Part 02

Kathryn Janeway stood in the center of the room in which she had been left. It was totally white. There were soft white drapes hanging from the walls, and there were comfortable looking chairs, beds and sofas around the room, scattered with large white cushions and fluffy blankets. The whole room was designed to look comfortable, and she pressed her hand down on one of the beds to see if it was as comfortable as it looked. It was. A swooshing noise behind her made her turn to look, and she saw Queen Eleanora approaching her from behind a curtain. "Captain Janeway, I am so pleased to meet you in person. Please, take a seat. Is there anything I can get for you? I am sure that you would like to change out of those dreadfully tight clothes that you are wearing." The woman said, gesturing to Kathryn as she spoke.

Her voice was quiet and melodic and Kathryn found herself relaxing and becoming less worried about her situation as the woman spoke. She smiled and took a seat. "I would like to know where the rest of my crew is." She said politely.

Eleanora smiled and sat beside her. She reached out and stroked Kathryn's hair gently. "Everyone is fine. You don't have to worry about them now. Relax. Would you like some help relaxing?" She asked, her hand resting gently on Kathryn's shoulder.

Kathryn could only stare back at the Queen. Part of her mind told her that se should be more careful, but the other half told her to relax and enjoy herself, there would be plenty of time to find the others later. She smiled lazily. "My favorite way to relax is to have a hot bath." She murmured.

Eleanora moved closer to her, and reached one arm around Kathryn's shoulders. "Well then you shall have a nice hot bath." She said, and leaned her forehead against Kathryn's head.

An alarm bell jangled in Janeway's brain, and she roused her conscious. "Excuse me." She said, moving away from the other woman.

"Oh come now Kathryn, you can't tell me that you don't enjoy pleasures of the flesh." The Queen purred.

Janeway's mind was on full alert by now, and she tried not to panic. "No, I can't tell you that." She said, looking around her desperately.

"Well then." The Queen said, moving closer to Kathryn again.

"But I have a partner." Kathryn said, standing up and walking a few paces away from the bed.

Her heart was hammering in her chest and she clasped her hands in front of her body. She felt strangely and acutely aware of her body, and a familiar tingle was working its way down her spine. She felt aroused but she didn't know why, and wished that she could control the tingles that made her nipples pucker and harden in response to the woman's gaze. "Well that is wonderful. Tell me who she is and I will have her brought up from the main room." The Queen said, standing and moving to stand beside Kathryn again.

"She?" Kathryn said, turning to face the taller woman.

"I am disappointed that you are partnered to another, but I will accept that you are. You must know that I am very attracted to you." The Queen purred, reaching out to stroke Janeway's hair again.

"Yes. She is very possessive too." Kathryn stammered, batting the other woman's hand away and moving a few paces further from her.

Queen Eleanora clapped her hands and a smaller woman, dressed in similar white robes appeared from behind a curtain. "Chianna, please will you go to the Large Room and bring back, I am sorry Kathryn you didn't tell me your partner's name." She said.

Light bulbs were going off in all directions in her mind, Kathryn felt vaguely faint, and wondered how she could have not noticed that this was clearly a species where the women loved each other. She realized that she hadn't seen any men on her way from the ship to the Palace and the only men she had seen once in the Palace were all enslaved. Her mind buzzed as she tried to think of a way to get out of the bind that she was now in. " Kathryn?" The Queen pressed.

"Yes, Annika. Her name is Annika." She said, turning and smiling broadly.

The smaller woman, Chianna, bowed and left the room. "Now then, let us get you into something more comfortable." Eleanora said, gesturing towards a doorway at the back of the room.

Kathryn wondered what Seven would do when she was summoned by her human name, she hoped that she would realize that something was wrong, and be prepared for anything. She heaved a sigh and followed the Queen into a dressing area. There were literally hundreds of large white pillows scattered about the floor, with candles lighting the room, and perfumed oil scenting the air. Kathryn began to relax again as the Queen indicated that she should be seated. "I will fetch a girl to help you, and we will find you some robes." She said, and left the room.

Shortly after she left, another smaller woman appeared. "Hello, my name is Adrianna." She said, introducing herself with a slight bow.

Kathryn smiled up at her, feeling very awkward as she lounged on the cushions. "I will help you change into these robes." She said, and Kathryn noticed, for the first time, that the woman was carrying a set of white robes very much like the ones all the woman seemed to wear.

"Please can you tell me where are the males of your people?" Kathryn said, reaching down to remove her boots.

Adrianna looked around her to check that no one had come into the room behind her. "The males are all enslaved, they do the heavy work, and of course are required for procreation, but they are not allowed in the Central Area of the Palace. The Queen is not to be looked upon by males." She whispered as she took Janeway's boots from her.

"Does the Queen have children?" Janeway asked, her curiosity was roused.

"Yes, she has two, a make child and a female child. The female is beautiful, she is called Florinda and will be a wonderful Queen. The male child has been banished." Adrianna said, taking Kathryn's jacket and folding it neatly.

"Banished?" Kathryn asked.

"Yes to the monastery on the mount. He will never see a female, but he will not have to work. Privileged males don't have to work, they pray for the people, and serve the goddesses." Adrianna said, taking Kathryn's pants and folding them neatly.

Kathryn removed her shirt, and stood wearing only her underwear, wondering whether she was expected to strip naked before this young woman. "How did she procreate without being seen by a male?" She asked, her curiosity was leaked.

Adrianna turned to face her, and then reached for the robe that she had carefully placed on a cushion. "I will bring you fresh clothes for when you have bathed. But I expect you would like to greet Annika first." She said, opening the gown for Kathryn to step into.

"You didn't answer my question."

"The males were chosen by the High Council and blinded for the act." Adrianna said, smoothing the white robe over Kathryn's shoulders.

"Does he have any say in the children's upbringing?" Kathryn asked, her mind was doing cartwheels trying to figure out the infrastructure of this society.

"The males do not survive the act of procreation." Adrianna replied, turning away from Kathryn and walking towards the drapes covering the entrance to the Central Room.

After a few moments Kathryn followed the young woman back into the larger room. "Can I get you something to drink? To eat?" Adriana asked as Kathryn arranged her gown and settled back on the sofa she had chosen to sit on.

She shook her head. "No thank you." She said, her internal danger sensor was clanging loudly and she knew that she had to find a way to escape from the planet.

There was a gentle swooshing sound and Queen Eleanora reappeared. "Ah Kathryn, I see you are now more comfortably attired." She said, smiling down at the worried and confused Captain.

Kathryn struggled to her feet; she hated to be in the submissive position of being below eye level of the woman with whom she was talking. The irony of that act struck her, as she pulled herself up to her full height, which was still a good 6 inches shorter than the much taller Queen. A swooshing sound heralded the entrance of more women to the room. Kathryn turned and saw to her relief that Seven was one of them.

Dressed in similar white robes to her own, Kathryn couldn't help but marvel at the difference in Seven's appearance. Her hair had been let down from its usual French pleat, and the white robes that she wore seemed to make her glow with a strange diffuse light. Kathryn's heart rose slightly and she smiled. The Queen looked from one woman to the other, clearly expecting some kind of greeting between the two women.

Kathryn took her cue and stepped forward. She placed her hands gently on Seven's arms. "Annika, thank goodness you are here." She said, and leaned into place a hesitant kiss on the taller woman's cheek.

As their heads became closer she inhaled deeply, savoring the smell of the former Borg, a fragrance that she hadn't noticed before. "Bear with me, I will explain everything to you shortly." She whispered into Seven's ear.