"I don't suppose I should ask why you were undressed?" the doctor asked as he put the dermal regenerator away. Janeway pulled the edges of her robe together.
"No you should not," she replied through gritted teeth.
The doctor sighed, "Very well Captain, but may I suggest that you and Seven be a little less energetic next time."
"Dismissed Doctor," Janeway said audibly growling this time. The doctor gave an indignant sniff at Janeway's glare and left the bedroom.
"Seven," Janeway called out. Seven appeared at the door of Janeway's bedroom.
"Are you alright Captain?" Seven asked concern apparent in her voice. Janeway smiled "I'm fine Seven. It was just a few abrasions. Are you OK? I must have pulled on your implant awfully hard if it was enough to rip my suit."
Seven fingered the implant on her shoulder exposed by the sleeveless velocity suit. "I am undamaged Captain."
Janeway walked over and looked closely at Sevens shoulder "Are you sure? You look a little bruised."
Seven nodded. "I am sure."
Janeway looked the blonde ex-borg up and down once then satisfied at what she saw nodded.
"If you are alright Captain, I believe I will go regenerate," Seven said.
"I'm fine Seven, go ahead," Janeway waved towards the door. Seven was almost out the door when Janeway had a sudden thought. "Seven. What happened to my suit?"
Seven paused and thought for a minute, "I believe it is still on the holodeck."
"Oh lord. I don't want anyone to find my suit on the holodeck."
"I will retrieve it for you Captain," Seven said.
"Thank you Seven."
"You are welcome Captain."
Tom Paris paused outside the holodeck and was surprised to find it running. He checked the chronometer just to make sure of the time. Yep it was definitely his scheduled time for the holodeck.
"Computer. What program is running?"
"The current program is Velocity," the computer replied.
"What is the progress of the game?"
"The game is currently paused."
Tom frowned. "Who is on the holodeck?"
"There is no one on the holodeck at this time."
Tom ran a quick check and saw that the holodeck had been reserved by Seven of Nine. He shrugged and entered the holodeck. He looked around a minute before telling the computer to end program. He was about to start his program when he saw something lying in the corner. He walked over and saw a velocity suit on the floor. He picked it up and turned it over carefully. What he saw made his eyes widen. The suit had been ripped from the neck to the crotch and down one leg. It was too small to belong to Seven but he could not think whose suit it would be.
B'Elanna walked down the corridor to the holodeck. She was going to join Tom in one of his new programs today. Strangely she was looking forward to it. Not because she found his programs particularly exciting, but because there was nothing else to do. For the past month Voyager had been traveling through a quiet area in the delta quadrant. No dangerous spatial anomalies, no hostile aliens, no equipment malfunctions, no plagues, no viruses, no nothing. In short life at the moment was very, very boring. B'Elanna walked onto the holodeck braced for whatever new idea Tom had come up with. She came to a dead stop as she saw Tom standing in the middle of the room holding a piece of cloth.
"Tom?"
Tom gave B'Elanna a funny look and walked over.
"Look B'Elanna. What do you make of this?" he said handing her the suit.
B'Elanna gingerly took the suit and gave a whistle of surprise. "Wow. What happened to it?" she asked.
Tom shrugged, "That's what I was wondering. The velocity program was running when I came in but no one was here."
B'Elanna turned the outfit over in her hands. "Who had the deck reserved?" she asked. Tom told her and B'Elanna frowned thinking furiously then marched to the computer station across the room. Tom waited impatiently but remained quiet. B'Elanna would tell him when she found something.
"Ah ha. There was a site to site transport from here to the captain's quarters and," she looked up at Tom with a gleam in her eyes, "there was a request for the Doctor to report to the captain's quarters a few minutes later."
Tom cocked his head, "Well how about a trip to sickbay?" he asked.
B'Elanna grinned, "I thought you'd never ask." she replied cheerfully as she linked her arm with his and walked out the door.
Seven walked onto the holodeck and looked around. The suit was not there.
"Computer. Who last used the holodeck?"
"Seven of Nine."
Seven frowned, "Computer. Who shut down the velocity program?"
"Tom Paris."
"Computer. Locate Tom Paris."
"Tom Paris is in sickbay."
Seven turned and stalked out the door.
"Please state the nature of the medical... Oh its you."
"Well that's a fine way to greet your assistant Doc," Tom said easily. "As for the medical emergency, I thought you might know, " he said holding up the shredded velocity suit. The doctor's eyes widened.
"Wow. She did a number on that didn't she?"
Tom looked at the doctor with an expression of pure innocence "So is she Ok?"
"Oh yes. Just a few cuts and abrasions resulting from intense friction against a hard surface," the doctor answered.
B'Elanna frowned at the doctor "Intense friction against a hard.... You mean rug burns?" her voice rising in surprise on the question. The doctor looked at her in surprise.
"Well I suppose ‘rug burn’ is as good a term as any." he said cheerfully.
They looked up as the door to sickbay slid open. Seven of Nine stood in the doorway and surveyed the room. Her eyes lit on Tom Paris.
"Ensign Tom Paris. I believe you have something that belongs to the captain. I am here to retrieve it."
Tom looked at the suit in his hand then back at Seven. "Sure Seven. I, uh, found it on the holodeck," he said handing her the suit. Seven said nothing as she took the suit and turned away.
"Seven?" B'Elanna asked quickly unable to control her curiosity any longer. "How exactly did the captain's suit get like that?"
Seven looked over her shoulder "I ripped it off of her," she replied in flat even Borg tones. Then she was gone. B'Elanna looked at the two men in sickbay.
"Did I just hear what I thought I did?"
They nodded at her silently.
"You're making that up," Ensign Harry Kim looked across the mess hall table at Tom.
"No absolutely not. I have witnesses. B'Elanna and the doctor were both there, I swear." Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry Tom, but I just don't believe it. There has to be a logical explanation."
"Harry," Tom said in exasperation, "You sound just like Tuvok. Why does there have to be a logical explanation? What is so hard about believing the captain and Seven may..."
Harry cut Tom off. "I'm not saying they couldn't, but on the holodeck? Come on Tom. The captain has more class than that."
Tom shrugged "Ok Harry, believe what you want, but you'll see for yourself one day. Love makes people do some crazy stuff sometimes."
Captain Janeway was in her ready room going over personnel reports when the incident from the night before popped into her mind. Seven had not returned her suit and Janeway had forgotten to ask her about it. She looked down at the reports in distaste. It was time for a break she decided. She asked the computer to locate Seven of Nine then left the ready room.
Janeway squeezed into the jefferies tube and slid forward. She grumbled obscenities under her breath at the small space. She pushed her hair out of her face and spied Seven’s legs extending from a ladder just ahead. Janeway sidled beneath the junction and called out "Seven."
Seven shifted and turned to look at the redhead below. As she did, she dislodged a collection of dust that had accumulated in the little used jefferies tube. Janeway blinked at the sudden onslaught that landed in her face and quickly closed her eyes.
"Captain?" Seven question.
"Ah. I've got something in my eye," the captain said. Seven quickly climbed down the ladder and knelt by the captain. She put her hands on either side of Janeway's face and pulled the captain towards her.
"Let me see," she commanded and inspected Janeway's eye before gently blowing away the piece of dirt lodged in it.
Ensign Harry Kim moved easily through the jefferies tube. Not many people liked working in them but he enjoyed the solitude. However, solitude wasn't what he was seeking just now. He had been running a program from astrometrics and had hit a snag. Now he was tracking Seven of Nine down to get her help with the problem. He turned the corner and froze. Seven of Nine was at the next junction but she wasn't alone. The captain was kneeling in front of her and Seven had her hands on either side of the captain's face and they were, they were...Harry's mind shut down on the thought as he swallowed convulsively a couple of times then silently backed out of the tube.
"Kissing? Harry are you sure?" Jennifer Delany looked at Harry Kim in disbelief. Harry nodded.
"Positive. In the jefferies tube. And that's not all," Harry went on to tell Jennifer what Tom had told him. "Well?" he asked when he finished.
Jennifer shrugged. "It could be possible I guess. I'll keep an eye out," she said. "I've got to go. I'm due back on duty in a few minutes. See you later Harry."
Harry waved goodbye as Jennifer left the mess hall.
"Hey Seven. Here's a copy of the reports you requested," Jennifer said as she entered astrometrics. Seven looked up briefly from the console as she acknowledged the ensign's presence.
"Place them there," she nodded. "I will review them when I have completed these calculations."
Jennifer nodded. Seven looked at Jennifer as she shifted from foot to foot.
"Is there something else I could help you with Ensign?" Seven asked.
"Well," Jennifer said, "I was wondering how the dating scene was going."
"Dating scene?" Seven asked.
"I know there are an awful lot of people who would like to get to know you," Jennifer said cautiously.
Seven raised an eyebrow. "Irrelevant. I am not available for dating at this time."
"Oh. I see. Well ok then. See you later Seven," Jennifer said as she backed out of astrometrics. As soon as the door closed she turned and hurried down the corridor. She had to find someone to tell.
"She really said that she was dating the captain?" Ensign Wildman asked.
"Well not exactly in those words," Jennifer admitted. "She said she wasn't available. And after all the other things that have happened I thought the reason was pretty obvious."
"What other things?" asked Wildman.
Jennifer looked around the biometrics lab then leaned in conspirically. "Well I heard that Tom..."
"The sensors are overwhelmed by the nova. They won't be able to pick up an image with any resolution," Seven said looking over her shoulder at Captain Janeway. Janeway frowned as they tackled the problem of getting clear readings on a nearby star in the process of going nova.
"What about an obfuscation filter?" she asked.
Seven shook her head, "The filters work after the sensors have taken readings it would not reduce the distortion."
Janeway gave a snort of frustration. "Well I am not willing to pass up this chance. We'll have to think of a way," she looked at Seven, "What do you think of a working dinner?" Seven nodded. "That is acceptable," she agreed.
"So what do you think Neelix?" Samantha Wildman asked as she set the table for dinner. "Well, I don't know. I guess its possible. They are both loners, which could in its own way draw them together. But I can't imagine them sneaking around and meeting in the jefferies tube or anything like that," Neelix said after a moments thought.
Samantha nodded in agreement.
"However," Neelix went on, "Seven did come by and pick up two dinners tonight." He paused for effect "With coffee."
Samantha's eye brows shot up. "Really?" she said but broke off from saying anything else as Naomi skipped into the room giving her mom and Neelix a hug before she slid into her chair for dinner. Midway through the meal she looked up.
"Mom? What does oba...ova...ova fusion mean?" she asked.
Samantha Wildman looked at her daughter sharply. "Where did you hear that word?" she asked.
"I was in astrometrics today and heard Seven and the captain talking. The captain asked Seven if they could try ova fusion," Naomi answered between mouthfuls.
Samantha and Neelix exchanged glances and Samantha grimaced. She knew she would have to talk to Naomi about this sooner or later, she had just hoped it would be much, much later.
"Well honey," she began, making a mental note to have a word with the captain about the topics she discussed in front of her daughter. Better yet maybe she would just send Naomi to her with the questions. Let the captain deal with explaining the birds and bees to a precocious five-year-old.
Neelix saw Commander Chakotay seated alone at a corner table in the mess hall and hurried over.
"Good Morning Commander," he said cheerfully.
"Good Morning Neelix. Anything exciting happening today?" Chakotay asked half hoping the self appointed moral officer would have something planned. The current boring stretch of space was even starting to get on his nerves.
"Well since you asked, I was wondering if I should begin preparing a celebration for the big announcement."
Chakotay gave Neelix a confused look. "What big announcement?"
"Why the one about Seven and the captain of course," Neelix replied.
Chakotay carefully swallowed his food, took a drink, and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Sit Neelix," he commanded. "I think you better tell me exactly what you are talking about." He raised a hand to forestall Neelix's next words. "From the beginning, the very beginning."
Chakotay walk purposely towards astrometrics. After talking to Neelix, he knew he had to talk to the captain. Obviously, she didn't know about the rumors flying around the ship. He wasn't looking forward to being the one to tell her but, as first officer, he had the dirty job. He had checked the computer and located her in astrometrics. As he approached the lab, he could hear raised voices halfway down the corridor. He paused for a moment. He couldn't decipher the words but it was definitely the captain's voice and Seven of Nine's. Now that was unusual he thought. He couldn't recall either of them ever yelling at this apparent decibel. He walked more slowly towards the lab.
"Seven this conversation is not over," the captain's voice came clearly through the door.
"I disagree Captain," Sevens voice returned.
Chakotay winced at the sarcasm dripping off the word 'captain'. He palmed the door open and stepped into astrometrics. The two women were on opposite sides of the room. From their flushed faces and heavy breathing it appeared that the distance was the only thing preventing the 'discussion' from coming to blows.
"I'm sorry. Am I interrupting?" he asked.
"Yes," Janeway snarled, as Seven coolly clipped "No. You are not." Then she stalked out the door saying as she left, "I am going to regenerate," she paused then continued, "for the next eighteen hours." The doors slid closed as she turned down the hall.
Chakotay held up the PADD. "I, uh, have the report you requested Captain."
Janeway glared at Chakotay as she gingerly took the PADD, not throwing it despite her wish to, then stormed out the door going the opposite way down the hall. Chakotay rubbed his head then activated his combadge.
"Chakotay to Tuvok."
Tuvok listened to Chakotay dispassionately as the commander relayed the episode in astrometrics.
"So you see," Chakotay said, "with all the other incidents factored in it appears there may be something to all of this."
"I see Commander. Why exactly are you bringing this to my attention?" Tuvok asked.
Chakotay shifted in his seat a little. "Well you are her oldest friend here and you do know her best. I thought that perhaps you could talk to her."
Tuvok nodded. "That is what I thought. I will consider your suggestion Commander and if, after investigating the alleged incidents, I find there is any validation I will indeed bring it to the Captain's attention."
Chakotay gave a heavy sigh as the security officer walked away. Now it was Tuvok's problem he thought with relief.
Tuvok walked into the Captain's ready room PADD in hand. He showed no surprise to see Seven of Nine standing by the table. Apparently whatever disagreement they had two days ago had been resolved. He waited patiently as they finished their discussion on astrometrics data. Then Captain Janeway looked up and smiled.
"You wanted to see me Tuvok?"
"Indeed Captain. Several items have been brought to my attention regarding the behavior of certain crewmembers."
"Oh," Janeway said dangerously, "what sort of behaviors?"
Tuvok cleared his throat and looked at the PADD. "Aggressive sexual contact requiring medical attention, fraternization while on duty, discussing reproductive stratagems in front of a minor, and loud aggressive personal confrontations while on duty."
Janeway frowned as she listened to the list. "I don't make it a habit to interfere in my crews’ personal lives Tuvok. Are these incidents interfering with the duty of the persons involved?"
Tuvok shook his head. "No Captain but they are interfering with other crewmembers' duties."
Janeway leaned back in her chair. "I see."
Seven cocked her head sideways as she observed the discussion.
"Well Tuvok, I assume if you brought this to my attention you felt it was something I should handle. Send them in to see me," Janeway said. Something in Tuvok's face alerted her that she hadn't interpreted the situation correctly. Tuvok's next words confirmed her thoughts.
"The crewmembers in question are already in attendance," Tuvok replied.
Captain Janeway sat for a moment, her mind working furiously. The captain and Seven looked at each other as they simultaneously came to the same conclusion.
"Oh... my... god," Janeway said as she buried her face in her hands. "Tell me Tuvok. Tell me everything you know."
Tuvok precisely relayed every incident that had been observed during the past two weeks. Seven watched as the captain's face slowly became paler and paler. She edged closer so she could catch the captain should she pass out.
"So you see Captain, all of the evidence would indicate that while you and Seven may be trying to be discrete you are not succeeding," Tuvok finished.
Janeway exploded from her chair. "We are not trying to be discrete. We are not doing anything. The thought that we could be involved is absurd." Then without pausing to think about it Janeway slapped her combadge hard enough to bruise her chest.
"All hands. This is Captain Janeway. Apparently there have been a few rumors circulating about my personal life. I would like to set a few things straight. Number one these rumors are in no way true. Number two I am not and would not become involved with a member of my crew, but if I did I would not sneak around the ship trying to hide it. Number three the idea of me being involved with Seven of Nine is ridiculous and finally my personal life is not up for discussion."
Janeway turned around and froze at the look on Seven's face.
"Oh god," she groaned as she realized what she had said. "Seven I'm so sor..."
"Did you mean what you said?" Seven interrupted sharply.
"No. Seven I didn't mean it like that. You should know better."
Seven cut Janeway off again, "You promised you would never lie to me. If you did not mean it then you broke your promise and lied."
Tuvok started to speak, "If I may Captain..." but stopped when Janeway waved a hand at him motioning him to be still.
"Seven," Janeway began wondering how she could have been so dense. She knew better that anyone how sensitive Seven really was. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt this beautiful young woman. "Sometimes people say things in anger that they don't really mean. They regret it afterwards. That's what this is. I am so very sorry I didn't mean it the way it sounded."
Seven paced up and down the room. "I do not believe you," she said harshly. "You are ashamed to be thought of as my mate."
Tuvok started to speak again, "I would like to remind..." only to stop when Seven and Janeway said in unison, "Not now Tuvok."
Tuvok stepped back and patiently waited.
Janeway walked to the agitated young woman. "No Seven," she said softly. "I am not ashamed to be thought of as your mate. In fact," she continued, "anyone you gave your heart to would be extremely fortunate," she said, wondering how deep a hole she had dug herself into.
Seven didn't appear to be mollified. "I am going to regenerate. Good day Captain, Lt. Tuvok," she said and left the room.
"Shit!" Janeway swore emphatically as Seven left and gave into the impulse and flung a convenient PADD across the room. Apparently it was a pretty damn deep hole she thought. Then realizing she still had an audience she looked up at Tuvok sheepishly.
"I'm sorry Tuvok. You were saying."
Tuvok looked at the Captain mildly. "I was simply going to point out that you failed to close the 'all hands' hail Captain."
Janeway groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh god, I'm getting a headache. Janeway out."
The doctor materialized in the ready room. "The nature of the medical emergency is a headache," he said cheerfully as he pressed a hypospray to Janeway's neck. Janeway limited herself to a glare in his direction, refusing to be baited.
"May I remind the Captain that if you want these headaches to abate you must reduce your stress level." He glanced at the two empty coffee cups on the desk. "It wouldn't hurt to reduce your caffeine intake either."
Janeway whirled on the doctor unable to contain herself any longer. "Reduce my stress level? And just how do you recommend I do that?" she growled.
"Perhaps apologizing to Seven of Nine would be a proper start Captain," Tuvok said calmly.
Janeway looked over her shoulder. She had forgotten about Tuvok's presence.
"Dismissed Lt. Tuvok," she said coolly. Tuvok nodded and wisely exited the room. The doctor was punching a code into his mobile emitter when Janeway turned back to him. Before she could say anything he began to dematerialize. As his form disappeared she heard him say,
"I hear groveling works."
Janeway sat down at her desk and put her head in her hands. Her head still hurt. Whatever the doctor had given her wasn't working. She sighed and tried to concentrate on the reports in front of her but her mind kept going back to the words she had said to the crew about Seven, in front of Seven, and what she had said afterwards to Seven in front of the crew. She snarled to herself as her mind chased itself in circles. She was the captain. The crew was her responsibility. They looked to her to lead them through the perils of the delta quadrant and to home. And she didn't have the faintest idea how to rectify the problem she had gotten into with her own big mouth. Janeway stubbornly worked through the reports on her desk. Several times during the day she checked on Seven's status. Each time the computer's reply was the same. Seven of Nine was in cargo bay two regenerating. Janeway sighed and looked at her chronometer. It was well into beta shift. She was certainly dreading the walk to her quarters but it was late enough that she might not run into anyone. She looked longingly at the couch, briefly entertaining the thought of remaining in her ready room for the rest of the voyage to the alpha quadrant. Then she straightened her spine. She was the captain. She refused to hide out in her ready room. She walked out the door. All conversation on the bridge ceased. Janeway felt her face flush as she crossed the bridge to the turbo lift. She steadfastly kept her eyes on the lift looking neither left nor right. She shifted uncomfortably as she felt someone enter the lift with her.
"Turning in for the night Captain?" Chakotay asked cheerfully.
Janeway turned to her companion. "I thought I would," she said.
"Well Captain if you would like to take a day or two off for....personal matters, I could take the alpha shift for you. I've been meaning to give Ensign Kim some command time on beta shift anyway," Chakotay said.
"I don't think so Commander," Janeway said. Her voice was cold and her command mask was firmly in place. She refused to let Chakotay slip into his counselor mode.
"Really captain I don't..."
Janeway cut Chakotay off "This discussion is closed. I believe my views on the subject have already been made abundantly clear." With that she marched out of the turbo lift and to her quarters.
Janeway was working with Ensign Kim in astrometrics. The room seemed lonely without Seven there.
"She'll probably never talk to me again," Janeway mumbled under her breath.
"She likes Bach," Kim said never looking up from the console where he was working. Janeway looked up uncertain she had heard the young man speak.
"I beg your pardon?"
Harry looked up "I'm sorry ma'am. I thought you said Seven wouldn't talk to you. I just said that she liked Bach. What I meant Captain," Ensign Kim said at Janeway's puzzled expression, "is that you could get her a music box or something. You know to apologize."
Janeway frowned. She wanted to be angry but Kim was only trying to help.
"I'll keep that in mind Ensign," she said finally.
"Regeneration cycle complete."
Seven of Nine stepped off the dais and noted the presence standing before her.
"Naomi Wildman. Do you require assistance?" she asked.
Naomi shook her head. "I thought since you had the day off you might like to play kadiskots," she said hopefully.
Seven shook her head. "Not today. I am not..." she paused searching for an appropriate phrase, "...in the mood."
Naomi sighed. "Is it because you and the captain had a lover's quarrel?" she asked
"Lover's quarrel?" Seven looked at Naomi sharply. "From whom did you hear that?"
"Jennifer Delany was talking to my mom and Neelix. She said the fight on the comm yesterday was a lover's quarrel," Naomi said.
"She is incorrect. The captain and I are not lover's," Seven replied.
"Oh." Naomi looked confused. "Then why would she think it was a lover's quarrel?"
"Perhaps because of the content of the disagreement," Seven said.
"Explain."
Seven felt her mouth twitch at the little girl's mimicking of a borg phrase.
"The captain implied that I would be an unsuitable mate for her, " Seven paused for a minute thinking of a way to explain why the fight had occurred. She knew that the captain's words had elicited an unpleasant emotional response but she was unsure how to put that into words.
"So she really hurt your feelings, huh Seven?" Naomi asked.
Seven looked at Naomi in surprise. "Indeed. She hurt my feelings."
"Are you going to stay mad at her?" Naomi asked.
"Unlikely," Seven replied. "It would be inefficient to remain angry with her, however, I do not know if I can be friends with her again."
"Oh," Naomi thought for a minute. "What if she wanted to be lover's?" she asked.
Seven's eyes widened as her stomach fluttered at Naomi's implication, "Unlikely."
"Why?" Naomi asked.
Seven frowned at the small girl. "I have no wish to become intimate with anyone. After an attempt at dating I found that it was an inefficient use of time and...not entirely pleasant. Naomi Wildman? Do you not have school this morning?" she asked changing the conversation. After Naomi left Seven walked over to the console and absently worked on equations as her mind raced. Naomi's words running through her mind. What if the captain wanted to be lovers? Seven was flooded with emotions at the thought. The foremost of which was apprehension.
Janeway entered her ready room and flopped on the couch. Chakotay followed her in.
"Rough morning?" he asked.
Janeway snorted, "Well let's see. I have received advice from twelve crewmen to send flowers, five for candy, sixteen for candlelight dinners, four mentioned love poems, oh and Harry Kim suggested a music box. Most of this advice came with the recommendation that heavy groveling be included."
Chakotay smothered a grin, "Rough morning indeed. So Captain, are you going to take any of your crews' advice?"
Janeway looked at her first officer. "Tell me Chakotay. Does everyone on the ship think Seven and I are lovers?"
Chakotay raised an eyebrow, "You aren't?"
Janeway's eyes glittered dangerously. Chakotay raised his hands in surrender. "Just teasing Captain," he said before she decided to hurt him. "No Kathryn. Not everyone thinks the two of you are lovers but," he searched for the words that would allow him leave the ready room in one piece, "I think those of us who know the truth, think you and Seven could be." Chakotay hurried on as Janeway sucked in her breath to retaliate.
"Hear me out Captain. You and Seven relate to each other on a level neither of you has with anyone else. I'm not sure if its due to the isolation you both keep or if its something else. You both have a lot of common interests. You seem to have a lot of respect for one another." He shrugged. "Good relationships have been built on worse."
Janeway shook her head "Its not that simple Chakotay." She picked up a PADD and viewed it studiously. Chakotay, unsure whether to be amused or sad, took the hint and left.
After Chakotay left, Janeway put the PADD down. Lost in thought she absently rubbed her hand against her leg. Why was it, she wondered, that Chakotay's words disturbed her so? She looked up as the admittance chime sounded on her door. Quickly she picked up the PADD again and settled back in her chair.
"Enter."
She continued to study the PADD. When nothing was said she took a quick peek over the top of the PADD at her visitor. She set the PADD down, startled, when she identified her diminutive visitor.
"Naomi, What are you doing here?"
Naomi stood tall and straight in front of the Captain. "May I talk to you Captain?"
"Of course."
At Janeway's permission to speak Naomi smiled and hurried over to Janeway's side.
"You hurt Seven's feelings," she said, as straightforward as her borg hero.
Janeway felt her heart sink. "I'm sorry Naomi, I know I hurt Seven's feelings. I didn't mean to."
"She said you did not think she would be a good mate. How come?"
Janeway paused unsure what Naomi was asking. "Why did I said that or why did I think that?" she finally asked.
Naomi cocked her head sideways and raised an eyebrow in perfect imitation of Seven. Janeway smiled at the child. Watching Naomi was like a window to the future, much as Janeway imagined a little girl of Seven's may be. Her heart skipped a beat suddenly as she thought of Seven with children.
"Both," Naomi finally answered.
"Well," Janeway said "when I said the things that hurt Seven I was angry because the crew was spreading rumors that weren't true, I didn't stop to think that the way I said them would be hurtful. Which is why we shouldn't speak in anger. As for the other, I don't think Seven would be a bad mate, I just don't think she would be suitable for me."
"Oh," Naomi said. "Why not?"
Janeway suppressed a sigh at leaving herself open for these questions. "Because I am the captain and I have responsibilities to the ship and crew. It would be selfish of me to become involved with someone and then expect them to put up with that. Relationships take a lot of work Naomi. They require both parties involved to make compromises. My position would require anyone I was involved with to do most of the compromising. It just wouldn't be fair to them."
Naomi was silent for a moment obviously thinking about what the captain had just said.
Janeway wondered at her explanation, unsure why she was letting Naomi ask her things that none of the crew could.
"So if you weren't the captain you would have a relationship with Seven?" she asked.
Janeway snorted, The kid doesn't believe in beating around the bush does she?
"Honestly, Naomi, I don't know. I've never allowed myself to think about it."
Naomi sighed, "Could you please think about it Captain and talk to Seven?" Naomi shook her head sadly. "Then maybe you could be friends and she would play kadiskots with me again." She headed for the door. "Good-bye Captain."
"Goodbye Naomi." Janeway set back in her chair. It seemed her entire crew was trying to get her and Seven together. She thought about what she had just told Naomi. Janeway snorted. Who was she trying to convince, Naomi or herself?
"Captain to the bridge."
Janeway was out of her chair before the call finished.
"Report," she said as she stepped on the bridge.
"Captain we are being hailed," Ensign Kim responded.
"On screen."
"Unidentified vesssel, you have entered Par Ni space. State you intentionsss."
"This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the USS Voyager. We are lost in this area of space and are traveling to our home world. We are just passing through, however, we always welcome the opportunity to trade for goods." The screen went blank for a few minutes The crew on the bridge looked at one another uneasily. Then it suddenly crackled back to life.
"We are willing to trade goodsss. We are sending you the coordinates of one of our space stations and a list of available itemsss, if you wish to acquire any of the items listed proceed to this location. If not continue on your journey. Be aware that you will be watched until you leave Par Ni space." The transmission went dead.
"Well now, friendly folks aren't they?" Ensign Paris quipped from the helm.
"Chakotay, get the list out to the department heads, let's see if there is anything we can use. In the meantime Tom plot a course to the space station."
Captain Janeway and B'Elanna Torres walk quickly through the space station. B'Elanna wrinkled her nose.
"What is that horrible smell?" Janeway sniffed and shook her head
"I don't smell anything. You must have a more sensitive sense of smell than I do."
"Be grateful," B'Elanna snarled. "It smells like the inside of a shuttle after a ten day away mission."
"Thanks for the visual," Janeway said wryly then gagged slightly as she caught a whiff of the smell.
"Ugh." She looked around then nudged B'Elanna. B'Elanna looked in the direction the captain was pointing. The Par Ni was not the most attractive humanoids they had ever met. They were short and squat. Products of their heavy gravity worlds. Their skin was pasty and wrinkled. It was impossible to tell their age or their sex. A group of Par Ni were being lead through the corridor. All had collars around their necks. Three Par Ni was herding them with weapons. The smell was obviously coming from the group of prisoners. Janeway and B'Elanna watched for a few more minutes then continued. Finally they reached the area they were looking for. The entered a small dimly lit shop. Filled from top to bottom with what looked like parts and pieces from a thousand different types of ships and a dozen types of technology. The proprietor bustled forward.
"Ah Captain Janeway of the USS Voyager," he hissed. "We have been expecting you."
B'Elanna suppressed a shudder at the alien's voice.
"Come let me show you the item you requested." He led them to a small room in the back.
Soon B'Elanna decided that the power cell could be converted to work with Voyagers systems and Janeway began the bargaining process.
"We are interested in this. Was there anything from the list of the ships stores you would be willing to trade for it?" she asked. The man looked at Janeway and B'Elanna for a minute then pulled Janeway to the side.
"Actually," he whispered conspirically, "I would be willing to trade it for your slave."
"My slave?" Janeway asked startled. He nodded and gestured towards B'Elanna.
"She would bring a high price on the auction block but I fancy I would keep her for myself," he said grinning.
"She's not my slave," Janeway replied. The man grinned again this time it was a much more unpleasant expression.
"You do have slaves on your ship?" he asked.
Janeway shook her head. "We do not keep slaves," she said.
He nodded and pressed a button. Four Par Ni entered through the door.
"They are unclaimed," he said to them. The nearest one reached for B'Elanna grabbing her by the front of her tunic, crushing her combadge. Janeway realized they all carried collars similar to the ones they had seen on the prisoners earlier. She slapped her com badge.
"Janeway to Voyager. Beam all Voyager personnel from the space station." Janeway heard the whisper of the transporter but she didn't go anywhere. She turned and grabbed the power cell and swung it at the guard struggling with B'Elanna. The guard slumped down and B'Elanna let out a Klingon yell and charged the next in line. Janeway hit her com again.
"Voyager two to beam out."
"Two captain? We're only reading your signal Captain. We can't get a lock on you. There is some kind of interference. You have to get away from whatever shielding you." Janeway looked around desperately. B'Elanna's com badge must have been damaged in the fight. She charged into the fray swinging the power cell like a bat. Pushing B'Elanna ahead of her they burst out the door. In the corridor they began to run. They skidded to a halt as they rounded the corner. Another group of guards were headed towards them. Janeway looked around.
"Captain we've got your signal. Who else is with you?"
Janeway ripped her com badge off and slapped it onto B'Elanna. "Energize," Janeway yelled. The transporter hummed and B'Elanna disappeared. Janeway took one last look at the guards headed towards her then turned and ran.
Janeway didn't know how long she ran or how often she was almost caught. Too many times they had her in their grasp and she broke free. Her lungs were burning and her head pounded from the effort. She cradled her left wrist. She was pretty sure it was broken. She turned the corner praying it wasn't another dead end and skidded to a halt. Two of the Par Ni were directly in front of her. She backpedaled then felt cold metal lock around her neck. Her hands went automatically to her neck pulling desperately on the collar. This is it, Janeway thought desperately, I'm not going to get out of this. I wish I had told Seven how much I love her.
"Submit slave," the guard demanded.
With a scream of rage, Janeway launched herself at him. She stopped mid flight as the guard palmed a control at his waist. A blue light engulfed her and every nerve in her body fired. Janeway fell to the floor, her eyes rolled back in her head. She was in agony. She wanted to scream but her jaw had locked hard enough she could taste blood. The intensity of the pain increased exponentially. Janeway felt as if she were burning from the inside out and it was focusing in her head. Thankfully darkness overtook her before the collar’s maximum effect took place.
She could hear voices around her, but refused to open her eyes. Her head was pounding. After this she would never complain to the doctor about one of her headaches again.
"Interesting reaction. Do we have a record of thissss species? No? Pity."
Janeway could hear movement around her. She was lying down. On a bed she supposed. The voice, when it spoke again, had moved to her head. She felt something cold pressed against her head. She willed herself not to flinch.
"Now, we will tessst."
The syllabant voice caused a chill down her spine. She screamed as the blue light engulfed her again.
"Yesss, very interesting. Continue at five-second intervals increasing by .05 each time."
The security team, headed by Tuvok slipped through the corridors of the space station then paused at an intersection. Seven stood directly behind the Vulcan with a tricorder. Silently she pointed to the right. Tuvok nodded and waved his team through. Seven trotted behind continuously studying the readings leading them to the captain. They reached another intersection when Seven's enhanced hearing picked up the sound of the captain’s scream. Without a word she charged across the corridor pulling out a phaser and disintegrating the wall in front of her. Taken by surprise Tuvok and his team were several seconds behind her. Tuvok pushed quickly through the gapping hole looking for threats. There had been only two and they were both dead. Tuvok noticed dispassionately that their necks had been broken with such force that they were nearly decapitated.
Seven skidded to a halt by the captain. Janeway looked up at Seven with pleading eyes as Seven lifted her from the bed. Seven quickly cradled the captain and turned. Tuvok could hear the sound of phaser fire in the hallway. He quickly set up the power enhancer then grabbed Seven pulling her into the enhancer's field. Tuvok tapped his com. "Two to beam directly to sickbay," he ordered.
Seven heard the hum of the transporters as the phaser fire came closer. Seconds later the two women appeared in sickbay. Seven gently placed the Captain on the biobed as the doctor hurried over. He frowned deeply as he ran the medical tricorder over her. Seven stepped forward involuntarily as the doctor completed his examination. For a hologram his face was extraordinarily expressive.
"Sickbay to Commander Chakotay. I need Ensign Paris down here, now."
A few minutes later Ensign Tom Paris rushed into sickbay and froze in disbelief as he saw the patient. His hesitation was brief, however, as the doctor gestured to the collar.
"Ensign Paris. We need to get this...atrocity off of her," the doctor snapped as he assembled equipment.
Tom jumped to the captain's side and began working on the collar. Seven of Nine stood next to the bio bed, arms hanging at her side. She was frozen in place trying frantically to process the emotions flooding her. She could actually feel her nanoprobes attempting to bring her body back to functioning parameters. Detachedly she noted her elevated heart rate and rapid breathing. Her stomach clinched around itself and she swallowed convulsively trying to get rid of the knot in her throat. She jumped as Janeway suddenly sat up on the biobed with a scream ripped from her throat that chilled the blood of everyone present. Even the hair on the doctor's neck stood up and he wondered briefly how that had gotten into his program. Tom was trying to calm the captain down but she was fighting with every ounce of her strength. Seven quickly moved to the biobed and wrapped her arms around the captain. She had planned on using her superior strength to hold the captain and prevent her from hurting herself further until the doctor could sedate her. Instead as soon as the captain felt Seven's arms around her she calmed down and rested silently against Seven's chest.
The doctor quickly sedated the captain and Tom gently pulled the borg to the side.
"Come on Seven," Tom said "Give us room to work ok?"
Seven nodded, her motion jerky. Her eyes locked on Tom’s almost pleading in their intensity.
"She'll make it Seven," Tom answered Seven's unasked question. They both missed the blue-gray gaze as the captain's eyes opened and rested on Seven's face for an instant before closing again. Seven watched from across the room as Tom and the Doctor rushed to stop the hemorrhaging in the captain’s brain. As he worked the doctor wished he had included cursing in his programming because that exactly what he felt like doing every time he stopped the bleeding in one spot only to have it start in another.
Ensign Paris was surprisingly silent throughout the procedure. There was no sign of the usual prankster in his face. Instead he responded efficiently to the doctor's requests. Occasionally he looked worriedly in Seven's direction. He didn't know the blonde that well but better than most of people on the ship and right now she didn't look so good. He hadn't thought it possible for her normally fair features to be paler. Now he knew better. It was no secret that Tom didn't like being the doctor's assistant but no one not even B'Elanna knew why. Most assumed he just didn't like working with the doctor or that he got bored. The truth was he hated feeling helpless and too many times, despite the wonders of modern medicine, there just wasn't anything anyone could do. And when that happened he would lock himself on the holodeck running a program where the bad guys were defeated and the good never, ever died young.
The monitor let out a loud peel.
"No," Tom choked and administered the stimulant before the doctor even spoke. Seven felt her knees buckle and she landed abruptly on the floor. The few seconds that the monitor screamed out the lack of heartbeat felt like an eternity to all three of Voyager's crewmembers. The howling stopped as the heart began again.
Seven's head dropped to her knees and a shudder washed through her body. Fear. She realized finally. She was experiencing fear. Not a novel emotion but one she had never experienced to this extreme. If the captain died she would be alone. Voyager was her collective but the captain was the soul. If the captain died Seven couldn't imagine how the collective would survive. How she would survive.
Her head shot up suddenly as a howl of rage came from the biobed.
"Tom," the doctor shouted, "the hypospray. Seven help us."
Seven was at the bed almost instantly wrapping her arms around the captain as Janeway fought to get off the bed and away from the ones trying to help her.
"Let me go. Get away from me," her voice was horse and strangled.
"Shh. Captain. Kathryn. You are safe. Do not fight us." Seven held the captain talking softly. Slowly Janeway relaxed and allowed Seven to rock her back and forth. She didn't even flinch when the doctor pressed the hypospray against her neck. Seven eased the unconscious women back onto the bed and Tom and the Doctor resumed working.
Chakotay set staring at the monitor at his side. He glanced around the bridge and realized the entire alpha shift was present even though they were halfway through the beta shift. A quick check told him most of the beta and gamma bridge crew was concentrated in the mess hall. The rest of the ship's crew appeared to be circulating between the mess hall and recreation rooms. The entire ship was holding vigil for their captain. He had tried earlier to check on her himself but had quickly retreated under the doctors explicit comment that crowding would not benefit the captain. It wasn't so much the doctor's words as the look on his and Paris's face that convinced the commander. He didn't question Seven of Nines presence in sickbay, but one look at the borg's frozen expression made him wonder if it wouldn't be better for her to be somewhere else. However, he contented himself with what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze to her shoulder before leaving sickbay and, issuing a shipwide order that no one was to enter or disturb the three in any way. Chakotay leaned back in the command chair feeling uncomfortable and out of place. His rightful place on Voyager should be one seat over. That seat fit him better. He had commanded his ship in the Maquis. He’d had to. Their cause was far too important for him to turn away, but here in the delta quadrant he had found his true niche. To stand behind or beside his captain as the situation warranted, in charge of personnel which he enjoyed, interacting with the amazing array of personalities that comprised voyager's crew, and teaching the more inexperienced members and guiding them to the next level. He knew if - no, when, he corrected himself - they returned to the alpha quadrant, and if Starfleet in its infinite wisdom decided to pardon his actions, teaching was what he would pursue. Whether that was in or out of Starfleet didn't matter.
B'Elanna wanted to hurt something. Damn Captain Janeway. If she had just waited a minute or two they may have gotten them both out. But no, she had to be a hero and send B'Elanna in her place. B'Elanna growled as she paced up and down the hall outside the mess hall. It should be her on the operating table not the captain. Then again if it had been her there may not have been a need to operate. Apparently the collars they used for slaves was relatively benign to the Par Ni. On humans, however, the effect was devastating. Had it been herself, her Klingon ancestry may have helped her fight off the effects. The federation should quarantine the entire delta quadrant. Make it off limits. It was too uncivilized. Whoever heard of taking slaves these days. She growled again and wished she was still on the bridge but Chakotay had kicked her out hours ago, tired of her looking over his shoulder at the unchanged status board, tired of her growls too close to his ear for comfort.
Harry Kim worked quietly at his console. Concern of the crew mirrored in his face. He focused on their current route. He had automatically taken over the astrometrics position. He wasn't as gifted as Seven but he had a passion for the science that made up for it He'd had a crush on Seven when she first came to Voyager. He would have worried if he hadn't. He had a history of having crushes on exotic unobtainable women. He accepted it as an unchangeable part of himself and submitted to the inevitable teasing with a minimum amount of embarrassment. He frowned as he thought about the findings he and B'Elanna had made on the collar. It sent out electrical impulses that were made to interfere with the Par Ni motor control. Essentially it caused a brief paralysis allowing the wearer to be caught with little aggressive confrontation. On the captain, however, the impulses had conflicted with the human nervous system. It had fired every nerve in her body at once. But the most damage had occurred in the brain. It had essentially caused every neuron and synapse to fire rapidly and repeatedly. Harry suppressed a shudder. He had enough biology background to know how bad that was.
Lt. Tuvok remained on the bridge with the rest of the Alpha shift. Lending himself to the moral support of the crew and if he glanced at the command chair more often than normal no one appeared to notice.
Twelve hours after he started the doctor laid a tricorder down. Tom Paris was swaying on his feet and if it were possible for a hologram to be weary then the doctor was. He had stopped the bleeding and repaired what damage he could. She would live but he was afraid that fact might not be enough. Only time would tell.
"Doctor to Commander Chakotay."
"Go ahead Doctor." Suddenly the exhausted alpha crew became alert.
"The operation is complete."
The cheers on the bridge drowned anything else the doctor might have said out. Only Chakotay seemed to notice that the Doctor said 'complete' not 'success'.
"Doctor, may I come to sickbay?" Chakotay asked.
"I think you better commander."
Chakotay ordered a change in shift personnel then headed to the turbo lift. He said nothing as Tuvok joined him, realizing the Vulcan had overheard the doctor's last statement.
Commander Chakotay and Tuvok walked into sickbay. The first thing they noticed was Tom Paris asleep on the nearest biobed. Chakotay frowned. Either the Ensign was too tired to make it to his quarters or else he was staying close in case he was needed. Chakotay looked around the otherwise empty room. The doctor came out from a private room that Chakotay hadn't noticed before. But then again the captain had never had to remain in sickbay before either he thought. Chakotay felt his apprehension grow. This was going to be bad. He could feel it.
"Commander. Lieutenant," the doctor nodded to the two men. He looked tired and old if that were possible for a hologram. "I have repaired what I could," he said.
"Meaning what exactly?" Chakotay asked trying to keep his voice even.
"There was extensive damage to the brain. Head injuries are tricky at best and with the added factor of alien technology, I..." the doctor paused, "I don't know what the results will be. She may just wake up with a headache or she may suffer any number of other debilitations or..."he stopped.
"Or?" Chakotay prompted.
"Or she may not wake up at all."
Chakotay felt his breath suck in, heard it, but he still wondered what had hit him in the chest.
"Can you estimate when the consequences will be apparent?" Tuvok asked.
The doctor shook his head. "The next week should give us a better idea. Until then, if its alright Commander, I would like to keep Mr. Paris close by in case..."he broke off
"I understand Doctor. He'll be here," Chakotay said. "Can we see her?"
The doctor nodded and led them to the door. Just before opening it he raised a finger to his lips. The two men looked puzzled but nodded in agreement to be quiet. The door slid open silently and they stepped inside. Chakotay had seen sick and injured crewmen before both here in the Delta Quadrant and back when he was with the Maquis. He thought he knew what to expect. He was wrong. The captain lay on a biobed covered with a Starfleet regulation blanket. Her face was ghostly in the dim light. Her cheeks were gaunt, as if she had been fasting for weeks. Her head was shaved. Devoid of the glossy auburn hair she looked worse than a refugee did from a POW camp. He didn't think it possible for a person to change this much in less than 48 hours. Then he noted Seven, blonde hair disarrayed as she pillowed her head on her arms, sitting beside the bed. Dark rings were etched beneath her eyes. She was asleep. Chakotay pulled a blanket off a shelf and gently wrapped it around the young woman. Then quietly he and Tuvok backed out of the room.
"Doctor about Seven," Chakotay started.
"Her help is needed as well," the doctor cut in. He didn't mention that even while heavily sedated Janeway had fought her care and only Seven's voice had been able to calm her.
"I was going to ask," Chakotay said sternly, "if it is safe for her to sleep."
"Oh," the Doctor said, then more brightly, "Indeed, she could have been sleeping long ago. In fact if she did and increased her food intake she could substantially reduce her required regeneration time."
Chakotay was genuinely surprised at this bit of information, as Tuvok must have been because Tuvok asked, "Then why did she not do so?"
"She said that her stomach had violent reactions to solid foods," the doctor replied carefully leaving out that Seven was convinced for a while that Neelix had been trying to poison her.
"I see," Chakotay replied.
The men rode the turbo lift in silence but when it stopped Chakotay overrode the door.
"You wish to say something Commander?" Tuvok asked turning to Chakotay.
"Log that I am acting commander of Voyager until the captain finishes her convalescence."
"You do know Commander that there is a high probability that the captain will not make a full recovery," Tuvok stated with razor precision born of Vulcan logic.
Chakotay nodded. "I know Tuvok, but my money is on the captain no matter how long the odds."
Tuvok nodded "Understood commander."
Chakotay gripped the Vulcan's forearm. "Thank you Tuvok."
It was three days before the crew began to realize that maybe not all was well. Normally it wouldn't have taken that long but they were exhausted and were just catching up on their sleep. Lt. B'Elanna Torres figured it out in one.
B'Elanna paced up and down her quarters. Where the hell was Tom. She flopped on the couch.
"Computer locate Tom Paris."
"Ensign Paris is in sickbay."
B'Elanna frowned. The doctor had made his announcement over two hours ago. What could be taking Tom so long? She climbed into bed. After what seemed hours of tossing and turning she sat up and looked at the chronometer. It read 0300 hours.
"Computer locate Tom Paris."
"Ensign Paris is in sickbay."
B'Elanna snarled and heard an answering growl from her stomach. She pulled on some clothes and headed to the mess hall. If she were lucky Neelix wouldn't be there and she could fix her own snack. Somehow, she mused, she and Neelix could take the exact same food, fix it the exact same way, and his still tasted funny. She stepped into the dark mess hall and grinned, her luck was holding out. She stepped around the corner of the pantry and felt her heart speed up as a dark shaped loomed before her. Without thought B'Elanna let out a yell and charged.
"That is not necessary Lieutenant," Tuvok said as he neatly caught the half-Klingon's punch.
"Tuvok - Don't do that. I nearly had a heart attack."
"And so you tried to deck Tuvok?"
B'Elanna jumped again as Chakotay spoke behind her. "Do you think this is funny?" she asked. Her irritation evident from the way she ground her teeth on each word. Then she noticed the pile of food in Chakotay arms. "Hey what's going on here?"
"We are getting food for Seven of Nine," Tuvok said
"Huh? Seven doesn't eat."
"Correct, however, she must eat if she is to forego regeneration for any length of time," Tuvok said.
B'Elanna frowned not sure what the Vulcan was talking about. Tuvok picked up a cache of food and calmly walked out of the pantry. B'Elanna stood for a moment then trotted after the men.
"Here," Chakotay handed her part of his load. "I know we can't get rid of you so you may as well be useful."
B'Elanna followed silently wondering if she should be mad that Chakotay insinuated she was a pest or happy that he choose to include her.
B'Elanna forgot about Chakotay's remarks when they lead her quietly into the captain's room in sickbay. Tom stood by a monitor and looked up when they came into the room. He flashed a wan smile at B'Elanna. After seeing what they carried, he motioned them to a small closet like space to the side of the room. The room had changed since the men had been in earlier. Another biobed had been pulled next to the captain's. Seven was stretched out asleep. If Seven looked like hell, B'Elanna thought, then the captain looked like death and B'Elanna wasn't sure she liked that thought at all. She wondered briefly why Seven was still in sickbay. Maybe she had been hurt on the rescue mission. That would explain why she wouldn't be able to regenerate for a while. As they unloaded the food they heard a commotion from the room. They ducked out in time to see the captain attempting to leave the biobed. Her eyes were open but unfocused. Tom was trying to restrain her. She swung clipping him on the jaw.
"Let me go damn you," Janeway half screamed half snarled.
Then Seven was there so fast that B'Elanna never even saw her move. "Captain. It is the middle of the night you should be resting."
At Seven's voice the Captain quieted ,"Night?"
"Yes, night, come lay down."
Janeway allowed herself to be lead back to the bed. She lay down clutching Seven's hand to her chest and closed her eyes once again unconscious. Seven remained at her side talking softly. The doctor appeared and quickly checked Tom's jaw.
"Well Mr. Paris, at least she didn't break it this time," he said wearily.
"Thanks doc," Tom said around a swollen lip.
B'Elanna's eyes widened at the Doctor's comment. She gave Tom a quick hug.
"Is it that bad?" she asked softly.
Tom nodded as he released her. B'Elanna frowned at the bleakness in his eyes, then turned and followed Tuvok and Chakotay out of the room. None of them spoke as they left sickbay.
When there was no word or sign of the captain two days later, the crew began to be concerned. A week later they started to worry when they began to notice that whenever Seven of Nine left sickbay to regenerate for an hour or two, Lt. Torres always took her place and Lt. Torres - ruler of all rumors - never said a word. Three weeks and two days later Captain Kathryn Janeway woke up and then they became really scared.