it ‘look like’?" Seven asked.

"A crypt," Paris volunteered.

The room had dozens of perfectly spaced openings along all the walls. Most of them held the remains of ancient Borg, each one flat on its back with its arms crossed over its chest. Seven went along the wall looking at the bodies, or rather what was left of the bodies. They had been there for hundreds of years. Seven stopped and leaned over one of the bodies as Janeway came up behind her.

"Are you okay?" Janeway asked.

"I do not understand this place," she said, running her hand over the eye implant that looked exactly like hers had before the crew of Voyager had rescued her.

Seven looked at the implant on the jaw line, noticing that it was different than hers. She moved to the next body. Its jaw line implant matched the previous body’s. She leaned over it and studied it, realizing that it wasn’t actually different than hers. It merely had an extra component. She reached out and pulled the component off without really thinking about why she was doing it, revealing an identical implant to Seven’s underneath. Just as quickly and instinctively as she had reached for it, she took the extra component and inserted it into her own jaw line implant and then dropped to her knees.

"Seven," Janeway yelled. "What are you doing? Tom, get over here." Paris came running, but it was a waste of his energy.

Seven stood unsteadily and turned to face the captain. "That will not be necessary. I am fine. This device blocks the signals that were causing my injuries." Paris was at her side and scanning her.

Paris let out a relieved breath. "She’s right captain. Her system is returning to normal. In fact…" he reached into his med kit and took out a small vial and put it into one of the hyposprays. "Here," he said as he injected her. "This will counteract the adrenal suppressant. Otherwise you’d be falling asleep any minute."

"Thank you," Seven said.

Janeway grabbed her lover by the arm and yanked her away from Ensign Paris. "What the hell is wrong with you? You had no idea what that implant would do. It could have connected you back to the Collective for all you knew."

"It did not," Seven pointed out.

"Don’t you ever do something that rash again."

"It was the logical choice." Seven crossed her arms across her chest. "The drones outside have been dead much longer than these in here. Someone has placed these drones here in this ‘crypt’. It is logical to assume that the inside drones were a separate group from the ones outside. The only difference between the two groups is the additional component." Seven watched her lover trying to judge her reaction. She could tell Kathryn was relieved but the captain was also extremely angry.

"Come on," Janeway ordered. "Let’s go find the tractor beam and shut it down. And I don’t want you to touch anything without my permission." Kathryn pulled Seven along beside her like a scolded child.

"Very well," Seven agreed. She knew Kathryn’s anger was born of her concern. Seven pulled Kathryn to a stop and whispered into her ear. "Will this touching without permission rule continue once we have returned to Voyager?"

Janeway almost smiled. Almost. "We’ll talk about that later."

Janeway and the rest of the away team found the energy source for the complex, then Torres and Seven went to the most likely location of the tractor beam with Paris in tow while Janeway and Chakotay investigated the source of the emotional transmissions. Torres found the tractor beam controls behind a series of Borg force fields. Seven had tried to pass through the green tinted force field only to be knocked backwards. She would have ended up with her shapely behind firmed planted on the deck plating had it not been for B’Elanna’s reflexes. Torres caught Seven from behind and held her up. Seven pulled away and looked back at B’Elanna.

"I should have been able to pass through that," Seven stated.

"Yeah?" Torres said and then curled her lip up into a feral smile. "Guess you’re more like us than the Borg after all. Maybe I can adjust the frequency of your cranial implant."

"A prudent suggestion," Seven said and moved next to B’Elanna, tilting her head toward the engineer.

B’Elanna crossed her arms and snorted at the ex Borg. "Thanks for the vote of confidence but I don’t know which frequency to use." Torres caught herself staring at the curve of Seven’s neck. The young blonde’s skin was so smooth you could mistake it for a bowl of cream. It had a slight pinkish orange hue, as if the cream of Seven’s skin had been poured over fresh peaches that left some color in the sweet liquid. The Astrometrics officer’s skin was flawless. Torres wondered if the ex Borg’s skin would have a slight sweet flavor like peaches, then remembered the salty sweetness of Seven’s blood.

"Ahem," Paris cleared his throat. Seven and Torres both turned to face him and he instantly noticed the look of arousal on B’Elanna’s face and wasn’t very happy about it. "If you two wouldn’t mind me joining the conversation… I mean I wouldn’t want to interrupt…"

"Do you have relevant information?" Seven asked, wondering why Ensign Paris’ voice seemed tinted with… what? Irritation? Yes, irritation.

"I took extensive scans of the Borg crypt, will that help?" Paris asked sarcastically.

"Perhaps," Seven said, grabbing his tricorder before he could extend it and then looking over his data.

"You’re welcome," he snapped. He glared at B’Elanna and then back to Seven. "Help yourself to anything I have."

Torres seemed not to notice the comment, but she realized she had allowed her feelings for Seven to show.

"Here," Seven said to Torres. "This is the correct frequency. Make your adjustments." Seven tilted her head to give B’Elanna better access.

Torres looked at the tricorder readings and then used a delicate tuning filament to adjust Seven’s emissions by accessing her eyepiece. B’Elanna steadied Seven’s head by gently cradling the ex Borg’s face with her hand while she made minute adjustments, the heat from Seven’s face setting B’Elanna’s hand ablaze.

"Okay," Torres finally said. "That should do it." B’Elanna motioned toward the force field. Seven eyed the half Klingon skeptically and raised an eyebrow.

"I shall find out," Seven said and walked into the pale green obstruction. It flickered but she passed through it and she walked over to a large electronic panel. She found what appeared to be the control for the tractor beam and briefly considered contacting the captain. Janeway had ordered her to get permission before touching anything, but Seven quickly decided that it would be inefficient, so she keyed in the commands and several lights on the panels went out. Seven turned to Torres. "I believe the tractor beam has been deactivated."

Torres nodded and tapped her com badge. "Torres to Voyager…"

Her only answer was static.

She shook her head at Seven. "We can’t contact Voyager through all the rock and alloy. I think we went out of range back at the corridor where the captain and Chakotay turned off."

Seven continued to key instructions into the panel. The green force field flickered and then disappeared so Torres went directly to Seven and looked over the former Borg’s shoulder as the blonde continued accessing the panel.

Torres watched and then leaned closer to figure out what Seven was doing.

Seven paused and turned to B’Elanna. "Can I assist you?"

"Actually I was about to ask you that," Torres said. "What are you doing?"

"I am attempting to access the database," Seven said.

"That shouldn’t be a problem for you, Seven. You got past the encryption codes."

"Those were numeric strings arranged by Borg algorithms. This database is completely different. I am unfamiliar with these patterns," Seven admitted.

"Let me see," Torres said, leaning across the ex Borg and trying to get a feel for the patterns, her shoulder brushing against Seven’s breast as she did.

"Excuse me, ladies," Paris said. "But we’ve finished our mission. We should get back to the captain and Chakotay." Every casual touch between the two women was fanning his jealousy. He and B’Elanna had been fighting constantly for the last month and a half, and it had gotten even worse since Seven had moved into the quarters next to B’Elanna. Or rather, ever since B’Elanna had moved next to Seven. B’Elanna had given her larger quarters to Ensign Walker so she could room next to Seven, and for some reason, B’Elanna didn’t take back her larger quarters after Walker had been tossed into the long-term brig. "I think the captain would like to have us with her," Paris said. He glared at Seven. "Especially you, or don’t you miss her?"

Seven eyed the normally friendly helmsman. "I always miss the captain when I am not in her presence, but I am not in the habit discussing it with members of the crew." There was more going on here Seven realized. She would have to discuss it with Kathryn when the two of them were alone again.

"What’s you’re problem, Tom?" Torres demanded, spinning to face her lover.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" he asked. He shifted his gaze to Seven.

Seven went back to the panel. "If you two are going to continue arguing, I will utilize the time to access these files. Inform me when you have concluded you romantic quarreling. Perhaps if the two of you engaged in various forms of copulation on a more frequent basis you would not have so much remaining ‘sexual tension.’ It is frequently the cause of pointless argumentation." Seven remembered how she and Kathryn had constantly fought about everything before they became lovers. Obviously Torres and Paris were doing something incorrectly since they were still constantly arguing.

"Seven!" Torres said. The half Klingon felt her cheeks warming as she blushed. "Why don’t you figure out your database and Tom and I will go check on the others." She went to Paris and grabbed his arm and yanked him down the corridor.

Seven wondered if she should give Mr. Paris a copy of the Reisian Conference data. In her reading, she had discovered that despite the outward appearance of anatomical similarities between Human and Klingon women, their physiological responses were quite different. Seven wondered if Mr. Paris was aware of this fact. She would have to ask B’Elanna about it. She was sure the Chief Engineer would appreciate Seven’s concern for B’Elanna’s sexual satisfaction. It was the least Seven could do after all of B’Elanna’s support.

Paris ripped his arm away from B’Elanna. "Sure you don’t want me to leave you two alone?" he whispered.

"Enough," B’Elanna said in a snarling whisper. "I don’t know what your issue is, Tom, but I’ve had it."

"Issue?" he asked. "Oh, I’ve got an issue all right. You’re in love with her. Does the captain know?"

"I am not in love with her," Torres said, taking Tom by both of his shoulders.

"And you’d better not go around saying things like that."

"So the captain doesn’t know." Paris shook his head and let out a disgusted sigh.

"Shut up, Tom." She squeezed his arms. "I’m involved with you, remember?"

"Oh, I remember. The question is, do you?"

"I’m not the one who goes on double dates with Harry and the Delaney sisters in the holodeck. There’s nothing going on between Seven and me," Torres insisted.

"Why? Because you haven’t had time to? Or is it… yeah," he said. "She doesn’t want you does she? Are you gonna’ try to seduce the captain’s girlfriend?"

B’Elanna slapped him. The impact knocked him into the nearest bulkhead and he grabbed his jaw. He was sure he now had a perfect impression of B’Elanna’s hand coloring his face.

"Lieutenant," Janeway’s voice filled the corridor. Torres and Paris turned in unison to see the captain and Chakotay heading toward them in a hurried jog. "What the hell are you doing?"

"We’re having a little discussion," Torres said. "Oh, please… please tell me she didn’t hear Tom."

"Whatever this is about, I suggest you finish this discussion on Voyager… in private. I won’t have my crew brawling on Voyager and I certainly won’t stand for it on an away mission," Janeway said in a chilled toned.

"Yes, ma’am," Paris said. "Any word from Voyager?"

Janeway gave him one of her infamous icy stares. "You’re not off the hook either, Mr. Paris. But yes, we did hear from them. The static was pretty heavy, but Tuvok said the tractor beam and the emotional signals have both been shut off."

"Where’s Seven?" Chakotay asked.

"Uh," Paris stalled.

Torres pointed down the corridor. "She’s trying to access the Borg database." Torres stepped back as she saw the captain’s concerned expression shift to anger. "I just can’t get a break," she thought. Torres tried to calm the captain down. "She’s fine. She insisted we let her keep working while we came to check on you."

Janeway headed down the corridor. "You both know better than to leave anyone alone on a dangerous away mission."

"She was fine," Torres said as the entire away team followed the captain.

Janeway ignore B’Elanna’s comment. "And you, Mr. Paris… you were supposed to be monitoring Seven’s condition." Kathryn moved down the corridor knowing something was terribly wrong. She felt it in every bone. She hoped she was just being paranoid, after all, she had been worried sick about Annika. She was probably overreacting. Janeway rounded the last corner and knew she had not been overreacting. Seven was slumped over one of the consoles and wasn’t moving. Janeway sprinted toward her lover unable to say a word.

"Seven!" Chakotay yelled, following behind Paris and Torres. Paris and Janeway began lowering Seven to the deck and Tom started scanning her, but before they could stretch Seven out, her limp left arm caught on the panel.

Janeway reached up and inhaled loudly when she saw that Seven’s assimilation tubules were firmly implanted in the console.

"Tom," Janeway said as she pointed at the two silver protrusions. The tubules were undulating, seeming to mock Janeway, proof that the Borg still had a very strong, very real, hold on her beloved Annika. That hold was embedded in the back of Annika’s hand.

Paris looked over, stopping his scanning, and went to the panel. He looked at the captain like a lost child. He wasn’t a doctor or an engineer and he didn’t have any idea how to deal with the Borg technology. "Captain, I don’t know what we should do."

"Let me see," Torres said, quickly assessing the scene. "Well, first of all, whatever happened, Seven did it."

"What?" Janeway asked.

Torres pointed to the back of Seven’s hand. "The tubules are from Seven. She had to instruct them to interface with the panel. I saw ‘One’ do the same thing with the Borg data packs on Voyager. I think Seven was trying to access the database directly."

"I’ll kill her," Janeway said under her breath.

"We should break the link," Torres continued.

"Wait," Chakotay cut in. "Is that wise? We don’t know what that might do."

"No, we don’t," Torres said. "But when ‘One’ was accessing Seven’s memories too quickly, she needed the link terminated."

Janeway took the hand phaser off of her hip and cut the tubules with a short burst of red light, freeing Seven from the panel. They lowered Seven to the deck and tried to make her comfortable for the moment.

Seven of Nine sat up and her eyes shot open. She didn’t seem to notice the away team as she spoke without any inflection in her voice. "We are Aria. We are Borg…"

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Kathryn Janeway’s mouth went completely dry. Seven of Nine sounded like the perfect, unfeeling Borg drone. Torres and Paris had jumped back and were moving further away, while Chakotay had his phaser rifle aimed at the blonde woman sitting on the floor. Kathryn Janeway hadn’t moved away. In fact, she had actually moved closer, blocking Chakotay’s shot at Seven of Nine.

"Captain," Chakotay said quietly, "move out of the way."

Janeway didn’t even look at him. "Put your phaser down, Commander. I’m not going anywhere." Kathryn took Seven’s face in her hands and turned her young lover’s head toward her. "Annika?"

Seven of Nine focused on the face in front of her. It was Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Starship Voyager her memory told her. Human… Female… Beloved… Seven reached up and put both of her hands over the captain’s. "Kathryn, we… I want to leave this place. Now."

Janeway pulled Seven to her feet. "Then by all means. Let’s get the hell out of here," the captain said, guiding Seven past the rest of the stunned away team. "I thought I told you not to touch anything," Kathryn whispered. Seven did not answer, but she did feel slightly contrite. Janeway looked back over her shoulder at her away team, who still hadn’t moved. "Coming?" Janeway asked. They followed in stunned silence.

Chakotay, Janeway and Seven had beamed directly back to Voyager. Torres and Paris were returning on the shuttle. The Delta Flyer’s doors closed and Tom turned to confront B’Elanna.

"So?" Tom demanded. "What are you gonna’ do? Or should I save who are you gonna’ do?"

B’Elanna sat and sighed disgustedly "Shut up. You’re blowing this completely out of proportion."

"Really?" Tom yelled. "My girlfriend would rather sleep with the captain’s woman and I’m blowing it out of proportion?"

"Your girlfriend? I don’t belong to you. I never have. We are in a relationship. I’m not your property."

Tom sat at the helm and lifted off. "You don’t act like we’re in a relationship. Ever since you moved next to Seven, you haven’t even let me touch you."

"It’s not about Seven, Tom," B’Elanna said gently.

Tom looked over, his face softening. "Then what is it?"

"It’s me," she said.

"What can I do to help?" he asked sincerely.

"Nothing," she admitted. "Maybe we should cool things off for awhile."

Tom was shocked, he was jealous of the attraction to Seven, but he had never seen this coming. He slowly nodded his head. "If that’s what you really want, B’Elanna."

"I think it’s best."

Once back on board Voyager, Janeway took Seven to sickbay while Chakotay went to the bridge and moved the ship a safe distance away from the moon. Seven of Nine was resting on a biobed wishing she were anywhere else.

The Doctor stared indignantly at the captain. "And you let her directly access a Borg data system?"

"I didn’t let her do anything," Janeway said, her eyes glued to her lover. "As a matter of fact, I gave her a direct order to not touch anything."

"This is not going well," Seven decided as she closed her eyes and tried to ignore the two. She was not looking forward to being alone with Kathryn if the captain was being this emotional in front of the Doctor.

"What about the Borg component she’s got stuck into her neck?" he asked. "Did you let her do that?"

"No. But does this really matter? Right now I’m concerned with her condition. How is she?" Janeway demanded.

"She’s certainly doing better than before she went down to the surface," he said. The doctor decided he had chastised the captain sufficiently for the moment, so he went back over to Seven. "As much as I hate to admit it, that Borg component seems to be the best thing for her."

Seven opened her eyes and looked at the captain. "You see," Seven said. "I told you using the component was the most logical choice."

"Don’t start with me," Janeway said. "You’re in enough trouble. I gave you a direct order not to touch anything and then you went right ahead and accessed the database. I should put you over my knee."

"Over your knee?" Seven asked, raiseing her eyebrow and the overlying eyepiece as she spoke. "I do not understand the punitive value of such a disciplinary action. In fact I would such an action--"

"Never mind," Janeway cut her off. She didn’t want the Doctor to get a blow by blow description of Seven’s version of being put over Kathryn’s knee.

"Seven," the Doctor said. "How are you feeling? Emotionally?"

"I am fine," Seven said.

"I know it’s hard on you," the Doctor said.

"You do not know," Seven snapped.

"The Doctor’s just trying to help," Kathryn said.

"I do not want his help," Seven said as she looked away from Kathryn.

"Seven, I know you’re upset, but you can’t take it out on the Doctor." Janeway whispered as she gently rubbed Seven’s arm.

"I do not wish to discuss this here, Kathryn. Can we go back to your quarters?" Seven asked wearily.

"Of course, my love," Kathryn agreed, understanding that Annika needed to talk and that she wasn’t going to do it sickbay.

Seven of Nine followed Kathryn into her quarters and went directly to the couch along the outside wall. Janeway watched her lover carefully sit and then tentatively lean completely back out against the couch. She had never seen Seven sit so improperly, and so… normally. Seven usually sat with her back militarily erect, legs together with her hands folded puritanically across her knees. Seven of Nine was usually the epitome of perfect posture and elegance, but now the young blonde was sprawled back against the couch oblivious to her legs that were flopped out in two wildly different directions. This was definitely not typical for Seven of Nine.

Kathryn sat next to her lover and their thighs touched gently together. She reached out and caressed Seven’s cheek. "Annika, are you really all right?"

Seven nodded and pulled Kathryn closer and the older woman watched in stunned silence as Annika stretched out on the couch and placed her head in Kathryn’s lap, then closed her ice blue eyes.

"I am ready to discus the database," Seven said without opening her eyes.

"Okay," Kathryn said softly. "I’m here, my love." Janeway took Seven’s hair out of its bun and combed her fingers through the golden spun silk. She paused every few strokes to caress Seven’s temples. After a few minutes, Kathryn thought Seven had dozed off, but she continued her loving attention.

Seven relaxed into Kathryn’s lap. She needed to gather her thoughts and present the data in the most logical manner. The problem was, this wasn’t logical, but Seven wanted to do this correctly. She had learned about ‘therapy’ from one of Ensign Kim’s holo-programs. Apparently the ‘patient’ had to recline on a couch with their eyes closed and ‘relate’ their ‘issues’ to the ‘shrink.’ Seven knew she would prefer to tell Kathryn her issues even if Voyager had a ‘shrink,’ whatever that was. Seven had modified the couch scenario by utilizing Kathryn’s lap for a pillow. It was an excellent choice Seven decided, but she also realized that she preferred her eyes open so she could see Kathryn’s beautiful face. Seven’s eyes opened and caught Janeway’s with loving intensity.

"I was able to access most of the Borg database," Seven said breaking the momentary silence.

Janeway nodded, "So it was a Borg colony."

"Not exactly," Seven said, then seeing the questions in her lover’s eyes she continued. "It was the Borg, but not the Borg we have encountered. This was a renegade group know as the Aria."

"How is that possible?" Kathryn asked.

Seven smiled. "The Borg were not always linked by neuro-transceivers. Originally the Borg were completely organic, but a devastating virus infected their population. The virus decimated their organic bodies, so they began to use implants to augment their systems. The original Borg were empaths, mentally linked with others they were close to, usually family members. They added neuro-transceivers to their brains and discovered the power of the Collective mind." Seven took a deep breath and sighed.

"Was that when they lost their individuality?" Kathryn asked.

"No," Seven said. "They still had independent thoughts and actions. Each individual made the decision to connect to the Hive or to remain outside the Collective. Most of the Borg joined the Collective gladly, it offered harmony and peace, but a small group of the stronger empaths chose to remain outside the Hive mind. They became known as the Aria. They worked in concert with the Hive." Seven bit her lip and then continued. "The Queen changed everything. She saw the power the Collective could offer. She forced the Borg people to join the Collective and purged their individuality and their emotions." Seven rubbed her forehead. She was tired, but continued anyway. "The Queen perfected the assimilation nanoprobes and hunted down the rouge Borg. She knew the Aria could be powerful enemies. Some of the Aria were able to elude capture. They honed their empathic skills and were able to project feelings into the drones that attacked them. Since the drones had been purged of any emotion, the empathic messages the Aria gave them disoriented the drones long enough for the Aria to escape the Borg home space."

"And then they came to the moon," Kathryn said.

"Not for many centuries. The Aria spent their lives running from the drone trackers. They detested the Queen’s forced assimilation. They considered it the ultimate violation. As the Collective grew, the Aria’s empathic projection skills became less effective, then they found the moon. Its crystal properties made it the perfect empathic magnifier, and it gave them the chance to settle down and raise their families."

"Families?" Kathryn said incredulously. "I can’t imagine Borg families."

"The Aria treasured their loving relationships. Each family had its own empathic link that strengthened and unified their emotions. Unlike the unfeeling Borg drones, the Aria were hyper-emotional beings."

"What happened to them?"

Seven smiled. "I was trying to tell you."

Kathryn leaned down and kissed Seven’s forehead. "I’m sorry, love. Please continue."

Seven wasn’t sure she wanted to, but she did. "The Aria used the moon’s crystal structure to magnify and store emotions. They combined that with stolen Borg neuro-transceivers to develop a weapon against the drones. When the Borg attacked, the Aria bombarded them with terror. Since the drones were unaccustomed to any emotions, they were vulnerable, and with each drone that died from the absolute terror, the Aria stored their fear at the moment of their death to be used against the next drone assault."

Janeway gasped. She knew that Seven must have experienced the terror of thousands of deaths while she was on the moon, and she knew she was the one who caused it. A tear beaded up at the edge of Kathryn’s eye. "Oh Annika, I’m so sorry. I never should have taken Voyager to the moon. How did you stand it?"

Annika reached up and brushed the tear off of Kathryn’s cheek. "You did what was best for the ship, and I survived. The drones were not used to any emotions, good or bad. I have been experiencing some extremely powerful emotions lately." The exBorg smiled up at her lover. "Most of them very pleasant."

Kathryn took Seven’s hand and kissed it. "Your love has already saved me. I’m just glad I could return the favor."

Seven sighed and closed her eyes. Tears rolled down her chiseled alabaster cheeks as she remembered the rest of the Aria’s story. Janeway brushed each one away.

"What happened to them, love?" Kathryn asked. She could tell that Seven was having trouble relating the rest of the story.

"They lived for hundreds of years on the moon. They were happy. The drones kept coming, but the empathic transmitters killed them all before they could reach the Aria. The Aria built their city deep inside the crystals of the moon and fortified it with zibanium, the alloy we couldn’t cut through. They lived for many generations. They raised many happy children." Seven wiped her eyes and took several ragged breaths.

Janeway took Seven’s hand and brought it to her lips and kissed each knuckle. She held it to her cheek and waited for Seven to compose herself.

Seven sniffled. "The Aria knew from the memories accessed from the drones that the Borg were assimilating billions. They decided that they had to free the drones everywhere from the Collective control of the Queen, and if they couldn’t, they would have to destroy the Borg to prevent the assimilation of the entire universe. The Aria scientists developed a cybor-virus that attacked the nerves connecting the implants to the organic matter of the drones." Seven squeezed her eyes shut and released a tiny sob. She twisted her body and crawled up onto Kathryn’s lap and buried her face in the captain’s hair and wept. "Oh, Kathryn, it is so horrible."

Janeway rubbed her lover’s back in soothing circles. Kathryn had heard similar stories before.

"I understand," Kathryn said as she comforted Seven with her touch. "The virus escaped and destroyed the Aria. It’s happened thousands of times throughout the universe," she whispered.

Seven shook her head and cried harder. "It is so much worse." Seven cried for many minutes until she finally clung quietly to Kathryn, then she leaned back so she could look at her lover.

"Kathryn, they were successful. They had the cybor-virus, but before they could use it, they needed a vaccine to protect themselves. Once they had one, the adults tested it on themselves, and it worked perfectly, so they vaccinated the children. The vaccine mutated. It infected anyone who had not yet reached puberty. The children all began to die horrible, drawn out deaths. Their nerve endings began to decay. It took them agonizing months to die. Every child born was infected because the parents carried the disease in their blood through the vaccinations. They had developed it to be impervious to the nanoprobes."

Kathryn closed her eyes and sighed. She opened them and tears slid down her cheeks. "They had to watch their children die?" Kathryn asked. She had read about plagues that only killed children and knew the toll they took on a society. She wondered how it would affect a ‘hyper-emotional’ species.

Seven’s looked into Kathryn’s blue grey eyes. "But Kathryn… They… Oh, Kathryn. They could not stand watching the children suffer… so the doctors…"

"No," Kathryn said, disbelief evident in her tone.

"Each family gathered and cradled their children in their arms and watched as the doctors gave the children a painless poison. They held their children while the doctors killed them." Seven leaned down onto Kathryn as if she were a lost child, she wanted to feel Kathryn’s love wrapped around her, and she wanted Kathryn to take away the awful truth. Janeway pulled Seven tightly to her, not wanting to ever let Seven go. She knew her crew saw her lover as an ‘ice queen,’ incapable of being hurt, but Kathryn knew the truth. Despite outward appearances, Seven was one of the gentlest, most tender souls she had ever met.

"I’m sorry, Annika." Janeway kissed Seven’s neck. "I can’t imagine what the parents went through."

"But Kathryn, the children knew. They were connected to the parents by the family links…" Seven said, then whispered, "They knew."

"Oh, my god," Kathryn squeezed Annika tighter. "Seven, I’m so sorry you had to read those files alone. It must have been devastating. I’m sorry I wasn’t there."

Seven pulled back and bit her lips. "Kathryn, that’s why this is so difficult for me. I did not ‘read’ the files."

"What do you mean?" Kathryn asked as she felt her stomach tighten.

Seven rubbed her temple. "The Aria were hyper-emotional beings. Their archives are not written. They have an empathic database. That is why I was forced to access them directly with my Borg tubules."

Kathryn felt apprehension fill her. "What is an empathic database?"

Seven looked into her lover’s eyes. "I could not read the archives. I had to experience them."

"No," Janeway whispered. "Oh, my love, no." Kathryn squeezed Annika to her, she could not imagine the pain her young lover had gone through, and it was all her fault, she had given the order for Seven to go down to the moon.

"I don’t know how they survived it, Kathryn," Seven said, leaning down into Kathryn and clinging tightly to her. For many minutes they sat on the couch without moving.

After awhile, Janeway eased Seven away from her a few inches and she looked at her lover. Seven seemed more composed. "What happened to the rest of the Aria?" Kathryn asked.

"They couldn’t have more children because every child they would have given birth to would have been infected with the disease. The Borg had very long life spans, but even Borg grow old and die."

Kathryn looked at Seven in disbelief. "They’re all gone?"

"Most of the Aria died here. Some of them left about two centuries ago. I do not know what happened to them."

Kathryn held Annika and said nothing. There was nothing to say. An entire race was gone. The only members of the Borg race that were not mindless drones had died trying to come up with something to save the rest of the universe.

After several minutes, Kathryn realized she still had one question. "Annika?" Kathryn asked.

"Yes, Kathryn," Seven said.

"What happened to the virus?" She looked at Seven and was suddenly concerned. "Were you exposed on the moon?"

"No," Seven said. "Once the children were infected, the Aria realized how dangerous it was and destroyed all of the virus on the moon. The only existing contagion was in the blood of the surviving Aria. All other forms of the virus were neutralized."

"But Annika," Kathryn said, "You used the Borg implant. You said the virus was part machine and part biological. Were you exposed?" Kathryn asked again, feeling her pulse quicken.

"No," Seven said. "They had already removed all parts of the virus from any external implants. And, Voyager’s medical buffers would remove any contamination during transport. I was not exposed, but it wouldn’t matter anyway."

"Why?"

"I have already gone through puberty, Kathryn," Seven said. "Even if there was virus still present on moon, I would not have been at risk of infection. The only child on-board Voyager is Naomi and she has no implants. She would also be safe. If I had been exposed, the only people who would be at risk would be my children, and I am never going to have children."

Kathryn looked at her young lover. Since dating Seven, she had found herself thinking about having children. She’d never wanted children when she was with Mark, or anyone else for that matter. Loving Annika Hansen changed everything. Suddenly, the thought of having a little daughter that looked just like Annika had become very appealing. She had first noticed it when she had seen Seven and Naomi playing on the holodeck. Seven had such a gentle way with the young child; it almost broke Kathryn’s heart. She’d seen them sitting on the grass and Seven was watching as Naomi read a book to the former Borg. Kathryn had caught herself wondering what it would be like to see her daughter raised by Seven, a child that was Annika and her. She even had a dream that Seven was pregnant. In the dream, she was laying on the couch with her head pressed to Seven’s belly feeling their baby kicking. She had awakened beside Seven, and found her hand wrapped neatly around the young Borg’s flat stomach. Kathryn remembered feeling a sense of loss as she looked at her sleeping lover and her suddenly too flat abdomen. Now, before she ever had a chance to bring up the subject of children, Seven was telling her she didn’t want them.

"Never is a long time, Annika," Kathryn said. "You’re very young; you have your whole life to make that decision." Janeway tried to sound sympathetic, even though she realized her own feelings had a lot to do with what she was telling her lover.

"I used to think I wanted children," Seven said. "Now I know I could not. I am not strong enough to survive losing a child."

"You can’t have a child expecting to losing it," Kathryn said gently. "There’s nothing worse than losing a child, but you can’t let that stop you from having children if you want them." Kathryn watched as the words sunk in. She watched as Seven’s face seemed to radiate warmth, then the young Borg’s eyes clouded over. Kathryn touched Seven’s cheek. "Do you want children?"

Seven sat up and looked away from Janeway. She suddenly looked very small and fragile. After several moments, she spoke in barely a whisper. "Yes, but I am afraid."

Janeway leaned over and wrapped her arms around Seven’s shoulder. She kissed the blonde’s temple and let her lips linger there. "Then give yourself some time to adjust to what’s happened. You’ve been through so much today. You need to rest." She kissed for lover’s temple again and cradled Seven’s cheek in her palm. "Why don’t we go lay down, love?"

Seven said nothing but stood, reaching down and helping Kathryn to her feet. They walked to the bedroom hand in hand. Janeway didn’t turn down the sheets, instead she guided Seven onto the top of the blankets and Annika pulled Kathryn down to her. Kathryn snuggled into the embrace and let her head drift gently onto Seven’s breast then let her eyes slip closed as she felt the rhythmic rise and fall of the Seven’s chest.

"Kathryn," Seven said. Kathryn’s hair tickled Seven’s nose as she spoke. "Do you want to have children?"

Janeway took a deep breath. The topic scared her more than she cared to admit. Kathryn took the plunge. "For the first time in my life, I think I do."

"Why now?" Seven asked. She idly ran her hand through Kathryn’s hair as she waited for the response. Her hand drifted down to Kathryn’s neck and she gently massaged the captain’s tight muscles.

Janeway lifted her weight up onto her elbows and turned her head. "Up until now, I’ve never met anyone who I wanted to have children with." Her eyes met Seven’s and the former Borg realized how much Kathryn loved her.

"Kathryn, do you intent for us to sleep on top of the blankets with our clothes on?" Seven asked after several moments.

"No, my love, but I didn’t really want all of the dirt and grime from that moon in our bed." Kathryn said.

Seven smiled, wondering if Kathryn realized she had referred to the bed as ‘our’ bed. "Kathryn, the medical buffer removes any harmful particles during transport."

"I know, but I still feel grimy," she insisted. "How would you like a nice hot bath?"

"I think a shower would be wiser. If I got into the bath right now, I would probably fall asleep and drown."

"I’ll take care of you, love," Kathryn promised, then stood and pushed Seven back into the mattress. "You wait here. I’ll come get you when it’s ready."

Seven smiled and closed her eyes and listened to her beloved Captain filling the tub in the other room.

Kathryn came back in and led a very sleepy Seven of Nine to the bathtub and undressed her. She guided her beloved into the steaming water and crawled in behind her and wrapped her legs around the statuesque blonde. Neither spoke as Kathryn ran the soft sponge over her lover’s back, Seven letting out an occasional sigh or tranquil murmur. Once she finished, Kathryn eased Seven back against her chest and the older woman reached around and washed the blonde’s supple chest and belly with loving thoroughness. Kathryn felt her lanky partner grow heavier against her chest and she set the sponge aside and cradled her sleeping lover in her arms. She held Seven against her as she settled down into the water kept hot by the sensor activated heaters. She knew she would be puckered like a prune, but she couldn’t bring herself to wake Annika. An hour later, Annika shifted in the tub and twisted sending the water over the edge of the tub. Seven opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.

"You should have awakened me," Seven said, lifting her hand out of the water and examining the puckered skin. "We should move to the bed."

Janeway shifted and stretched under her lover. "If you’re trying to proposition me, I’m a little too stiff to take you up on it." They quickly dried and made their way to the bed, each too tired for anything except sleep. They snuggled together and quickly drifted off.

Kathryn woke up feeling that she was being watched. She opened her eyes and could make out the silhouette of her lover. Annika was leaning up on one elbow watching Kathryn sleep. The dim illumination filtering through the window from the passing stars allowed Kathryn to make out the smile on Seven’s face.

"Hello, love," Kathryn said, reaching out and pulling Annika to her. "Couldn’t sleep?"

Seven extended her hand and caressed Kathryn cheek. "I woke up and you were so beautiful I didn’t want go back to sleep."

"You should go back to sleep. You’ve only been resting a few hours." Kathryn pulled Seven over to her and guided the young blonde’s head to her chest. She kissed top of Seven’s head. "Now go to sleep."

"I am no longer tired," Seven said. Her voice was husky, and Kathryn recognized the arousal.

"Well, then," Kathryn said, "Maybe I can do something to tire you out."

"I would like that," Seven said as she moved on top of Kathryn. She kissed her beloved with a gentle thoroughness that took Kathryn’s breath away. Before Annika, Kathryn had thought that was just an expression, but with her young lover she realized it was true, Annika did take her breath away on a regular basis. Seven’s tongue lovingly sought entrance, which was given with equal ardor. They spent the night oblivious to everything except each other, wrapped in arms and legs as well as the never ending devotion that true loves exist within. Somewhere in the universe starship captains and Astrometrics officers faced countless problems and their minds were filled with worries, but not on Voyager. On Voyager, for this moment in time, Captain Kathryn Janeway and Seven of Nine existed only for each other.

* * * * *

Seven of Nine entered Engineering and scanned the room for her target and quickly sighted Susan Nicolletti at one of the com stations. Nicolletti turned when she heard Seven enter and the Lieutenant nodded to her, but the smile she offered was subdued. That didn’t matter to Seven; she had a mission. B’Elanna was not happy and Susan Nicolletti might be able to change that. B’Elanna had immediately cut Seven off whenever the exBorg had brought up the subject of B’Elanna’s sexual satisfaction, but that wasn’t good enough for the stubborn Seven of Nine. She now considered B’Elanna a friend, and she wanted her friend to be happy. Seven felt the beautiful Susan Nicolletti was up to the task, or would be with a little tutoring. Seven had been delighted to discover that she herself was a very accomplished lover. Kathryn said she was a ‘natural.’

"Seven," Nicolletti said coolly. "Lieutenant Torres isn’t here."

"I came to see you," Seven said as she crossed to her.

"Great," she said without enthusiasm.

"Do you engage in sexual relations with females?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you having difficulty with your hearing?"

"No," she snapped. "What exactly is it you want?"

"I find it necessary to ascertain your willingness to date another woman," Seven explained.

Nicolletti stared at the gorgeous blonde Borg and felt her face growing hotter by the second and knew she must be blushing wildly. "Seven, I’m flattered, but I thought you and the captain were together... And I, well, I’ve seen you with Lieutenant Torres often enough..."

"You believe I am attempting to initiate a romantic interaction with you?"

Nicolletti’s blush darkened. "Aren’t you?"

"No..." Seven considered her statements. "But I can understand why you would think that. I am exclusively dating the captain. I do spend much of my available break time with B’Elanna... Lieutenant Torres, but that is because she is my friend. I am making my inquiries on her behalf."

"Torres asked you to feel me out?"

"I am uncertain as to the meaning of that term, but if you mean did she ask me to approach you, then no. She did not."

"Then why are we having this conversation?" Nicolletti wondered how anyone ever got through a conversation with this woman. She was aggravating as hell, but... she certainly was something to look at.

"Do you date women?" Seven asked.

"Not that it’s any of your business, but yes."

Seven’s eyes sparkled. "B’Elanna is a passionate and responsive woman. Do you find B’Elanna attractive?"

"Uh... well, yeah..."

Seven was now extremely satisfied with herself. "I believe B’Elanna would be pleased if you would pursue her." Seven took a deep breath and put her hand on Nicolletti’s shoulder. "Lieutenant Nicolletti, would you consider yourself an adequate lover? Could you bring B’Elanna frequent and explosive orgasms?"

Susan Nicolletti looked like someone poured a bucket of white paint over her head. Her normally pink features drained to a stark white. "Uh..." the charming Engineered managed to say.

"I will take that as a no," Seven said. "I believe you will find this informative," Seven continued as she handed Nicolletti a padd with the data from the Reisian Conference. Nicolletti eyed it skeptically and then her eyes shot open.

"Seven!"

"I suggest that you concentrate on the speech given by D’tara G’vor. She has extensive experience with Klingon Human pairings."

Nicolletti was about to throw the padd at the blonde Borg, but then she saw the three-dimensional diagrams and tucked the padd under her arm. "Seven, why are you doing this?"

"B’Elanna is my friend. She has stopped dating Mr. Paris and is not currently seeing anyone else. I have noticed the way you look at her when you are not aware that I am observing you. She intrigues you. You also intrigue her. I believe you would ‘make a good match.’"

Nicolletti was quiet for several moments. She found the entire conversation painfully embarrassing, but was thrilled to find out that Torres was actually interested. Seven’s directness was nothing if not refreshing.

She looked up at Seven. "I’ve never dated a Klingon before . . . I think it might be . . . complicated."

"Yes," Seven agreed and decided that Nicolletti was indeed open to her instruction. "There are other things from the Conference that you may find informative." Seven moved next to the Engineer and pointed at the padd. Nicolletti held it up and Seven accessed it, pulling up one of the files. "Were you aware of these anatomical differences?" Seven asked as she pointed to a rather graphic diagram of comparative anatomy between human and Klingon women.

Susan’s eyes widened. "Is this accurate?" she asked when she finally read the text below the images.

"I do not have any practical experience to answer that, but I have tested a great deal of the other information and it has all proved to be quite accurate."

Susan smiled and decided that her captain was one very lucky woman. "I’ll bet."

The doors to Engineering hissed open and B’Elanna Torres came in.

"Seven," B’Elanna came toward her with a concerned look on her face. "Everything all right?"

"I am fine," Seven said. "I came here for personal reasons. Lieutenant Nicolletti, I will leave you to examine the information and consider our discussion."

"Thanks, Seven," Nicolletti said with sincere gratitude, not just for the data padd, but for Seven not commenting on their topic of conversation in front of the Engineer. "So, B’Elanna," Nicolletti thought as she watched the Engineer go to her com station, "You’ve talked to Seven about me? Well, I’m gonna’ be looking at you in a completely different light." The young Engineered tucked her data padd under her arm and went back to her own com station, very aware of B’Elanna’s eyes following her.

Seven moved down the corridor and headed toward her quarters. She was supposed to meet Kathryn in less than an hour. Seven knew Kathryn would be as convinced as she was that she had indeed made the correct decision concerning B’Elanna’s social life.

The end.