When Roses Bloom 

Captain Kathryn Janeway stood with her hands on her hips before the forward view screen.

“Well Commander,” she addressed Chakotay, “What do you make of that?”

Janeway gestured towards the monstrous space station orbiting the planet.  Chakotay frowned at the viewscreen.  The station was a gangly affair of odd angles and mismatched shapes.  It looked as if it had been piecemealed together with little thought towards the final product.  Apparently, when the owners decided it needed to be enlarged they simply added to it wherever and however it was convenient.  The sheer number of ships entering and leaving was phenomenal.

Chakotay shook his head as he answered.  “It appears to be functional,” he said carefully.  “And we do have that problem with the power fluctuations since the run in with our ‘friends’ in the last sector.  I think it’s the best we’re going to find Captain, and they do appear friendly,” he finished with a hopeful note in his voice as he referred to the warm greeting they had received earlier.

Janeway turned and raised an eyebrow.  “Any port in a storm Commander?” she asked wryly.

Chakotay smiled and gave an apologetic shrug.  Janeway turned back to the screen.

“Very well.  Ensign Paris,” she commanded, “take us in.”

Commander Chakotay pushed his way through the throng of people followed by Ensign Kim.  He stopped and looked around, then looked at the PADD with directions trying to orient himself.  The planet was locked in an ice age and apparently had been so for some time.  On some of the polar continents the glaciers rivaled mountain ranges in size.  In the capital city of Sheol; however, the landscape was not nearly as dramatic.  In fact Chakotay found it exceptionally monochromatic.  White buildings blended into the white background of falling snow, then merged into the snow-covered ground.  He sighed and looked at his PADD again; according to his directions, his destination should be close by.  It was with some relief that he spotted a sign through a break in the crowd indicating the entrance to the shipping office.  He nudged Harry and pointed; Harry nodded and followed.

Inside the office, Chakotay and Kim found the line for ship registration.  Harry suppressed his rising impatience.  Apparently, they would be here awhile and it would do no good to bemoan the fact.  He wondered briefly why such a seemingly advanced society insisted on such an archaic means of logging in visiting ships.  It would have made more sense to have them log in via computer, or barring that at least logging in on the orbital station itself.  Instead they insisted that all ships had to be logged in on the actual planet and by a personal representative.  He shivered; and to top it off the entire planet was glacial, he thought morosely.  Maybe it discouraged excessive traffic if everyone had to tramp through ice and snow to register.  His thoughts were interrupted by a growl from his stomach, so he nudged Chakotay.

“Commander, I’m going to get some food from that street vendor,” he said pointing down the street, “Do you want anything?”

Chakotay nodded. “Now that you mention it, I am a bit hungry and I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere for a while,” he said with a chuckle.

Harry nodded and dove back into the crowd.

Faster than he expected Chakotay reached the registration window.  On the other side a surprisingly human-looking woman sat before a computer terminal.

“Ship?” she asked without looking up.

“Voyager,” Chakotay answered.

“Captain?”

“Kathryn Janeway.”

The woman looked up sharply.  “I don’t have time for jokes, either register your ship or get out of line,” she snapped at him.

Chakotay blinked, taken aback by the woman’s words.  He inhaled deeply calling on his diplomatic skills.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand the problem,” he said trying to keep his voice calm.

The woman snorted. “Sure you don’t,” she said sarcastically, “That’s why you claim your ship is The Voyager and your captain is The Captain Kathryn Janeway.  The next thing you’ll be telling me is that you’re…”

Ensign Kim jogged up with his arms loaded with meats and breads from the vender.

“Commander Chakotay,” he called as he moved up the line.

The woman’s head swiveled between Kim and Chakotay.

“Oh my god,” she said softly.  “Ohmygodohmygodohmygod,” the woman’s voice rose to an incredibly high pitch, “Voyager has returned!”

Janeway idly traced the pattern on her coffee mug.  Finding a relatively peaceful resting point was always a mixed blessing to Voyager’s captain.  Though she was grateful for the reprieve from the frantic struggle to survive, she never quite knew what to do with herself when the struggle abated.  As their time in the Delta Quadrant increased, the ability to deal with down time became more difficult.  Janeway found the thought worrisome.  What would she do once they returned to the Alpha Quadrant, where peace was the norm not the exception? 

“Come,” she called distractedly as the chime sounded.

Seven of Nine stopped in front of the desk and waited patiently for the captain to acknowledge her presence.  “Captain?” she finally queried, when it became apparent that the captain was not going to speak.

Janeway started at the sound of Seven’s voice, and she gave her astrometrics officer a wan smile.  “I’m sorry Seven,” she said, as she shook her head, “Lost in thought, I apologize.  Now, what did you want to see me about?”

“I wanted to bring you the astrometrics reports before I logged off duty,” she explained.  Janeway accepted the proffered reports and ignored the tiny shocks that ran up her arm as her fingers lightly brushed Seven’s in the exchange.

“Thank you,” she said gravely.  “Seven would you… ”  Seven tilted her head to the side when Janeway abruptly quit speaking. 

“Captain?”

Janeway waved a hand.  “Never mind Seven, I’ve forgotten what I was going to say,” she explained lamely.  Seven arched her brow. 
 

“Indeed.  That is the third time this week you have initiated a conversation with me then ‘forgotten’ what you were going to say,” she said, sounding extraordinarily reproachful without ever shifting the inflection of her voice.

Janeway grinned wryly.  “Old age I guess,” she quipped, hoping Seven couldn’t sense the extreme embarrassment flooding her at the moment, “Enjoy your off-duty shift Seven.”

“Very well, Captain,” Seven nodded, accepting that she had been dismissed, “Perhaps tomorrow you will have remembered what you wanted to discuss.”  Then she turned on her heel and left the room.  Janeway stared as the closing door quickly hid the curvaceous body from sight.  She inhaled then released the breath in a loud whoosh and let her head drop to her desk with a thud.  Third time this week!  And how many times last week?  She really needed to get a grip, she thought a bit desperately.  It wasn’t as if asking Seven to dinner was really that momentous.  Except, she admitted to herself, when it wasn’t asking Seven to dinner that was really the problem.  It was what she wanted to ask Seven while at dinner that was the problem.  She raised her head and let it drop again with a thud.

“Chakotay to Voyager.”

Janeway’s head snapped up as Chakotay’s voice came across the com.

“Voyager here Commander,” she replied wondering at the noise in the background of Chakotay’s hail.

“Captain, I believe you should come to the shipping office,” Chakotay said.

“Is there a problem Commander?” she asked.

“Not exactly Captain, but there is a situation that I think you should, ah… see for yourself,” he said.

“Can you give me more information, Chakotay?” Janeway asked, frowning at Chakotay’s cryptic remark.

“No, not at the moment Captain.” Chakotay replied sounding faintly bemused.

“Very well Commander.  I’m on my way,” Janeway said as she stood.

“Ensign Rodriguez, you have the bridge; Mr. Tuvok, you're with me,” Janeway called as she exited the ready room and strode towards the turbolift.

“Aye, Captain,” Ensign Rodriguez answered cheerfully.

Tuvok silently followed the captain into the turbolift.

Captain Janeway walked purposefully through the busy thoroughfare.  The number of people rivaled the number of ships.  She looked around curiously, noting that there seemed to be no end to the number of different species roaming the planet.

“Intriguing,” Tuvok stated blandly.

Janeway cocked an eyebrow at her security officer when no information followed.

“Mr. Tuvok,” Janeway prodded when it became obvious he did not notice her look of inquiry.

“Yes Captain?” Tuvok asked looking up from his tricorder.

Janeway sighed, “What’s intriguing, Tuvok?”

Tuvok almost appeared embarrassed by the captain’s comment.

“I am sorry Captain, I did not realize you overheard my remark, I was… talking to myself.  In the short walk since we transported to the planet, we have encountered approximately 256 different species.  One in particular is extremely similar to humans except for minor differences at the cellular level.”

“That is intriguing,” Janeway acknowledged as she circumspectly scanned the crowed to see if she could spot any of these cousins

“Tuvok?” Janeway questioned.  “Is it my imagination or are we attracting quite a bit of attention.”  Tuvok looked around noting the numerous glances in their direction.

“Indeed Captain, your observation is correct,” he replied.

“Don’t you think that’s odd considering how many different species there are here, not to mention the fact that some look just like us?”

Before Tuvok could answer, a man stepped out of the shadows of a building.

“Captain Janeway, Commander Tuvok; I am Lieutenant Dhame and I was sent to escort you to the press room,” he offered genially as he motioned to the door of the shipping office.

Janeway followed the lieutenant through the door.  “Press room?” she mouthed at Tuvok, who merely raised an eyebrow in reply.

 “Computer.  Medical emergency.  Two to beam directly to Sickbay.”

The doctor hurried over as Seven of Nine appeared cradling Naomi Wildman in her arms.

“What happened?” the doctor asked as he ran the medical tricorder over Naomi.

“I do not know,” Seven stated as she carefully placed Naomi on a biobed.  “We were in Holodeck One running a Flotter program.  The program had been activated fifteen minutes, twenty-three seconds, when Naomi collapsed.  I brought her here immediately.”

The doctor gently pushed Seven aside as he attempted to examine the small girl.  After a moment, he looked up at Seven.

“It appears she is sleeping,” he stated.

Seven looked surprised, “Sleeping?”

The doctor nodded and tapped his combadge.  “Ensign Wildman, report to Sickbay.”

Seven continued to hover.  She did not understand many of the actions of her crewmates, and sleeping in particular confused her, but she was sure that this was not normal.

The doctor bumped into Seven yet again, as he tried to work around Naomi.  “Seven,” he said with exasperation, “would you please find somewhere else to wait?”  When it appeared that Seven would argue, he added, “It would help if you informed the captain that Naomi is ill and that I would like to have the crew put on alert for unusual symptoms.”

Seven nodded, “Immediately Doctor,” she said and marched out the door.

The doctor sighed in relief.  This certainly wasn’t an emergency, but working with an anxious Borg hovering nearby did not help his concentration.  He smiled; luckily he had worked with Seven enough to know which buttons to push.  He hummed as he congratulated himself on coping diplomatically with a potentially disruptive situation.

Janeway blinked as she followed Lt. Dhame into the press room; whatever she had been expecting, it wasn’t this.  Lights flashed in her eyes and an unruly mob pressed close.  So many were talking, yelling really, at once that she had difficulty understanding what any of them were saying.

“Enough,” a loud voice boomed over the crowd and silence descended on the room.

Janeway turned to the speaker, a rather small man, considering the depth of his voice.  He was rotund and balding, yet wore an air of command that would impress the most jaded Starfleet officer.  He walked down the small set of stairs at the front of the room with stately dignity that reminded Janeway of someone, but before she could recall whom he had reached the bottom of the stairs and held out his hand.

“Welcome home, Captain Kathryn Janeway.”

Seven quickly looked around and oriented herself as she beamed onto the planet.  An air of impatience colored her features.  She had attempted to contact Captain Janeway from the ship, however she found that the captain’s, as well as the rest of the away team’s, communication devices were not functioning.  She initially thought that it was the effect of a malfunction or interference via the planetary atmosphere, as often happened.  Instead, the repairs on the ship had inadvertently disrupted communications for an ‘unspecified’ amount of time.  Seven considered this yet another example of humanity’s, and she used the term loosely to include any species that was not Borg, inefficiency.

She frowned as the ice and snow made everything look so much alike.  She glanced at the tricorder and quickly honed in on Captain Janeway’s biosignature.  She followed the directions to her goal, oblivious to the stares of the people following her.  If she had noticed at all, she would have assumed their looks were due to her implants and state of dress.  Her biosuit was quite capable of insulating her on the planet so she had not bothered to add any of the outerwear typically worn by the away team members.  She located the building where, according to the tricorder, Captain Janeway, Tuvok, Kim and Chakotay were located.  With her usual arrogance, Seven pushed open the door and stepped into the room.  Captain Janeway was shaking hands with a little round man.  Seven strolled across the room to stand just behind her captain in hopes of getting her attention soon.

Home?  Janeway wondered if her translator was malfunctioning as she shook hands with… her mind drew a blank, he had just introduced himself, but she was locked onto the first words he had spoken.  King, king… Ah yes, King George.  She nodded her head and muttered something she hoped was a diplomatic greeting, then the king’s eyes widened as he looked at something over her shoulder.  All dignity was lost, as he stood holding Janeway’s hand, with his mouth gaping open.  Janeway glanced over her shoulder.

“King George, please allow me to introduce my astrometrics officer, Seven of Nine,” Janeway offered smoothly, not letting her surprise at Seven’s sudden appearance show.

“Queen Seven,” the king gasped and dropped to one knee, followed by everyone else in the room, “we are humbled.”

Seven raised an eyebrow at Janeway, clearly bemused by the entire scene.  So, as always, when she was unsure how to behave in a situation, she focused on the business at hand.  In stilted Borg tones, she addressed the captain.

“Captain Janeway, the doctor sent me to find you, we require your presence in Sickbay,” Seven announced.

Janeway leaned towards Seven, “Is it urgent?” she asked under her breath, all the while smiling at King George kneeling at Seven’s feet.

Seven considered the question, the image of Naomi Wildman lying limply in her arms as she carried her to Sickbay came to mind.

“It is… disturbing,” Seven replied.  Janeway considered the answer and the tone in which it had been given.  Not urgent then, but serious enough that it had unsettled Seven, but then Seven found many things relating to humanity unsettling.  Just the week before she had been horrified to find out that Janeway plucked her eyebrows.  Janeway smiled at the memory.  She would return to the ship and see what the doctor wanted and, she struggled to keep her command mask in place as she turned back to the kneeling king, it would give her some time to assess this… situation from a safe distance.  Tuvok cleared his throat, and Janeway and Seven both turned to him.

“It would seem that we are in need of information,” Tuvok stated blandly, “Seven, perhaps you should tell them to… rise, since they seem to hold you in high esteem.”

Seven raised an eyebrow and her lips twitched, as she said, “Indeed.”  She turned to face the balding man behind Janeway.

“Resume an upright position.  We cannot effectively converse when you are several feet lower,” Seven commanded.

Janeway bit her lip trying not to laugh at Seven’s request.  She glanced at Chakotay, but had to look away quickly as he struggled not to laugh.  A stifled snort came from Harry Kim’s direction.  Only Tuvok and Seven did not seem to appreciate the humor of the moment.

King George immediately struggled to his feet.

“Yes, of course Your Highness,” he gushed.

“King George,” Janeway said firmly drawing the king’s attention from Seven.  “There is obviously a great deal we need to discuss; however, at the moment I am needed on my ship.  If it would be acceptable, we will contact you later to set up a meeting.”

The king looked from Janeway to Seven and back again before bowing deeply.

“As you wish Captain, we will await your bidding,” he said formally.

As soon as the away team was out of earshot of the welcoming committee, Harry Kim began to laugh, joined by Chakotay and the captain.  Seven and Tuvok exchanged glances at their shipmates’ unseemly behavior.

“Oh dear,” Janeway sighed wiping tears from her eyes, then caught a glimpse of Tuvok and Seven’s disapproving glares and started laughing all over again.

“I’m sorry Seven,” Janeway finally managed to gasp out, “I’m not sure what the situation is yet exactly, but I am sure it’s going to be interesting, very interesting.”

“Indeed,” Seven replied stiffly.

Janeway stood with her arms crossed and frowned forebodingly as the doctor finished his report.

“So,” Janeway gritted through her teeth, achingly aware of the still form lying behind her in the biobed, “you’re telling me you have no idea what’s wrong with Naomi?”

“I’m sorry Captain, all I can tell you is that she is sleeping and is apparently in a deep REM phase and nothing we have done has broken the cycle.  We are unable to wake her Captain, but there is no obvious cause.  Lt. Torres and Ensign Kim have scanned the area as well as the planet for unusual readings, but have found nothing out of the ordinary, aside from the apparent deep freeze on the planet.  No other crewmember has been affected and, at the moment, Naomi is in no apparent danger.  All we can do is wait for her to wake up,” the doctor said miserably

“Keep me informed Doctor,” Janeway said as she exited Sickbay.

Janeway surreptitiously watched her senior staff as they entered the conference room one by one.  She had always paid close attention to her crew, but being stranded in the Delta Quadrant seemed to intensify her attention level.  She knew, perhaps better than anyone, how isolation could wear on a person, so she always watched for signs that one of her crew seemed to be feeling the stress of being so far from home.  She counted herself lucky that on most occasions she was able to head off problems by a well-placed pep talk or, with the aid of Mr. Neelix, a stress-busting party.  She settled back in her chair, content with what she saw.  Only Seven appeared to be on edge, evident only in the slight frown that wrinkled her forehead.  Seven had been spending most of her off duty time with Naomi in Sickbay to allow Ensign Wildman an opportunity to rest.  She suppressed a sigh.  For the moment, there didn’t appear to be anything they could do for Naomi except wait, and, in the meantime, there was a delegation to deal with.

“At 1400 hours a delegation from the planet will be arriving via the Delta Flyer,” Janeway stated.

“I’m not sure what we should expect, but we were given the distinct impression that they believe we originate from this planet,” Janeway paused, but when no one spoke she continued.  “I want to limit all contact with the crew until we find out exactly what is behind this belief.  Lt. Torres, Ensign Kim, I want you to check for spatial and temporal anomalies, both current and past, for this area.  We don’t want to risk inadvertently causing some paradox,” Janeway managed not to choke on the thought of temporal anomalies.  “That said,” Janeway continued, “I don’t want this blown out of proportion so that we offend our hosts.  Any questions?” Janeway asked looking around the table.  When no one moved, she nodded, “You know what to do then, dismissed.”

“King George, Lt. Dhame, welcome,” Janeway greeted the men as they entered the conference room.

The two men returned greetings before curiously looking around the room, and Janeway thought she saw them twitch as their eyes lit on Seven.  Oh yes, she thought, this is definitely going to be interesting.

“You have already met most of my command staff,” Janeway said.  “Let me introduce you to the rest.  This is Lt… ”

“B’Elanna Torres and Tom Paris,” King George finished nodding at the two officers.

Janeway quickly commanded her face not to show her surprise.  “You seem to know quite a lot about us,” she began diplomatically.

King George raised an eyebrow with a faintly amused expression.  Again Janeway felt the déjà vu feeling she had on first meeting the king.

“Perhaps this will explain things far better than I could Captain,” the king said kindly, holding out an old beaten book.  “I think our conversation will be better served if you could read this first.”

Janeway took the book, feeling bemused.  She had never been on a diplomatic mission with required reading.  She shook her head at the tasks she performed in the name of duty.  “Very well Your Majesty, I’ll have Commander Chakotay show you to our guest quarters and we’ll meet this evening for dinner,” Janeway offered.

The king nodded and followed Chakotay out of the conference room.  After dismissing the rest of the command staff, Janeway retired to her ready room with the book tucked under her arm.  After giving orders not to be disturbed, she sat down in her chair and examined the book.  The cover was made from some type of leather, and had once had a design embossed on it that had been worn away either by time or use, probably both she decided turning it over in her hands.  She opened the cover and felt some surprise that she could read the inscription.  She had fully expected to need to interpret the writing with a tricorder.  The front page was hand written with the title The Journeys of HMS Voyager.  The ‘HMS’ had obviously been written in later.  Intrigued, Janeway turned the page and began to read.  Several hours later, Janeway closed the book and gently sat it on the table in front of her.  She shook her head trying to clear the dazed feeling that was threatening to overwhelm her.

The bridge crew watched as the captain left the ready room and walked to the turbolift without even looking at them.  Chakotay looked over his shoulder at Tuvok, who merely raised an eyebrow.

King George stood patiently while Janeway stood wordlessly in front of him.  Finally she spoke.

“Your Majesty, I believe that there are other members of my crew who should read this before we discuss… Voyager’s presence here,” Janeway said.

The King nodded knowingly.  “Indeed,” he said with a smile.  Janeway swallowed and stared hard at the king for a moment, etching his features in her mind.  “Perhaps we shall postpone dinner until tomorrow,” he offered.

Janeway nodded then backed away from the door.

In her quarters she paced for nearly an hour before hitting her combadge.

“Janeway to Seven of Nine,” she spoke.

“Seven here Captain.”

“Seven, report to my quarters,” Janeway commanded.

“On my way,” Seven replied.

Janeway resumed pacing as the com went dead.  She started as the chime to her door sounded a short time later.

“Enter,” she called across the room.

Seven stepped into the captain’s quarters and stood with her hands folded neatly behind her back as she waited for Janeway to explain what was required of her.  Perhaps the captain had recalled what she had wanted to speak to her about earlier.

Janeway looked at Seven intently for a moment, then motioned to the couch.  Seven raised an eyebrow, but complied; apparently this was going to take some time and, though she did not need to sit, she knew that her captain would be more comfortable if she did so.

Once Seven had settled on the couch, Janeway sat on the chair across from her and cleared her throat.

“I think you should read this,” Janeway said huskily, holding out the book to Seven.

Bemused, Seven took the proffered book and pulled out a tricorder, then looked up in surprise as Janeway’s hand covered hers.  Janeway shook her head.

“Don’t use the tricorder,” she said quietly.

Seven tilted her head to the side.  “I do not understand.  I could download the contents and assimilate the data in minutes.  It seems inefficient not to do so,” she said, obviously confused.

Janeway sat back.  “I know Seven, but sometimes…” she paused looking for the right words to explain.

“Sometimes Seven, there are things that should be digested slowly.  This is one of those things,” she finished, knowing Seven did not understand, but unable to articulate just why it was important.

Seven looked at the book again, then up at Janeway.

“Now?” she asked.

Janeway nodded.  Seven examined the outside of the book.  She wondered what had been engraved on the cover.  A tricorder could have scanned the cover and reconstructed its original image, but as it stood, she could not tell.  She flipped to the first page and raised an eyebrow as she read the title.  She flipped to the next page and began to read.

Seven was aware of the concept of an imagination, though she could not claim to understand it or know how to summon her own, if she did indeed have such a thing.  Despite that, she found herself drawn into the words as they wove a tale of adventure on the high seas; she felt like she was being transported to another place, another time.

Naomi woke to the realization that she was falling.  Unfortunately, before she could act on that realization, she landed face down on the deck.  The floor heaved wildly under her and she grabbed a bunk leg to keep from being flung across the room.  A crash in the adjacent room snapped her out of her shock and she scrambled on hands and knees to the door.  She pushed through the door to a steady stream of curses as Captain Janeway struggled to pull her britches up and, at the same time, not slide across the rolling deck.  Naomi dove under the captain’s bunk in search of errant boots and pulled them out as the captain was righting herself again.  Captain Janeway held out a foot while buttoning up her shirt.  Hastily Naomi shoved first one boot then the other onto the waiting feet.  Semi dressed, Janeway leapt to her feet and sprinted towards the main door; Naomi was at her heels. 

“Stay here Naomi,” Janeway ordered in a no nonsense voice.  Naomi started to argue, but snapped her mouth closed abruptly.  One thing she had learned in the past month as ship’s ‘boy’ was that when The Cat gave an order she expected it to be obeyed.

“Yes ma’am,” Naomi replied promptly.  Janeway nodded then was out the door.  Naomi pulled the door closed then sat on the captain’s bunk, hanging onto the bed rail as the ship tossed in the night, and tried very hard to not be afraid.

Janeway stepped out of her cabin and into chaos.  Every few seconds the night became day as lightning exploded all around them.  She looked up at the ship’s masts, dark sentinels calling to the ancient gods.  She hopped the gods didn’t answer.  One hit of lightning to the wooden beams would be the end of the ship.  Her attention turned to the large sails stretched taunt in the heavy gale.  The ship was hurtling uncontrollably through the darkness.  Hitting one wave wrong would turn the ship just enough for the sails to loose the wind and send it into a spiral.  Normally that wouldn’t matter, but just before dark Voyager had been approaching Ring Cove, a sheltered resting spot if you managed to navigate the reef surrounding the cove.  The sun would have been well up before they had to do that and they had a map from Giuseppe that would guide them through the traitorous reef.  But now, at the speed they were moving, they could run up on the reef and rocks without notice.  She had no idea how long the storm had been pushing them, so she scrabbled across the deck to the mainmast and began pulling on the rope. 

A lithe dark shape hurtled past her in the darkness.  The sky lit and confirmed what she already knew; B’Elanna Torres was scaling the mast and releasing the stays of the sail as she went.  The ship dropped as the ocean suddenly moved out from under it.  For a moment Janeway felt weightless then her legs buckled as gravity threw her back to the deck.  Torres slipped as the ship heaved.  For a second she hung suspended over the ship, hanging on with one hand.  With a grunt, she kicked her legs and swung back to the mast and grabbed hold.  She continued her climb, releasing stays as she went; each one seemed harder than the next.  Her hands were becoming numb as the cold rain soaked through her clothes.  She struggled with a particularly obstinate knot, cursing softly under her breath.  She was glad the captain was so far below, since more than once her cursing had resulted in her scrubbing the decks, but even if the captain overheard, Torres was sure, well kind of sure, that the captain would forgive the transgression in this case. 

“Torres, hurry up with those stays,” Janeway’s voice bellowed from below, carrying even over the noise of the storm.  Torres yanked again but the knot refused to go.  She reached in her boot and pulled out a long knife and quickly cut through the stay and scrambled up for the last few.  She didn’t even attempt to untie them; she simply cut them quickly before shoving the knife back into her boot.  The quality of rope needed on a sailing ship wasn’t cheap, but better to have to replace the rope than the ship, B’Elanna reasoned.  Then she grabbed a deck rope as it swung by, and quickly shimmied to the rocking deck.

Janeway pulled on the guide rope and suddenly it gave way.  She gave a sigh of relief as the heavy sail began to fall.  She started rolling the sail around the boom, when another pair of hands joined hers.  Soon a dozen of her crew were there, getting the sails down and secured.  With the mainsail secure, she looked around, but all the sails were down now.  She grabbed Chakotay on the shoulder, “Get half a dozen below decks, we’re going to have to bail.”  Chakotay nodded and turned calling names and headed below to start a bail chain.  It was doubtful they could keep ahead of the water pouring over the decks with each massive wave, but they had to try.  The ship still heaved, but at least it wasn’t hurtling through the water like a cannon ball anymore.  Janeway struggled to reach the upper deck.  A particularly brutal wave hit as she crested the top stair, and she slid across the deck on her stomach and landed in an undignified heap at the foot of the wheel.  She pulled herself up.  Tom Paris gripped the wheel tightly in both hands, feet braced, in part to hold the ship on course and in part to hold himself upright.  Janeway leaned over his shoulder, mouth at his ear, yelling so he could hear her over the storm.  “We have to turn into the wind,” she yelled.  Tom’s face was pale.  He was a good helmsman, but he had never faced conditions like these.  It was beyond his expertise, he knew.  He had thought the captain would be coming to take the wheel, but apparently she had other ideas.

“The waves come in cycles,” Janeway told him sounding calm despite the volume of her voice.  “There will be several large ones, followed by several small ones.  Just be patient, when we hit a run of smaller waves, we’ll turn.”  She looked up at the sky for a moment, then out over the sea.  The sky lit up yet again and Tom could see Janeway standing, hands on her hips and a look of exhilaration in her eyes.  As dangerous as it was, Janeway thrived on the challenge.  At this moment she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else doing anything else except facing the challenge that nature and the gods chose to throw her way.  She turned back to Tom. 

“We’ll turn starboard,” she said.  Tom nodded and gripped the wheel tighter.

“Easy, wait, wait,” Janeway coached as she and her helmsman watched and rode the waves.  Then, Janeway could never have explained how she knew, but the moment had come.  “Now Tom, now,” she yelled.  And the helmsman threw his weight onto the wheel turning the ship about.  At first it seemed the ship wouldn’t respond, then suddenly she turned.  Keeling sharply on her side and dipping recklessly.  Then they were about, facing the wind and the ship, though still bobbing with the waves, did so less ferociously. 

Janeway let out a sigh.  It looked like they were going to make it after all.  But no sooner was the thought formed, than a sickening crunch thundered over the storm and a tremor went through the hull. 

Janeway rushed below to the cargo hold.  It was already crowded with crew desperately moving cargo to reach the breach.  Water was pouring in and the ship was already starting to list.

The rest was a blur.  Janeway was surprised to hear her voice calmly calling orders, but she had little recollection later.  Somehow they managed to keep the ship upright and patch the hole, but how exactly she wasn’t sure.  One moment it seemed they were being tossed around like a child’s toy, the next all was calm.  Janeway stood on the deck, the early morning sun showed a calm ocean.  They were anchored in Ring Cove; somehow they had made it past the reef, through storm and darkness, intact.  Well almost intact, she amended ruefully, as she surveyed the damage to her ship from above the deck rail.  B’Elanna’s head popped above the water and the captain leaned over anxiously as she scrambled up the rope to the captain.

“Well?” Janeway asked, expecting the worst.  B’Elanna didn’t disappoint her.

“The breach is approximately two feet by six feet across the bow,” she reported as she caught her breath.  At Janeway’s look of dismay, B’Elanna tried to brighten the picture.  “It’s only a foot below the water level, Captain, it should be fairly straightforward to repair.”

Janeway shook her head.  “Easy isn’t the same as cheap,” she replied and walked off in the direction of her cabin.

Chakotay and Tom were at her desk when she walked in.  Their heads were bent as they studied the navigational charts, and Chakotay looked up as Janeway entered.  They had worked together for a long time, and Janeway easily interpreted the expression on his face.

“Tell me,” she said, hoping the weariness she felt didn’t show. 

“These charts are fake,” Tom blurted, his face flushing in anger. 

“What do you mean?” Janeway asked carefully, her voice was dangerously low.

Chakotay pointed to the newly acquired charts, “Tom and I took the lifeboat out earlier, the location of the reef doesn’t match,” he said, pointing to the reef on the map.

“If we had followed these charts we would have crashed into the thickest part of the reef, no matter which way we turned, we would have hit reef or rock,” Tom blurted, unable to contain himself and impatient with Chakotay’s calm recitation.  Janeway raised a brow at Chakotay.  He nodded.  What Tom said was true, which meant Giuseppe had sold them fake charts, and she would be willing to bet her last coin that, before long, a ship flying under Giuseppe’s, or one of his affiliates’, flag would be showing up quite ‘fortuitously’ to aid the floundering ship.  Suddenly the weariness was gone, burned off by a slow-rising anger.

Janeway looked out the small portal, the only window on the ship, as she thought furiously.  When she spoke, her voice was soft and Chakotay cringed at the sure sign that the simmering anger was rapidly reaching a boil. 

“Get the upper deck cleaned up, use all hands, double shifts, then twenty-four-hour rotation watches.  Have Tuvok get his team prepared.  We’re going to have company soon, and I plan on being ready for them.”

Chakotay nodded and headed out the door with Tom on his heels. 

“Tom,” Janeway’s voice stopped the helmsman in stride.  He turned to face her.

“Ma’am?” he asked. 

Janeway reached into the drawer of her desk and pulled out a silver earring and handed it to him.  Tom’s eyes widened and his hand shook as he took the proffered piece of jewelry. 

“Welcome aboard Tom,” she said.  Tom nodded and hurriedly left the cabin before he did something to embarrass himself, like dancing a jig, jumping up and down, or kissing his captain.  He had made it!  A year ago he had been rotting away in prison, accused of causing a mutiny and sabotaging his ship.  Then, serendipitously, Tuvok and Chakotay had been placed in the cell with him.  When Janeway had broken them out of jail, he had demanded to be taken along or else he would call for the guards.  He had taken a chance, Janeway could have had him killed on the spot, but after hearing Tuvok and Chakotay talk about their captain and their confidence in her ability to get them out, he had been sure she wouldn’t.  She wouldn’t like being challenged, he knew, so he had quickly offered up his services on her ship in return.  He had been assigned scut work in the beginning, but when his abilities as a helmsman and navigator became apparent he earned better assignments.  Now he was off probation, a full member of the crew, entitled to all the privileges and a share of the bounty they acquired.  But greater than that, he knew he had earned the captain’s respect and that meant more to him than all the treasure they could ever lay at his feet.

Tom slipped the earring on and stepped onto the main deck.  Torres trotted by, then stopped and turned back.  She stared at the earring for a minute then nodded her congratulations.  Tom smiled so hard he thought his cheeks would burst, then abruptly his smile disappeared as Torres gave him a lewd wink then sauntered off.  Now what did that mean, he wondered, as he watched the petite brunette squirrel up the main mast.  He shook his head, he would have to make a point of looking the boatswain up when they were both off duty, but the shape the ship was in at the moment meant that time was a long way off.

The ship appeared on the horizon the next day.  Janeway felt a tug of satisfaction when Captain Brady was unable to completely hide his surprise in finding Voyager intact and apparently fit to sail.  A number of the crew were on the beach, apparently enjoying a bit of shore leave, while the rest were industriously cleaning and inspecting Voyager’s array of weaponry including sixteen state-of-the-art cannons.  Janeway graciously invited Captain Brady and his first mate, Mr. Hendrix, aboard for dinner, but they declined saying they were behind schedule and merely stopping long enough to refill their water supply.  Janeway said she understood the pressures of schedules when a ship’s captain sailed another man’s flag.  The small goad caused the captain to turn several shades of red before he swallowed deeply and made a hasty retreat.

The captain of the Bonny Bride and Alfred Hendrix sat at the captain’s table as they sailed away leaving Voyager to become a speck on the horizon behind them.

“How did she do it,” Alfred finally asked.

Brady took a swig of rum and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.  He looked sharply at his first mate, then shrugged. 

“Does it really matter?” he asked with a grimace, then he shook his head.  “They don’t call her The Cat for nothing,” he continued, “she always seems to land on her feet.”  He stared off at nothing for a moment, then he spoke so softly that Alfred wasn’t even sure he heard anything at all.  “But then they say cats only have nine lives don’t they.”  The captain shook his head again and grinned ruefully, “Well Giuseppe isn’t going to be very happy, that’s for sure.”  Then he took another swig of rum and passed the bottle to his first mate; they might as well enjoy the trip because once they returned to port, it wasn’t going to be pretty.

The tall blonde stalked down the garden path.  The sky was overcast, which suited her mood perfectly.  Each step she took was matched by the growth, bloom, and then wilt of the garden’s abundant roses. 

Neelix trotted behind, puffing with the effort of keeping up with her long strides.  He glanced around the garden.  It was mostly cleaned up after last week’s fit of temper, but the gardeners were still cutting up fallen trees.  He looked at the rigid set of the young woman’s back and sighed.  Little good that would do if she went off into another temper tantrum; though there had to be something he could do.

“Your Highness,” he called out.  “Your Majesty… Princess Annika,” he yelled finally at the top of his lungs.

The blonde stopped and swung around.  She folded her hands behind her back and raised an eyebrow.  There was no hint in her face of her inner turmoil, but no one in all of Tendara needed to ask what her mood was.  The entire countryside felt it in the black storms that swept across the mountains and out to sea.  If anyone had asked, she could not have told them why she was in such a dark mood, but no one would ask; no one would dare to presume upon the future and, certain to be, the most powerful queen in the history of Tendara.

Neelix opened his mouth then closed it again.  Now that he had her attention he wasn’t at all sure what to say.  He shifted from foot to foot.  There were at least three ships still missing at sea, they had nearly lost this year’s wheat crop, and the west tower had a crack large enough for him to walk through.  He took a deep breath, something had to be said and it looked like he was the one to say it, and the one who would feel the princess’ wrath. 

“Your Highness,” he began then paused, and nodded his head towards the path leading to the sea wall.  “Walk with me Your Highness,” he requested.  Annika followed Neelix, for once slowing her step to match his.  “Your Highness,” Neelix began, “you are unhappy.”  Annika snorted slightly at her companion’s diplomatic understatement.  “And your unhappiness if affecting the country,” Neelix gestured out across the harbor at the numerous ships under repair from last week’s violent storm.  Annika looked at the havoc her temper had wreaked on the ships and the docks.  She had not intended for it to happen, it just seemed that lately she had no control.  She felt trapped within the castle walls, not that anything had changed; she had spent her whole life within the protected cocoon of the castle and its lands, but for some reason, that was beginning to chafe.  Why it had taken so long, she wasn’t sure, but she was longing for something she couldn’t name.  She often stood at this wall and watched the ships raise sail and disappear over the horizon, on their way to distant ports, to places she knew only by name and from the stories she had heard, places she would never be able to go.  Sometimes, at night, she would look at the heavens, at the lighted palaces of the many gods, and wonder which of them had the twisted sense of humor to make the most powerful woman in Tendara a prisoner in her own land.  A prison she couldn’t escape because Annika did love her land and her people, and wanted the best for them, just sometimes she wished she could simply be someone else for a while.

For a person always surrounded by people, the princess was as alone as it was possible for a being to get.  Except for Neelix, a small, almost comical, man, once the court jester, but now the princess’ confidant, at least as far as she would ever go towards having a confidant.  He was the only one who knew the depths of her abilities, the only one she allowed to see what she could do.  He knew more of her than even her parents.  He amused her and she found that his suggestions were accompanied by a depth of understanding of her people that was matched by few.  Most importantly, he was loyal.  Annika knew he would die before he let her secrets be known, so if he were annoying on occasion, she could overlook it.  In this instance she knew he was right.  She was hurting the country and she did not know how to stop.  She could not shake the black mood that hung over her, no matter how she tried. 

Annika slid to the ground and rested her back against the stone wall.  Neelix relaxed a bit when a small flower poked through the dirt path and opened to a brilliant yellow bloom.  A small bee buzzed around his head then landed on the flower.

“Have you ever watched bees Neelix?” Annika asked suddenly.  Neelix shook his head, trying to hide his surprise at the change in topic.  Annika gestured at the tiny insect hovering around the new flower.

“This is a drone,” she said, “All it must do is bring pollen to the hive, but in return it can leave the hive everyday and go wherever the flowers lead it.”  She paused and looked off in the distance.  “And out there somewhere, if we followed the little guy, we could find its hive.  Busy and bustling with hundreds of these drones coming and going, working to support their community, a community that depends... ” she touched the small flower, “completely on flowers to survive.  And in that hive, deep in the middle, is the queen.  She directs the drones, produces offspring, and keeps the whole group working smoothly.  Without her they could not function, yet she is the one member who will never see a flower.”

Neelix stood for a moment in amazement.  Now he understood and he could kick himself for not realizing it sooner.  Of course the princess was unhappy, who wouldn’t be unhappy being in a cage, however beautiful and comfortable it might be.  Then he began to smile, he had a solution, not perfect of course, but it might help.  A friend of his, a rather wealthy nobleman actually, who owed him a bit of coin from last month’s horse races, was having a masquerade party in a couple of nights.  No one would even know who she was, it would be perfectly safe, and they could slip out after dark.  Neelix nearly rubbed his hands together with glee as he explained to the princess exactly what he had in mind.  Annika’s eyes began to gleam as she listened to Neelix’s plan.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Harry asked softly as B’Elanna pried the lock off of Giuseppe’s door. 

“Come on Harry,” Tom hissed as the door slid open.  “Do you want to let this ass get away with selling us faked up charts?”

Harry shook his head.  He wanted to get back at Giuseppe just as badly as the others, maybe more so, because Harry had a strong sense of honor and dishonorable behavior had a way of making his hair stand on end.  He followed Tom and B’Elanna into the back room of Giuseppe’s shop.  Tom stepped behind the counter and began pulling out maps.  B’Elanna lit a small lamp and held it over the counter.

Harry shook his head.  “No, these are all the same as we have, faked,” he said through his teeth.  Tom dug deeper pulling more maps out.  B’Elanna and Harry continued to reject the maps.  Tom sighed and ran his fingers through his hair making it stand straight up.  “The real ones have to be around here somewhere,” he exclaimed.  He hit the edge of the counter in frustration.  His eyes grew wide, as a drawer slid open.  Inside lay a dozen neatly drawn maps, including one of Ring Cove that didn’t look like the others.  He pulled the maps out and carefully laid them on the counter. 

“Bingo,” B’Elanna breathed softly. 

Annika slipped through the dark street, the hood of her cloak pulled up as much to shelter her from the rain as to hide her face.  She felt like she was walking on air, or maybe it was the wine she had liberally imbibed at the party, in either case she felt happier than she had in a long time.  She had slipped out of the castle several hours before, but she wouldn’t be missed until morning.  She had pleaded a headache and retired early with orders to her servants to not be disturbed until dawn.  Then she had quickly changed from her gown into the clothes Neelix had provided for her.  Dressed as a rakish dandy, she had met Neelix in the courtyard and off they had gone to the masquerade.  The evening had been wonderful, she thought, no, perfect, she amended.  She had been incredibly nervous when she and Neelix had first entered the ballroom, but the hall had been packed, each person artfully masked to hide their identity.  She was sure that no one had recognized her.  She had overheard a group of women commenting on her appearance and speculating of just who that ‘dashing young nobleman’ could be.  Being an accomplished dancer, Annika had not lacked for companions on the dance floor and better yet, she was the one doing the asking, so not one single dance with a foppish boar hoping for a backdoor entry into the royal family.  Annika twirled in a circle; she wished this night would never end.  To prolong the return to the castle she had veered down a side street. 

“Nik, where are you going,” Neelix called out anxiously, using the code name they had agreed upon when in public.

Annika waved a hand, “I’ve never been here Neelix, and I’ve never been in the town.  I want to look around a little.”

“Oh, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Neelix murmured.

A light in a window caught her eye and she looked into the shop.  She was slightly surprised that a business would be opened after dark, but she shrugged the thought aside.  The sign outside the door advertised maps.  Not that she needed a map really, but the thought of buying something herself struck a fancy with her.

“Nik, wait!” Neelix called out too late as Annika disappeared through the door. 

“Oh this is not good,” Neelix moaned and stepped back into the shadows.

Annika stepped inside the door.  “Good evening,” she called out.  Three heads snapped around at her sudden appearance.

B’Elanna Torres took two steps then clocked the dandy across the jaw dropping him like a stone to the floor.

“Gods B’Elanna,” Harry Kim snapped, “Did you have to do that?” 

 B’Elanna shrugged.  “What did you want me to do, let him run screaming into the streets for the guards?” 

Harry sighed, “No, but now what are we going to do?” 

Tom stepped around and walked over to the prone figure on the floor.  He toed the cloak cautiously. 

“Don’t worry,” B’Elanna, chortled, “glass jaw, he’s out like a light.” 

Tom grinned, “So I see.”  He bent and did a quick survey of the cloak and then chuckled as he held up a handful of coins.  Then he grabbed Annika’s hands and turned them over.  The calluses on the palms didn’t surprise him, but the delicateness of them did.

“I think,” he said slowly looking over his shoulder at his comrades, “that we have hit the jackpot.” 

Harry Kim’s eyes widened in alarm.  “We’re not going to rob him,” he said, half-statement, half-question.  The captain would have their hides if she found out they were behaving as simple street robbers. 

Tom shook his head, his grin growing bigger, if that were possible.  “Oh no Harry,” he said, “that wouldn’t be proper.”  He paused looking from Kim to B’Elanna enjoying their curiosity of what he had in mind.  “We’re going to take him with us.” 

At their disbelieving stares, he shrugged.  “Whoever he is,” he held up a limp hand bejeweled with an exceptionally large ruby, “someone will pay us lots of money just to get him back, if for no other reason than to re-collect the jewels.  This is a family heirloom if I’ve ever seen one.”

B’Elanna and Harry exchanged looks, then slowly began to grin.  The captain didn’t approve of base robbery, but ransom, now that was something different.  That was simply shrewd bargaining, and it wasn’t as if they had gone looking for a victim, he had just fallen into their arms, well at their feet.  B’Elanna turned and scooped the navigational charts off the desk, rolled them up quickly and stuck them under her tunic.  These were correct charts; simply replacing the false ones Giuseppe had sold them in the first place.  No harm there.  Then she looked at the figure on the ground. 

“Well how do we get our friend to the ship?” she asked, looking at Tom.  Tom stood thinking a minute, then reached down and grabbed an arm.

“Harry,” Tom motioned towards the other arm and Harry quickly pulled it over his shoulder, then they stood until the princess was supported between them.  Tom reached in his back pocket and pulled a flask out.  He took a deep swig and passed it to Harry.  Harry followed suit, and passed it to B’Elanna.  B’Elanna looked bemused, then took a swig and handed it back to Tom.  Tom gave a sigh. 

“What a waste,” he lamented, and then poured the remainder over their unconscious friend.  B’Elanna looked out the door, and then waved that the coast was clear.  The four headed down the streets towards the dock. 

In a tavern

Called The Cavern

I met a pretty maid

She had hair to her bum

And a full mug o’ rum

B’Elanna sighed as Tom started singing a raucous bar song at the top of his lungs, and then joined in.  In for a penny, in for a pound, she decided. 

“Oh, this is not good,” Neelix moaned again and slipped unnoticed through the shadows following the group through the streets.

They rounded a corner and staggered to a stop in front of the evening guard.

“Here now,” the captain of the guard walked up, “what are you doing on the streets this late?”

“Jus’ on our way back to our ship, capin’,” Tom slurred leaning in towards the guard. 

“Whew!”  The guard backed away waving his hand in front of his face.  “Did you drink all the rum in the tavern?” he asked plaintively.

“We shure tried,” Kim slurred with glee.

The guard motioned towards Annika.  “What about him?” he asked. 

“Oh he tried most of all,” B’Elanna responded. 

The guards chortled.  “Well get straight back to your ship and no more singing,” he admonished, “some people try to sleep in the middle of the night.”

“Yesh shir,” Tom replied and tried to salute with his left hand.  The guard just shook his head and waved them on.

The evening guards watched the four stagger off.  “Hate to be that fellow when his captain gets hold of him,” one said.  The captain of the guard shrugged.  “With that lot, it wouldn’t surprise me if that fellow was the captain,” he said.  Then they turned, and continued their patrol of the streets.  They didn’t notice the silent form slipping from the shadows behind them, and hurrying down the street.

They stumbled up the gangplank of Voyager, then slid their burden down in a pile of rope and turned to discuss what they should do next.

“Where have you been?” Captain Janeway’s voice demanded.  “We set sail at dawn and you have been out carousing around.”

The three jumped and turned around startled.

“Well not really Captain,” Tom replied straightening up.  “We only had one sip of rum.”

At Janeway’s disbelieving look Harry and B’Elanna piped up.  “True Captain,” they said.

B’Elanna pulled the charts out of her tunic. 

“We just made a little visit to Giuseppe’s shop,” she explained.

Janeway took the charts and glanced at them quickly.  She pursed her lips.  “That doesn’t explain why you are so late reporting back to ship,” she said finally.

“Well we had a bit of trouble,” Tom started.

“What kind of trouble?”

At Janeway’s stern tone, the three exchanged looks then wordlessly parted so Janeway could see the prone form lying on the deck behind them.

“What’s going on?” Chakotay asked walking up behind Captain Janeway.

From the captain’s look, Tom could tell she was rapidly loosing her temper, so he hurriedly explained what had happened.

“He has a point Captain,” Chakotay said mildly.  “Repairs have nearly depleted the ship’s stores; this would be a way of refilling the coffers.”

Janeway shot him a look.  “Ransom Chakotay.  You think we should ransom some poor sop because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time?”

Chakotay shrugged.  “Luck runs all ways,” he replied philosophically.  “Bad for him, good for us.”

Janeway suppressed a groan and rubbed her temple.  She was getting a headache.  But she had to admit her crewmen had a point. 

“All right,” she said, her decision made.  “Take him to my quarters, we’ll have Doc check him out then decide what to do with him once we’re under sail.”

Tom and Harry quickly pulled Annika up between them and dragged her off to the captain’s quarters.

The rest dispersed to get ready to set sail.  No one noticed as Neelix slipped aboard and quickly disappeared into the cargo hold.

Janeway stood on the foredeck looking out at the horizon.  She turned as Doc cleared his throat behind her.

“Well?” she asked, “How is our ‘guest’ doing?  Will he wake up anytime soon?”

“Our ‘guest’,” the doctor said stuffily, “is doing just fine though apparently had a quite bit to drink before running into B’Elanna’s fist.”  He paused, savoring the upcoming moment.

“She will probably wake up soon,” he finished with a flourish.

Janeway blinked twice.  “She?” she asked uncertain that she had heard correctly.

The doctor nodded.  “She,” he replied firmly.  He enjoyed the surprised expression on the captain’s face.  It wasn’t often that she was caught off guard and he thoroughly enjoyed it; however, the best was yet to come.

“It would be best to prepare yourself for when that time comes,” he suggested, no longer hiding the glee in his voice.

Janeway narrowed her eyes at him.  “You had better explain yourself Doc,” she gritted through her teeth. 

The doctor grinned and motioned towards the cabin.  “See for yourself,” he replied.

Janeway gave him a suspicious look, then preceded him below deck to her cabin.  Inside, the dandy young man had transformed into a pale, slender young woman.  Her blonde hair was strewn across the captain’s pillow.  Over, and partially encircling, her left eye was the crescent tattoo of the royal family that had been hidden by the masquerade mask she had worn earlier. 

“Oh gods,” Janeway moaned.

The doctor nodded.  “Yes Captain, you’ve succeeded in kidnapping the royal heir,” the doctor said with delighted finality.

Naomi shivered as she stepped tentatively down the street.  Old stone houses, eerily dark in the early evening twilight, stood sentry.  Snow swirled around her, she wasn’t sure if it were truly snowing or if it was just being blown about by the wind.  At the end of the street stood a broad wall with towers and turrets looming high overhead.  She shivered again as she moved towards the castle and towards the sole light gleaming from the farthest tower.  At the wall she paused.  She had expected some challenge.  In the stories she read, all castles had guards, even dark evil ones, but no one stopped her passage.  She reached the castle doors without encountering anyone or anything. The castle doors; however, proved to be a different sort of challenge.  They were easily as tall as two men, and nearly as wide.  Naomi gave an experimental tug, then a push.  They did not budge. 

She looked nervously over her shoulder, but there was still no one in sight.  She looked around and noticed a pathway leading around the cold stone walls of the keep.  She followed the path; surely there was more than one door, she reasoned.  She barely passed the first angled turn of the wall, when she spotted a normal-sized door.  The door swung open silently at her tug.  Naomi quickly stepped inside and pulled the door closed behind her.  She almost expected the door to close by itself with a loud thud, trapping her in the haunted castle, but the door closed as silently as it had opened.

The silence was starting to disturb her more than the cold or the darkness.  Maybe she was asleep and dreaming.  She pinched herself hard, then stood concentrating.  Well she felt awake and the pinch hurt.  She shrugged finally, if she were dreaming she would eventually wake up and if she were awake, well standing in a dark castle would not get her back to Voyager any faster.  She stumbled around in the dim room a bit until her eyes adjusted.  Then she found that she could see, at least well enough not to bump into anything.  She moved through the ground floor until she found a set of stairs.

She had seen five towers as she had walked up the road to the castle, and as many turrets, she hoped she wouldn’t have to walk up every one of them to find the one with the light.  She started up the winding stairs.  They were narrow and steep, one step to the next was nearly chest high on her and she had to strain to climb them.  After nearly half an hour, she stopped, her heart was pounding and her breath was coming short and heavy.  She wondered how far she had come and wondered how far she had to go.  She sighed and resumed her trek.  Time seemed to stop as her legs and back ached from the strain of the climb.

Just when she thought she could go no further, she saw a gleam of light.  Naomi hurried her pace.  The thought of reaching her goal gave her fresh energy.  She was nearly upon the door when she thought that perhaps she should be more cautious.  Just because there was a light, did not mean it was safe.  She dropped to her hands and knees and carefully peered around the door. She didn’t know how she came to be there, but she was suddenly standing in the center of a small circular room.

The stone walls were superimposed with an eerie green glow that shivered to red, then silver, then back to green.  Naomi thought she could see circuits and conduits and the walls of Voyager in the shifting colors on the walls, but they moved too swiftly for her to really comprehend what was there.  The floor alternated between a rocking motion and a shivering vibration.  She felt like she was on a carnival ride and her stomach turned a somersault.  She turned her eyes to the figure standing by the lone window, hoping to stop the spinning feeling the room was giving her.  It didn’t help.  The woman stood straight and rigid, looking out over the sea, but her image flickered much like the walls, one second she was dressed in gown of velvet with long flowing hair, the next she was in trousers and blouse with a large hat pulled over her eyes, then…

“Seven?” Naomi whispered hoarsely, her voice felt and sounded out of place in this silent room.  She feared speaking would cause some horrible chain of events to begin. 

Naomi jumped at the voice that was, and was not, Seven’s. 

“The ship was tossed and heaved about

As lightning lit the sky

No stars shown through the cloudy night

No moon to serve as guide

Bravely they struggled on

Following their captain’s lead

When they came to a beach

With sand so bright they could barely see

Captain, mate, and crew

In a land of sand and stars

The place where sailors end

When they have sailed too far”

Naomi realized that Seven was not talking to her, but simply talking.  Naomi walked over to the window and looked out.  The tower was on the very edge of the castle and dropped straight down to the ocean.  She could see the white of the waves beating against the castle walls and dark shapes, that she thought must be rocks.  She looked out and, in the last fading light, the ocean went as far as she could see.  She looked at the woman, her friend, but not her friend.  The sadness in the blue eyes wrenched at her heart and Naomi put an arm around the woman’s waist and leaned against her.  Together they stood through the night, looking out over the ocean.

A rap sounded on the door.  “Enter,” Janeway said dazedly.

“Captain, I’m afraid we have a slight problem,” Chakotay said as he stepped into the rapidly shrinking cabin. 

“Who’s that?” Janeway and Chakotay spoke at the same time.  Chakotay was staring at the young blonde woman in the captain’s bed; Janeway was looking at the strangest little man she had ever seen.  Neelix stepped completely from behind Chakotay, as he correctly surmised that the situation could quickly spiral out of control.

He held out a hand, “Captain Kathryn Janeway, so pleased to meet you at last,” he exclaimed as he grabbed her hand and pumped it up and down vigorously.  “Neelix Talax at your service.  I am so sorry we did not have the opportunity to meet earlier,” Neelix spoke quickly, hoping to defuse the situation and, if luck had it, not be promptly tossed overboard.

“I heard you needed a cook you see,” Neelix praised the gods that the crewmen checking the cargo hold just before they pulled anchor were so talkative and so concerned about sailing without a cook.  “I had just come aboard to see you about the position when – poof – we were underway.  But, I do assure you Captain, you won’t be sorry to you took me on, I can make a meringue pie that will melt in your mouth and I know no less than two hundred and thirty seven different, and I must say quite tasty, ways to prepare flounder.  Now, I know space is limited on such a ship, so if I could just requisition a blanket from ships stores, I can bunk in the galley.”

Janeway closed her mouth with a snap.  Her head was beginning to throb.  She was used to being in control.  In fact, she was always in control, so why did she suddenly feel like she was caught in a whirlpool and rapidly being pulled under.  Gingerly she pulled her hand free from Neelix’s grip. 

“Ah, Mr. Talax?” she began.

“Neelix, Captain, Neelix is just fine.”  Neelix beamed at the captain.

“Mr. … err… Neelix,” Janeway began again, “I appreciate your… enthusiasm… but there are rules of etiquette on a ship.  Foremost is requesting permission before boarding.”

“Indeed, Captain, I understand completely, I’m afraid in my enthusiasm of working for ‘The Cat’, I was a bit overeager, I assure you it will never happen again,” Neelix replied with sincerity. 

Oh hell, I have bigger fish to worry about, Janeway thought as she eyed the sleeping blonde warily. 

“See that it doesn’t Mr. Neelix,” she said sternly, “Chakotay, add Mr. Neelix to the ships log as probationary cook and see that he has the allotted supplies from ship’s stores.”  Chakotay nodded and, with one last curious look over his shoulder, led the newest crewmember out the door.  He would have to wait, until the immediate duties were finished, to satisfy his curiosity.

Janeway turned on the doctor.  “You’re sure she is in no danger?” she asked.

Doc shook his head, “None Captain,” he assured her, “I can’t say the same for us, however.” 

Janeway raised a brow indicating that he should continue.  The doctor beamed, it wasn’t often he was privy to information, beyond medical of course, that the captain didn’t already know.  

“What I can tell you, Captain, is merely hearsay,” the doctor waffled, now that he had his captain’s undivided attention, he was unsure how to continue.  He did not know how much of what he had heard was truth and, if even half of it was true, then how well the captain would take the news.

“Out with it Doctor,” Janeway growled as she rapidly lost patience.

“It is said that the princess has certain,” he hesitated looking for the right word, “powers,” he said finally.

Janeway’s brow furrowed.  “What do you mean exactly Doctor?” she asked through gritted teeth and fought the urge to rub her aching head. 

“Well, I guess you would say, or at least the rumors say,” the doctor qualified, “that she is a witch or a sorceress.”

Janeway snorted.

“Indeed, I had heard such rumors myself.”

Janeway turned as Tuvok entered the cabin.

“You believe that Tuvok?” Janeway asked incredulously.  Tuvok was the most efficient and least imaginative man she had ever met.  That he believed in such things as magic and witches startled her no less than if he suddenly said they could build a ship that would fly to the gods’ palaces.

“Some time ago while in Tendara I heard that the future queen had uncanny abilities,” Tuvok affirmed.  “In response to these rumors, I decided to investigate.  I found that indeed strange coincidences often occurred in correlation with the princess’ presence.”

“Such as,” Janeway prompted folding her arms across her chest and looking skeptical.

“Such as a child, hopelessly crippled and dying from falling beneath a wagon, becomes whole and well, at the same time the princess rode by in a carriage.  Such as failing crops suddenly rebounding after the princess and her father made a visit to the farms.  Such as a river, overflowing its banks, suddenly receding when… ”

“All right,” Janeway interrupted.  The fact that they had a royal personage in their possession, most definitely a hanging offense, was bad enough; she did not need her crew to start believing that their hostage had supernatural powers.  “Perhaps our guest can heel puppies and grow flowers, or perhaps it is just a coincidence.  I don’t see how that could possibly endanger us.”

The doctor added helpfully, “She is also rumored to have a rather bad temper.  The storm that caused us such difficulty,” he waved in the direction of the repaired bow, “has been attributed to her being in a ‘bad mood’,” the doctor concluded.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Janeway said shortly, then waved towards the door in dismissal.  The doctor hurried out; now that he had finished his duty, he was eager to share his knowledge with other members of the crew. 

“Bloody hell,” the captain muttered as she ran her fingers through her hair.  This was just dandy.  The crew was short handed.  After the last storm, more than one crewman had opted out of continuing, preferring to stay on dry land for a spell.  Janeway didn’t blame them, nor begrudge any of their requests for release, but it had meant pulling their share of the bounty rather than carrying it over through the next voyage.  That, along with the cost of ship repairs, had hurt deeply.

Most pirate ships were owned cooperatively and the captain ruled by vote.  Voyager; however, was owned outright by its fiery captain.  This gave her autonomy few captains enjoyed, but at the same time her crew was more likely to jump ship when times were bad.  Oh, not all of them.  Some, like Tuvok and Chakotay, had been with her for years, but the newer crewmen, those who hadn’t had a chance to really get to know the captain; those were the ones most likely to leave.  Now, with the coffers empty, she desperately needed a successful haul or she wouldn’t be able to resupply or pay the crew.

When Tom, Harry, and B’Elanna had brought her a hostage, she had been pleased to have a sure source of income.  Now; however, it looked like their ransom might just blow up in their face.  She felt the ship heave under her feet.  Well, first things first, she decided.  The best thing was to get out to sea.  The farther away they were from land, the less likely they were to have an audience when the princess did wake up.  And, Janeway reasoned, if the princess perchance did have any uncanny abilities, if she were at all intelligent, she would realize that if she destroyed the ship or crew, she would have to face the consequences of being marooned at sea. 

Janeway looked long and hard at the unconscious blonde.  She wasn’t what Janeway expected the future queen to look like.  True she was fine of bone, but there was an underlying strength present that was discernable even as she rested.  Janeway had little regard for nobility; the ruling class of Tendara tended to be composed of petty squabblers that worried over much about their own reputations and advancement, while caring little for the common people of the land.  The result was that the nobility prospered at the expense of the people they were supposed to protect.

The Cat; however, did her best to balance the odds any way she could.  Most often she hit them where it hurt the most, their pockets.  She trolled the seas for Tendaran ships belonging to the nobility.  Whenever she could, she would overthrow the ships and take their goods.  Granted, there was the overhead of the ship to be paid from such catches, but even after all the bonuses paid to the crew, there was enough left over for her to distribute to those less fortunate within Tendaran boundaries.  It seemed they had landed the ultimate catch, the epitome of Tendara’s excesses.  Now, all they had to do was return her without being destroyed in the process.  Janeway shook her head in effort to clear it.  Well, she would deal with it later; now she had a ship to sail. 

Tuvok cleared his throat.  Janeway turned with a start.  She had forgotten he was here. 

“Yes Tuvok,” Janeway queried. 

“I believe, Captain, that the prudent course of action would be to sail south by southwest,” Tuvok offered diplomatically. 

“Towards the Barintine Islands you mean,” Janeway said.  At Tuvok’s affirmative, Janeway pinched the bridge of her nose and suppressed what felt like the hundredth sigh of the day.  The Barintine Islands were far from ideal hunting grounds; in fact they were far from anything at all.  A cluster of small, uninhabited islands, that served as a resting point for the few ships that braved the ocean’s expanse to travel to Calindar, a far country inhabited by a wild and warlike people, but also a country that produced exquisite spices and jewels not found anywhere else in the known world.  It was also a good place to remain unseen, while ransom negotiations took place.  Captain Kathryn Janeway nodded slowly, it was not what she wanted to do, but she saw the advantage of the remote anchorage point.  Janeway looked at Tuvok abruptly as she made up her mind.

“Agreed Tuvok,” she said briskly, then turned to the map table as she motioned for Tuvok to join her as they plotted their future course.

After a short while, they had chosen the most direct route to the Barintine Isles and were headed above deck.  Janeway turned at the door and called out. 

“Naomi?” 

Naomi popped out of her room.  “Yes, Captain.”

Janeway gestured towards Annika.  “Keep an eye on our ‘guest’ until I get back.”

Naomi nodded seriously.  “Yes ma’am.”

Janeway turned to return to the main deck when she heard Naomi clear her throat.  She turned, and the young girl held up a tin bucket and looked at Janeway expectantly.  Janeway reached into her pocket for a coin and dropped it in the bucket with a sigh.  She had her rules, but honestly, how Naomi was able to hear every curse she uttered amazed her.  Naomi gave the captain a nod, holding her grin in until the captain disappeared out the door.  Naomi watched the blonde woman sleep for a few minutes, then crawled onto the bed.  She knew it would be some time before the captain returned, and who knew how long the lady would sleep, so she might as well be comfortable.

Annika first became aware of her head pounding.  A little man must be inside beating it with a hammer, she decided, because there was no other way it could hurt so badly.  Then she realized that her bed was not only particularly hard and uncomfortable, but was rocking alarmingly.  Abruptly she opened her eyes and yelped at the blue eyes staring back at her just inches away. 

“Who the hell are you?” she demanded.

“I’m Naomi Wildman, and the captain doesn’t allow cursing,” Naomi replied calmly.  “Usually it costs a copper, but I’ll let it pass this time, since you didn’t know the rules.”

Annika mumbled a reply, then looked around, her head swiveling rapidly from side to side.  Naomi watched fascinated, she had seen a bird move like that once; practically turning its head completely around, and she wondered if this woman could do that.  She had overheard the captain talking to Tuvok about her ‘uncanny’ abilities.  She wasn’t sure what uncanny meant, but being able to turn your head completely around sounded about right.

“Where am I?” Annika asked, panic lacing her voice.

“You’re on Voyager,” Naomi supplied then scooted closer, “What’s your name?”

“Annika.” 

“Do you know how to play Ships and Castles, Annika?” Naomi asked hopefully.

“Mmmm, yes,” Annika answered absently, as she tried to sort her thoughts.

“Why am I here… Naomi Wildman?” Annika asked, turning her attention to the child in hopes of clearing up her confusion.

Naomi scooted closer.  “Because you’ve been kidnapped.  There was a storm and Giuseppe sold the captain fake charts to make us crash into the reef, which we did, sort of, but because of the storm, not the charts and it was expensive to fix and there isn’t much left in the coffers, so we’re going to ransom you, even if you are uncanny, to help refill the coffers that are empty because of the wreck.”

Annika blinked at the girl’s ability to speak without breathing, and then the words sank in.  Kidnapped?  Ransom?  Uncanny?  Annika blushed when she realized that the storm Naomi was speaking of was a direct result of her temper, the same temper that had lured her out of the safe confines of the castle to begin with, and got her into this situation.  She leaned back and quickly assessed the situation.  She had to admit she felt a bit of grudging admiration for a captain that had the chutzpa to kidnap a member of the royal family.  If they planned to ransom her, they weren’t likely to harm her.  Though, if they tried, they might find it a great deal more difficult than they expected.

As the only child of the king of Tendara, Annika had been thoroughly spoiled as a child, but as she matured she began to exhibit a strength of will that exasperated her parents, infuriated her father’s advisors, and delighted her tutors.  She excelled in all of her studies, including horsemanship, military tactics, and swordplay, not to mention her ‘uncanny’ abilities for which she had no match.  Annika thought for a moment.  She could make them take her home, she thought.  Sinking the ship would be easy, but she didn’t particularly want to swim back to Tendara.  She could simply wait until they passed close to one of the navy ships, disable Voyager, and then the navy would be able to board easily and with little resistance.  But the thought of sitting around and waiting to be rescued was not appealing.  She frowned.  She would find a way to free herself, but first she needed more information.  She had never met a pirate, only read about them in books, and heard her father curse at how much they were costing them by raiding their trade ships.  So she decided firmly, first she would gather information, find their weaknesses and figure out a way to exploit said weaknesses.  She smiled, feeling much better now that she had a plan of action, albeit a not very detailed plan, but that would come later she decided.

“Wanna play?” Naomi asked, breaking into Annika’s thoughts.

“What?” Annika asked, confused.

“Ships and Castles,” Naomi prodded.

Annika looked at the hopeful expression on the girl’s face, she was reminded of herself as a child, surrounded by adults and expected to behave as one.  She doubted she could just get up and roam the ship, and her head was still throbbing a bit.  It couldn’t hurt.

“Very well Naomi Wildman,” she agreed, “I will play Ships and Castles with you.”

Naomi leapt off the bed and disappeared through a door, quickly returning with the game board and a bag of pieces.

“What is in there?” Annika asked curiously.

“My room,” Naomi replied.

“Oh,” Annika said, “Is the captain your father?”

“No,” Naomi said.  “I don’t have a father or a mother either,” Naomi said distractedly, as she poured the pieces onto the bed.

“Oh,” Annika said.  “How did you come to be on the ship then?” she asked carefully.

“The captain picked me up off the streets,” Naomi said as she concentrated on setting her up her pieces.  “I sleep in there so I can be ‘close by and handy’.”

Annika began to feel her temper rise.  It was one thing to kidnap an adult; it was something entirely different to take advantage of a child.

“Your move,” Naomi announced.

As Annika played the game, her mind raced.  When she made her escape, she would make sure Naomi went with her.  There was no way she was going to leave this child in the clutches of some lecherous pirate captain.

They were in the middle of the third game when the lecherous pirate captain in question came through the door.  Naomi slid off the bed and gave a perfect military salute, which Annika would have found humorous, if she hadn’t been so shocked.

“I’ve been watching the prisoner as ordered ma’am,” Naomi report proudly. 

Annika watched as the woman nodded gravely at the child.

“Very good Naomi, now it’s time for a break, go and get your lunch.  I’ll take watch for now,” Captain Janeway said.

“Yes ma’am,” Naomi said, and gave another salute, then scurried out the door.

Janeway looked Annika up and down, while Annika returned the gaze coolly.  She was grateful that she had learned to hide behind an emotionless façade while dealing with court intrigue.  Inside; however, her mind was racing.  This woman was the formidable pirate captain that had her kidnapped?  Annika was sure that she could probably pick the diminutive woman up and throw her over her shoulder without any effort at all, that is if she dared try and get past the captain’s companion.

“How’s the head?” Janeway asked.

Annika hesitated; the kindness in the low throaty voice startled her.  This was not what she had expected.  Pirate captains, she thought, were supposed to be unkempt, uncouth men who swaggered around shouting ‘Aye matie’, drinking rum, and carrying around ruffled parrots for mascots.  They were not supposed to be petite, elegant redheads with blue eyes, laugh lines and what looked to be a sea eagle on their shoulders. 

“Better,” she said, finally realizing she had taken too long to answer as she eyed the bird.

“Don’t mind Baedeker, I just brought him here for a little rest,” Janeway said, as she lifted the large bird off her shoulder and held him towards a large perch that Annika had not noticed earlier.  Annika eyed the bird’s claws warily as he hopped onto the perched.  They were nearly as long as her own fingers, and looked as sharp as daggers, which made her wonder what exactly the captain’s jacket was made out of if it could withstand those talons.  She jerked her attention back to the captain as Janeway started to speak. 

“I’m sure Naomi has filled you in on the situation,” Janeway said wryly, “so I won’t go into details, just be assured you will be treated as an honored guest.  We are not a passenger ship, however, so quarters are limited.  For the time being you will be using Naomi’s room,” she said, gesturing to the door in the back of her cabin.  “I’m afraid it won’t be as private as you may like, but it does have a lock.”  Janeway gestured towards the large table strewn with navigational equipment and charts.  “I will have to work and sleep in here and, of course, and Naomi will be quartering in here with me as well.  I have a good crew, but Naomi is still too young to bunk with them.  I will make sure she knows not to bother you.  You may have the run of the ship, unless we meet up with anyone else on the seas, in which case you are to return below until I, or a member of my crew, come and get you.  Any questions?” Janeway finished, obviously expecting there to be none as she headed towards the door.  She stopped in surprise as the half opened door jerked out of her hand and slammed shut.

“Do you really think you will succeed?” Annika asked in a cool voice.

Janeway turned slowly.  So the princess does have some strange powers, she thought and tried to ignore the slight tingling feeling that snaked through her body.  Annika shivered as blue eyes narrowed slightly, and looked at her from behind a will of steel.

“I always do,” Janeway said softly, then turned back and opened the door firmly.  This time the slamming of the door came from mortal hands.

Annika sat on the bed for a minute, collecting her thoughts.  She had hoped a small demonstration of her abilities would shake the captain; however, she hadn’t even lifted a hair.  Annika frowned, very few people knew of her powers, and most behaved very gingerly around her once they found out, as if they thought she would blow them up or turn them into a toad or something, if they said or did the wrong thing.  The only person who had not turned into a sniveling groveler had been Neelix.  She felt a little sad at the thought of her companion and confidant.  He would be terribly worried, she realized.  Annika gave herself a shake as she chased away thoughts that could do her no good, and turned her mind to the present.  The run of the ship sounded promising.  That would give her plenty of opportunity to observe the ship and crew.  It was far more than she had hoped for earlier.  She swung out of bed and stood shakily.  She ran her hands down her front, trying to remove some of the wrinkles from her clothes.  She realized she was still wearing the dandy outfit she had worn to the masquerade.  On the night of the ball, the trousers and loose cut shirt had felt freeing, now in the light of day, they felt uncomfortable.  Annika frowned, clothing was irrelevant.  The pirates would not care what she wore and neither would she.  She straightened her back, took a deep breath and stepped through the door.  It was a disappointment to find herself in a short hallway.  She looked around and saw two doors across the hall and one at the end.  She chose the door at the end of the hall, and pushed it open and finally stepped onto the deck of the pirate ship.  The warm breeze and sunshine were a welcome relief from the confines of the cabin.  She looked down with a start as Naomi grabbed her hand. 

“Come on Annika, let me show you the ship,” Naomi cried out merrily.  She had been hoping that the princess would come out of the cabin soon.  Annika followed as Naomi proudly led her on a tour, pointing out all the equipment and explaining how it was used down to the name of each and every rope, of which there seemed to be no end.  Her headache was rapidly returning and her stomach wasn’t feeling too well either.  Naomi ended the tour with a stop at the galley.

“I thought you might be hungry,” she explained as she pushed open the door.

The smell of fish assaulted her and Annika stopped in her tracks.  She turned and pushed past Naomi as she ran out the door.  Neelix popped up behind the cabinets, where he had been arranging spices, just in time to see his princess run out.  He gave Naomi a questioning look; Naomi shrugged and followed Annika to the deck.  She found the princess grasping the rail.

“Wow,” Naomi whispered, “I haven’t seen anyone turn that shade of green before.  B’Elanna was close when she ate those bad oysters, but you are really, really green.”

“Thank you for your assessment, Naomi Wildman, now please just leave me alone,” Annika gritted through her teeth, as she tried to will her stomach to be still.

Naomi collided with Captain Janeway as she rounded the corner.

“Whoa, where are you headed?” Janeway asked pleasantly.

“I’m gonna get Tom to give me another piloting lesson,” Naomi announced.

“Do you know where our guest is?” Janeway asked, concerned she hadn’t seen the princess in a while.  She didn’t want Annika doing any of her tricks where the rest of the crew could see.  Actually, she didn’t want the princess doing any tricks at all on her ship.

Naomi pointed the way she had come.

Janeway waved her on, and then headed towards the bow of the ship.  She stopped as she saw Annika hanging over the rail.  Oh dear, she thought, that doesn’t look like much of a trick.  She turned on her heel and headed for the galley, returning a few minutes later.  Annika started at the captain’s voice.

“Try this, it will help settle your stomach,” Janeway said, handing Annika a couple pieces of stale bread. 

Annika looked at the offering doubtfully, but finally accepted it and took a small nibble.  At this point, she was willing to try anything; if nothing else the bread would give her something to throw up besides just the dry heaves. 

Janeway turned to go.  “Drink as much water as you can,” she called over her shoulder, “or else you’ll get dehydrated.”

Annika moaned and leaned back over the rail.

Janeway stepped out of the cabin and nearly collided with Chakotay.  He quickly caught her arm to steady her.

“Sorry about that Captain,” Chakotay apologized, then nodded towards the cabin.  “How is our guest?”

Janeway rolled her eyes.  “Bitchy as hell, weak as a kitten, and, in Naomi’s words, greener than sea kelp,” she said gruffly, “Between the two of us, the doctor and I were able to get some water down her.”

Chakotay glanced at the captain’s shirt, which was quite obviously soaked with water.  “Are you sure?” he asked with a grin.

Janeway forced a grin back and slapped him on the shoulder.  “This was from round one.  I managed to redeem myself in rounds two and three,” she answered, in what she hoped was a cheerful voice.  She didn’t mention that, in between the rounds, the princess had managed to cause all but one of her lamps to explode and had thrown the doctor across the room without even lifting a finger.

Chakotay nodded, apparently not noticing anything forced in the captain’s demeanor.  When the captain decided something was going to be done, she usually succeeded.  But, he admitted, he would not have minded watching this particular episode.  Between Tom, B’Elanna, Harry, and the doctor, he had managed to piece together most of the story about their guest, enough to realize what a potentially explosive situation they were in.  Kidnapping was a hanging offense.  Kidnapping the royal heir was a quick way to a slow death if they were caught.

“If you want, Captain, I can bunk in the holds and let Naomi can have my cabin,” Chakotay offered as they walked along the deck.

Janeway shook her head.  “Thanks Chakotay, but I’ve already fixed her a spot in my cabin.  She’s a good kid and I’m used to having her underfoot anyway.  Though there’s enough room in the holds to house the entire crew now,” Janeway said, the forced cheer now completely gone.

Chakotay winced at the bitterness in Janeway’s voice. 

“Well the ransom will help offset the empty holds,” he offered.

Janeway shot him a questioning look.  Chakotay received it, interpreted it correctly, and nodded.

“I know Captain, it’s a big risk but,” he shrugged, “I’m sure we’ll get through this in one piece.  We made it through that storm, didn’t we?”

“Yes we did Chakotay,” Janeway paused, and looked over the sea, as it reflected the evening sun.  When she spoke again, it was so soft that Chakotay had to strain to hear her words.

“But right now I feel like I’ve just sailed into the eye of a hurricane.”

Janeway returned to her cabin, lit her remaining oil lamp, and hung it over the table; then pulled the charts out and began checking their course with the readings she had taken earlier.  Naomi had managed to talk B’Elanna into a game of Ships and Castles and would probably be out for several hours.  Janeway hummed to herself, enjoying the quiet.  A groan broke the silence and she tilted her head to the side and listened.  Another groan followed shortly.  Janeway set her quill in the holder, got up, and tapped on the door to the back room.

“Princess?” she called out, listening.

“Annika?” she called out again when she got no response.  She frowned, then pushed open the door to find Annika curled around a bucket on the small bunk that had been Naomi’s bed.  Janeway poured some of the water from the pitcher into the basin and carried it to the bed.  She sat down beside the princess, dipped a cloth in the water and gently began sponging the princess’ head.  After a few moments, Annika stirred.

“I… apologize Captain Janeway,” Annika cracked.

“What?  For being seasick?  That is hardly your fault Princess,” Janeway said with a chuckle.

Annika shook her head, then quickly stopped as the movement made her stomach queasy.  “No Captain, I apologize for my behavior earlier.  The doctor?  Is he okay?” she asked.

Janeway considered for a moment before answering.  “The doctor is fine.  He has nothing more than a few bruises.  As for the lamps,” she gave a shrug, “they can be replaced.  I’ll just tack the cost onto your ransom,” she said with a hint of humor.  Then she turned a serious look onto the princess.  “However, I think you need to learn some… control,” she said firmly, deciding not to mention other side effects of the princess’ lack of control.  “Now lie back and try to rest,” she commanded. 

It was nearly a week before Annika finally felt human again.  She had spent her time lying moaning in the bed or hanging over the rail of the ship.  The bread had helped and she had dutifully drank all the water provided to her, mainly because she had reason to believe the captain’s threat to pour it down her throat if she did not, and she had been too weak to fight back.  Now; however, she felt much better and, if truth be told, extraordinarily hungry.  She stood on the deck for a moment and inhaled the fresh early morning air.  A number of the crew were in sight, but all were busy and seemed to take no notice of her.  The sails were furled and the ship sat quietly in the water.  She made her way to the galley.  She had not been there since Naomi’s fateful tour of the ship.  Now she pushed open the door and her mouth fell open in surprise.

“Neelix!” Annika yelped in surprise and delight.

Neelix looked up and made a shushing motion with his hand before hurrying over.

“Your Majesty,” he whispered, giving a slight bow.

“What are you doing here?”  Annika asked, whispering back though she wasn’t sure why she needed to.  There was no one else around.

“I followed Tom, B’Elanna, and Harry back to the ship when they kidnapped you,” he explained hurriedly.

“I stowed away in the cargo hold with thoughts of getting you out of here.  But before I could do anything we had set sail, so I managed to get hired on as the cook.”

Annika’s eyebrows rose into her hairline.  How unusual, she thought, of the casual way he spoke of the three crewmen who had accosted her.  She would have to ask him about that later.  Instead, she focused on the immediate issue. 

“Cook?” she asked.

Neelix’s head bobbed up and down enthusiastically.

“Oh yes, quite a passion of mine really.  I must say, despite the circumstances, I am enjoying myself immensely.”

Annika frowned.  She never knew that Neelix liked to cook.  She wondered what else she did not know about him.  Then she realized that she knew very little, not even if he had family or where he came from.  Nor had she ever asked.  Neelix’s voice brought her back from her thoughts.

“You would not believe what the crew has told me about their former cook.  It’s shameful really, that a ship run by the Cat would hire such terrible help.  But, I am well on the way to rectifying that problem.  I have had nothing but compliments since I’ve started.  In fact, the crewmen are actually trying to catch flounder so I can cook it.  I do believe; however, that that may have something to do with a little boast of mine and a wager pool that Tom Paris has started, below decks of course, it would never do… ”

“Neelix,” Annika broke in.  She was afraid if she did not, he would continue talking about fish and cooking for the entire voyage.

Neelix nodded knowingly and went on as if she hadn’t spoken.

“I know, you want to get out of here.  I’ve been working on a plan, though I still have some details to work out,” he patted her on the shoulder, as if to reassure her.  “Now you must be hungry, I hear that seasickness is a rather horrible experience,” he said cheerily and, before she could protest, pushed her through a door into what appeared to be a communal eating area, empty at the moment.

Annika started to reply when the door swung open and Captain Janeway stepped inside.  The captain looked surprised to see her there, but the expression was quickly hidden and Janeway gave Annika a nod. 

“I see you’re feeling better,” she said indicating the heaping plate Neelix was putting on the table, without letting on that she was relieved that the woman was up and about.  She had never seen anyone so seasick in her life and, if the truth be told, it was a bit difficult to be in such close quarters with someone who threw up constantly.

“Indeed,” Annika said with a hint of satisfaction.

To her surprise, Janeway suddenly grinned.  “Seasickness is horrible while it lasts, but usually if you can survive long enough to work through it, it never bothers you again.  And Naomi was quite right; we’ve never seen anyone turn quite that shade of green before.”

“Thank you Mr. Neelix,” Janeway said politely as Neelix sat a plate in front of the captain.

“Anything else I can get you Captain?” Neelix asked with a smile.

Janeway shook her head as she took a bite of food.  Neelix gave Annika a conspiratorial wink then disappeared back into the galley.

Annika dug into her plate with enthusiasm.  She was partway through her third bite when Neelix’s words came back to her.

She looked across her plate and stared at the captain.  “So you are the Cat,” she stated flatly.  She was hoping that Captain Janeway would deny the accusation.  She had been kind to Annika during the last week and the princess was starting to like the woman.  But the Cat was the nemesis of Tendara, constantly raiding their trading ships and driving the up the cost of transporting goods, not to mention diverting naval resources away from more defensive activities.

Janeway blinked in surprise.  The reputation of the Cat was well known, though few people were aware that Janeway was the so-called Cat.  It was never a name she gave herself.  In fact, she was never quite sure where it had come from to begin with, from competitors, enemies, or her own crew, but normally she gave it little thought.

“I have been called that,” she acknowledged finally. 

“My father hates you,” Annika delivered coolly as she took another bite to hide her dismay.

Janeway waved her hand.

“Most of the nobility of Tendara would be happy to see me on the gallows,” Janeway allowed.

Annika blinked at the bald admission.

“It’s part of the business,” Janeway said in way of explanation then stood up, her plate as clean as Annika’s.

“We’re getting ready to raise sails.  You don’t have to go below, I’m sure you’ve seen as much of the cabin as you care to, but you need to stay off the deck until we’re underway again,” Janeway said, then walked out the door.

Annika sat after the captain left, and processed the information she had just learned.  She now knew the identity of the infamous Cat.  Information that could surely land the captain of Voyager on the gallows she had so cavalierly dismissed.  Annika’s eyes narrowed as she revised her plan to execute an escape immediately.  If she could stay onboard long enough to gather some information, information like common routes, anchor points, and, most especially, how Janeway got her information, it would aide in the captain’s downfall.  Annika smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.  She had learned long ago that liking a person did not necessarily make them good; however, as much as she had come to like Captain Janeway, she would do her duty.  She stood up firmly and walked out the door to the deck.

“Mains up,” Janeway cried.  Annika stood at the door to the deck and watched as Janeway and the crewmen pulled the ropes raising the impossibly huge sail up the mast.  Her eyes widened in amazement as a woman, the same one that had knocked her out in the map shop, she realized, leapt up a net of ropes and lithely battened the sail to rings as it rose up the mizzenmast.

With the mainsail in place, Janeway moved to the front of the ship.

Annika moved so she could see the awkward jib sails raised into place.  Faster than she imagined possible, all of the sails, she counted seven of them, were in place, the lines secured, and the sleek little ship was cutting through the water at an astounding rate.  Annika stepped onto the deck and shadowed the captain as she made her rounds.  Surrounded by court nobility, Annika was used to people in positions of authority, used to wielding authority, and well aware of the difference between bullying and leading.  Captain Janeway’s easy skill impressed her.  The captain offered soft words of praise to those crewmembers working hard to keep the ship running smoothly, letting the recipients know their work was noticed and appreciated, and a stern word to one of the older crewmen lounging about while a less experienced crewman did the work.  Annika frowned, now was not the time to feel admiration for her kidnapper.  Angry at her lapse, she spoke sharply as the pirate captain passed by.

“You will not succeed,” she stated bluntly.

Janeway paused and looked up into the defiant blue eyes.  She raised an eyebrow in question at the young woman.

Annika continued boldly.  “You should return me immediately, then perhaps I can convince my father to spare your life and sentence you to life in prison instead,” she said coolly, while hiding the hope that the captain would accept her offer.

Janeway felt her anger rising uncharacteristically at the woman’s bold challenge.  Normally she would simply laugh off the bravado, but the princess seemed to push her to her limits.  “I’ll take my chances,” she responded evenly, and started to walk past.

Annika reached out and grabbed the captain’s arm in a firm grip.  “Resistance is futile, you will fail, and you will be hung, why do you persist?”  She did not understand why this woman would be so willing to risk death when there was an alternative.

Janeway ignored the flash of warmth that raced up her arm and looked down at the hand on her arm, then looked up into Annika’s face.  Her eyes were flashing with a fire that any of her crew would have instantly recognized, and even more quickly sought cover from.  Annika; however, was oblivious to the danger signs.

“You will remove your hand from my arm or I will have you confined to the cargo holds until you are ransomed,” Janeway growled through her teeth.  Annika appraised the older woman carefully then slowly released her grip.  “Now,” Janeway said in a low voice, never taking her eyes away from Annika’s, “if you ever grab me like that again, you will not have to worry about being ransomed because I will have you thrown over the side of the ship, where your body can feed the fish.”  Then she turned and stalked away.  Annika stared after the redhead and rubbed her arms at the unexpected chill than ran across her.  She knew that the captain meant exactly what she had said, and suddenly Annika did not feel as confident in her escape as she had earlier.

Janeway opened her eyes and looked around from her spot on the sofa.  Seven was standing at the viewport, looking out on the stars.  The book lay on the sofa, a ribbon marking the spot where she had stopped.

“Seven?” Janeway spoke softly, “are you all right?”

For a moment she wasn’t sure the young woman had heard her, then Seven answered.

“I am… all right Captain.  I have a need to process this information before continuing.”

Janeway wanted to ask how far she had read, at what point in the story she had felt the need to take a break, how what she had read was affecting her and, more to the point, how it would affect them.  But she bit her tongue.  She knew Seven well, and knew that they would talk when the time came.

“How is it possible to accelerate the growth of botanical organisms?” Seven asked.

Janeway blinked at the unexpected question.

“I have searched my cortical processor for such technology, and have been unable to find any reference of this ability.  I do not understand,” Seven said. 

Though the words were spoken in Seven’s normal even tones, Janeway could hear the underlying agitation.

“I don’t know Seven,” she replied finally, “Perhaps it was… magic.”

She expected Seven to reply and tell her that magic was a device used in myths and children’s stories, but Seven remained silent.  Janeway uncurled her legs and walked over to the young woman.  They stood so close, their shoulders touched as they stared out Voyager’s window.  Kathryn wanted to put her arm around the young woman and offer support, and normally she would, but after reading the journal she hesitated.  What had once been a natural gesture was now shaded with different meaning.  She had hoped Anni… Seven, she corrected herself, would be willing to discuss what she was learning from the journal, but she wouldn’t press.  So she resigned herself to stand by, and silently willed Seven to feel her support.

Janeway stepped into her cabin and heard giggling coming from the back room, and a prickling feeling made her flex her fingers.  She quietly crossed the cabin and peered into the open doorway.  Annika and Naomi were playing Ships and Castles; however, Annika was making the pieces move without touching them. 

“Blue eight to red six,” Naomi called out, and the commanded piece dutifully crossed the board and, with a twitch, sent the castle spinning across the board and into the air.  Annika put out a hand and deftly caught the flying piece. 

“Naomi,” Janeway said softly from the door, “don’t you have watch shortly?”

Naomi’s eyes widened.  “I almost forgot, I’m sorry Captain,” she exclaimed as she leapt from the bed and ran for the door.  Janeway watched until the outer door of the cabin swung shut, and then she turned to Annika.

“I don’t want you showing Naomi your parlor tricks,” she said roughly.

Annika blinked at the assault.  “I don’t understand, it’s just a harmless game,” she said.

“The game is harmless,” Janeway admitted, “but your trick with the pieces… I don’t want you using your abilities while you’re on this ship,” Janeway snapped.

Annika jumped to her feet.  “You are just afraid of things you do not understand,” she accused.

“No,” Janeway argued, “But I am afraid of you not being able to maintain control.”

“I have complete control over my abilities,” Annika said, as her voice began rising in anger.

Janeway leaned into the taller woman.  “Do you really?” she snarled as she invaded the younger woman’s space.  “A spoiled princess who gets everything she wants, one that has never had to work or earn anything in her life, one who manages to get kidnapped because she selfishly snuck out of the safety of her home, has learned the art of self-control?” Janeway goaded.

“Yes I have,” Annika yelled, as a chair went flying across the room.  Janeway stepped back and gave Annika a triumphant look.  Annika stared at the chair, then back at Janeway, but she couldn’t look at the captain for long and averted her gaze.

“No more tricks,” Janeway said softly, steadfastly ignoring the rush of warmth that flooded her limbs giving her a feeling far too languid for her liking.

Annika gritted her teeth, then nodded a jerky agreement.  As much as she hated to comply with the captain’s wishes, she knew that the woman was right.

Annika knelt awkwardly on the deck in an out-of-the-way spot.  She took three deep breaths and closed her eyes, only to have them snap open again when Naomi bounded up beside her.

“What are you doing Annika?” Naomi asked, looking at the woman curiously.

“I am attempting to search for Greindar,” Annika replied, as she prayed for patience.

“Searching for a green door?  Why do you want to find a green door?” Naomi asked, now truly puzzled.

“GREE in daar,” Tuvok enunciated clearly behind them.  Naomi turned to the tall man and frowned.

“I have never heard of… Greindar,” Naomi said, pronouncing the strange word carefully.  “What is it?” Naomi asked, looking from Tuvok to Annika and back again.

Annika looked at Tuvok in surprise.  Not many people knew of the Greindar.  She had learned of it from Vitusik, one of her father’s advisors.  He had come from Nacluv, far to the east of Tendara, and had a passion for meditation, which he had tried to pass on to Annika, but it was not something she particularly enjoyed.  After the events of the previous evening, she had decided she needed to do something to learn to maintain control of her abilities.  Thus, she had come out here to practice one of the meditation techniques taught to her by Vitusik.  When Tuvok made no attempt to answer Naomi’s question, Annika took a deep breath as she prepared to explain.  Tuvok’s eyes on her made her feel as if she were being quizzed by one of her tutors.  She turned to Naomi.

“There is a meditation technique that is used to teach self-discipline.  When you first begin to learn, you maintain your body in a simple pose.  As you progress, the poses become more difficult.  The philosophy is to learn to use the mind to control the body, rather than letting your body control your mind.”  Annika stopped as she saw Naomi’s expression become more puzzled. 

“Here,” she grabbed Naomi’s hands and crossed them across her chest.  “Now don’t move your hands, even if you have an itch,” Annika instructed using the same technique Vitusik had used to explain it to her.  Then she waited.  She knew it wouldn’t take long.  A minute later, Naomi began to squirm. 

“What is wrong?” Annika asked the girl.  Naomi looked up ruefully. 

“My nose itches,” she moaned. 

Annika nodded.  “That is because I planted the suggestion in your mind by telling you not to move, even if you had an itch.  The poses in the Greindar meditation will often cause the body to protest remaining motionless for more than a few minutes.  You must learn to ignore the body’s complaints,” she explained.

“Oh,” said Naomi, “so you practice not scratching?” 

Annika smiled.  “That is part of the meditation.  The other part is the search.  If you can find the Greindar, then you can find your center, that part of you that is your essence.  You must find that before you can have… self-control,” she said, not feeling that she had explained very well. 

“Oh,” said Naomi again, then she cocked her head sideways.  “I want to search for Greindar too.”

“Very well Naomi Wildman,” Annika acquiesced.  “Here is the first order pose,” she demonstrated.  Naomi nimbly assumed the pose, then looked at Annika expectantly. 

“Three deep breaths and then close your eyes,” Annika instructed.  Naomi did as she was told and, for a moment, sat silently. 

“Now what?” she asked.  Annika looked up at Tuvok for help.  She did not know how to tell Naomi to proceed at this point.

Tuvok stooped down by the child.  “Now you search Naomi,” he said in a low voice.  “You seek that which resides only within yourself.  No one can tell you what to look for because the essence of each person is unique.  Know only that you will recognize it when you find it.”  Naomi nodded her head slightly and then remained silent.  Tuvok took a couple of steps away from Naomi and gestured to Annika.  She stepped beside the tall man; though he had intimidated her at first, she was slowly beginning to like the formidable man. 

“Your pose was forced,” Tuvok observed without censure.  “Perhaps you should return to the first order poses for a time to reacquaint your body to the rigors of the Greindar,” he suggested neutrally.  Annika did not reply, but dropped to the deck and assumed a pose identical to Naomi’s.  She took three deep breaths, then closed her eyes.  Within moments, she was lost in the darkness and in search of the Greindar. 

Annika opened her eyes and was surprised to see the sun hanging heavy on the horizon.  She sat for a moment as she regained her equilibrium, then she noticed Tuvok sitting nearby repairing a sail.  She gave him a nod of thanks to which he returned a nod of welcome.  It was easy to become lost on the search for the Greindar.  It was good to have someone nearby if there were a need to escape.  Annika stood and stretched, then headed to her cabin.  As she stepped inside, Naomi looked up from the captain’s desk.

“How do you spell Greindar?” she asked holding a quill over a piece of parchment.  Annika spelled the word as Naomi carefully wrote on the parchment.

“Are you writing a letter?” Annika asked in surprise, since she had come to believe that the crew of Voyager was the only family that Naomi had.  Naomi shook her head.

“No. I’m writing in my log.  Captain Janeway says that to be captain of my own ship one day, I have to know how to read and write and ‘the only way to learn is by doing’,” Naomi quoted.  “So I write in my log everyday,” she explained to the princess. 

“Ah, I see,” Annika said, once again surprised by Voyager’s captain.  She passed Naomi and went into her small room at the back of the cabin.  She leaned back on the bed as she tried to reconcile the actions of Captain Janeway with the reports she had heard about the Cat.  There was a distinct discrepancy between the two.  There was far more to the notorious Cat than she had previously believed.

Three days, and 12 hours of meditation, later Annika was pacing the ship like a caged lion.  She paused, and glared across the bow at the open sea.  The water went on forever, with no land in sight.  It was interminable, Annika felt that if she didn’t get off the ship soon, she would go insane. 

Janeway stood at the front of the ship with her hands resting lightly on the rails.  Voyager was moving swiftly and gracefully through the water.  The light breeze caressed her face and the smell of sea salt engulfed her as she inhaled deeply.  A half smile softened her normally stern features.  Nothing, she decided, could ever match the glorious power of the sea.

Without taking her gaze from the waters, Janeway tilted her head slightly to the side to acknowledge Tuvok’s presence.  Tuvok stood a moment, taking in the same view as his captain.  The sea did not hold the same power over him as it did his captain, but he had known her long enough to appreciate what she could see in the vast body of water.  Nonetheless, he had not joined her to admire the view.

“I believe it is my duty to bring a potentially volatile problem to your attention Captain,” Tuvok announced quietly.  Janeway quirked an eyebrow in a silent request for more information.

“Our guest,” Tuvok continued, “has a very bad case of cabin fever.  As if to punctuate his words, an ominous rumble of thunder rolled over them.  Janeway glanced up at the clear blue sky and frowned.

“Thank you Tuvok,” Janeway replied.  Tuvok stood for a moment, but when it became evident that the captain had nothing more to add, he returned to his duties.

Janeway waited until Tuvok was out of earshot before she let her breath out.  She was quickly beginning to believe that the princess was far more trouble than the ransom would be worth.  Her quick temper and lack of control and her abilities were adding up to something very bad.  Janeway took a deep breath.  No help for it.  It was too late to turn back now, and she was never one to admit defeat.  She would just have to keep the princess busy.

She turned her back on the ocean waters and called to Naomi.  A few minutes later, Naomi and the captain were facing each other on the deck.  Annika stopped her pacing to watch with interest.  Naomi was draped in a heavy leather tunic and leather cap that covered everything but her nose and eyes.  In her hand was a long slender sword. 

“Ready?” Janeway called.  In reply, Naomi stood straight and lifted her sword in salute.

“En garde,” Janeway called and they both dropped into the stance smoothly.  Annika watched as Janeway patiently talked the girl through the proper positions.  Naomi moved gracefully.  She had obviously been well trained, but she was still quite young and small for her age, and soon Annika could see the sword begin to droop.  Janeway had noticed it as well, because she called a halt to the lesson.  Naomi swept the leather hood off her head exposing her sweat soaked hair.  A grin was plastered on her face, she loved her fencing lessons with the captain.  She turned and saw Annika watching.

“Did you see me?” she asked the princess excitedly.

“Indeed,” Annika acknowledged.

“You should try Annika,” Naomi gushed excitedly, “it’s lots of fun.  Really!”

“I agree,” Janeway said, as she joined the two of them.  “It is quite fun and it never hurts to be able to protect yourself.”

Annika looked down into the blue-grey eyes and clearly saw the challenge that was being issued.  She hid a smile.  She had been trained with the sword from the time she was old enough to hold one in her hand, but she wasn’t about to share that information… yet.  Let the arrogant captain find out for herself. 

“Very well,” she said accepting the challenge. 

“We don’t have a covering to fit you I’m afraid,” Janeway said, gesturing at the leather tunic Naomi was peeling out of, “but, don’t worry, we’ll just work on a few basic moves.  You won’t get hit.”  Janeway was sure that the young woman would only last a few minutes anyway.  Fencing could be very strenuous, and she doubted the woman had ever broken a sweat in her life.

Annika nodded at Janeway’s words then stood patiently as the captain explained the finer points on the correct grip, stance and basic footwork. 

“Got it?” Janeway asked, looking up at the tall blonde.

“I believe so Captain,” Annika replied.

“All right then,” Janeway said, “let’s try a few moves.”  She backed up to face the princess, then called out, “En garde.”

Annika dropped smoothly into the stance and shifted the sword into a more comfortable position.  She was, she thought gleefully, going to enjoy this.

Janeway narrowed her eyes as Annika dropped into the en garde position and brought her sword into position.  It was a perfect preparatory stance in six, but Janeway had not shown her that particular position.  Janeway shifted her sword from six to eight, and her suspicions were confirmed when Annika subtly shifted to the defensive counter position.  So, thought Janeway, our princess knows more than she lets on, well we’ll just have to see what exactly she can do then.  Without a word, Janeway moved.  Annika had been watching the diminutive redhead and was prepared for the attack and easily parried the first blow.  There was no surprise in Janeway’s face, simply determination.  Annika was impressed despite herself, few people had the ability to gauge skill with only a move or two, but the captain had obviously figured out that she knew more about the sword than she had let on.  Dropping the farce, Annika lunged towards her opponent, no longer bothering to hide the extent of her skill.

More than one crewmember stopped what they were doing to watch the battle on deck.  The Cat was renowned for her skill, and no one on board came close to being her equal.  It was a treat to see such a competition.  Janeway gritted her teeth in determination.  She had no doubt in her skill, and she had already picked out at least three weaknesses in Annika’s style, but the blonde had such damn long arms that she couldn’t easily exploit any of them.  Annika suddenly attacked with a fury, forcing Janeway back along the deck, and then Janeway saw the opening.  Quick as lightning she half stepped to the side and took a running lunge.  Yes!  Contact, she thought as she felt her sword hit at the same time she felt a burning sensation in her side.

“Really Captain,” the doctor said with more than a touch of exasperation.  “Don’t I have enough to do putting everyone back together after ship-to-ship combat without you trying to cut each other open as well?”

“It wasn’t our intent Doc,” Janeway gritted through her teeth.  She lay stripped to the waist on the table in the galley as the doctor bent over her side to examine the six-inch long gash Annika’s sword had made.

Annika sat watching silently.  The small cut she had received had been dealt with by simply bandaging it.  Primarily, she knew, because the captain had pulled her blow to avoid hurting her.

“Well, I need to clean this.  You’d better hold onto something,” he advised. 

“Just do it,” Janeway snapped.  She was embarrassed that she had let this happen.  She had been so intent on getting a touch on the young woman that she had taken an ill-advised chance.  Of course, she reasoned, if it had been a life and death situation, she would still only have a six inch cut, and Annika would have been dead, but that did nothing to lessen the embarrassment of the moment.  She threw her head back with a hiss when the doctor poured the alcohol onto the wound.  Janeway looked up through the haze of pain to see the blonde leaning over her.

She closed her eyes.  She didn’t want the woman to see her like this, but she didn’t have the strength at the moment to tell her to leave.  Then she felt something grip her hand.  She was about to pull away when the first bite of the needle touched her skin, so instead she squeezed the hand tightly.  Annika was standing at the captain’s head and was startled to see the woman bite her lip hard enough to draw blood.  She realized that the captain did not want her crew to hear her cry out in pain.  Annika took a step closer and with her free hand pulled Janeway’s head so that her face was buried in her midriff.  Janeway squeezed the blonde’s hand tighter and buried deeper into the young woman’s stomach.  When the cries came, they were muffled so that they didn’t carry beyond the galley.  What seemed an eternity later, the doctor straightened up. 

“All finished Captain,” he announced cleaning his hands.  “We’ll need to change the bandage twice a day and clean the wound, but you should heal fine.”  Without waiting for a reply, the doctor turned and left, eager to share the good news with the rest of the crew. 

Janeway lay still for a moment as the sharp pain slowly gave way to a dull throb.  She should move, she knew, or at least lessen the grip she had on Annika’s hand, but it felt so good at the moment to just be held.  She gave herself a mental shake.  Enough, she scolded herself, enough to have made a fool of herself in front of her crew, she didn’t need to make a bigger fool of herself in front of the princess.  Annika felt the shift in captain’s mood, and eased away giving the woman back her personal space, but she didn’t release her hand. 

“Well,” Janeway said shakily, avoiding Annika’s eyes, “that was exciting.”

“I’m sorry Captain,” Annika began.  Janeway pulled her hand away and waved it.  “Don’t apologize,” she said more sharply than she intended.  “It was my fault not yours,” she went on in a softer voice and pushed herself off the table.  Annika caught the captain as her knees buckled. 

“You lost a good bit of blood,” Annika said, “Perhaps you should allow me to help you back to your cabin.”

“No,” Janeway said firmly as she willed her legs to be steady, “The crew needs to see me and know that I’m fine.”

“But you are not fine,” Annika snapped, rapidly losing her patience.  When she had seen the captain fall to the deck and the huge pool of blood that had formed so quickly beneath her, she had been sure that she had killed the captain.  Thankfully the doctor had been there in seconds.  Despite his light air, Annika knew that the gash she had given the captain was far more serious than the ‘simple flesh wound’ the doctor had called it.  If she had any doubts, they would have been quickly abolished by observing the doctor once they reached the privacy of the galley.  The captain had insisted that he care for Annika first and the young woman barely restrained herself from flinging him across the room as he quickly bandaged her small cut.  Now the obstinate captain was going to insist on marching around the deck of her ship, just to prove she was invincible.

“You are not in a position to determine that,” Janeway growled, then immediately regretted her outburst because it sent a sharp pain through her side again.  She grabbed the table to keep from swaying and dared not let go lest she land in a heap on the floor.

Without a word Annika strode over to the table and scooped the captain up in her arms.

“Put me down,” Janeway sputtered, though more weakly than she intended. 

At that moment the galley door opened and Chakotay slipped inside.  He stopped in surprise at the sight of the tall lanky blonde holding his half naked captain in her arms.  He quickly regained his composure.  It was one aspect of his personality that he prided himself on.  Whatever the situation, he would adapt and adapt quickly.  It was how he had managed to survive long enough to meet the captain.  So, he simply nodded to Annika and addressed the captain, careful to look only at her face.

“I was just coming to see if you needed assistance to your cabin Captain,” he said.  “Doc said you should rest this evening and that you probably would try to ignore his recommendation.” 

Janeway looked from Chakotay to Annika and then up at the ceiling.  “Fine,” she snapped, “but at least let me walk there under my own power.”

Chakotay raised an eyebrow at Annika.  She frowned, then gently lowered Janeway to the ground.  “If you think you can,” was her ungracious retort.  Janeway glared at both of them and managed two steps before her legs gave out.  Annika swooped in before she became an undignified lump on the floor.

“I’ll uh, make sure the rest of the crew are busy.  Give me a second Annika,” Chakotay said quietly.  Annika nodded.  Chakotay hurried out the door.  It disturbed him to see the captain injured and he knew she was worried about the crew seeing her injured as well.  A quick word with Tuvok soon had the ship in full drill.  He returned to the galley and motioned to Annika.  Quickly they crossed the deck and entered the captain’s quarters without anyone knowing.  Chakotay stopped at the door as Annika put the captain on her bed.  “Let me know if you need any help,” he said softly for Annika’s ears alone when she returned to the doorway.  Annika nodded and shut the door behind him. 

The next morning found Annika once more prowling the deck of the ship.  Janeway was not, Annika thought ruefully, a very good patient.  In self-preservation, she had left Naomi to sit with the captain while she came to get some fresh air.  She climbed onto the forecastle deck.  Thanks to Naomi’s constant chatter, she had begun to learn the names of the various parts of the ship.  Even the multitude of ropes no longer seemed quite as confusing.  She had been surprised at the amount of activity that took place on the ship while it was sailing.  She had never thought much about sailing a ship.  She had assumed that once it was underway, there would be little to do until it reached its destination.

Every morning and evening Captain Janeway checked their location and compared it to the route that she had plotted on the charts.  Annika had taken the opportunity when the captain was above deck to look at the charts spread across the desk and had fingered the foreign instruments that the captain used.  They made little sense to her, and it seemed almost mystical the way the captain could tell where they were at any given moment.

During the day, the crew spent part of their time cleaning weapons; every crewmember had a dagger and gun of some sort.  Most carried a pistol, though some, like Tom, preferred the larger weapons, a musketoon, Naomi had told her, or a blunderbuss, though some had muskets.  The captain usually carried at least two pistols in her belt, though Annika felt sure there were more that she couldn’t see, and wore a cutlass.  Naomi had informed her that few of the crew had swords like the captain, for practical reasons, it got in the way more often than not, and if you were close enough to an enemy to use it, well then you were just too close.  To have a dirty weapon was apparently a disgrace.  Weapons maintenance didn’t fill all of the time though, it seemed the crew was constantly cleaning as well, especially below decks where constant seepage of seawater kept the holds damp and moldy.  There were no rats on Voyager, Naomi had proudly proclaimed, and seldom any sickness.  The captain’s obsession with cleanliness saw to that. 

Annika leaned back against the foremast and watched the crewmembers.  B’Elanna, the boatswain, was constantly prowling around the deck and holds and, when they were stationary, diving into the water to check the outer parts of the hull and climbing the masts to double check the sails.  Watching her made Annika tired.  Watching Tuvok, on the other hand was relaxing.  He moved with smooth efficient strides as he inspected the crews’ personal weapons and constantly double-checked the formidable cannons.  A shriek drew her eyes upward.  Baedeker was perched in what the crew appropriately called the eagle’s nest.  The eagle’s nest was nothing more than a few boards attached to the mast, just large enough for Baedeker and one person.  It was, she had noticed, manned at all times.  Even Naomi took a turn in the nest.

Annika shuddered, the nest looked impossibly high, and her imagination was good enough for her to envision what would happen to anyone who slipped from that precarious perch.  She settled at the front of the ship and began the poses of the Greindar.  She was on the third pose, second level, when she got the distinct impression that she was being watched.  Tuvok, she supposed, and she forced herself into the difficult fourth pose.  Though he had said nothing, she was sure he had mastered the Greindar and so, as she had with Vitusik, she strove to meet the expected perfection that the art demanded.

A few minutes later she felt sweat begin to trickle between her shoulder blades.  The feeling of being watched did not abate.  She opened her eyes.  To her surprise she could see Tuvok on the other side of the ship engaged in a conversation with Harry.  She opened her eyes wider and risked a glance around.  There was no one near her.  She frowned.  Typically her senses were heightened when she performed the Greindar.  Were they playing tricks on her, she wondered.  Then she caught a slight movement in the corner of her eye.  Sitting beneath the foremast in the shadows, watching her, was the captain.  Annika smiled and closed her eyes and returned to her meditation.

“Two more days with luck,” Janeway said from where she stood looking over the rail.  It had been a week since the ‘incident,’ as she had come to call it in her mind, and she was feeling much improved.

Chakotay smiled.  He never knew how she did it, but he had never managed to sneak up on the captain, even when he was sure that she was completely preoccupied.  “With luck,” he agreed cheerfully, then in a more serious tone continued, “Tuvok and I have been working over a ransom demand.”

Janeway nodded, “Give it to me this evening and I’ll go over it,” she said.

“Aye Captain, do you want… ” Chakotay broke off as Kim called from the eagle’s nest.  

“Ship to port,” he yelled, “ship to port.”

Seconds later Naomi pounded across the deck and disappeared below only to return carrying the glass, which she handed to Janeway.  “Thank you Naomi,” Janeway glanced at the small girl and nodded her approval.  Naomi beamed and stood to the side ready to run any errands the captain needed.  Janeway extended the glass out to its full length then raised it to her eye.  The image blurred then snapped into focus.  “Well, well, well,” she drawled, “What have we here?”

The slow satisfied smile that spread across her face alerted Chakotay.  He reached for the glass as she handed it to him.  Janeway was already calling out orders when the flute came into focus.  Chakotay’s grin mirrored his captain’s as he surveyed the flute.  The cargo ship rode heavily in the water indicating her oversized holds were full and, best of all, flutes rarely had more than a dozen or so men.  He kept his eye on the ship as he felt Voyager turn in pursuit.  He could just make out the flag flying from the mast, but they were still too far away for him to discern the details.

Janeway approached Annika with firm steps.  “You need to get below,” Janeway told the young woman not bothering to temper her command tone.

Annika looked up defiantly.  “Why?” she demanded as Janeway turned to walk away, though she regretted her challenging tone as soon as the word was out of her mouth.  Janeway spun around, her adrenaline was pumping at the thought of the upcoming battle, one she knew just by the numbers game they would most certainly win, but nonetheless that did not lower the odds that she or anyone of her crew could pay the ultimate price for the prize.  She was in no mood to argue with a spoiled princess.

“Because I am the captain of this ship and I said so,” she growled, eyes flashing, and then stalked away without looking back.  Annika moved towards the rear of the ship, as she reached the door to the lower deck she paused as Naomi scampered past laden with a tangled array of gear.  The tangle unraveled quickly as Janeway arranged the various pieces on her body, two pistols in addition to the ones she normally wore, several daggers that disappeared leaving Annika to wonder where exactly the captain had hidden them, and the cutlass, which the captain had put aside earlier in the day.  The last items were two small leather bags, which Janeway slung across her chest.

Annika wondered what they could be used for; surely they were too small to use to carry any of the prize.  Naomi ran past her and disappeared below again; Janeway looked across the deck and shot the blonde a glare that sent her scurrying below.  She passed Naomi on her way back up carrying a white sheet.

“We’re going to surrender,” she asked hopefully.

Naomi goggled at her in shock, “No!” she exclaimed hefting her load.  “Voyager never surrenders, this is a pursuit flag.  Since it’s white, it means that we intend to take the ship; it gives them an opportunity to stand down without bloodshed.  I gotta go,” she gasped as she ran out the door.  Annika stood a moment, then made her decision.  She pulled out the sword that she had from her bout with Janeway, and crept back to the door and cracked it open wide enough for her to see what was going on without being seen. 

Janeway gave her belt one last twitch and then bounded off the forecastle steps as Chakotay let out a whoop of delight.  He turned to Janeway with a grin that nearly split his face.  “Flying Baracos colors Captain,” he sang out, feeling ready to dance a jig.  Janeway knew how her first mate felt; she was ready to dance a jig herself.  Baracos was a wealthy country.  A very wealthy country.  Its wealth came from the extensive gold and silver mines that seemingly filled every inch of the tiny country.  Normally, Baracos ships traveled with a full complement of military escorts.  Janeway took the proffered glass from Chakotay and scanned the horizon carefully.  No escorts in sight and no place they could hide.  She felt a niggle of worry.

“Tuvok,” she called across the deck.  Tuvok quickly ascended to the deck and took the glass. 

“Curious,” he said as he lowered the glass.  “It would appear, Captain, that fortune is shining on us this day.”  Janeway snorted.

“Fortune indeed,” she laughed humorlessly, “Don’t you think it strange that a Baracos ship is unescorted?” 

“You suspect a trap Captain?” Tuvok asked.

Janeway shook her head, “I’m just not sure Tuvok.  I can’t see anyway it would be a trap, but I find it highly unusual that a Baracos ship is this far off their normal trading route, and without an escort.”

“Perhaps they were blown off course by a storm,” Chakotay offered, “If so they could be the only survivors of their convoy.”

“Possibly,” Janeway agreed.  “But we’re not taking any chances.  Chakotay, hold the flag until we’re closer.  I don’t want to give our intent too soon.”  Chakotay nodded.  “Tuvok,” the captain continued, “I don’t want to take any chances.  Make sure the cannons are all loaded and double-check the crews’ weapons.  It may be as simple as Chakotay says and we’re just lucky, but I want us to be prepared for a full fight.”  She gave one last look at the ship.  “She is riding like she has a full load of something, let’s hope its gold and not guns.”  Tuvok replied in affirmative and leapt down the deck.

Annika watched for what seemed like hours as they closed on the unfortunate cargo ship.  They were within hailing distance before Janeway ordered the colors raised.  The angle of the ship hid her view, and Annika found herself creeping further onto the deck, staying close to the wall to avoid being seen.  As the white flag rose above Voyager, the crew of the other ship let out a yell and the ship floundered in the water as it haplessly struggled to turn and run.  Janeway let out a whoop and Tom sent Voyager charging after the flute.

As they closed, the crew flung ropes with grapples on the end to catch hold of the ship and draw it closer.  At the first thump of the grapples the captain of the other ship let out a yell and the holds exploded open as men came boiling out onto the deck.  Janeway cursed under her breath as she saw this.  It wasn’t totally unexpected, but it definitely wasn’t optimum.  “Tuvok,” Janeway called.  No further word was needed as Tuvok had been waiting.  Half of the cannons on Voyager’s deck thundered nearly in unison.  As soon as they fired, crewmen began reloading and Tuvok ordered the other half of the cannons to be fired, which was quite a feat since the second half of the cannons were anchored to the opposite side of the deck.

When Tuvok had first suggested the configuration Janeway had been skeptical.  It took Tuvok demonstrating, next to a small island so they could recover the cannon balls, that they could indeed set the cannons up to swivel and be aimed with enough accuracy to fire across the ship without taking out the crew or their own ship.  Tuvok frowned with concern as the cannonballs seemed to veer to avoid hitting the opposing ship.  He did not have time; however, to figure out why this was, because chaos was beginning to break out on the deck behind him.

Annika felt her heart leap as the ships locked together.  Then as Voyager’s cannons fired on the ship, she felt her heart drop in dismay as men poured out of the hold of the other ship.  Then the she saw Janeway leap across the deck to meet the onslaught head on.  A man twice the captain’s size was coming up behind her.  Annika stretched out her hand without thinking and the man sailed back and slammed into the deck.  As the battle intensified Annika forgot about staying hidden in the shadows as she attempted to keep Janeway in her sights.  No one will harm my captain, Annika swore, then stopped in sudden realization.  Too late, she noticed the pirate coming upon her.  He stopped, looked down, took in her appearance and tattoo, and gave her a leer. 

“Well now, isn’t this a lucky catch,” he said with a grin.  Annika stood up straight and gave him her best glare. 

“You sir,” she commanded, “will remove yourself from this ship.”

He reached down and grabbed Annika around the waist and leapt across the rail to the other ship.  “I’ll remove myself all right, and you too Princess,” he laughed coarsely.  He leapt across the deck and to the other ship calling out orders, yelling over Annika’s screams of rage.  He ignored her pounding and kicking and strode across the deck.  Annika found herself flung into a small dank hole.  She landed with a thud and a splash.  She leapt to her feet and looked up at the open door high above her head. 
 

“As the princess and future queen of Tendara, I order you to release me this instant,” she screamed with rage.  The man looked down at her and laughed then pulled a hatch closed leaving Annika in the dark.

As suddenly as it began it was over.  The crew of the flute cut the ropes holding the two ships together.  Those on Voyager quickly retreated and then the ship was pulling away with astounding speed.  Janeway stomped up and down the deck cursing in frustration.  She whirled around and directed the force of her anger on Tuvok.

“What the hell happened?” she demanded.  “How did they manage to get away from us so fast?” she growled, gesturing broadly at the ship quickly disappearing in the distance.

Tuvok stood before the captain, his expressionless face hiding the extreme embarrassment at his failure to overpower the smaller ship.

“It appeared, Captain, that our aim was in error,” Tuvok replied, prepared for the captain’s wrath, which he felt he deserved.

Janeway stared at Tuvok in disbelief.  “Are you saying we simply missed,” she said very softly.

Chakotay winced.  The captain talking in that soft voice was a bad, bad thing.

“Um, Captain?”

Janeway whirled around.  Harry flinched as her attention came to bare on him.

“The cannons were on target Captain,” Harry said nervously.  “But they… they just swerved around the ship.  It was like there was something around the ship protecting it,” he finished feeling foolish as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

“Where is she?” Janeway asked softly.

Chakotay, Harry, and Tuvok looked at the captain obviously confused.

“Princess Annika,” Janeway snapped, “where is she?”

Tuvok turned on his heel and strode across the deck.  He returned a few minutes later, after questioning several of the crewmen.

“She is no longer on the ship Captain,” Tuvok said.  “Apparently she was attempting to… ”  He paused debating the prudence of relating the information. 

“Attempting to what?” Janeway snapped, in no mood for dissemblance.

“Apparently she was attempting to protect you when a man from the enemy ship grabbed her and took her to their ship.  It was his return with the princess that prompted them to cut the lines and retreat.” 

“What?” Janeway asked feeling her breath leaving, then she looked around at her crew.  She turned on her heel without a word and disappeared below deck.  Tuvok, Chakotay and Harry looked at one another in puzzlement.  Of all the responses they expected from the captain, this wasn’t one of them.  

Naomi peeked out from the back room as Janeway slammed the door to her quarters.  The captain reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver coin and tossed it to Naomi.  Naomi caught it, turned it over in her hand, and then she looked at Janeway in puzzlement. 

“For the curse jar Naomi,” Janeway said curtly, then waved to the door, “Now get out of here before I get started.” 

Naomi’s eyes widened, then she scurried for the door and the safety of the top deck.  After Naomi departed, Janeway let out a string of curses that would have shocked even B’Elanna.  Then she paced agitatedly around the room, punctuating her turns with swift kicks that sent furniture and equipment flying.  How dare she defy my orders?  How dare she put this ship in jeopardy?  When I get her back, I’m going to blister the skin off her back.  How dare she put herself in danger?  Janeway froze in the middle of the room.  How dare she put herself in danger? she repeated to herself. 

“How dare she put herself in danger?” Janeway said out loud, as if she were tasting the words. Then she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as she realized that the root of her anger was fear.  “Oh gods,” she moaned, “when did this happen?”  Then she slammed her hand down on her desk.  “Don’t worry Annika, I will get you back,” she declared to the air, then grabbed her charts and began making her plans.

Naomi blinked at the blinding sun.  She looked around for a moment wondering where she was and how she came to be here.  The ocean was several hundred yards away.  She could see the waves gently washing upon the beach.  She was near the tree line and well above the high tide mark, but she wasn’t sure how she knew that information.  She glanced up and saw a row of mounds for nearly as far as she could see edging the tree line.  Her hands stung and she looked down and was surprised to see her hands clenching a shovel. She slowly released her grip and turned her hands over to look at them.  The palms were raw and bloody, with blisters long since broken.  She looked up at the mounds again and felt her stomach clench.  Naomi swallowed hard once, then again, and then turned around.  A moment of incomprehension flooded her before her brain realized what her eyes were telling her.  The captain, her captain, lay lifeless on the ground, and the knowledge of what all those other mounds covered filled her and she began to scream.

The light on the PADD at Janeway’s side blinked persistently.  Janeway frowned at it for a moment, then thumbed the acceptance key.  A terse note from the doctor appeared.  She shot a quick glance at Seven.  The young woman was uncharacteristically sprawled across the couch with her head bowed, apparently engrossed in the journal she was reading.  Janeway rose quietly and slipped out the door.  In Sickbay, she was greeted with chaos.  Samantha Wildman was nearly hysterical, the doctor and Tom Paris were working frantically over Naomi in one of the biobeds.  There were at least three alarms sounding at ear-piercing decibels.

The door to Sickbay opened again and Chakotay came charging in.  He slid to a stop beside the captain and quickly took in the scene.  Then turned on his heel, grabbed Samantha’s arm and propelled her from the room.  Janeway took that as a cue and leapt to the doctor’s side.  The doctor looked up and without preamble began snapping orders to the captain.  A few moments later the doctor and Tom were working in silence, though the alarms still flashed persistently and Janeway stood by to hand them the tools they needed.  One by one, the lights stopped flashing and finally the doctor straightened and looked at Janeway.  For a moment his gaze was a bit unfocused, then he shook his head in an effort to clear his thoughts.  Tom let out a huge sigh and slumped against an adjacent biobed.  Janeway waited, atypically fearful of the doctor’s prognosis.

“She is stable,” the doctor said simply, but Janeway heard the unspoken ‘for now’.  The doctor walked around the room agitatedly.  “I just don’t know what is wrong with her Captain.  In all appearances, she is simply sleeping, but,” he waved his hand wildly in Naomi’s direction, “she suddenly began to go into cardiac arrest.”

“Cardiac arrest?” Janeway exclaimed.

The doctor nodded.  “And then the rest of her systems began failing as well,” he added.  “Her kidneys, lungs, brainwaves,” he stopped and closed his eyes, then opened them again and looked at the captain.  “Thank you for responding Captain, we needed the extra pair of hands.”  He looked around the room then said, “If you’ll excuse me Captain, I need to inform her mother.” 

Janeway nodded.  “Of course Doctor, if you need me again, I’ll be in my quarters.”  The doctor nodded and hurried out the door.  As the door closed behind him, she could hear him query the ship’s computer for Samantha’s location.  Janeway shot one last glance around Sickbay before following the doctor out the door.  She walked slowly back to her quarters, lost in thought as she considered Naomi’s condition and wondered if being docked at Tendara had anything to do with it.

When Janeway appeared on the deck over an hour later, her command mask was firmly in place and there was no sign of the woman who had sent Naomi fleeing to the deck as if demons were chasing her.  Janeway strode casually around the deck inspecting the repairs that were underway.  Thankfully the damage was minor and could have been done with the ship underway had it been necessary.  After her informal inspection, Janeway motioned for Chakotay and Tuvok to follow her below.  They entered her cabin quietly and neither man mentioned the wrecked state of the room.  Chakotay silently retrieved a chair from the far wall and brought it to the desk as Janeway motioned for the men to sit.

Chakotay needed only one look to interpret his captain’s expression.

“We’re going after them,” he stated. 

Janeway nodded.  “We are,” she said affirming Chakotay’s statement.

She shot a glance at Tuvok, expecting him to point out all of the logical reasons why such a move would be imprudent and was surprised when he remained silent.  She pulled out a set of charts and placed them on the desk.  “There are only two places they could be headed,” she said pointing to the map.  “The first is the Barintine Islands, which is where we were headed in the first place, or,” her finger hovered over the map.

“Or they are heading towards the Abalone Straights,” Tuvok finished for her.  Janeway nodded as Chakotay gave a hiss of indrawn breath.  He had to admit that the Abalone Straights were the most logical choice, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.  The Abalone Straights were a set of islands that connected two large landmasses.  Legend said that the islands were stones tossed into the sea by an ancient race of giants and used as stepping-stones from one land to the other.  Navigation among the islands was treacherous at best.  Their placement, relative to the sea currents, confounded by the proximity of large continents, made the waters unpredictable.  They were so close together that ships could easily become grounded as they tried to maneuver through the maze.  The islands themselves were mostly bare and rocky, though two of them sustained some native flora and fauna along with a transient population of pirates, thieves, and cutthroats.  Voyager had never docked in the Abalone Straights, for which Chakotay was thankful, but it looked like that was about to change now.

The three bent heads and began to discuss strategy.  Nearly three hours later, Chakotay emerged and gave Tom orders before returning below deck leaving Voyager’s crew wondering what was happening below.

Annika looked up as the door over her head swung open.  For a moment she stared dumbly at the rope ladder that dropped in, then she grabbed the rungs and started to climb.  As she reached the top, hands reached down and roughly pulled her the rest of the way out.  Annika straightened and glared into a grizzled face.  The sailor grinned, revealing a few rotting teeth and holes where the others used to be.  Annika fought to keep from showing her revulsion at the stench as he leaned into her face.

“Ah the cap’n was right,” he slurred as he eyed her up and down.  “You’re a pretty thing all right.  I just hope him keeps his word and let’s us have a play when him is done with ya,” he chortled.  Annika glared at the sailor not bothering to hide her disgust.  If they thought she would be easy prey, they were sadly mistaken.  She felt her anger begin to rise and joyfully welcomed it.  Anger she could use, anger she could harness and turn against these ruffians.  In the distance came the rumbling of thunder.  The sailor looked over the water towards the horizon frowning. 

“Ought not to be thunder,” he muttered, “not with nary a cloud out.”  He looked around uneasily for a moment, then shrugged.  “Heat lightning,” he muttered under his breath, then turned his attention back to Annika.  “Come on,” he said, roughly dragging her across the deck.  A few moments later Annika stumbled as the sailor shoved her into a room, closing the door behind her.  She stood up and defiantly faced the man before her.  It was the same uniformed man who had taken her from Voyager.  He was sitting back in a chair, feet propped on the desk, and his hands casually linked behind his head.  They stared at one another in silence for a moment.  Annika itched to reach out and slap that insolent look off his face; instead she drew the anger inward.  She shivered as she felt, more than heard, the thunder, and focused her concentration harder on containing her anger.  She needed to be able to direct her anger on this man, this ship, and these sailors that had the audacity to grab her away from Voyager and throw her in that cesspit.  She couldn’t afford to turn her anger loose, uncontrolled, to wreak havoc on everything and everyone in its path.  Finally the man spoke.

“Welcome aboard Princess,” he said making the title sound like a dirty name.  “I’m Captain Jack Black and this is The Screaming Wench,” he said.  “Do you know why I named her The Screaming Wench?” he asked conversationally.

“I’m sure you’ll enlighten me,” Annika sneered.

Captain Jack chuckled.  “You’re feisty.  That’s good.  I like a woman with a little fight.  The merchant’s daughter had a lot of fight too.  But she finally broke and, when she did,” he paused then leaned forward as if sharing a secret, “her screams could be heard all the way across the island.”  He laughed then sat back in his seat.  “So you see Princess,” he said, returning to his normal speaking voice, “it pleases me to see you have some fight in you.”

The anger came boiling up nearly faster than Annika could control it, and she flung out a hand to direct its flow.  Black put his hand out and the powerful surge Annika had flung at him flowed away, leaving him unscathed.  Annika’s eyes widened in surprise and fear.  Black laughed nastily then stood abruptly and walked over to her.  His boots clicked as he slowly stepped across the floor.  He walked around Annika, close but not touching.

“I see that the rumors were true,” he said caressingly.  “Though you are apparently quite untrained.  No matter,” he waved his hand dismissively.  “There really isn’t any reason for you to be trained.  It’s enough that you can wield the power.”  He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I’ll see to it our children are well versed in their abilities.”  Then he stepped back.  “Look at me,” he commanded.  Annika refused to turn her head.  “I said look at me,” Black snapped and Annika felt her head turn against her will.

Black was standing a couple of steps away.  “Better,” he nodded, as he looked her up and down.  “Now kneel.”  Before Annika could think of refusing, she felt an invisible hand forcing her to the floor.  She tried to open her mouth to curse, but found she could not.  Black smiled and Annika found herself face down on the floor and crawling towards his boots.  Black kept backing up and staying just out of her reach.  Annika pushed at the force that had her entrapped.  There had to be a way out, but she could find no weakness.  She had never met anyone who had powers like hers.  Fear made her heart jump.  She felt as if she were going to be ill.  Black’s next words had her wondering if he could read minds as well.

“Surprised little Princess?” he asked.  Annika couldn’t answer.  Black laughed.  “Oh that’s right,” he waved his hand, “you can get up now.”  Annika gratefully climbed to her feet under her own will.  She opened her mouth, but Black waved a finger.  “Uh, uh, uh,” he admonished.  “A woman should only speak when given permission.”  With that her mouth snapped shut.  Annika glared at Black as she struggled to regain control of her own powers, but they seemed to have completely disappeared.  “Now where was I,” Black murmured.  “Oh yes, I’m sure you are surprised to find out that you aren’t they only one with extraordinary abilities,” he said as he walked around the cabin.  “You see in my country these abilities were once quite common, but,” he shook his head sadly, “unfortunately we are a dying breed.  Only children of pure parentage have these abilities and today, today I found one of the few known females in the world that has these abilities as well,” Black said with relish.  “But first little Princess you have to learn your place.  Perhaps a demonstration will help.”

The door in the back of the cabin slammed open.  “Isok,” Black called out.  A young boy, wearing only an overlong shirt, walked reluctantly out of the back room.  “Come now Isok, we have an audience,” Black encouraged.  Isok shot a nervous glance at Annika as he continued his trip across the room.  Black nodded towards the bed.  Isok, looking at the floor, slowly pulled the shirt over his head.  Annika could see the marks that crisscrossed his back and the bruises that ran down his legs.  Isok climbed onto the bed and sat on his knees then leaned forward and buried his face in the pillow.  Black began loosening his belt buckle.  “Watch closely Princess,” he said and Annika felt herself being held once more by Black’s power.  “Watch and learn how to please your new master.”

Annika stood and watched because she had no choice.  She did not try to stop the tears from falling and she knew that she would remember the sound of Isok’s screams for the rest of her life.  The anger that had been overwhelmed by fear returned tenfold and Annika welcomed it with her eyes wide open. When he was finished with Isok, he turned for Annika.

Janeway looked up at the knock on her door.  “Enter,” she called out.  “Mr. Neelix,” she said in surprise as Voyager’s cook stepped inside the door.  Neelix bobbed his head, “Captain,” he greeted.

“What can I do for you Mr. Neelix?” Janeway asked, pushing away from the desk.  Neelix shifted nervously from foot to foot. 

“Ah, yes.  Well, Captain Janeway, I understand you are undertaking a rescue attempt to retrieve Princess Annika from those brigands,” he stated finally.  Janeway cocked her head to the side.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a rescue attempt,” she said, cautiously wondering if her personal feelings were that evident.  At Neelix’s puzzled look she continued, “In this line of work, Mr. Neelix, there is a certain amount of… honor.  I can’t allow another ship to attack Voyager, remove items of… value, and not retaliate.  It would ruin my reputation and put Voyager and her crew in jeopardy.  Every ‘brigand,’ as you call them, would see us as easy prey,” she explained, as she struggled to put into words what she had hoped the crew would intuit.  Neelix nodded slowly. 

“So Princess Annika is a ‘valuable commodity?” he asked. 

Janeway winced internally; valuable, yes, but commodity?  Well, it would be an explanation her crew would understand and perhaps deflect any speculation about why their captain was so intent about getting the princess back.

“In a way, yes.  The ransom money we would get from her would indeed be a commodity of great value,” Janeway affirmed.

“So,” Neelix continued doggedly, “you don’t really care what happens to her as a person.”  Janeway was taken aback at Neelix’s words.  She opened her mouth to hotly protest his words, then paused as she wondered what point her cook was trying to make. 

“I didn’t say that Mr. Neelix,” Janeway finally answered neutrally, “but have no doubt she will be returned to Voyager, and the brigands will pay the price for their audacity.”

Neelix nodded.  He had watched the emotions flit across the captain’s face and, after years at court, was adept at hearing what wasn’t said as well as reading body language.  However hard she tried, the captain was not as callous as she pretended to be, and for now, that would suffice. 

“I wish to help Captain,” Neelix said firmly.  Janeway looked at the little man in surprise.

“I know you are fond of the princess, Mr. Neelix, but I’m not sure how you could be of help.” 

Neelix looked at the captain appraisingly, then sighed.  There was a time for secrecy, and then there was a time for truth. 

“May I sit down Captain?” Neelix asked. “This may take awhile.”

Tom looked up giving thanks for the full moon to help him navigate among the rocky islands.  He had a feeling that the captain would have ordered him to find his way even if it had been pitch black. 

“How’s it going?” Tom jumped as B’Elanna’s voice came from behind him.

“I didn’t hear you come up the steps,” he said, not quite able to hide the accusation in his voice. 

“That’s because I didn’t,” B’Elanna said, the underlying laughter in her voice indicating that she knew he had been startled.  “I came across the sails.”

Tom shook his head then laughed.  “Of course,” he said, good naturedly accepting that she had gotten the better of him, this time.  “And to answer your question, we haven’t sunk yet, so I take that as a good sign,” Tom said more seriously now.

“That’s good,” B’Elanna said then stepped up and pressed against his back, “and I was thinking Tom,” her voice dropped to a whisper, “maybe once this is all over, you might want to buy me an ale on our next shore leave.”  Tom’s mouth fell open, but before he could think of a response she was gone, up the sail and across the ropes.  Tom closed his mouth with a snap, and a slow smile spread across his face as he watched a lithe shadow cross the top of the ship.

Jack Black strode confidently through the streets of Darneth, the only town to be found in the Abalone Straights.  He was cheerful enough to whistle, he thought, as he purveyed the dingy streets.  He had only been in this god-forsaken part of the world for a few months and already he was turning heads.  He was on his way to the second meeting of the night, with one of the most notorious pirates in these waters.  His eyes flashed as he thought out his plans of recruiting pirates to amass his own navy.

The head popped out of the water, dark hair sleeked back, and bobbed around the hull of the hulking ship.  B’Elanna searched in the dark for a handhold she knew should be right… about… there.  Yes, she had it.  She looked back and could barely make out the dark outline that was Voyager hiding in the shadow of the hunk of rocks just off shore.  She took hold and slowly pulled herself out of the water taking care to make no noise.  The climb to the edge of the ship seemed to take an eternity.  When she reached the edge, she froze, listening for movement aboard.  Quick steps went by, then she heard voices.  Then silence.  She rose up and peered over the rail.  The decks were clear.  Quickly, she pulled herself over the edge and in two steps reached the foremast and scrambled up.  She settled herself into the small crook of the crossbeam and prepared herself to wait.

Janeway leaned against the wall watching the street.  Tom leaned against her, nuzzling her neck and generally letting his hands roam across her body, while desperately trying not to touch her at all.  Not that there was anything wrong with his captain but… she was his captain.

“Any sign yet,” he breathed desperately in her ear. 

“No, now shut up and kiss my neck,” Janeway commanded pulling Tom’s head closer.  Tom smothered a whimper and went back to pretending to grope his captain.

“Yes,” Janeway hissed and Tom froze.  Then, at Janeway’s nails digging into his back, continued his administrations.  A moment later Janeway pushed him away.  Tom stood, disoriented for a moment, and then hurried to follow the captain down the street.  Around the corner, they slipped away from the street and hurried down to the beach.  There they met Chakotay and Kim with the jollyboat.  Silently they pushed the small boat into the water and headed toward the flute.

Jack stopped outside The Sunken Treasure, one of the dozen or so taverns that lined Darneth’s streets.  He glanced around.  There was a racy redhead leaning against the wall a few feet away, while a sailor was trying to get a hand up her skirt.  He chuckled.  Lucky fellow, he thought.  He dismissed the couple and gave a quick twitch to his rapier and checked his pistols.  He didn’t expect trouble, hell, he was trouble, but he would not be unprepared.  He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

A quick glance around the room told him that none of the nearest patrons were his contacts.  He moved farther into the room, grabbed a serving wench as she went by and whispered in her ear.  She nodded towards the corner.  Jack gave her a leering smile and made a quick grope at her breast before sauntering to the table in the corner.  As he approached, he appraised the two occupants.

A short man, with wild tufts of hair sticking up in all directions, sat sipping a mug.  Jack’s lip curled as he took in the bright green shirt, embroidered with gold threads, that the little man wore, not much guessing what his purpose was, thought Jack, though he preferred his boys younger and prettier.  He turned his attention to the slender, dark man also at the table.  Jack nodded to himself.  This was who he had come to meet, the Cat.  Now this was what he expected to find.  The hint of power, a sense of self-possession, that look in the eye that told him this man dealt in death.  Jack smiled, once it got around that the Cat himself had initiated this meeting, his bargaining power would rise considerably.  He stepped up to the table. 

“Gentlemen,” he greeted them with a short bow and then gestured towards a chair.  “May I?”

The darker man nodded assent, and Jack settled himself in the chair just as a wench brought him a mug of ale.  He took the glass, foregoing his normal indulgence of a grope, and settled for a leer down her blouse.  The two men sat in silence, waiting patiently.  Jack took a few sips, then settled more deeply into the chair prepared to play the waiting game.

“Your reputation is formidable,” the dark man observed finally.

“As is yours,” Black replied pleasantly, pleased at the compliment he had been given. 

“And I assure you, my reputation is well deserved,” came the reply, but not from the taller, dark man.  Jack nearly spit his ale across the table and was unable to hide the surprise in his face.

“You are the Cat?” he asked in disbelief staring at Neelix in shock.  Neelix merely shrugged.

“Then who is he?” Jack asked, indicating Tuvok.

“A trusted friend,” Neelix said, “You need know nothing more.”

Jack’s eyes furrowed as he took a deep swallow of ale.  He felt off balance, and he did not like being caught off guard. 

“I see,” he said coldly, “Well why don’t we just get down to business then.  You wanted to see me, so here I am.”  He spoke confidently, but in the back of his mind was a nagging concern.  The dark man reeked of killing.  Could the Cat have possibly brought an assassin with him?  Then he had the sudden thought; perhaps the Cat employed the assassin on a permanent basis.  He nodded to himself, that would explain a great deal, and actually wasn’t a bad idea.  That would explain the lack of challenge to the Cat’s position among the pirates.  It was said no one ever crossed the Cat and lived to tell about it.  He took another swallow.  Perhaps he could hire this assassin from the Cat at a later date.  If not, then he would simply retain his own.

“Indeed you were summoned here,” Neelix said haughtily.  He had not performed at court for nothing; he had the cold arrogant condemnation down pat.  “It has come to my attention that you have stolen some merchandise that was to be delivered to our ship.”  He gave a slight shrug.  “Our fault perhaps.  We trusted our supplier to deliver.  We didn’t know he would be unable to hold on to our… purchase.”

Jack sat up abruptly, not bothering to hide his shock now.  “Your purchase?” he asked, feigning ignorance.  Neelix nodded.  “Yes.  It was en route to our ship, when you apparently… surprised the supplier.”  He shook his head.  “Pity, we did so like him.”

Jack took another sip of ale as his mind raced.  The Cat could only be talking about the princess.  But no one knew of her presence.  He clinched his jaw; his crew must have been talking.  He would have to discipline the culprit when he found him.  His fingers tapped the tabletop.  And now the Cat wanted in on the prize.  Well he would see about that.

“I see.  Well, that is an unfortunate turn of events,” he agreed.  “Unfortunately, no bill of sale came with the ‘goods’ indicating it was to be delivered to you.  I’m sure you understand there are risks in these types of deals.  I cannot afford to loose an item of value, simply because you chose an inept supplier,” he offered in his most conciliatory voice.

Neelix leaned forward, “Then let’s deal,” he said firmly.

Naomi hopped up and down on the deck as she kept her eyes on the shore where the captain had told her to expect the light.  The longboat hiding in the darkness was awaiting her signal.  They wouldn’t be able to see the captain’s signal from where they sat, and it was imperative, so the captain said, that they know when to move.

B’Elanna blinked at the light coming from the shore.  It flashed once, twice.  Once, twice.  That was it.  Now she had only one thing to do.  She paused in her descent as thunder rumbled overhead.  She frowned.  It had been thundering off in the distance all day, but this was much closer.  She suppressed a shiver.  Neelix had said the thunder came from Annika, B’Elanna didn’t know how that was possible, but just the thought gave her the willies.

She shimmied on down and dropped softly to the deck.  Moving through the shadows, she reached the far end of the ship and eased to the door leading below deck.  She paused at the first door, and listened.  She couldn’t hear anything.  She tried the handle and, when it turned, opened the door slowly.  The room was dark, but B’Elanna couldn’t sense the presence of anyone.  She backed out and closed the door then moved to the other door.  This would be the captain’s cabin.  She tried the door handle.  It didn’t move.  B’Elanna tried to dampen the elation.  Could be this captain was just paranoid and locked his door to prevent his own crew from pilfering.  Then again, she mused, this just might be it. 

>

Annika slowly approached Isok where he lay shivering in the corner.  She winced as she knelt down and reached out a hand.  She would be wearing the bruises Jack had given her for quite a while.  The boy whimpered and flinched away.

“It’s all right,” Annika cooed softly.  “No one is going to hurt you anymore, I promise,” Annika said in a confident voice, while wondering how she would ever keep that promise when she could not even protect herself.  The boy raised his head slowly and looked at Annika.

“I promise,” Annika repeated firmly not allowing her fear to show.  Isok must have believed her, because he flung himself into her arms with a whimper.  Annika didn’t know how long she held the boy to her chest rocking him back and forth as he cried.  In the fading light, she had been able to see the welts that covered his body and the bruises on his face and wanted to heal them, but knew she didn’t have enough control of her powers to do so safely at the moment.   She thought he must be several years older than Naomi, but she wasn’t sure.  She hadn’t much experience with children and didn’t know how to judge his age, and he was so thin it felt as if his bones were trying to break through his skin.

After his cries subsided she helped him put the threadbare shirt back on.  As they sat in the deepening shadows he told his tale.  He had been the cabin boy on The Golden Slipper, the name of the flute before Jack Black had captured her.  They had been traveling in a convoy when a downdraft had created havoc and, when it was over, only The Golden Slipper had limped away.  They had pulled into the harbor of a small, uncharted island to make repairs when, in the middle of the night, they had been boarded.  All of the crew had been killed in the takeover, except the captain, first mate, the daughter of one of the merchants, and himself.

They had killed the first mate first.  Black had ordered the man slowly cut to pieces, throwing first a finger, then a toe, overboard.  Between each cut, a dagger, heating in a brazier, had been used to cauterize the wound.  When the man passed out from the pain, they simply stopped and waited until he regained consciousness then started over again.  The captain had been next, and his torture had been subtler if no less deadly.  Isok shuddered as he spoke about the eighteen days it had taken for the captain to die.  The girl had been next.  As he spoke of Elizabeth, he began to cry again. 

“I wanted to help her, but there wasn’t anything I could do,” he sobbed in Annika’s shoulder.  She rocked him back and forth.  “I know.  It’s all right.  I know,” she murmured.  She already had an idea of some of what had befallen the girl from Black’s treatment of her.  But, hearing the details from Isok made her stomach turn.  She had not felt lucky earlier, but now she was feeling grateful indeed.  They had to get out of here, she thought desperately.  Given Black’s comments, she faced a fate far worse than the merchant’s daughter if she stayed here much longer.

“And then there was me,” Isok went on softly.  “I didn’t know… I never knew a man could… that he would… oh gods,” he sobbed.  “I didn’t even fight, I was so scared, and he hurt me so bad,” Isok cried.  Annika held him in her arms helplessly.  There was nothing she could do to take the pain away and, in her frustration, her fury grew.  It was one thing for it to be her, but Isok was just a child.  She fought to keep her demeanor calm, while a storm raged inside of her.  She thought of Naomi in Isok’s place and grew angrier. 

B’Elanna knocked softly on the door then listened.  She heard nothing.  She backed away to the hallway door and listened for movement on the deck.  The soft thuds were so faint no one would have noticed unless they were expecting them.  B’Elanna grinned, right on time.  She turned and sprinted down the hall, lowered her shoulder, and slammed into the door to the captain’s quarters.  Annika spun around as the door burst open and flung her hand out.  B’Elanna gasped as the force of a giant fist slammed into her chest, and threw her out into the hallway.  It took a moment for Annika to register just who it was that had burst into the door.  Isok, in the meantime, had scrambled back into the corner of the room.  Annika looked from Isok to the hallway and then sprinted out the door.

“B’Elanna,” she called out fearfully as she skidded to her knees beside the prone woman.  B’Elanna let out a groan and opened her eyes, trying to focus on the princess’ face.  She grabbed her chest and pushed herself to a sitting position.  Annika hurried to help the woman sit up.

“B’Elanna Torres, are you all right?” she asked.

B’Elanna glared at the princess.  “Next time look before you do that… whatever that was,” she snapped, as she gingerly felt herself for damage.  She was sure she had a couple of broken ribs.

“I am sorry,” Annika said contritely.  “I thought you were Captain Black or one of the crew,” she explained unnecessarily.  B’Elanna started to snarl as she struggled to her feet, only to break off when she saw Annika’s battered face and the torn clothes encrusted with blood.  She reached out a hand.

“Princess, are you all right?” B’Elanna asked hesitantly.

Annika jumped as she heard yells coming from above deck, and didn’t answer.

“That’s our cue, Princess,” B’Elanna said taking Annika’s arm.  “It’s time for us to get out of here.”  She stopped and looked at Annika in puzzlement as the woman pulled away from her.

“Look Princess,” B’Elanna said urgently, “if we’re going to get you out of here in one piece, we have to go, now.”

Annika didn’t answer; instead, to B’Elanna’s shock, the young woman turned and sprinted back into the room.  B’Elanna followed in exasperation.  What was the princess doing now?  Had the trauma of captivity caused her to loose her senses?  She froze as she entered the back room and saw the princess bent over a figure on the floor.  The princess was talking softly, obviously trying to convey something to whomever it was lying on the floor.  B’Elanna stepped closer and saw that it was a young boy, in even worse shape than the princess.  B’Elanna heard the sounds of the fight above intensifying. 

“Damn,” she swore, then reached down and grabbed the boy around the waist and slung him over her shoulder, wincing as her ribs screamed in protest. 

“Come on Princess,” she called as she sprinted for the door.  Annika didn’t hesitate and took after B’Elanna at a run.  Topside was in chaos, the tangle of men and women fighting was so thick that Annika couldn’t tell who was who, nor did she stand around long enough to figure it out.  Instead she followed B’Elanna who led her to the rail, where a ladder hung leading to the jollyboat below.  B’Elanna lifted the boy from her shoulder and set his feet on the deck.  When she spoke, it was in a far gentler tone than Annika had ever heard her use.

“All right boy,” B’Elanna said.  “I need you to climb down this ladder.  There is a boat at the bottom.  The people there are friends.  They won’t let anyone hurt you.  All you have to do is climb down.  Can you do that for me?” she asked.  Isok looked up at the strange woman.  Something in her eyes told him that she understood and that he could trust her.  He nodded his head jerkily.  B’Elanna smiled at him. 

“All right then, over you go,” she said and helped Isok scramble over the rail.  She leaned over and peered into the darkness.  Once Isok was halfway down she straightened and faced Annika.

“You’re next Princess,” she said in a husky voice.  Annika nodded and climbed over the rail without help.  The rope ladder swung as she hurried down the side of the ship.  As she reached the bottom, hands reached out of the darkness and lifted her rest of the way to the boat.  A moment later, B’Elanna appeared jumping the last few feet to land in the bottom of the boat, and quickly grabbed the oar opposite of Harry. 

Harry’s eyes widened when he saw the bruised and bloody face of the princess, but said nothing as they began to row.  Voyager seemed miles away as the sounds of battle became louder.  Then, suddenly, they were speeding across the water far faster than they should have been able to row.  Harry rolled his eyes at B’Elanna, unable to hide his fear.  B’Elanna, in turn, risked a glance at the princess.  Annika sat in the back of the boat with her eyes fixed on Voyager.  The intensity of her stare made shivers run down B’Elanna’s spine.  Soon they were clambering to safety on Voyager’s deck.

Janeway drew her rapier even as she fired her last pistol shot.  In one smooth motion, she hooked the pistol in her belt and transferred the rapier to her right hand, just in time to run through the sailor charging towards her with a drawn dagger.  She grinned as she looked around at the melee.  Something about being in the heat of battle slowed down time for her.  It seemed as if she had all the time in the world to consider the possibilities, make a decision, and execute.  Once the ease of the fight had bothered her, but over the years she had come to accept it as part of her nature, one that she couldn’t change.  Instead, she focused her abilities on what she considered just causes, taking life only when necessary, and sparing it whenever possible.  But today, after hearing the tales in Darneth about Captain Jack Black and the atrocities committed by his crew, she let her abilities have full reign.  There would be no one left of this crew to torture innocents when she was finished.  With a yell she sprang into the melee, leaving a path of destruction behind.

Jack walked crisply along the docks.  A deal had been struck, a large cache of weapons and a thousand silvers in exchange for the princess.  Not that he had any intention of delivering the goods, he grinned.  But, once he had the money and weapons, he would simply destroy the delegation and sail away with the payment and the princess.  Jack barely felt his feet on the street.  This night had gone better than his wildest dreams.  And maybe after the transaction had been completed, he would look up that comely redhead he had seen outside the Sunken Treasure.  Surely the drunken sailor, who had been groping her, had long ago passed out, and she would be looking for a little more lively company.  He stepped up to the docks and gave a shout out to the man he had waiting by the longboat.

“Come man, let’s get out to the ship,” he called out cheerfully.

“Aye cap’n,” the man rumbled in reply and untied the ropes.

A short time later, Jack practically leapt up the rope ladder to the deck of his ship.  He frowned at the silence on the ship.  Surely someone should have noted his arrival and called out.  He had been too lenient with his crew.  He would be more liberal with the lash from now on; this lack of discipline could not be tolerated.  He unlocked the door to his cabin and closed it behind him.  The cabin was empty.  Jack frowned and stalked to the door of the back room and flung it open.  Black let out a howl of rage when he saw the room was empty.  He ran back onto the deck.  This was the Cat’s doing, he knew, and he would make him pay.

Annika paced back and forth on Voyager’s deck.  What was taking Kathryn so long?  Gunfire cut across the darkness making her flinch.  It seemed like an eternity before Tuvok’s voice called from the water.  In minutes the crew had pulled the longboat aboard along with Janeway, Tuvok and Neelix.  The captain had just stepped aboard, looking around, searching, when Annika appeared at her side and she let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the woman.  Her relief was short lived; however, when it became apparent that something bad had happened on the other ship.  Janeway wanted to grab the young woman, hold her in her arms and make everything all right.  Instead, she settled for a touch on the arm.

“Are you all right?” she asked softly knowing that the answer wouldn’t be an affirmative.

Annika looked down into the blue-grey eyes unsure how to answer. 

“Is he dead?” she asked instead, in a voice that Janeway didn’t recognize.

Janeway shook her head.  “No, but his crew is.  He won’t trouble us again,” she said.  Annika looked over at the flute, barely visible in the darkness, and quivered with anger. 

“I want him dead,” she said turning her gaze onto the captain.  Janeway blinked at the vehemence in the young woman’s voice.  She took Annika’s arm and led her away from the ears straining to hear their conversation.  Once a safe distance away, she gave the arm a slight shake. 

“Princess… Annika.  It will be all right.  I swear to you.  He will never hurt you again.  I’m asking you to trust me on this,” she said softly.  Annika looked away, and Janeway felt a surge of fear. 

“What did he do Annika?” she asked urgently.  Annika jumped, as a disembodied voice came out of the night.

“Cat,” the scream carried across the water.  “You will pay for this Cat,” Black howled.  Annika whirled towards the ship.  Janeway felt her heart clinch as Annika’s face reflected pure terror.  Quickly she grabbed the young woman and led her below.

Kathryn Janeway sat at her desk and tried to concentrate on plotting their course, but her eyes kept wandering to the back room of her cabin.  Twice, she stood up and started towards the door, only to return to her seat.  She wanted to see Annika, to reassure herself that the young woman was truly alive and well, even though Doc had proclaimed her so after his examination.  Time, he had said.  Give her time.  Kathryn dropped her head to her desk, trying not to despair; it had been over a week and still Annika would not speak to her, or anyone else for that matter.  Her head shot up as a tap on her door interrupted her thoughts.

“Enter,” she called out.  To her surprise, B’Elanna came through the door and behind her was a young boy.

“Who is this?” Janeway asked raising her eyebrows.

B’Elanna tugged the boy in front of her and stood with her hands on his shoulders.

“This is Isok, Captain.  He… Annika… I brought him back with me from Black’s ship,” B’Elanna explained.  “I think you should hear what he has to say Captain, it may help,” B’Elanna said nodding towards the door leading to Annika’s room.

Janeway looked the boy up and down.  He had certainly had a hard time, and she doubted he was serving on Black’s ship of his own free will.  She pursed her lips then nodded. 

“All right then Isok,” Janeway gestured towards a chair.  “Have a seat and talk to me.”

Janeway sat quietly in the dark for a very long time, not even moving when Naomi crept in and crawled into her cot to sleep.  She did not dare approach Annika until she was sure she had herself completely under control.  It wasn’t as if she hadn’t had a good idea of what had happened, but hearing it put into words…  To hear Isok describe what had happened to him, and then to Annika, filled her with a fury that threatened to cloud her vision, and she didn’t want Annika to see her angry for fear the woman would think the anger was directed at her.  Finally, Janeway took a deep breath and walked to the back of the cabin.  Time might be needed, but reassurance might be needed as well.  There was no response to her soft knock, and she quietly pushed open the door.  Annika was curled up on the bed, and Janeway’s first impulse was rush across the room to the young woman.  Prudence; however, made her call softly from the door.

“Annika?  May I come in?” Janeway asked in a low voice that Annika had not heard before.  Annika tried not to flinch.  The thought of Janeway was the only thing that had helped her keep her sanity, but now she feared the look in the captain’s eyes.  What would she think of her, that she could not even protect herself?  That she had let that man…  She squeezed her eyes more tightly shut, willing the memories to go away.

When she got no response, Janeway continued.

“Isok told me about Black,” Janeway said, keeping her voice low.  “He told me what he did, and about his powers.  I cannot change what has happened; I only hope you will let me help you through this,” Janeway finished, and tried not to think about what she wanted to do to Black. 

Annika listened to Janeway’s words.  She could hear no censure in them.  Perhaps the captain would not think it was her fault after all. 

“Please Annika,” Janeway said in a desperate voice.

Finally, after a small eternity, Annika stretched out her hand.  Janeway let out a sigh of relief and quickly crossed the small room.  The bed was small, but there was room enough for the two of them, so Annika moved over, and Janeway crawled into the bed.  Once there she was unsure of what to do next, but then Annika curled toward her and Janeway wrapped her in her arms.

Janeway took a deep breath, gritted her teeth and slammed her eyes shut as she felt Annika’s bare skin beneath her hands.  Despite the circumstances, the feel of the younger woman in her arms was like a taste of heaven.  Annika moved closer; it felt good… safe to feel the sturdy body of this woman held against her own.  It was so different from his touch.  Janeway began to softly stroke Annika’s back and slowly Annika began to talk.

Janeway sent a prayer of thanks to the gods that Isok had spoken to her first.  If she had not already known, Annika’s words would have sent her into a fit of rage.  Instead she was able to listen with compassion, though more than once she felt her stomach clinch.  It was nearly daybreak when Annika was finally able to go to sleep.  Janeway started to climb out of the bed, but Annika tightened her arms around the captain and Janeway sank back into the bed without protest.  At the sound of the door, Janeway turned her head and lifted a finger to her lips as Naomi poked her head inside.  Janeway motioned the child to her side. 

“I’m going to stay with Princess Annika for a while Naomi,” Janeway whispered, “Please let Chakotay know.” 

Naomi nodded and tiptoed out of the room.

Annika blinked as she struggled out of the fog of sleep.  There was no window in this room and she wondered what time it was.  Soft snores made her turn her head and she gazed into a mass of red hair.  She pushed up onto her elbow, and looked down into Janeway’s face.  She cocked her head to the side as she took in the sleeping features; the captain looked much different in her sleep, softer, Annika thought, and vulnerable.  She reached out a finger and traced the older woman’s jaw line, then started when Janeway’s eyes flew open.

“I did not mean to wake you,” Annika said apologetically. “I’m a light sleeper,” Janeway said with a smile, as she searched Annika’s face.  There was a haunted look lurking behind the eyes, but the unabated terror was gone.  It was a start, Janeway decided. 

Without realizing it, Annika had resumed stroking Janeway’s face.  Janeway slammed her eyes shut.  She didn’t know if it was the feeling of the silky skin against her side, the soft touch of fingers or Annika’s sweet scent, but whatever the cause, she was unable to smother a soft moan.  Annika paused briefly in surprise.  The fiery redheaded captain lay clutching the blanket to her chin with her eyes squeezed tightly shut and Annika thought she appeared to be praying.  That was curious since she had not known the captain to be particularly religious.  Then, maybe it was the moan or maybe it was the nearly imperceptible shiver she felt leaning against the captain, but suddenly Annika’s eyes widened as all the pieces came together.

“Kathryn,” Annika whispered.  Janeway’s eyes flew open at her name, and she found herself staring straight into cobalt eyes.  Kathryn’s eyes flickered to the full lips, then back to the eyes.  Annika’s face was so close, she was sure if she blinked her eyelashes would graze the skin.  Kathryn nervously licked her lips.

“Ahhh… ”  She tried to speak, but found she suddenly had no voice.

Annika’s gaze fixed on Kathryn’s lips for a moment before returning to her eyes.  Then, with a hoarse whispered “please,” there was no mistaking her meaning.

“Annika,” Kathryn struggled to think coherently.  “I don’t think… I don’t want… are you sure?” she finally managed to ask. 

“I am sure, Kathryn,” Annika replied quietly.  Kathryn stared intently into Annika’s eyes and received the answer to her unspoken question.

“Oh gods,” Kathryn moaned, then, unable to stand it any longer, she pulled Annika to her and let out a half sob, half moan, when their lips touched.

Naomi padded into the cabin, carefully balancing a tray against one hip and a pitcher of fresh water in the other arm.  She set the pitcher on the captain’s desk and trotted across the room with the tray and pushed open the door to the back room.  Her eyes widened at the sight of her captain passionately kissing Princess Annika.  She wrinkled her nose, then marched across the room and nosily dropped the tray on the small bedside table.  Annika gasped and jerked the blanket to her chin.

“Naomi Wildman,” she croaked. 

Kathryn just let out a chuckle as Naomi gave them both a disgruntled look before turning and marching out of the room.  At Annika’s shocked look she shrugged.

“Well it’s not the first time,” she said.

Annika raised a brow.  “Naomi has walked in on you before when you were… ” she broke off.

“I’m sorry darling, but I’m not exactly virginal,” Kathryn answered honestly.  Annika’s eyes skittered away from Kathryn’s face.

“Neither am I.  Anymore.”  Her voice caught on the words.  Kathryn placed a soft hand on Annika’s chin and pulled her around so the young woman was looking at her.

“As far as I’m concerned you are,” she said firmly.  “What he did, that was nothing related to love, or even just plain sex.  It was about power and domination.”  She put her hands on Annika’s shoulders and gave her a gentle shake to emphasize her words.  “What matters is here,” she touched Annika’s head, “and here,” she said, moving a hand to rest over Annika’s heart.  

“I love you, Annika.  I’m honored beyond measure to be the one you allow to touch you out of love.”

Kathryn’s words cut through her shame and Annika slowly smiled.

“Touch me Kathryn,” she replied, “heal me.”

Naomi moved away from the door.  The next entry in her log would be interesting, she thought, nasty, but interesting, and then she skipped down the hall and onto the deck.

Seven rested the journal on her lap and looked quizzically across the room at her captain.  Janeway was lying on the divan, looking out the viewport at the stars, unaware of the younger woman’s scrutiny.  Seven’s eyes traced the classic profile.  The captain looked tired, she thought, as she noted the dark circles under the eyes.  Her eyes lingered on the lips for a moment, and she wondered what it would be like to kiss them.  She tilted her head as she pondered the possibility, and then frowned when she was unable to imagine the sensation.  Perhaps, she reasoned, because she had never kissed anyone at all, but she did not find it to be a disagreeable idea either.

Janeway turned her head and gave Seven a slight smile when she realized the woman was watching her.  No need to ask how far she has read now, Janeway thought ruefully.  She fully recognized the speculation in Seven’s eyes and knew that the two of them were going to be having a rather lengthy conversation soon.  She had been preparing herself for this moment since she had read the journal herself.  She knew that just by having Seven read the journal, their relationship would be irrevocably changed.  It had not crossed her mind to withhold the journal from Seven, but that did not mean that she had not felt a bit of trepidation when she handed it over.  She also knew that eventually, in all fairness to the rest of the crew, that the contents of the journal would have to be made available, at the very least to the senior staff.  First, however, she wanted the opportunity to reach some kind of understanding with Seven.  So, with that thought in mind, she had spent the last several hours in introspection, but it wasn’t until she looked up and saw the questions in Seven’s eyes that she came to a conclusion.  I will not push, but I will not run away either, Janeway avowed.

Seven noted the slight stiffening of the captain’s shoulders and the deepening glow in the blue eyes.  She was familiar with the captain’s body language and knew that Janeway had reached a resolution.  Just what the captain had needed to resolve, however, was unknown.  Seven made a note to ask later.  Neither woman spoke.  Janeway simply sat, gracefully enduring Seven’s appraisal.  Finally, Seven gave a slight nod as if she too had come to some conclusion, and then turned back to the journal.

Naomi ran until she thought her heart would burst.  She kept her eyes on her feet.  They were the only things she could see in the dense fog.  Whenever she tried to peer ahead through the fog her vision blurred.  So she watched her feet pounding one in front of the other.  She wasn’t sure if she were running to or from.  She only knew that she could not stop.  The ground under her feet changed from dirt to gravel to grass to sand.  Then her feet splashed in water and she kept running, never looking up as the fog enveloped her.

Annika stood and Voyager’s deck and watched as Baedeker became a speck on the horizon.  Kathryn had explained that the sea eagle would take the message to a friend of hers, who would in turn forward the message with the more conventional pigeons he kept.  The ransom request, along with the note of reassurance Annika had included for her parents, would reach the castle in Tendara within the week.  Annika found it hard to believe that such a distance could be covered so quickly.  She would, she decided, investigate the use of pigeons and eagles when she returned home.  The thought of home filled her momentarily with sadness.  In the past few days, her attachment to Kathryn had grown in intensity.  They had not yet discussed the future, their future.  Annika mulled their situation over in her head, trying to find a way to enable their continued association. 

 “Are you sure?” Kathryn asked in a low voice.

Annika gave Kathryn a knowing grin.

“I am sure Kathryn,” Annika replied firmly.

Kathryn sighed.  She certainly hoped so.  Annika had been leaning over her shoulder as she penned the ransom note and had indignantly declared that the demanded exchange was woefully low.  When Kathryn had argued, the young woman had pulled the ruby ring off her finger and tossed it on the table. 

“Here is your ransom then,” she had snapped.

Kathryn had blinked at the vehemence in the words and then had stared at the ring.

“You’re joking,” she had said in utter disbelief.

“Actually, it is worth double your asking amount,” Annika had said with much less intensity as she realized that Kathryn was not truly trying to insult her.

Kathryn had swallowed twice before she pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and had begun recopying the letter.  When she had reached the monetary demand, she had simply pushed the parchment towards Annika and held out the quill.  When Annika had handed the letter back, Kathryn had managed not to gasp at the price, but that hadn’t stopped Annika from noticing her shock.  The young woman had let out the delicious laugh, which Kathryn had begun to cherish.  She had given the lanky blonde a wry grin as she acknowledged being caught.

Now the note was underway and there was no calling it back, so there was no point in second-guessing it now, Kathryn thought.

“You are being quiet,” Kathryn said looking down at Annika where she lay with her head in Kathryn’s lap.

“Mmmm,” Annika replied noncommittally.

“Come now,” Kathryn chided, “what’s on your mind?”

Annika remained silent for a moment, then sat up and scooted so she sat next to the petit redhead.

“Uh oh,” Kathryn said lightly, “this looks serious.”

“What is going to happen when this is over?” Annika asked finally.

Kathryn felt her stomach flutter.  She had been waiting for this conversation and had thought about what she would say.  Now that the time had come; however, she didn’t know what to say.  So she deliberately misunderstood the question instead. 

“Well, Baedeker will return with a reply.  Assuming that additional negotiations are not necessary we will proceed to the rendezvous point,” she said diffidently.

Annika cut her eyes at Kathryn.

“What is going to happen with us?” she gritted through her teeth, she was in no mood for equivocation.

Kathryn sighed.  She obviously wasn’t going to be able to avoid this discussion, however much she tried.

“I don’t know,” she said finally.  “I think we are going to have to play it by ear, at least in the beginning,” she qualified.  Then, seeing the fear and uncertainty in Annika’s eyes, she gathered the young woman in her arms.  “No matter what happens, I will be with you.”  She put a finger on Annika’s chin and turned the young woman to face her.  “I have waited a lifetime for you. Don’t believe for an instant that I would walk away from you now.  I love you Seven,” she said earnestly.

Annika’s eyes widened and she leaned back to look Kathryn in the face.

“What… What did you call me?” she asked in disbelief.

Kathryn frowned, as she reviewed her words, wondering what she could have said that would have upset Annika so.  Then she looked at Annika in surprise.  “Seven,” Kathryn said in disbelief, wondering where that moniker had come from.

“How could you know that?” Annika asked in a shaky voice.

“Know what?” Kathryn asked, genuinely confused.

Annika stared intently into Kathryn’s eyes until she was satisfied that indeed her lover was sincere. 

“When the heir to Tendara is confirmed,” she explained slowly, “they are given new name, one that does not go into effect until they ascend to the thrown.  The name is known only to the recipient and to the chosen giver.  My father is called Kainite, but that is not his true name, it is his confirmation name.”

“I didn’t know that, I always thought that was his name,” Kathryn said in surprise.  “Why do you change your name?” she asked trying to figure the logic behind the process.

Annika shrugged.  “I do not know.  Perhaps some ancestor did not like his name and ended up setting a precedent.  There is nothing in the histories that explains the tradition.” 

“And who is the giver?” Kathryn asked, “Is that a position at court?” 

Annika shook her head.  “Oh no, the receiver chooses the giver in hopes that the name is not terribly unacceptable,” she said with a laugh, “Neelix was my name giver.”

Kathryn digested this information for a moment.  “So your new name will be Seven?” she asked finally, ignoring the slight chill that raised the hair on her arms.

“Yes,” Annika replied.  “Neelix chose it because I will be the seventh Annika to take the throne.”  The women sat silently, leaning against one another.  Then Kathryn spoke up. 

“Well, I shall still call you Annika,” she declared firmly.

Annika laughed.  “And I shall find that entirely acceptable.”

For the next several days the Voyager crew enjoyed the quiet respite on one of the smaller Barintine Islands.  It was a time that Annika would look back on as some of the happiest in her life.  Too soon, it seemed, it was time for it to be over.

“Baedeker is coming!  Baedeker is coming!” Naomi’s voice carried across the water from the eagle’s nest on the ship to the island’s shoreline.

Kathryn stood and held her hand up to shade her eyes as she scanned the horizon.  Baedeker was indeed heading directly towards the ship.  She grabbed Annika’s hand.  “Come,” she commanded and tugged the woman to the jollyboat on the beach.

Baedeker was ensconced on the boom by the time Kathryn and Annika returned to the ship.  Kathryn hurried to the large bird and tugged the message from his leg.  She turned to Naomi only to find the young girl was already returning with a bucket of herring to reward the bird for his services.  Kathryn turned back to the message and untied the ribbon.  She scanned the message quickly.  Annika watched intently, then let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding when Janeway’s face broke into a grin.  With a flourish she handed the note to Annika, who read the terse note quickly.  It was, she realized, penned by her own mother’s hand but she could hear her father’s voice behind the words.

The requested sum shall be delivered as directed.  Know that should any harm come to my daughter, I shall hunt you to the ends of the world.

His Majesty, King Kainite, Sovereign of Tendara.

Voyager crept along the rugged coast of Tendara.  Most of her sails were furled and she rocked heavily in the rough waters. 

“Two miles up the path to a small village.  Take the northern cart path until it intersects with the High Road.  Go east into Tendara City,” Neelix recited Tuvok’s instructions back to the tall sailor. 

Annika stepped nervously into the long boat and held on tightly as it was lowered to the water.  As soon as it settled into the water Harry and Tom grabbed the oars and aimed the boat towards the shore.  The short trip was made in silence.  Annika was amazed when they pulled onto a small sandy beach.  Kathryn had told her it was here, but she had not believed it.  In all her studies, she had been taught that, other than the large bay off the capital city, Tendara’s coastline was nothing but impenetrable rocks and cliffs.  Neelix looked around quickly, following Tuvok’s instructions and soon found the nearly imperceptible trail leading up the rocks and inland.  Kathryn stepped out of the boat and walked up the beach with Annika.  They stood looking at one another for a moment, while trying to find the words for their difficult goodbye.  Finally Kathryn leaned forward and brushed Annika’s lips with a gentle kiss.

“I will come to you as soon as I can,” she promised the young woman.  “Until then be safe.”  Annika nodded not trusting herself to speak.  She squeezed Kathryn’s hand, then turned and hurried after Neelix before the tears had a chance to fall.  Kathryn was always so brave. Annika did not want her to see how scared she felt at this moment.  She wasn’t sure what frightened her more, leaving Kathryn or returning to her kingdom.  Now, more than ever, the mantle of the kingdom weighed heavily on her.

Kathryn stood and watched until Annika and Neelix were out of sight.  Then she turned back to the longboat and settled in for what seemed a very long trip back to Voyager.

Once back on Voyager, Captain Janeway lost no time in calling Chakotay and Tuvok to her cabin and explaining to them exactly what she planned to do.  To her surprise neither man appeared shocked by her revelation.  Tuvok had merely nodded and Chakotay had grinned, as if had known all along.

“I’m sure some of the crew will want to leave,” Janeway said firmly as their meeting came to a close.  “See to it that they are informed that we will anchor in Tendara’s harbor tomorrow at midmorning for one hour.  Those who wish to leave will do so then.  I’ll need a list first thing in the morning so I can prepare their payments.” 

“I’ll take care of it Captain,” Chakotay said firmly before making his exit. 

“Am I doing the right thing Tuvok?  Or have I just lost my mind?” Janeway asked her oldest friend with a wry expression.

Tuvok appeared to ponder the question a moment before replying.  “I believe, Captain, that you are following your heart, in which case possession of your faculties becomes irrelevant,” Tuvok said evenly.

Janeway laughed.  “So I may be crazy, but I can’t help myself?  All right Tuvok, I’ll stop analyzing it.  Thank you.”  She dismissed Tuvok with a wave of the hand.

“Bloody hell,” B’Elanna swore, keeping her voice low even though the captain and Naomi were nowhere to be seen.  Tom and Harry were squatting nearby as the three of them obdurately tossed dice.  “Blood and bloody hell,” B’Elanna growled again.  Tom leaned in with a sigh.

“Is it really that bad?” he asked earnestly.  B’Elanna looked up in surprise, then gave the helmsman a grin. 

“Actually, no,” she said, and then appeared surprised to have said that.  She shrugged.  “No, it’s not that bad, just surprising,” she said firmly. 

“Well I am happy about it,” Harry declared, “but I know probably a lot of the crew won’t be.  Do you think many will leave when they find out the captain has decided to go legitimate?” he asked eyeing Tom and B’Elanna as if he expected them to jump ship any minute.

“More importantly,” Tom asked, “can the captain pull it off?” 

B’Elanna rocked back and forth, toying with the dice as she pondered the questions.

“I’ve never pictured myself as being anything other than a pirate and living life on the open ocean,” B’Elanna said pensively, “but, Captain Janeway, I can see her as something else, something more.  If anyone can do it, she can, and I know that even if I have never imagined anything else, I’m willing to try.”  She shot a glance at Tom and Harry wondering if they would make fun of her.  When she saw no censure in their eyes, she continued, “The three of us will stay, so will Tuvok.  I think he has been with the captain since before she was a captain.  Chakotay will stay as well.”  She wrinkled her brow as she considered the rest of the crew.  “The Delaneys will stay and, if they stay, so will Jake and Aaron.”  B’Elanna quickly rattled off the crewmembers she thought would stay and those she was unsure about.  Tom and Harry nodded in agreement, but they knew that it was just speculation.  No one would know, until tomorrow, what crew would be left on Voyager.

The next morning Chakotay knocked on the captain’s door.

“Enter,” Janeway called out hoping she didn’t sound too nervous.

“Do you have the list of crewmembers wishing to leave, Chakotay?” Janeway asked as the burly man stepped into the room.

Chakotay bowed his head a little and handed a piece of parchment to the captain.

Janeway took the paper and with a deep breath looked down.  Her head snapped up, and she looked at Chakotay with wide questioning eyes.  Chakotay nodded in response to the unasked question and Janeway felt tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

“Not one?” she asked in a voice tinged with awe.

“Not one, Captain,” Chakotay replied with a smile.

Janeway waved a hand toward the door.  “Thank you Chakotay,” she said.

After Chakotay left the cabin, Janeway hugged the blank sheet of parchment to her chest and allowed the tears to fall.  Not one member of her crew had chosen to leave Voyager.  Janeway vowed that they would not regret their decision.

Neelix reached out and gave Annika’s hand a squeeze.  She shot him a grateful smile. 

“Well Neelix,” Annika said, trying to keep her voice light, “I guess it is time.”

“I believe so Princess Annika,” Neelix replied.

They turned and stepped through the small side gate of the palace grounds.  As the gate closed behind them Annika felt a sense of anticlimax.  The grounds were quiet, and there was no one in sight.  She and Neelix walked across the grounds and entered the castle through a side door.  Annika stepped lightly through the back hall and paused at the door.  She could hear her parents speaking on the other side of the door.  She pushed the door open a crack and peered in.  Her parents were sitting alone at the long table in the dining hall.  Annika let the door close and turned and gave Neelix a hug, then turned and pushed the door open.

Annika’s parents looked up at the unexpected disturbance.  King Kaitan’s mouth hung open, stopped in mid sentence as his beloved daughter stepped into the room.

“Annika!” her mother cried as she launched herself across the room to gather Annika into her arms.  Moments later, her father joined in giving her a crushing hug.  Her mother pushed her away and looked at her critically from head to toe.  Annika was wearing a pair of trousers and a loose fitting shirt donated by Tom, since her own clothes had been damaged too badly to salvage.

“Oh Annika, you are so thin,” her mother exclaimed, and pulled Annika towards the table and called out for a servant to bring food from the kitchen.

“No, Mother, really, I am not… ” Annika tried to protest that she was not hungry, but it did no good and soon she was ensconced at the table with at least five platters of food surrounding her.  “Mother,” Annika protested with a laugh, “I am fine, honestly.”

King Kaitan sat back and let his wife gush over their daughter.  He was not fooled by Annika’s lightness.  There was a brittleness to her smile and a haunted look in her eyes that had not been there before, but more disturbing was the palpable sadness that seemed to radiate from his beautiful daughter. 

After Annika had eaten enough to satisfy her mother’s worries, she stood.

“If you do not mind, Neelix and I traveled most of the night.  I think I should like to retire to my rooms for a rest,” Annika said.

“Of course, darling,” her mother replied jumping to her feet as if she would see to tucking Annika into bed herself.

Annika raised a hand, forestalling her mother.  “Stay Mother, I shall be fine on my own,” then she leaned and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek to soften her words.

After Annika left the room Kaitan looked at his wife.  She shook her head in answer to his silent question.

Admiral Paris suddenly realized that his mouth was hanging open, and closed it with a snap.

“Let me get this straight,” he said, not bothering to hide his disbelief, “You are requesting that you, your crew, and your ship be commissioned into His Majesty’s navy.  Despite the fact that for the last twenty years you have been terrorizing Tendara’s shipping concerns.”

“Actually it’s only been for the last fifteen years Admiral,” Janeway interjected with a slight smile, “I’m not quite that old.”

Admiral Paris rubbed his eyes.  This woman had caused him more headaches in his career than all the other pirates combined, and now he could feel another one coming on.

“Admiral,” Janeway said leaning forward, “you know me, and you know that, regardless of your opinion of my lifestyle, I always keep my word.  I am telling you that I am prepared to swear loyalty to the future queen of Tendara and to sail under her flag.  My crew is in agreement and will follow my orders.” 

Admiral Paris sat back as he listened to Janeway’s words.  Though Voyager was not a large ship, she was more than capable of inflicting a respectable amount of damage.  And by having the Cat, with her damned nine lives, in command, she would probably do more than a ship twice her size.  And having her where he could keep an eye on her would mean their merchant ships could travel the waters more safely.  In fact, once word got out that the Cat was escorting the ships, attacks would probably drop even more.  The admiral scrutinized the woman sitting across the table.  He had reached a crossroads.  He could call the guards and have her hung, or he could welcome her into the fold.

He laughed wryly to himself.  A wolf among sheep, he thought.  He didn’t even know how she came to be in his office.  One minute he had been looking through the supply list, the next she had been greeting him, already seated in the chair.  If he called the guards, she would probably disappear before they had a chance to open the door.  So it came down to whether or not he could trust her word.  And that was something he did not doubt, however her change of heart bothered him.

“Tell me Captain, why are you now ready to pledge allegiance to Tendara after all this time?”  Paris asked genuinely curious.

Janeway looked the admiral in the eye taking his measure before choosing her reply.  “Not Tendara, the future queen of Tendara,” she replied steadily.

This did nothing to quench his curiosity.  The princess had been missing for nearly a month, then she had suddenly returned.  As her military advisor, and because he had been unable to locate the missing princess, the admiral had tried to find out where she had been.  The princess had been extraordinarily closed mouthed, but he had been able to discern that she had spent some time on a ship.  Surely not, the admiral’s eyes widened at the sudden thought, and he gave the woman sitting across from him a penetrating glare, but said nothing as he came to a decision.

Janeway watched as Admiral Paris crossed to the door and spoke softly to someone outside.  She tried to still the fluttering in her stomach as she wondered if the admiral was calling the guards.  She had her escape route planned, but she was hoping she would not have to use it.  The admiral returned to his seat and they sat in silence, waiting.  A few minutes later, a knock on the door admitted a young-looking clerk and two officers.  Admiral Paris motioned Janeway to stand up and came around t he desk to stand in front of her.

“Repeat after me,” he commanded.

I, Kathryn Janeway, also known as the Cat, do swear service unfailingly loyal to the Royal Navy of Tendara.  I shall obey in both speech and action, such that peace and order shall reign throughout the kingdom.  I shall use my position as a naval officer to defend any who would raise a hand against Crown, Throne, or Country.  I do so swear this trust of His Majesty’s Navy in so ever that it unswervingly serves the throne of Tendara, and if the Royal Navy falls or fails Crown, Throne, or Country, my obedience shall be to the sovereign directly.  I wield my sword to protect Tendara and the King and future Queen.  For so long as I shall breathe, I serve the Queen.  I give my life that Tendara may endure.

Janeway took a deep breath then looking Admiral Paris in the eye repeated the oath firmly.  The scribe hurriedly wrote on the piece of parchment he carried, then handed it to Janeway.  She signed her name at the bottom, followed by Admiral Paris, and the two officers who had stood as witnesses.

Once the signatures were complete and the men had left, Admiral Paris turned to Janeway.

“You are out of uniform Captain,” he said gruffly, “Report to the supply officer, down the street on the left, a green building you can’t miss it.  Get your uniform and see to it your crew is in uniform as soon as possible.”  He handed her a note to give the supply officer and waved her out the door.  At the door, Janeway turned as the Admiral spoke.

“And Captain Janeway, don’t make me regret this day.” 

“You won’t regret it Admiral,” Janeway said, then disappeared.

Two days later Janeway strode up the stairs of the palace with a determined expression on her face.  She had never been to the castle in Tendara City and did not know what kind of reception she would receive.  She was quite sure that mere captains did not often come calling on the royal family.  Naomi trotted at her heels with wide eyes.  At the entrance, a guard in the royal livery stepped in front of the captain.

“State your name and purpose,” he growled.

“Captain Kathryn Janeway of the HMS Voyager.  I am here to see Princess Annika,” Janeway replied throwing every bit of her command demeanor behind the statements.

“Wait here Captain,” the guard commanded then turned and called another guard over.  The second guard turned and trotted off.  Several long minutes later he returned and whispered in the sergeant’s ear.  The guard turned and motioned for the captain to follow him.  He led them through the large gates of the wall, across a courtyard and up another set of stairs, until they finally entered the castle proper.  Inside the great hall, Naomi looked up and gasped as she saw the extensive murals painted on the ceiling three stories overhead, then had to hurry to catch up with Janeway and the guard.  They came to a pair of gilded double doors with a guard on either side.  Janeway’s guide whispered something to the guard on the right.  The man turned sharply and tapped on the door.

The keeper, as the guards to the inner chamber were called, stepped inside.

“Captain Kathryn Janeway of the HMS Voyager,” he trumpeted into the room then stepped back and motioned Janeway forward.  Captain Janeway stepped into the room.  She paused imperceptivity as she realized that she had been ushered into the main audience chamber.  Instead of Annika, she was facing, down a long hall, the King and Queen of Tendara.

Well hell, Janeway thought.  She straightened her shoulders and marched down the hall coming to a halt in front of the dais.  Gracefully she dropped to one knee and dipped her head.  Naomi quickly followed the captain’s example, but when the silence continued, she leaned to the side and peered nervously around the captain.

King Kaitan rose and glared at the woman kneeling in front of him.  He was quite aware who she was, and the fact she now wore a naval uniform did nothing to change his opinion of her.  What had possessed Paris to commission this scoundrel into the navy, he would never understand.  He half rose, ready to beat the woman into the ground, when a soft touch on his arm drew his attention to his wife.  She shook her head slightly.  Kaitan gritted his teeth and settled back into his chair.

He did not release the captain; however, he wanted her to squirm a bit longer.  He frowned as he took time to take in the appearance of the woman before him.  When he had received the ransom note signed by the Cat, he had nearly had an apoplexy.  The Cat had been a thorn in his side for the past fifteen years and then had the audacity to kidnap his only child.  He hadn’t been the king then, but rather a frantic father, ready to do anything to get his beloved daughter home where she would be safe.  His first impulse had been to send the entire navy after her, but her letter had included a thinly veiled threat that if that happened he might never see his daughter again.  So, he had quietly sent the ransom via his retainer instead.  Now the source of his distress was before him.  She certainly did not fit his image of her.  The woman before him was absolutely tiny, but the air of command was unmistakable, even kneeling she radiated power. 

“Rise Captain,” he said finally and Janeway rose gracefully to her feet.  The king frowned then peered around Janeway.  “You too child,” he said as Naomi remained kneeling.  Naomi scrambled to her feet and gave the king a wide grin. 

“Are you Annika’s daddy?” Naomi asked with shining eyes. 

“Naomi,” Janeway admonished.  Naomi clapped a hand over her mouth as she realized she should have waited for permission to speak to the king.

King Kaitan glared for a moment.  The child accompanying the former pirate captain was an enigma.  He did not like it when things did not fit his perceptions.  Then his eyes narrowed and he raised a hand forestalling Janeway’s words.  He gestured for Naomi to come closer.

“I am,” he said gravely, “who are you?”

Naomi looked over her shoulder at Janeway, who nodded, and she turned back to the king.  “I am Naomi Wildman,” she answered.  King Kaitan leaned forward, prepared to question the child, when the doors in the back of the hall swung open.  Before the keeper could get his mouth open Annika pushed past him and strode into the hall.

She stopped in front of the throne without looking at Janeway or Naomi and addressed her father.  “I believe that Captain Janeway and Naomi are my guests,” Annika said, glowering at her father.  Kaitan blinked in surprise.

“Annika, surely you want nothing to do with this… this woman,” he spat. “Do not presume Father,” Annika replied simply then held her hand to Naomi who quickly grabbed it.  Annika turned and motioned for Janeway to follow.  Janeway turned on her heel and followed Annika out of the hall.  They walked quickly in silence until they reached a small antechamber.  When they stepped inside, Neelix was waiting for them with a broad grin on his face. 

“Naomi Wildman, I have missed you,” Annika said warmly.

“I’ve missed you too Annika,” Naomi said, giving Annika a big hug, then ran to give Neelix a hug as well.

Neelix stood and held Naomi’s hand in his.

“I think I shall take Naomi on a tour of the castle Your Majesty.  I will bring her to your chambers when it is time for dinner,” Neelix said giving the women a wide grin and then sauntered off with Naomi happily chatting at his side.  Annika hesitated for a heartbeat, then grabbed Kathryn’s hand and pulled her, at a run, from the room and up a narrow flight of stairs.  By the time they reached the top, Kathryn was breathing heavily.

“Good lord, do you climb these every day?” she asked between breathes.

“Of course, though I try to limit it to once a day,” Annika replied with a grin.  She was so happy to see Kathryn that she didn’t mind the arduous climb to her quarters.  She nodded to the guard that stood outside her door.

“Paul, unless the castle if falling down on our heads, we do not want to be disturbed,” Annika told the young man.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he replied impassively.

Annika pushed the door open and led Kathryn inside.  Kathryn looked around the chamber curiously.  Obviously they were in one of the towers, she had surmised as much as they had raced up the steep curving stairs.  The room itself was small and round with a single, albeit large, window.  Kathryn walked over to the window and was startled to see the straight drop down into the ocean.  She could even hear the waves breaking on the rocks below.  Other than a desk and two uncomfortable looking chairs, there was nothing else in the room.  She raised an eyebrow at Annika.

“Very parsimonious,” she offered diplomatically.

Annika burst out a delicious laugh.

“Come,” she motioned and walked over to the stone wall.  She reached up and pushed on two bricks that immediately sank into the wall, and then she gave the wall a slight push and a door of stone swung inwards.  Kathryn followed her into the much larger room.  It was also curved, but the shape was closer to that of a crescent moon.  She turned and examined the furnishings.  The bed had obviously been made specifically to fit the dimensions of the room since the frame curved with the walls.  The desk and armoire had also been built to fit the architecture of the tower.  The chairs were more conventional in appearance.  There was a fireplace built into the outer wall and three large windows curved around the room. 

“It is beautiful,” she said finally.

Annika smiled.  “As are you,” she said.

In one motion, they had crossed the room and this time the embrace was punctuated with kisses that spoke of their separation and their joy at being reunited.

When Neelix knocked at the door several hours later, Kathryn and Annika were seated in front of the fire.

Captain Brady sat at the corner table in the tavern watching the antics of the patrons.  The Onion Peel wasn’t his normal choice of establishment.  He preferred fine foods, fine wine and, his nose wrinkled as a serving wench waltzed by, fine women.  The Onion Peel had none of these.  He twirled the rancid ale around in his mug as he pondered the seal tucked away in his pocket alongside the Letter of Marque.  He was here to recruit privateers for the kingdom of Tendara.  Brady hadn’t always been a privateer; he smiled wryly at himself, why didn’t he say it even if just to himself, he was a pirate plain and simple.  He flew under Giuseppe’s flag, but for all intents and purposes, he was nothing more than a lowly pirate.  He attacked ships, stole their goods, and made money off of their misfortune.  Of course Giuseppe retained most of the take but, Brady took a swig of the ale, he owed Giuseppe his life and would probably be working off the debt for the remainder of it.

He often wondered what had happened to the idealistic young man who had signed up for the Tendaran Navy, the same young man so proud to be assigned to His Majesty’s Ship Imperator.  He shook his head as the inevitable thoughts of his youth lead to the fateful day he had been court-martialed for mutiny.  He should have been ‘hung until dead’ as they called it, except Giuseppe had intervened and Brady was given a birth on The Bonny Bride.  Many years later, he was given command and, by then, there was nothing left of the young man who had first ran off to sea.  He was only now beginning to realize the strings Giuseppe had to pull in order to spare his life and still didn’t know the reasons why.  Alfred Hendrix, Brady’s first mate, sidled up to the table and into a chair.

“Any luck?” Brady asked over his mug.  Hendrix waved down a serving wench and didn’t answer until he had taken his first sip of ale.

“Bah,” he half spat, “this is awful.”  Then he took another big swill and wiped his mouth with the back of his arm.  “Aye, I had some luck, if you can call it that,” he said in a low voice.  He shot a furtive look around the room.  Satisfied no one was eavesdropping he leaned across the table, “I found a new one, goes by Jack Black.”  He waved an arm at Brady’s snicker.  “I know, but despite the name, he’s a hard ass.  Rumor around the town is he took a flute and is sailing her as his flagship.  He named her The Screaming Wench, which according to the folks around here is an apt naming.”

Brady’s mouth twisted in disgust.  Alfred shrugged.  “He just dropped anchor in the bay and sent a party ashore.  I talked up one of them on the docks.”  Brady looked up from his ale as Alfred stopped talking.  “It seems he is the man for our… mission.”  Brady raised a brow.  Hendrix shrugged.  “Apparently the man has an obsession with capturing the Cat.  A bit of bad blood between them it seems.  I couldn’t get much information out of the crewman.  According to him, it happened before he signed on with Black.”  Brady nodded.  He wasn’t surprised.  A pirate as successful as the Cat had accrued a number of enemies.  He numbered himself among them.  He would love to have the opportunity to give the woman her comeuppance.  But his duty left no room for personal vendettas.  Instead he had been sent to find someone who could, and would be willing to, hunt the woman down.  He still couldn’t believe that she had finagled her way into the Royal Navy.  She was up to something, he was sure, and he would love to know what it was.

“I sent an invitation to the illustrious Captain Black.  I figured it wouldn’t hurt to meet the man,” Alfred said, breaking into Brady’s thoughts.  Brady nodded.

“Good, that’s exactly what I would have done,” he said and ordered another ale.  It might be some time before Jack Black decided to show up.

Black patted his pocket where the Letter of Marque was tucked away.  He chuckled.  Now, he was officially sanctioned to carry out his pirating activities with impunity and, when it was all over, a promise of a more wealth than most men could imagine.  Little did his new patron know that he had higher, much higher, aspirations.  With the Cat out of the way, and the King’s gratitude, he would have the way open to reach the princess.  Once he had bedded Princess Annika and she had borne him a child, there would be no one who could stop him from taking the throne of Tendara for himself.  He smiled as he thought of the dynasty he planned to leave.  But now, he had plans to make.

Neelix frowned as a clinking came outside his window.  He pushed his chair away from the desk and crossed the room to peer out.  In the moonlight, on the grounds below, he could make out a shadowy figure.  He pushed the window open and leaned out to get a better look.  When he appeared, the figure moved out of the shadows.

“Captain Janeway,” he called out in surprise.

Janeway stepped closer to the castle wall.  “Neelix,” she whispered, “I need to see Annika.”

Neelix nodded and motioned to Janeway.  A few minutes later she was clambering over his windowsill. 

Neelix peered around the corner, then motioned to Janeway.  She quickly followed him down the hall and to the bottom of some stairs.  Then Neelix pulled her into a small room and closed the door behind them.   He led Janeway over to an ancient tapestry that hung from floor to ceiling on the wall.  He pushed the tapestry aside and then pointed to a nearly imperceptible lever.  Janeway gave the lever a pull and a door slid silently open. 

“I’ll wait for you here,” Neelix said then gave Janeway a slight push.  “Now go,” he told her.

Janeway gave Neelix a smile, then dove through the opening and up very narrow and very steep stairs.  At the top she found that there was a small hole that opened into the room.  She put her eye to the hole and peered inside.  Annika sat in a large upholstered chair in front of the fire.  Janeway smiled.  She never believed that she would ever find a love like she had with Annika.  Finally, she could wait no longer and she pressed against the hidden door and it swung into the room.  At the sound Annika spun and stretched out her hand, just in time she recognized her intruder and diverted her attack to the side.  Kathryn looked at the scorch mark on the wall then raised an eyebrow at Annika.  Annika shrugged.

“You should not surprise me,” she said solemnly, then launched herself across the room.  Kathryn staggered as Annika collided with her.  It was several minutes before they paused for breath.

“I did not expect to see you for several more days,” Annika said as she led Kathryn across the room. 

“You know I just can’t stay away from you,” Kathryn said with a grin.

Annika stepped back and looked into Kathryn’s face.

“Perhaps,” Annika said, “or perhaps you are getting ready to leave… for a long time.”

Kathryn looked away.  “And I’m getting ready to leave,” she confirmed.

“How long?” Annika asked.

Kathryn paced over to the windows and looked out over the ocean.  “I don’t know the answer to that,” she said finally, “There has been an increase in raider activity… ”

“In the Baranco shipping lanes,” Annika finished for her.  Kathryn nodded.  Annika stared intently at her love then.  Kathryn was hiding something, she could feel it.  Her mind raced as she processed the information. 

“You think Black is behind it,” she stated flatly as the pieces fell into place.

“I have no proof,” Kathryn equivocated.

“But you believe it,” Annika pressed.

Kathryn nodded.  Annika took a deep breath but she did not say more.  Kathryn knew as well as she did how dangerous Black was, and words would not change that.  If anyone could put an end to Black, it was Kathryn.

“So we have tonight?” Annika asked.

In answer Kathryn pulled Annika into her arms.  Later, as they lay wrapped around one another in the tangled sheets, Kathryn spoke.

“I want Naomi to stay here.” 

Annika stared up at the ceiling trying to keep fear from overwhelming her at Kathryn’s unexpected words.  She wanted to wrap Kathryn in her arms and never let her go.  She wanted to beg Kathryn to stay with her and forget about Black, to forget about the oath she swore to the navy.  She wanted to scream in frustration at the way fate had entwined her life with this woman who seemed to actively search out danger.  Instead she said, “I will take care of her until your return.”

That settled, Kathryn pulled Annika to her once more.  This time there was a hint of desperation as they made love.  Just as Annika was falling asleep, she heard Kathryn whisper in her ear, “I love you Annika, now and forever, don’t forget that.  I will always be yours.”

Annika reached across the bed and woke suddenly when her hand met empty space.  She sat up and looked around the room.  The only sign that Kathryn had been there was an indention in the pillow and the faint scent of the woman in the air.  Annika choked back a sob and padded to the window.  She could see the tall masts of a ship sailing from the harbor.  She needed no looking glass to know that it was Voyager on her way to confront Black.

Naomi leaned against the window edge and gazed mournfully out at the sea.  The view suited her mood, she thought, all grey and gloomy.  She wondered for the hundredth time what she had done wrong that Captain Janeway had banished her from the ship, from the only place she had ever really known as home.  Thunder rumbled in the distance and black clouds rolled across the sky.  Naomi flinched.  Apparently the princess wasn’t too happy either.  In fact, the sun had not shone since Voyager had pulled out of port.  She fingered the twist of rope B’Elanna had given her and counted the knots again.  One knot for every day Voyager had been gone.  Two hundred and thirty four knots, twice as many as she and Princess Annika had expected. 

The bells peeled for several minutes before Naomi realized what she was hearing.  It could only mean one thing.  She sighed deeply then tugged the door open and began the arduous trip down the stairs.  At the bottom, she was met with the mournful silence of the palace servants filling the hall.  She wove her way across the room until she found Neelix.  He looked down when he felt a small hand ease into his. 

“I heard the bells,” Naomi said quietly.

 
Neelix nodded.  “The king has passed away,” he confirmed.

King Kaitan had fallen ill shortly after Voyager had left.  In fact, shortly after Princess Annika had found out that the king had contracted Black to remove the menace of the Cat.  Naomi still shuddered to remember the confrontation.  The very foundations of the castle had trembled when the princess had found out.  Naomi, and the entire castle, was left in no doubt that the princess was angry.

“You hired Black to hunt down Kathryn,” Annika snarled as she stood glaring up at her father.

“I did,” King Kaitan snapped, “and if you had any sense you would thank me for it.”

“Thank you?” Annika asked in disbelief, “Thank you for giving that… that monster free reign under the flag of Tendara?”

“He will rid us of a menace and we won’t have to worry about that woman again,” Kaitan said, sitting back in his chair, considering the conversation finished.

Annika stood in disbelief for a moment, then in a very quiet voice said, “I met a boy named Isok while I was… away.  He had been a cabin boy on a ship taken by your Captain Black.  In Black’s care he was repeatedly raped and beaten.”

“That’s all hearsay,” Kaitan snapped.

“No Father, it is not,” Annika looked squarely at her parents.  “You see I too was a guest of Captain Black.  I was forced to watch as he raped that child.  Then everything he demonstrated on Isok, he did to me.”  Annika gritted her teeth to prevent a sob from escaping then proceeded to relate all that had happened to her at the hand of Black.  Kaitan and his wife sat in horrified silence as she finished.

The next day Kaitan feel ill.  Some who had heard the tale said it was because of his horror and regret at what he had done.  Other, more vicious whispers, said that the princess was using her powers to make the king ill.  Whatever the cause of the king’s illness, nothing the physicians did seemed to help.  Now it seemed, nothing ever would as the bells peeled out the news, the king is dead, the king is dead.

The next few weeks passed in a blur.  The funeral, followed by the coronation of the new queen of Tendara, filled every waking moment at the castle.  Finally Naomi was able to return to her vigil from the queen’s tower, as it was now known.  Two hundred and fifty-five days, she counted.  Naomi shivered at the chill that filled the room.  Winter had come early this year.  She didn’t turn as the door opened then closed behind her.  Annika walked over and rested a gentle hand on Naomi’s shoulder.

“Will they ever come home,” Naomi asked plaintively.

“I can only believe that they will return one day,” Annika said softly, “And when they do they will find us waiting for them.”

Seven flipped the page, then blinked in surprise.  There was nothing more written in the journal.  She frowned as she considered the implications.  She surmised that the young Naomi of Tendara had written the journal, but she did not understand why the writings stopped.  Regardless of the fate of Voyager, Naomi had been safe, so the journal should have continued.  The only explanation, she concluded, given what she had learned on the planet, was that Voyager never returned and something must have happened to Naomi.

Seven’s stomach clenched as she imagined how she would feel if she was left behind as her own Voyager and its captain continued its journey to the Alpha Quadrant.  A disturbing feeling spread throughout her body as she dwelled on the possibility.  She swallowed hard, I am Borg, I am Borg, she chanted.  Fear is irrelevant, loneliness is irrelevant, she tried to wall away the feelings threatening to overwhelm her.  From somewhere came the thought, I am irrelevant.  The conflux of emotions was threatening to overwhelm her cortical implant.  If I do not shut these emotions down, I will malfunction, Seven thought desperately.

Janeway looked up, startled when Seven snapped the journal shut with a bang.

“Seven,” she began, but Seven cut her off.

“I need to regenerate,” Seven said in stilted Borg tones as she stood abruptly.

Janeway looked on helplessly as Seven marched away.  At the door, Seven stopped but did not turn. 

“We will talk later Kathryn,” Seven said, then stepped into the corridor.

Janeway let her breath out in a great whoosh as the door closed behind her astrometrics officer.  She had promised herself that she would not push Seven, but she had not realized how hard it would be to keep that promise.  She wanted to run after the young woman, to ask her how she felt about what she had read, how it was going to affect them.  She wanted to look into Seven’s eyes and ask if Seven could love her in this lifetime, as she had in this mysterious past lifetime.

Instead she got up and replicated a glass of whiskey, straight, and returned to contemplating the stars outside her viewport.

Seven stalked away from the captain’s cabin, and tried to comprehend the myriad of emotions.  Fear and anger, she decided, were the primary emotions.  She was having difficulty separating herself from the Annika in the journal.  She was angry that Kathryn had left her for such a dangerous mission to never return.  Underneath the anger was fear.  Seven was afraid that the parallels between that Voyager and this Voyager were meant as premonitions.  Seven did not think she could live without Kathryn.  And even farther below was her fear for Naomi.  Seven had made few friends on Voyager, in part, she knew, because she had chosen not to.  She had been content to limit her social circle to the doctor, Naomi, and the captain.  Now, in the space of a few hours, she was forced to consider a future without any of them.  Gratefully she reached the cargo bay and the oblivion of regeneration.

Chakotay looked up as the door slid open to the Mess Hall.  Captain Janeway stood on the threshold looking hesitant.  Finally she stepped in and walked over.

“Do you mind Commander?” she asked, gesturing at the empty chair across from him.

“Not at all Captain,” Chakotay answered cheerfully.  “I was just finishing up some reports, but I’m always happy to have an excuse to put them aside for a bit.”

Janeway chuckled.  “I can empathize,” she said, then gratefully grabbed the mug of steaming coffee that Neelix sat in front of her.

“Ah,” she sighed, after taking a sip.

Chakotay took the opportunity to observe the captain.  As usual, she was dressed in a crisp uniform, without a hair out of place.  But there were dark circles under her eyes and a wrinkle in her brow that usually indicated she was fighting one of her headaches.

“Rough night?” he ventured giving the captain the opportunity to talk to him, or not, as she chose. 

Janeway gave him a wry smile, “You could say that,” she replied.

He raised an eyebrow and Janeway opened her mouth, then closed it with a snap as the door slid open and Seven of Nine stepped in the Mess Hall.

“Maybe later, if you’ll excuse me Commander,” she said instead and stood without waiting for his reply and went to meet Seven.

Seven’s gaze landed on Janeway as soon as she stepped into the room.  She was grateful that the captain was coming to meet her, she did not wish to socialize with anyone.  Janeway stopped in front of Seven and touched her lightly on the arm.

“Are you all right?” she asked in a low voice.

Seven looked down at the hand on her arm and then into Janeway’s face.

“I am functioning within normal parameters,” she replied stiffly and Janeway winced internally.

“Would you like to sit and eat,” Janeway asked, “or… ”

“That would be acceptable,” Seven answered quickly.

Chakotay watched as the two women moved across the room and chose a table in the corner.  The captain was watching Seven with concern and, Chakotay thought, a bit of fear.  No, fear wasn’t the right word, unease perhaps.  Seven walked stiffly, and though that wasn’t unusual, Chakotay had come to know the woman well enough to tell that she was agitated about something.  He suppressed a sigh.  The clash of wills between the two women was infamous and he usually tried to find someplace else to be when things came to a head.  He wondered if they were going to have one of their confrontations here and, if so, could he manage to leave before it got started.

He pulled the stack of PADDs over and resumed his work.  He was the captain’s second, and she was worried about something so, however much he detested it, he would stay around in case she needed some support, moral or otherwise.  For as much as she would never admit it, conflict with Seven disturbed her.  For a moment he pondered just why that was, but then the reports drew his attention and he put the thought aside.

As they took their seats, Janeway watched Seven’s face carefully for some sign of what she might be thinking.  Seven sat in silence staring out the viewport, however, and seemed unwilling to broach the subject or to even look at her.  It wasn’t until after Neelix had brought them both a plate of food and refilled the captain’s mug that Seven looked across the table.

“Kathryn… Captain… Kathryn… ” she stopped, closed her eyes briefly then opened them again and looked into Janeway’s eyes.  “I do not know how to… I do not know what to… what is the protocol for this situation?” she asked finally in desperation.

Janeway gave an internal sigh of relief.  Seven asking for her advice was a good sign, she had feared that Seven would close herself off until she had processed the entire situation, which would have driven me crazy, Kathryn admitted to herself.

“There is no protocol for this Seven,” she said gently and clenched her hands around her mug to keep from reaching out and grabbing Seven’s hands. 

Seven nodded then without preamble, “I am angry.”

Janeway nodded.  “I can tell you’re upset,” she acknowledged.  “Why are you angry?” she asked carefully, unsure that she was the right person to talk Seven through this.

Seven frowned and looked out the viewport.  If this keeps up, Janeway thought as the silence drug on, we’ll be back in the Alpha Quadrant before anything gets resolved. 

She was startled when Seven pushed back from the table and stood.  “I cannot talk to you here,” she announced looking around at the slowly filling room.  Janeway stood quickly.  “All right, how about we go to my quarters?  We won’t be disturbed there.”  Seven nodded and headed for the exit.  Following in Seven’s wake, Janeway paused by Chakotay’s table. 

“Commander, if you don’t mind could you take my shift.  There are some things I need to take care of today,” Janeway said casually.  Chakotay managed not to shift his gaze to Seven waiting impatiently at the door as he nodded.  “Not a problem Captain.”

“What’s up with the princess,” B’Elanna asked sitting down across from Chakotay.

He shrugged.  “I don’t know, but whatever it is, it’s serious enough for the captain to take the day off.”

B’Elanna’s eyes widened.  “Really?” she said in amazement and gave a speculative look at the closing door.  It had something to do with the reception they had received on the planet, she was willing to bet a month’s worth of replicator rations.  Harry had told her and Tom what had happened, and she had been on the bridge when the captain had left the night before with the book the delegates from the planet had given her.  B’Elanna chewed her lip.  She would love to find out what was in that book. 

Maybe she would spend some time playing tour guide today, see just what the king and his lieutenant had to say.

Janeway walked patiently beside Seven as they traversed the corridors to her cabin.  Once inside she turned, “Would you like something to drink?” 

Seven raised an eyebrow.  “We just consumed nutritional substances,” she replied. 

Janeway rubbed her hand across her brow then answered patiently.  “I know that Seven, it’s just a human custom.  Often it’s easier to talk if you have something to… occupy your hands.”

“I do not see the point,” Seven stated flatly, then stalked restlessly about the room.  Finally she turned and faced Janeway.

“I do not want to be alone again,” she stated without emotion, “I do not wish to be severed from this collective.”

Janeway blinked, the direction of the conversation taking her by surprise.  “I don’t know of any reason why you would be… severed from this collective,” she replied cautiously, unsure exactly what Seven meant.

“In the… journal… ” Seven spat with distaste, “you left me.”

“Seven,” Janeway said choosing her words carefully, “the events in the journal happened to different people.  However much they resembled us, they were not us.  We are not the Kathryn and Annika from Tendara.”

Seven glared at Janeway for a moment then stomped to the replicator, as Janeway watched bemused.  Seven turned back and held a long sword in either hand.

“Ah, Seven… ” Janeway muttered.

“Do you have any experience with these weapons?” Seven asked.

“Seven, I don’t see… ”

“Do you have any experience with these weapons?” Seven asked again, more forcefully.

“No, I don’t,” Janeway said more abruptly than she intended.

Seven nodded.  “I have the collective memories of over 2,098 individuals who used these weapons either recreationally or professionally.  Therefore, I should be able to easily overcome you.”

With that, she tossed a sword across the room, and Janeway had just caught it when Seven attacked.  Without thought, Janeway brought the sword up, parried the blow, reposted, recovered, then froze in mid-attack.  Seven stood looking down at Janeway.  “I make my point,” she said as Janeway let the sword drop from her hand.

“This doesn’t change anything,” she declared hoarsely.  “We make our own choices, and whatever the strange connection between us and them, we are individuals.  And I refuse to believe that the outcome of our life is predetermined.  And I certainly won’t be influenced by a diary written five centuries ago.”

“So nothing that you read has changed how you perceive your life now?” Seven asked in a soft voice.

Janeway looked up alerted by the change in tone.  “What are you asking Seven?”

When Seven didn’t answer she stepped across the room until she was looking straight up into Seven’s eyes.  “What are you asking me Seven?” she asked again, unwilling to reply until she knew that Seven was ready to hear the answer.

Seven looked down into the blue-grey eyes.  Anger and fear warred with another emotion.  She tried to separate all of the feelings, to sort out what she felt, but was unable to decipher what she felt beyond unabated terror.  So she reached out to the one thing that she most feared losing.

As Seven’s arms came around her, Janeway felt relief wash over her.  The one thing she had feared above all others was that Seven would turn away from her, so she wrapped her arms around the younger woman.  This isn’t over yet, she reminded herself, but that didn’t stop her from holding Seven tight.

“Promise me,” Seven whispered hoarsely in Kathryn’s ear.

“What?” Kathryn asked, confused.

“Promise me,” Seven said again more forcefully, “promise me.”

Janeway could hear the fear tingeing Seven’s words and knew the woman was on the verge of hysteria.  Seven angry, Seven arrogant, Seven brusque, rude, or demanding, any of these she could handle, but Seven afraid tore at her heart like nothing else and so Kathryn did the only thing she knew.  She reached up and pulled Seven away from her so she was looking deep into her eyes.  It was imperative that Seven understood.

“I promise Seven,” she said huskily, “Anything, anything at all, I swear to you.”

Then, to Kathryn’s shock, tears began to run down Seven’s cheeks. 

“I need you Kathryn,” Seven cried, “do not leave me.”

“Shh,” Kathryn cooed, and drew the young woman to the couch.  As they sank onto the settee, she pulled Seven closer and rocked her back and forth.

“Shh, Seven, I won’t leave you, ever,” Janeway promised, and knew as she spoke that it was the truth.  Nothing could ever make her walk away from this woman.  Not now.  Reading the journal had brought her face to face with her own fears and desires, and had opened her eyes to how short and sweet life really was and, more significantly, showed her what was most important in her life now.  Seven had her heart and soul and though she had thought she had loved in the past, waiting and watching while Seven read the journal had given her time to come to the realization that those loves were mere shadows of what she felt for this woman.  And she knew that would never change, whether or not Seven ever fully reciprocated her feelings.

Janeway kept stroking Seven’s back as she whispered reassurances in the young woman’s ear.  Finally Seven’s tears slowed and they sat curled together on the couch, unspeaking, until the day drew into evening.

Chakotay tapped his combadge.

“Yes Captain,” he replied to her hail.

“I hate to ask you Commander, but… ” Janeway’s voice broke off over the com.

“But it’s taking longer to deal with things than you expected,” Chakotay offered.

He could hear the wry smile in Janeway’s voice.  “You could say that Commander,” she replied.

“Not a problem Captain.  Take all the time you need,” he answered cheerfully. 

“About the Tendaran delegation,” Janeway began.

“I wouldn’t worry about that Captain,” Chakotay said.  “B’Elanna has been playing hostess, and Tom and Harry have been helping,” he paused, then continued, “I did speak to King George earlier today and I got the impression that he rather expected it to take several days or more before you were able to meet with him again.”  If he was hoping to get more information from his captain, he was disappointed.

“I see,” was all Janeway said.  “In that case I’ll leave you to it,” she replied, “Janeway out.”

Chakotay shrugged as the com went dead.  He hadn’t really expected any information from that front, but there were other sources of information.  He whistled as he strode through the ship to look for B’Elanna, Tom and Harry. 

Kathryn sat with her back propped against a pillow and gently stroked Seven’s head.  Seven was stretched out beside her with her head in Kathryn’s lap, and the covers of the bed were pulled up to her shoulders.  It had been late when she had convinced Seven to come and lay on the bed with her.  Seven had protested that she did not need to sleep, but they had barely settled in, when her eyes closed and her breathing became heavy.  Reluctant to disturb her, Kathryn had sat like this most of the night, watching as the ex-Borg slept.  She wandered vaguely if Seven had ever slept before.  Silly question, she thought, of course she’s slept before, just not since becoming Borg. 

Seven opened her eyes and felt a moment of disorientation, then she remembered the events of the past day.  She took a moment to get her bearings and realized she was lying in Kathryn’s lap.  She tilted her head up and looked into the face of her captain, sleeping with her chin resting against her chest.  The dark circles that were evident yesterday, now stood out starkly on the pale face.  Seven felt a surge of guilt.  Kathryn, she knew, had not slept in nearly three days, and it was because of her and her fear.  I am Borg, she thought forcefully as she tried to push aside her fear and confusion.  Kathryn needed time to regenerate and Seven was determined that she would not be disturbed.  Slowly she shifted away, and then froze when Kathryn mumbled in her sleep.  She watched for a minute, determined that she had not woken the woman, and then continued moving.  Once free, she carefully lifted the captain and placed her in a reclining position on the bed.  Kathryn blinked sleepily.

“Seven?” she mumbled, reaching out her hand.  Seven caught the hand, gave it a quick squeeze then slid it under the blanket as she pulled it up to cover her captain. 

“It is all right Kathryn,” she said quietly, “go back to sleep.”  Kathryn half nodded and then snuggled deeper into the blankets.  Seven felt unaccountably pleased when a soft snore followed, then she crept out of the bedroom and into the sitting room of the cabin.

She left the bedroom door open and sat quietly, taking time to process all the information she had accumulated.  Though she still felt uneasy, the fear she had felt earlier had abated.  The near panic had given away to apprehension, which was, she decided, manageable, if not agreeable.

Feeling more like her normal self, she began to analyze the situation in search of answers to her emotional responses to the contents of the journal.

When Janeway emerged from the bedroom, it was with heavy eyes and sleep tousled hair.  Seven was working at the console and looked up when Kathryn entered the room. 

“Have you fully regenerated?” she asked doubtfully.

Janeway raised an eyebrow at the phrase.

“Not quite, but enough for now,” she replied and gratefully retrieved a mug of coffee from the replicator.  “You seem better,” she offered tentatively.

Seven nodded.  “I have had the opportunity to analyze my reactions,” she said in way of response.

“Oh?” Janeway said.  Then, when it didn’t appear Seven would expound, she prompted, “And what are your conclusions?”

Seven looked up.  “I have concluded that my emotional attachment to you prompted a fear response at the thought of the possibility of existence without you,” she replied coolly, then turned her attention back to the workstation.

“Your emotional attachment?” Janeway began, then, in exasperation, “Seven, what are you working on?” 

Seven looked up again and raised an eyebrow.  “Yes, emotional attachment Kathryn,” she said patiently, as if Janeway was a particularly obtuse child, “The feeling that I believe you refer to as love.  As for what I am working on, I have several hypotheses that would explain Naomi Wildman’s condition and I am running various scenarios in order to determine which one is most likely.”

Janeway took a moment to digest Seven’s words then “Oh” was all she could say as the import hit her.

“Oh,” she said again and then grinned.  “Oh!”

Seven looked up with a bemused expression as Janeway stared at her with a happy grin.

“Kathryn?” Seven asked, puzzlement clear in her voice.

Janeway shook her head to clear it, then stepped closer, set her coffee cup on the desk and dropped to one knee bringing her face closer to Seven’s.  She took the blonde’s hand in her own.

“I’ve never had such a clinical declaration of love before,” she said with a smile then, at Seven’s concerned look, quickly added, “It’s okay Seven.  It’s who you are and… who I have my own emotional attachment to.”

“Your own emotional attachment Kathryn?”

“Yes, Seven,” Kathryn said softly, “I love you too.”  With that she leaned forward and placed a soft, somewhat chaste, kiss on Seven’s lips.  Then she pulled back and up, giving Seven’s hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it.

“Kathryn?” Seven said softly, following the captain’s retreat.

Kathryn waved a hand.  “Go ahead and work Seven,” she called out, “I’m just going to hit the shower,” and she disappeared into the bathroom.

A few moments later Seven heard Kathryn singing off key through the open door.  She let out a sigh.  This felt, she decided, very comfortable, and then with a hint of a smile that few people had ever seen, she turned back to her work.

Chakotay realized his mouth was hanging open and he closed it with a snap. 

“You have got to be kidding me,” he said with disbelief.

B’Elanna shook her head.  “No kidding Chakotay.  I got it straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.”

Chakotay looked at Tom and Harry, but saw only their nods of agreement.

Chakotay turned back to B’Elanna.  “Let me get this straight,” he said, “Nearly half a millennium ago there was a queen named Annika and a sea captain named Kathryn Janeway.  This Captain Janeway’s ship was named Voyager and all the crew on that ship had our names,” he paused, and B’Elanna, Tom and Harry all nodded. 

Chakotay took a deep breath and continued, “The captain of this ship went after a pirate by the name of Black and never returned.  The queen, somehow or another, sent the entire planet into an ice age,” Chakotay paused again and cocked an eyebrow at B’Elanna.  Any minute now she was going to burst out laughing about how they were just jerking his chain.  Instead, B’Elanna nodded with wide eyes.

“Exactly,” she said.

“And this journal?” Chakotay asked.

B’Elanna ran her fingers through her hair.  “Well this is where it starts getting confusing,” she admitted.

“According to the lieutenant, the journal was written by Voyager’s cabin girl.”

“Naomi,” Chakotay supplied.

B’Elanna nodded, “Naomi,” she agreed then continued, “but for some reason, on this last voyage, the captain made Naomi stay behind, so no one knows what happened to Voyager, except that she never returned.”

“There were several hypotheses,” Harry supplied when B’Elanna shot him a look of desperation.

“Such as?” Chakotay prompted.

Harry shrugged, “Well, this did happen a long time ago, so we’re not sure when exactly these hypotheses were developed,” he paused and Chakotay nodded.  “The primary hypothesis,” Harry continued, “is that Voyager was lost at sea.  A second hypothesis is that Voyager met up with the Screaming Wench… ah, that is it met up with Black’s ship and was destroyed in the conflict.  But that would imply that Black was successful and, as far as they have been able to find in their histories, Black was never seen again.  So, that discounts that theory.  A third theory is that Voyager either got blown off course or, for other reasons, kept sailing west and ended up on the large continent across the ocean.  Once there, the captain and crew decided to stay, and were the first settlers.  There is some evidence that Tendaran settlers were present on the continent at about the right time, but no conclusive proof that it was Voyager’s crew.  From there,” Harry said, spreading his hands in front of him, “the hypotheses get wilder.”

“Wilder?” Chakotay said in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Tom chipped.  “Like Janeway and Black hooked up and ran off together or that Voyager and crew reached Greindar, or… ” 

“Greindar?” Chakotay interrupted.

“Some kind of Shangri-la, as far as we can tell,” B’Elanna supplied.  “I’m not sure if it’s a real or mythical place though, neither the king nor his lieutenant would talk about it very much,” she said apologetically.

Chakotay sat back as he processed this unusual information, then sat up again.  “What about Queen Annika and Naomi?” he asked, “They weren’t on Voyager, so there must be some record of them.

B’Elanna frowned.  “That’s were it gets really confusing,” she said slowly.  “And actually, it was Queen Seven, yeah, I know,” she said at Chakotay’s shocked expression, “It seems that every queen or king changes their name when they are coronated and Annika changed her name to Seven.  Get this… because she was the seventh queen with the birth name Annika, and,” B’Elanna continued, “there have been two more Annikas to take the throne since then, making her the seventh of nine Annikas to wear the crown.”

“Yeah, real creepy,” Tom voiced with a shudder.

“Anyway,” B’Elanna shook her head, as if clearing away a bad thought, “as I told you, the planet went into an ice age, but it started at Tendara and spread from there.  Everyone attributed it to the queen, because legend has it that she had unusual powers, but she disappears from all records about a year after Voyager left Tendara.  The journal ended around the time of the queen’s coronation and no one has ever found mention of the name ‘Naomi Wildman’ anywhere, except in the journal.”

“This could all just be one big story, made up around a campfire on a cold night,” Chakotay said, firmly ignoring the hair standing up on his arms.

“Well, yes, but… they have this,” B’Elanna said and pushed a PADD at Chakotay.  He picked it up curiously and saw it was a picture of a painting.  The title read, ‘Queen Seven.’  The subject was a beautiful, blonde woman that bore an unmistakable resemblance to Seven of Nine.  He touched the PADD and looked up. 

“What is this mark,” he said gesturing to a splash of color over the woman’s left eye.

“A tattoo, to mark the royal heir,” Harry supplied, “in the exact place and shape as… ”

“Seven’s implant,” Chakotay finished.

“A tradition that was discontinued a hundred years or so ago,” B’Elanna said.

Chakotay set the PADD down, “This doesn’t prove anything, they’ve seen Seven and could have generated this to… support their story.”

“They could have,” Harry agreed.  “We haven’t had a chance to examine the actual painting, but Commander, they have never seen Naomi,” he said, and thumbed the PADD to change the image.  Chakotay stared down at the picture, this one was titled ‘Queen and Child.’  The same elegant woman sat in the picture, but this time she was accompanied by a young girl that looked pensively into the distance, as if she was unaware that she was being painted.  The young girl was undoubtedly Naomi Wildman.

Chakotay sat back and ran his fingers through his hair.  “So I assume the book that King George gave to the captain was a copy of this journal,” he said.

When the three crewmembers nodded, he let out a sigh, “So the captain has read it, and so has Seven of Nine.  What I don’t understand is, why they were both, or at least Seven was, so upset about its contents?”

“Ah, well,” B’Elanna cleared her throat. 

“They were in love,” Tom blurted out.  He had been holding that information in for nearly an entire day and it was a relief to get to tell someone.

Chakotay blinked a couple of times, but he was not a slow man and the implications were almost immediately clear.  He gave the trio a sharp look.  “Keep this to yourself,” he commanded.  The three nodded in unison, and Chakotay pushed away from the table, purposefully leaving the room.  Once he reached the empty corridor, he let out a deep breath, now he knew why the captain had locked herself away with Seven for the past twenty-four hours.  He knew that if half of what he had been told, about the contents of the journal, were true, that Seven would have decided that her life on this Voyager must shadow the life of the Seven in the journal.  That, in turn, would lead her to logically conclude that she would somehow become separated from Voyager and her crew. And he knew that, whether Seven and the captain had ever admitted it to themselves, let alone one another, their emotional ties ran deep.  He let out another sigh.  Experience had taught him that the only thing worse than having to deal with an angry ex-Borg, was having to deal with an emotionally distraught ex-Borg, but it was his duty to at least offer.  He tapped his combadge.

“Go ahead Chakotay,” Janeway’s voice came clearly across the com.

“I just wanted to check in with you Captain,” Chakotay said.  “Ah, I have… that is, I know that… well I thought if… ” he broke off lamely, and hoped the captain understood his cryptic words.  Janeway smiled, she could always count on Chakotay to find out if there was some kind of near crisis.  She wondered if it was intuition or simply a good information network.  She shook her head. 

“Thanks Commander, but I think… ” she turned and looked at Seven, still bent over the console, “I think we’re going to be fine.”

“Right then, have a good night Captain,” Chakotay said, hiding his relief.

Naomi slowly realized that water no longer splashed under her feet and the fog had disappeared.  She stumbled to a halt and looked around in wonderment.  The lagoon shone like sapphires, and the sand was so white it looked like snow.  The beach was edged with towering dunes.  On the other side of the dunes, she could see palms swaying in the gentle breeze and, farther away, rugged mountains stood vigil.  She turned slowly in place, then started walking down the beach and, though she walked normally, each stepped covered yards of ground.  Soon she had rounded the curve of the beach and she froze in surprise.  A tall blonde man was wading in the water with a spear; another man was perched in the top of a coconut tree and tossing the fruit to a woman standing below.  Further up the beach she saw an auburn-haired woman talking to a tall, dark-skinned man.  She gasped as her protesting lungs insisted that she breathe.  Then she began to run.

“Captain Janeway,” she called as she ran.  The woman turned and raised an eyebrow when she saw the child running towards her.  Naomi panted to a halt in front of the captain.  “I’ve been looking and looking for you,” she exclaimed.

The captain frowned.  “You shouldn’t be here Naomi,” she said in a concerned voice.

“But I’ve been looking for you for so long,” Naomi said, then, looking around, she frowned.  “Where’s Seven,” she asked.  She didn’t see the look of pain that crossed the captain’s face.

“Naomi,” Janeway said firmly, “you can’t stay here, you must go back.  Go back to Tendara.”

Naomi peered up at Janeway, then looked into Tuvok’s face.  She frowned and began to back away.  “You aren’t my Captain Janeway, are you?” she asked, trying to hide her fear.

Janeway and Tuvok exchanged glances.  “What do you mean?” Tuvok asked calmly.

Naomi turned to face the man.  “You aren’t my Tuvok either,” she accused.  “Where am I?  Where is Voyager?” Naomi asked in a tight voice.

She jumped back as Janeway reached a hand out to her.  “I won’t hurt you Naomi,” Janeway said softly, “I’m sorry you’re lost, we’re lost too.”

Naomi considered the captain’s words for a minute, then tilted her head to the side.  “I don’t know how to get home,” she said blinking back tears.  Janeway reached out again and, this time, Naomi rushed into the woman’s arms. 

Janeway stepped into the conference room with an air of confidence that belied the feeling of apprehension rolling through her stomach.  King George and Lt. Dhame were already seated and chatting with B’Elanna, Tom and Harry.  Chakotay and Tuvok came in behind her, followed, a moment later, by Seven.  The captain gave Seven a measured look, but was careful not to stare too long.  She looked well enough, Janeway thought.

Seven had just come from Cargo Bay Two, where she had spent the morning regenerating.  She took her seat and nodded to the king and his lieutenant.  She had debated about including the entire senior staff in this meeting.  It felt too… personal somehow, but she managed to control her trepidation. 

Janeway carefully sat the journal on the table.  “Your Majesty, Lieutenant,” she acknowledged.

King George tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.  “Did you find the journal… enlightening?” he asked politely, but was unable to hide the gleam in his eye.

Janeway suppressed a snort.  “You might say that,” she said, “however, I fail to see what I… we’re supposed to do with this information.”

“Ah, yes,” the king said, in what Janeway was sure a sheepish tone, “the journal is only a part of the information Captain.”

“There’s more?” Janeway asked, in what she feared was close to a yelp.

“We had hoped, Captain, that once you had the relevant background information, you would understand, and perhaps be sympathetic to our plight.  In short, we want to ask you for your help.”

Janeway looked around the table and saw that her senior staff was just as confused as she was, except for Seven; however, who was nodding as if everything the king said made perfect sense.

“I don’t mean to be obtuse Your Majesty,” Janeway said, “but exactly what kind of help do you need?”

The king looked at the captain in surprise, “Why, to bring the original Voyager home of course.”

Janeway gratefully reached the haven of her ready room.  The meeting with King George and Lt. Dhame had continued for nearly three hours while they filled her and her staff in on the rest of the ‘minor’ details.  She jumped at the chime and quickly took her seat behind the desk.

“Come,” she called.

Chakotay stepped through the door and came to stand in front of the desk.  Janeway waved a hand and he sat down in the chair.

“Well?” she asked.

Chakotay knew exactly what she was asking.  He shook his head.  “I know it sounds preposterous Captain, but stranger things have happened,” he supplied.

Chakotay watched as Janeway got up and restlessly paced around the ready room.  “But these prophesies,” she spat out finally, “surely you have to think they’re farfetched.”

Chakotay shrugged, “I’m from a people that go on spirit quests Captain.  It isn’t a far leap of faith to believe that there are true prophecies.”

Janeway sat back down in her chair abruptly.  “Chakotay,” she said, turning the full force of her gaze on him, “I spent the better part of two days convincing Seven that we are individuals, that we control our own destinies, and that the journal was not some statement of how our lives would turn out.  Now, you are saying I should accept the fact that these prophesies say we are the answer to saving their world from a curse inadvertently placed on it by a heartbroken queen?”

Troubled, Chakotay looked away.  Then, choosing his words with care, “What I am saying, Captain, is that it is possible that these prophecies may have some merit.”  He quickly put up a hand before she could interrupt him.  “Please Captain, hear me out.”  At Janeway’s curt nod he continued.  “That does not mean that our destiny is chosen.  We can choose to leave here and never think of Tendara again, or we can choose to stay and see if we can help.  It may be enough that they believe in them,” he finished.

Janeway pushed back in her chair and studied the bulkhead.  Chakotay wondered if he should add that this may be their only hope for finding out what was wrong with Naomi, but managed to hold his tongue.  “I need to think about this Commander,” Janeway finally said softly.  Chakotay took his cue and exited the ready room.

It was nearly 2200 hours when Janeway finally left her ready room and headed for her quarters.  She paused in surprise as she stepped through the door.  Despite their earlier conversation, Janeway had not expected the young woman to return to her quarters.  Not that I’m complaining, she thought, as she drank in the sight of Seven sitting at the console working.

“It is late,” Seven stated unnecessarily.  Janeway took a deep breath as a dozen different responses whirled through her mind. 

“I lost track of time,” she settled on finally.  Seven nodded and powered down the console.  “You have had nutritional supplements?” she asked as Kathryn retrieved a cup of coffee from the replicator.  Kathryn looked across the room at Seven’s quizzical expression. 

“Ah, no,” she replied, looking down into her cup, then back across the room at Seven.  With a sigh, she set the cup aside and replicated a plate of food, then gathered the plate and coffee and moved across the room to sit next to Seven at the desk.  Seven didn’t comment on Kathryn’s concession, but a slight gleam appeared in her eyes.  Kathryn took a bite of food, and was soon surprised to find she had cleaned her plate. 

“I guess I was hungrier than I realized,” she said ruefully. 

“You should regenerate now,” Seven said. 

“And what about you?” 

“I regenerated earlier today,” Seven stated formally.

“So… you’re going to work?” Kathryn asked cautiously.  Seven frowned as she considered Kathryn’s words. 

“You wish for me to leave,” she stated, and started to rise. 

“No,” Kathryn said quickly, “No, I want you to stay… with me.”  She held out her hand and, after a moment, Seven took it and followed her to bed.

Kathryn opened her eyes and took a moment to realize why she felt so bereft.  She had fallen asleep wrapped in Seven’s arms, but now the young woman was nowhere to be seen. 

“Seven,” Kathryn called out, but no answer came from the outer room.  “Computer, locate Seven of Nine.” 

“Seven of Nine is in hydroponics,” the computer replied coolly.  With a sigh, Kathryn pushed the covers back and crawled out of bed.  In the turbolift, Kathryn queried the computer again. 

“Seven of Nine is in research lab two,” came the even reply. 

Once Kathryn was assured that all was well on the bridge, she retired to her ready room.  She pulled a PADD over, but found that her mind refused to focus on it.  Instead, she stared off into space as she mulled over the events of the past few days.  After Seven’s declaration of love the morning before, they had not discussed their feelings or their expectations.  An omission that Janeway found particularly annoying.  Then, last night, Seven had been waiting in her quarters, as if that was exactly where she belonged.  Janeway snorted at herself.  It was exactly where she wanted Seven to be, but still, without prior agreement, she found it disconcerting. 

“Computer, locate Seven of Nine.” 

“Seven of Nine is in Sickbay.”  Janeway frowned.  Seven had apparently decided that the parameters of their relationship included scolding Janeway for coming home late and not eating, not that it had been much of a scolding, but all the same, Janeway thought.  And, it included accessing the captain’s quarters at will.  And it included sharing the captain’s bed.  And though falling asleep wrapped in Seven’s arms had certainly been delightful, it had also left a bit to be desired.  I am being a fool, Kathryn thought and palmed the PADD.  What I really need to be doing is working, helping the doctor discover what is wrong with Naomi.  Janeway worked for several minutes before a thought interrupted.  Oh god, what if Seven remains content with a platonic relationship, and she shuddered in horror. 

“Computer, locate Seven of Nine.” 

“Seven of Nine is in hydroponics.” 

Janeway shoved away from the desk, she needed a change of scenery.  If she sat in this room much longer, she would go insane, so she grabbed the PADD and trucked off to the Mess Hall.  Seated at a table in the corner, she turned her attention to Naomi’s dilemma.  She scoured the doctor’s reports twice making a short list of notes on information she felt needed some follow up.   It was with a smug sense of satisfaction that she thumbed to the next set of reports, from Chakotay and Tuvok, referencing the issue with the Tendarans.  She had managed to work an entire hour without asking for Seven’s whereabouts.  Of course, the captain didn’t admit to herself that it was because of the very public place she had chosen to work.  She was halfway through Tuvok’s report, when Seven’s voice came across the com. 

“Seven of Nine to Captain Janeway.” 

Janeway slapped her combadge so hard that she winced as it tried to embed itself into her chest.  Really this is ridiculous, she thought and tried not to sound breathless as she replied, “Go ahead Seven.”

“Captain, I require your presence in Sickbay,” Seven’s disembodied voice sounded. 

“On my way,” Janeway said, already halfway across the Mess Hall.

Seven looked up from the console as Janeway stalked into the room.  Her eyes darkened at the sight of the energetic captain.  She was pleased that Kathryn had accepted her as a suitable candidate for a mate, for they were decidedly well matched.  She did wonder; however, how long it would be before they initiated physical intimacy.  It was, Seven had learned, of primary importance to most species, including humans.  She shrugged internally at the thought.  The parameters of their relationship had only recently changed; there would be time for such exploration in the future, when Kathryn was ready.  

“You wanted to see me Seven,” Janeway asked, and was slightly horrified at how husky her voice sounded.

“I did Captain,” Seven acknowledged, as she noted the low timbre of the captain’s voice.  “I have been pursuing a hypothesis that explains the accelerated cell division of phyto-organisms.”

Janeway blinked a couple of times as she attempted to interpret just exactly what Seven had said.

“You are trying to make plants grow faster?” she clarified. 

“That is what I said Captain,” Seven responded patiently.

Puzzlement gave way to comprehension.  “Seven, I thought that it was already determined that the purported powers of the princess were just embellishments on the story,” Janeway said, careful to keep her voice even.  If Seven was pursuing this, there must be a reason and Janeway didn’t want to come across as censuring.

“I am aware that the Tendarans believe that these powers do not exist,” Seven stated evenly and clasped her hands behind her back.  “However, it is my belief that they are in error.”

“And what exactly leads you to that belief?” Janeway asked, sincerely interested to see the train of logic that led Seven to this conclusion.

“Their conclusion is based on current observations.  They believe that their ancestors were technologically deficient and; therefore, easily manipulated.  They believe that they are technologically and intellectually superior to their ancestors; that if these abilities are not manifested today, then they must not have been manifested in the past,” Seven said in a lecturing tone of voice.  Janeway nodded to show that she was following.  “However, close analysis of Tendaran physiology has indicated that they are very similar to humanoids, particularly Homo sapiens.  Minor differences are discernible only at the cellular level.”

“Go on,” Janeway encouraged.

“Specifically, these differences are the presence to two distinct organelles found in Tendaran cells that are not present in humans.  The doctor and I have determined that these organelles no longer serve any function.”

Janeway raised an eyebrow.  She could see where this was going, but she waited for Seven to finish.

“We have been able to isolate these organelles and induce them to regain their function.  The result is the production of two separate compounds, somewhat similar in structure to proteins.”

“Have you tested them?” Janeway asked casually.

“No,” Seven replied shortly, “That is why you were summoned.  It is my belief that these compounds must be present within an organism in order to function.”  Seven fell silent and stared at the captain.  It took a minute, several actually, for Janeway to make the leap to Seven’s logical conclusion.

“You want to put these compounds into your body,” she accused.

“I can program my nanoprobes to replicate the actions of these organelles,” Seven expounded.

“Absolutely not,” Janeway exclaimed.

“We have determined that these compounds are non-hazardous.  Having them produced will not harm me in anyway.”

Janeway whirled on the doctor, who had been hovering in the background, ostensively giving the captain and Seven privacy while maintaining hearing distance.

“You agree with this… this… lunacy,” Janeway snarled.

“Captain,” the doctor said using his best bedside manner voice, which wasn’t saying much, “Seven is correct.  The production of these compounds is harmless.  At most, the experiment will fail and she will be unable to ah… accelerate cell division… ”

Janeway waved a hand at him.  “Enough,” she snapped, “Doctor, leave us.”

As soon as the doctor retreated from the room, Janeway turned to Seven, moving so close she could feel the heat from her body.  “Seven, why?” she asked.

Seven looked down into the troubled grey eyes and felt a warmth spread from somewhere in the vicinity of her heart, throughout her body.  Kathryn’s question, she realized, stemmed from fear of Seven being harmed and not because she thought the idea was without merit.  She was unprepared to counter this argument.  She tilted her head to the side as she considered how to answer, and finally she settled on the truth. 

“I cannot say Kathryn.  All I know is that I need to be able to understand… ,” she took a deep breath, “I need to understand that Annika.”

Janeway peered intently into Seven’s eyes, then nodded and her expression softened as she understood that Seven was speaking now on a more personal level.  “I think I understand,” she said, taking Seven’s hands in her own and adding, “Darling, I just want you to be safe.  You mean so much to me.”

Janeway gave Seven a lopsided grin in response to the small smile she received from the comment.  Then, with a final squeeze, dropped Seven’s hands and stepped back into command mode.

“All right, permission granted, but,” she warned as Seven’s eyes lit up, “I will be present the entire time, and you will include a termination program in your nanoprobes.  I want these compounds destroyed at the first sign that anything is out of the ordinary.”  Seven nodded. 

“I agree Kathryn,” she said softly. 

“It will take a few hours to complete the programming,” the doctor interjected out from the doorway of his office, where he had been shamelessly eavesdropping.  Janeway shot him a glare that sent him scurrying for cover before she turned and gave one last look at the tall blonde before striding out the door.

Janeway nervously paced her ready room, and jumped as the chime sounded at the door, then quickly sat at her desk.  “Come,” she called.  Fear and pleasure warred with one another as Seven entered the room.  Chakotay, B’Elanna, and the doctor followed her, and Seven carefully sat a small pot of dirt on the desk. 

“Are you sure about this?” Janeway addressed the doctor.

He nodded confidently.  “There is no reason for these compounds to cause harm to Seven,” he said, “and B’Elanna has prepared three different counter programs should it become necessary.”

B’Elanna helpfully waved the handful of hyposprays in the air for Janeway to see.  She didn’t believe for an instant that this would work, of course, but if it did, well she definitely wasn’t going to miss it.

Janeway nodded.  “All right Doctor, you may proceed,” she announced and took a deep breath as Seven turned her head, baring her neck for the doctor to administer the hypospray. 

Seven stood uncomfortably and tried not to fidget under the four pairs of eyes watching her expectantly. 

“How are you feeling,” Kathryn asked finally.  Seven tilted her head slightly, as if she were listening to a conversation only she could hear, and then turned her attention on her captain. 

“The nanoprobes are functioning properly,” she said then she frowned at the bare pot.  “I am uncertain how to proceed,” she admitted.

“Perhaps if you simply imagine the plant as you wish it to be,” B’Elanna suggested.  Seven considered the engineer’s advice; imagination was not an activity with which she had much experience.  She stared intently at the pot for several minutes as she tried to determine how to ‘imagine’ the grown plant.  Perhaps, she reasoned, if I consider the endeavor as a chemical reaction.  She knew what the product should be and she knew one of the reactants; perhaps if she tried to solve the equation for the missing reactant.  Her brow crinkled as she began to work through the formulations.

Kathryn was concentrating as hard on Seven’s face, as Seven was concentrating on the pot, when she became aware of a shock of electricity suffusing her body, followed by a wave of warmth that ran up her limbs, coalescing in her midriff and moving lower.  Her eyes widened as she immediately recognized the sensation.  There didn’t appear to be anything happening to the plant, but there was most definitely something happening to her.  Intuitively she knew it was related to Seven’s attempt to make the plant grow.  “Seven, stop,” she hissed. 

All eyes turned to the captain, and the doctor, registering her distress, immediately turned the tricorder he had been using to monitor Seven, onto the captain.

“Captain,” he exclaimed, “You are… ”

“Shut up Doctor,” Janeway snarled, “Everybody out, now.”

To everyone’s shock, it was the doctor who immediately turned and grabbed both the commander and lieutenant by the arms, and practically drug them from the room.

On the bridge, Chakotay immediately turned on the doctor.

“What the hell are you doing?  The captain needs help,” he shouted in uncharacteristic fury.

“The captain is in no danger,” the doctor said with a strange look, “She is merely having a… reaction to the compounds present in Seven’s system.”  Then he turned the still-open tricorder to examine the commander and B’Elanna. 

“What do you mean by a reaction?” B’Elanna said, waving the hyposprays she still held, “I can administer these and immediately destroy all of the compounds.  Wouldn’t that stop the reaction?”  All the frustration the petite half-Klingon was feeling was evident in her voice.

“No, it would not stop the outcome,” the doctor said confidently.  “Interesting,” he continued, as he stared at the tricorder, “apparently the two of you are completely immune… I wonder… ”

“Doctor,” Chakotay snapped as his patience rapidly shredded, “What is wrong with the captain?”

The doctor looked up, apparently just realizing how close to panic they both were.  With considerable effort, he focused his attention on reassuring them.

“The captain is in no danger Commander, but I cannot say more than that, not without the captain’s permission.  In this case, I must invoke doctor-patient confidentiality, I am sorry, I cannot tell you more,” he said as he laid a hand gently on the commander’s arm.  “Please, Commander Chakotay, trust me on this.”

“But Seven is still in there,” B’Elanna interjected, “shouldn’t we get her out?”

The unusual expression the doctor had worn earlier returned at B’Elanna’s words.  “If the captain has not thrown her out,” he shook his head, “then no, her presence will probably be welcomed,” he said most cryptically.

At that, a small chime sounded and the three looked up at the ready room door.  A small red light shone brightly on the panel; the sight of the privacy seal ended the discussion.  Chakotay slid into the command chair with a sigh of frustration, and B’Elanna moved over to the systems panel, relieving the on duty crewman with a glare that sent the ensign practically running from the bridge.  Despite his words of confidence, the doctor hovered on the bridge, trying to find a place where he would be both available and unobtrusive at the same time.

Seven stared at the captain in consternation as the ready room door slid shut behind the doctor, Chakotay, and B’Elanna.  The captain was clenching the edge of the desk; her eyes were wide and her face pale.  “Kathryn, I cannot leave, you are ill,” Seven exclaimed, and rapidly inventoried Kathryn’s vitals. 

“No, I’m not ill,” Kathryn gasped, and closed her eyes as she felt wetness flood between her legs.  She began to tremble.  Seven sniffed delicately as a musky scent reached her across the room. 

“You are aroused,” she stated baldly, sounding as confused as Kathryn felt.

Kathryn didn’t dare open her eyes; it was taking all of her will power to maintain the tenuous hold over her body.  “Yes,” she half-growled, “Now leave.”

Seven stood frozen in place.  She had no idea what she should do, but she did not want to leave Kathryn alone. 

Ohgodohgodohgod, Kathryn thought hysterically.  How could something be so awful and so wonderful at the same time?  She gritted her teeth and opened her eyes and saw Seven still standing on the other side of her desk.  The normally impassive expression was replaced with a look of shock, fear, and determination.  Seven apparently had no intention of following Kathryn’s order, so Kathryn took a deep breath and looked Seven firmly in the eye.

“Seven,” she ground out, “if you aren’t ready for a physical relationship, you need to leave, now!”  Seven’s eyes widened, and then she quickly crossed the room to Kathryn’s side.

“I will not leave you,” she declared.  The words were barely out of her mouth before Kathryn launched herself into the tall blonde’s arms with husky moan.

Seven staggered back half a step at the assault; then found her lips captured by Kathryn’s.  Though taken by surprise, she did not hesitate to return the kiss.  It was quite different, she realized, from the chaste kiss they had shared the day before. Kathryn’s lips were incredibly soft, yet insistent as they explored.  Seven was surprised by the flick of an exploring tongue, but she did not draw back.  Instead, she quickly mimicked Kathryn’s explorations and was rewarded with a delightful moan as her tongue slowly traced the contours of Kathryn’s lips.  The parameters of their relationship were expanding exponentially, she realized, with a combination of excitement and fear.  She had not completed her research, she realized with consternation, and she was unsure of how to proceed.  I will adapt, she decided, then at Kathryn’s increasingly impassioned assault, she added, quickly. 

Kathryn pulled her mouth away from Seven’s long enough to gasp, “Computer, seal ready room doors, code Janeway alpha 5528.”  Then she immediately returned her mouth to Seven’s.

Seven’s mind raced.  Apparently when she activated the compounds in an attempt to accelerate, the growth of the phyto-organisms it had invoked this response in Kathryn.  Later, she thought, shoving the speculation aside, now she must concentrate on Kathryn.  

She tentatively allowed her hands to slide down Kathryn’s back.  Kathryn groaned as the feather soft touch burned, like fire, through her tunic.  Seven heard the moan exhaled across her lips and felt the slight tremble as her hands explored.  It would be much more effective, she decided, if there were no material between her and Kathryn.  With that thought, she hooked a finger from her left hand at the top of Kathryn’s turtleneck and pulled.  Her Borg enhanced hand sliced through the turtleneck and jacket like butter.  Kathryn shuddered at the sound of tearing material. 

“Seven,” she moaned, and stepped back just far enough to shrug the ruined material to the deck before returning to Seven’s embrace.  Seven immediately returned to her administrations.  She was surprised to find that the sensation of Kathryn’s skin beneath her hands was causing a measurable increase in her own respiration and heart rate.  The analytical portion of her brain, which insisted on working regardless of the circumstances, registered that she too was experiencing arousal.  Impatiently, she shoved the processes aside.

Softness obviously evoked a response, she rationalized.  What type of response would she get, she wondered, with a firmer approach?  Before the thought was complete, she dropped her hands lower cupping Kathryn’s behind and pulled the smaller woman firmly against her.  Seven interpreted the corresponding moan and the fingernails digging into her back as a positive response.  She felt a tremble work its way down her spine at the press of the soft body against her own.

“Seven, I need… ” Kathryn gasped hoarsely, unsure what she was even asking. 

Seven somehow understood, and held Kathryn more firmly against her body.  Her lips made a trail of kisses from Kathryn’s jawbone to her ear, and then down her neck.  Each soft press of her lips was followed by a nip of the teeth, in turn followed by a soothing touch of her tongue.  Kathryn shuddered.  I evoke this response, Seven thought with wonder, I do this to her, and a feeling of power rolled over her like a wave.

Filled with a sense of empowerment, Seven reached for Kathryn’s waistband and, seconds later, trousers joined the ruined tunic on the deck, followed by boots as Kathryn kicked her feet free.

“Oh god, Seven,” Kathryn cried out as Seven pushed a muscular leg between her thighs.  Seven felt her confidence waver now that she held the gloriously naked woman in her arms.  The data she had assimilated during her research on human mating habits left her feeling woefully unprepared.  The clinical explanation, of Tab B into Slot A, describing sexual encounters seemed insufficient, if not completely irrelevant, at this moment.  And absolutely nothing she had encountered had mentioned how enticing soft full breasts could be, or how the areola would contract, causing the nipples to become hard and erect, nor had it discussed how much she would want to wrap her lips around them.  Seven bent her head in an attempt to do just that only to find that Kathryn’s smaller stature made success difficult.

With a growl of frustration, Seven grasped Kathryn’s waist firmly and easily lifted the smaller woman off the ground.  With a gasp of surprise, Kathryn immediately responded by wrapping her legs around Seven’s waist; then Seven stepped forward and Kathryn found herself pressed against the bulkhead.  With returning confidence, Seven dipped her head and wrapped her lips around a beckoning nipple and, with determination, began to explore.  Kathryn arched her back allowing Seven full access.  The warm mouth on her breast, in disparity to the cool Borg-enhanced hand that cupped it, was such a contradiction in sensation that she was nearly overwhelmed.  Her hand tangled into Seven’s hair, pulling her closer, and it took a minute for her to realize that the soft moan she heard was coming from Seven, and she felt a burst of satisfaction, before she became lost, once more, in Seven’s touch.

Seven noted that Kathryn’s respiration and heart rate were continuing to increase and, inexperienced as she was, she knew that Kathryn needed her to continue to the conclusion of this arousal.  Drawing on what little information she had, she moved her hand down until it found the juncture between Kathryn’s legs.  Intellectually she knew that she would find the area moist in preparation for sexual intercourse, but emotionally she was unprepared for the onslaught of feelings that threatened to overwhelm her at the first touch.  She groaned and then, like most adolescents on their first explorations, took no time to enjoy the journey, but rather charged in to seek the final destination.  Apparently Kathryn didn’t mind as she dug her nails into Seven’s back as she felt two gloriously long slender fingers slide into her.

“Yes, Seven, yes,” she cried out, and Seven plunged her fingers deeper, exploring, seeking, finding.  She looked into Kathryn’s face, her eyes were closed and her head tilted back exposing the long expanse of neck.  At that moment; Seven thought, this woman is mine, and a primal possessiveness filled her soul.

“More… Seven… please,” Kathryn whispered hoarsely.  Seven removed her fingers far enough to allow the addition of a third, before returning to the rhythmic thrusts that Kathryn met with enthusiasm.  Then, to Seven’s amazement, muscles contracted around her fingers, squeezing them as if Kathryn’s body had decided that it liked this new addition, and would never let it go.  Seven tilted her head back and arched, as her body contracted in pleasure, mimicking that of the woman in her arms.

Panting heavily, Seven opened her eyes to find blue eyes, dark with satiated desire, staring back at her. 

“Oh Seven,” Kathryn said in a soft voice, full of wonder and thanks, and then she relaxed against the firm body.  Seven gently removed her fingers from Kathryn’s protesting body and carried the petite woman across the room to the couch.  Carefully she sat back into the cushions, unwilling to release her hold just yet.  For several minutes, they sat with Kathryn straddling Seven’s waist and her arms wrapped around Seven’s neck.  Seven, in turn, held the smaller-bodied captain close and protected in her arms.  Finally, Kathryn sat up and pushed away far enough to look Seven in the eyes.

“Seven, I am so sorry,” she said, searching the clear blue eyes looking back at her.

Seven frowned as she digested Kathryn’s words.  “You regret that our relationship escalated to the point of sexual intercourse?” she asked stiffly.

Kathryn winced internally at Seven’s sterile description.  “Not at all,” she exclaimed before Seven’s pride took over.  “I don’t regret making love with you at all,” she said, deciding she would work on Seven’s vocabulary later, “but what I do regret is how it occurred.”  Seven crinkled her brow in puzzlement.

“I do not understand.  Explain,” she demanded.  Kathryn hid a smile at the almost petulant tone in Seven’s voice.  She put her hands softly on Seven’s cheeks, and said, “What I regret is that…”  She paused; how could she explain that she had wanted soft lights, soft sheets, and the leisure to explore, talk, and absorb every detail of their first encounter?  How could she explain that she wanted to devote every ounce of her being to loving and being loved by Seven.  Finally she said, “I love you Seven,” taking Seven’s Borg hand in her own and, thinking of how gently Seven had touched her with it, placed a soft kiss on the knuckles.  “I love everything you are, everything about you.  I love Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct to Unimatrix Zero One, and I wanted our first time to be perfection.”

Seven looked at Kathryn in genuine surprise.  “But Kathryn, it was perfect.”  Kathryn laughed and wrapped her arms around the woman, hugging her so hard that Seven grunted.  She pushed away from Seven, and declared, “Well now, that was an interesting response to your experiment.”

“Indeed,” Seven concurred, “I believe that perhaps we erred in believing that the compounds were required in equal proportions.”  Kathryn rolled her eyes at the understatement as she reluctantly peeled herself off the younger woman.  Seven remained on the couch and indulged in the uninhibited display of Kathryn’s body.  Kathryn retrieved her ruined uniform from the deck, held them between her fingers, and raised an eyebrow at Seven.  Seven shrugged, “It was efficient.”

Kathryn chuckled as she ran the uniform through the replicator.  Once a new uniform had been replicated, she sauntered toward the back of the ready room.  Seven’s eyes narrowed at the exaggerated swaying of the captain’s hips as she disappeared into the lavatory.  Life with the captain, she determined, was going to be interesting.

A few minutes later, Kathryn returned cleaned and dressed.  She stopped in front of Seven, still seated on the couch.

“Perhaps you should avail yourself of the shower before we face the world,” Kathryn suggested, with her hands on her hips.  When Seven appeared to argue, Kathryn dropped a hand to Seven’s thigh.  Seven looked down and was surprised to see the outline of a dried mark on her biosuit.  She felt a flush of warmth as she realized just where the stain originated from.  She gave Kathryn a nod and disappeared into the back.  She returned a few moments later to find Kathryn staring at the small pot sitting on her desk.  Seven’s eyes widened as she saw the pot was full of a lush, fully grown, fully blooming red rose bush.

“It worked,” she said with a tinge of awe.

Kathryn nodded and gave Seven a brilliant smile.  “It worked,” she echoed.

Chakotay’s head snapped toward the ready room door as a chime sounded on the bridge.  The red privacy light was replaced with the steady green glow that stated the captain was in and taking visitors.  He started to rise when a “Humph” caught his attention.

“Perhaps I should go first,” the doctor suggested.  Chakotay eased back into his chair and nodded.  The doctor quickly crossed the bridge and, at the captain’s bidding, disappeared into the ready room.

The captain and Seven were standing together as the doctor walked in.  He immediately turned a tricorder on both of them and, after a moment, snapped it shut.  “You are both in perfect health,” he announced unnecessarily, then looked at the captain expectantly.

“We may as well get this over with,” she said, and moved to her seat behind the desk, tapping her combadge.

“Commander Chakotay, Lt. Torres, report to my ready room.”

The ready room doors slid open before she finished her command.  “Well, that was prompt,” she said wryly as the commander and lieutenant charged into the room.

Chakotay tempered his charge as soon as he saw the captain appeared unscathed, then his eyes fell on the blooming rose.  “It worked,” he said in disbelief.

B’Elanna came to a halt by Chakotay and looked at the rose with wide eyes, which widened even more when an unmistakable scent reached her nostrils.  She rolled her eyes toward Chakotay to see if he noticed, but he gave every appearance of being oblivious.  It must be my Klingon sense of smell, she decided.  She turned her attention back to the captain; this was going to be interesting, she thought as she smothered a grin.  She couldn’t remember having so much fun in a long time.

“It worked,” Janeway agreed.  “However, there are a few… kinks we need to work out.  Doctor,” she said turning to the EMH, “were the commander or lieutenant affected in any way?”

“No Captain, apparently the recipient of the… effect was quite specific,” he answered, quite cryptically in Chakotay’s opinion, and he wondered at the suppressed snort that came from B’Elanna’s direction.  Janeway nodded, resting her chin on her hand.

“I see.  Then I would like you two to be with Seven on her next attempts.”

“Next attempts?  But Captain,” Chakotay interjected, “it worked, what else needs to be done?”

“There were two compounds present Commander,” Seven explained, “We are unsure if both are required or merely one.  If they are both required, then obviously they are not meant to perform in equal ratios.  Since there were… side effects, it would be wise to understand the actions of both of these compounds, singularly and in conjunction to one another.”  She went on to explain the specifics of how chemical compounds could, and often did, interact with one another.

Chakotay raised his hands before Seven had finished half of her explanation.  “I give,” he said, surrendering to Seven’s technical explanation, “We’ll move this down to one of the research labs.”  With that concluded, the group stood and left the ready room.

“Seven,” Janeway called just before the woman walked out the door.  Seven turned back to face the captain.

Janeway crossed the room and gave Seven a soft kiss on the lips then whispered, “Thank you.”

“You are welcome,” Seven replied gravely, then turned and exited the room.  Janeway stood and watched as the doors closed behind Seven.  I think she almost smiled.  And with that happy thought, she returned to her desk.

B’Elanna slowed her strides and waited for Seven to catch up, letting the doctor and Chakotay move ahead.

“So, are you all right,” B’Elanna asked when the ex-Borg caught up.  Seven looked down at the shorter woman.

“I am well,” Seven replied, and B’Elanna tried to keep her eyebrows from flying off her forehead.  Now that was a new phrase, and much better than the usual ‘functioning within normal parameters’ she usually heard.

“And the Captain?” B’Elanna asked innocently.

“She is satisfactory,” Seven answered, and B’Elanna immediately choked.  Seven thumped the woman on the back until she got her breath back.

“I’m sorry Seven,” B’Elanna apologized, “it was just… ”  She shook her head.  “Never mind, I’m glad things turned out all right.”

“I am pleased as well,” Seven acknowledged.  B’Elanna quickly looked up at the normally impassive face and saw, to her amazement, a distinctive softening in Seven’s eyes and a slight upturn to the lips.  Kahless, Seven is smiling.

B’Elanna opened and closed her mouth several times as they walked down the corridor.  Finally her own indecisiveness decided for her.  “Ah Seven,” she began talking softly so the men in front would not overhear, “it’s none of my business, but the first time… I mean, I assume it was your first time, and sometimes… ah Kahless, this isn’t coming out right.  If you need or want to talk, I’m here, okay?” she stumbled to a finish, then wondered if she had completely alienated the tall woman walking beside her, as they traveled on in silence for several minutes. 

“It was, I felt… unprepared,” Seven said, surprising B’Elanna that the woman was indeed willing to open up to her.  “I had intended to research the activity in detail before embarking on its implementation; however, there was insufficient time.”  She was silent for several strides then said, “Kath… the captain expressed regret that our first encounter was not ‘perfect.’  I admit that I am perplexed by her statement.”

Well I asked for it, B’Elanna thought with a sigh.  “Well Seven, typically there are expectations… ”

Janeway entered her quarters in a mixture of nervousness and expectation.  She felt let down when she saw the empty sitting area.  She glanced in the bedroom and then checked the lavatory.  The short tour confirmed that Seven was not home.  She mused at her assumption that this already was Seven’s home and vowed to confirm that with the younger woman as soon as possible.  So much for talking to Seven, she thought ruefully and stood for a moment unsure what to do next.  Finally she shrugged and went to take a shower.

Later, clean and dressed in casual clothes, Janeway padded to the replicator in bare feet.  She doubted Seven would eat with her, but she chose a light meal and saved it in the buffer.  Then she set the table and stared critically at the vase with a single rose that served as the centerpiece.  She gave a wry grin.  Seven would undoubtedly raise an elegant eyebrow when she saw the flower and, if pressed, would state that it was ‘aesthetically pleasing.’  She considered adding candles, but quickly discarded the idea.  Satisfied that everything was prepared, Janeway flopped onto the divan, pulled a PADD over and tried to get some work done.

Hours later, a disgruntled Seven of Nine stepped through the door of the captain’s quarters.  She had made little progress in determining the proper ratio of components.  In fact, she had not managed to recreate accelerated cell division once during all of the trials.  She was still mulling over the day’s experiments, when she noticed that the table had been set for two.  Her left brow arched as she noticed the single rose sitting in the center of the table, reminding her of the roses from that afternoon and the other result of their experiment.  Her mouth quirked at the thought.  Then, a soft snore reached her ears and she peered through the dim lighting and saw Kathryn sprawled across the divan.  Seven got a sinking feeling in her chest.  Even she knew that missing a romantic dinner, which this was obviously meant to be, was a bad thing.  She pondered her options for a moment and determined that fleeing was not a prudent course of action, so she inhaled deeply, then marched across the room.  At the divan she hesitated, then lowered herself to one knee.

Kathryn slowly opened her eyes as she heard her name called from a distance.  Blue eyes gazed back intently.

“Kathryn,” Seven called again.

Kathryn pushed herself upright.  “Seven,” she said, then glanced at the chronometer with a frown as she tried to chase away the fogginess in her head.  “You’re late.”

Seven swallowed at the stern expression on Kathryn’s face.

“You are correct.  I apologize Kathryn.  It was inconsiderate.  I should have returned to our quarters after my duty shift ended.  I should have let you know I was going to be later than normal.  I have erred.  It will not happen again,” Seven stated in an uncharacteristic rush of words.

Kathryn peered at the young woman abruptly becoming awake as she realized that Seven was extremely upset.  She placed a hand on Seven’s arm. 

“It’s all right Seven, I don’t mind.”

“But you planned a romantic dinner,” Seven responded, confused by Kathryn’s easy acceptance of her transgression.  Kathryn waved a hand in the general direction of the table. 

“Not exactly,” Janeway said slowly, although she had hoped to generate a little romance, given the abruptness of her actions earlier that day.

Seven watched Kathryn for several minutes before she determined that no further explanation would be forthcoming.

“Do you require nutritional supplements?” Seven asked abruptly.  Kathryn blinked at the sudden change of conversation.

“I haven’t eaten, if that’s what you’re asking,” she replied.

“I too have need of nutritional supplements.  Perhaps it is not too late for our dinner,” Seven offered evenly.

Kathryn smiled.  “All right then, let’s eat.”

A few minutes later, seated at the table, Kathryn dove into the plate of food.  She was on her third bite before she realized that Seven wasn’t eating.  Instead the young woman was looking quizzically at the table.

“What?”

Seven looked up at Kathryn’s question.

“What’s wrong?” Kathryn asked again.

“I am sorry Kathryn.  I was under the impression that candles were a required accompaniment with romantic dinners.  I was mistaken,” Seven said stiffly.

Kathryn chuckled and pushed away from the table.  “One set of candles coming up,” she said cheerfully.

Once more ensconced at the table, Kathryn took two more bites before she realized that Seven still wasn’t eating.  Instead she was staring at Kathryn intently.

“What?”

“The rose is aesthetically pleasing.”

Kathryn smiled.  “I’m glad you like it.”  She took several more bites, then realized Seven was still staring at her.

“What?”

“It is not as aesthetically pleasing as you,” Seven said, then picked up her fork and began to eat.

Kathryn grinned across the table.  “Thank you.”

They ate in silence for several minutes before Kathryn decided to broach the afternoon’s events.

“About this afternoon,” Kathryn began.

“I apologize Kathryn,” Seven said before the older woman could continue, “B’Elanna explained that the first time a couple engages in sexual intercourse, it is typically in the bedroom, not against the bulkhead.’’

“B’Elanna explained… ” Kathryn sputtered, feeling her face get hot at the thought of Seven and B’Elanna discussing what had happened earlier.

“Indeed.  At the time; however, I was more concerned with being expedient.  I did not think to move to a more… desirable location,” Seven said with regret.

Kathryn took a gulp of wine.  “Seven it wasn’t the location, believe me I didn’t want to be anywhere else at the time.”

“But you spoke of regret,” Seven said, thoroughly confused.

Kathryn gave Seven a long look, then stood and held out her hand.  Seven gazed at the hand, then at Kathryn’s face in bemusement, before reaching out and placing her hand in Kathryn’s.  With a gentle tug, Kathryn pulled Seven out of the chair.

“Some things can’t be put into words,” Kathryn explained, as she led Seven to the bedroom.

Standing by the bed, Seven reached up to release the clasp of her biosuit when her hand was caught in Kathryn’s.  With a gentle shake of her head, Kathryn first kissed, then lowered Seven’s hand.  Slowly she reached up and released the pins in Seven’s hair, one by one, until the white-blonde hair hung around the young woman’s shoulders.  Kathryn ran her fingers through the long hair, luxuriating in the softness.  Her gaze locked on Seven’s neck and she let a finger follow the curve of Seven’s cheek, then down her neck until it rested on Seven’s collarbone.

Kathryn undid the clasp and slowly peeled the biosuit down until just the top of Seven’s chest was in view.  She tilted her head to the side as if the little bit of exposed skin was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen.  Seven shivered, as once more a single finger followed the edge of her biosuit, exploring soft skin, following the curves and ridges from one shoulder to the other.  Kathryn smiled as her fingers detected goose bumps.  She looked up to see Seven staring at her intently.  She smiled and put a hand behind Seven’s neck and pulled her down.  The kiss was softly insistent as Kathryn took the time to explore the full lips.  She finished with a nip on Seven’s bottom lip, then turned her attention back to the biosuit.

Slowly, inch-by-inch, Kathryn removed the restrictive biosuit, exploring with only a single finger, and her eyes, as each part of Seven’s lean body came into view.  At one point, Seven breathed, “Kathryn.”  Taking pity on the young woman’s trembling legs, Kathryn eased her back onto the bed, then stepped back and, without taking her eyes off of Seven, slowly pulled her own shirt over her head.  Seven watched in avid fascination.  Although Kathryn had been completely undressed in the ready room, there had not been time to thoroughly enjoy the display.  Kathryn wagged an eyebrow playfully at Seven’s intense gaze, then made a show of pushing her pants over her hips.  She left her clothes in a heap on the floor as she returned to the bed.

Seven counted a dozen heartbeats as Kathryn poised over her, simply looking into her eyes.  She had not realized she had been holding her breath until she let it out as she felt Kathryn settle onto her.  Seven automatically wrapped her arms around the older woman and marveled for a moment at how light Kathryn felt, how easily she could wrap her arms completely around her.  Kathryn always seemed so strong, larger than life, but here in this moment, Seven became unaccountably aware of the fragility of the woman she held in her arms.  Then her attention shifted as Kathryn’s lips devoured her own with both tenderness and urgency.  Remembering their kisses earlier in the day, Seven dared to send her tongue out in exploration.  Her efforts were rewarded as Kathryn welcomed the deepening of the kiss.  Finally, Kathryn pushed back and gave Seven an enigmatic look as she took several deep breaths.

Kathryn moved down Seven’s body, exploring once more.  Seven shivered as Kathryn’s hair grazed her breast.  She threw her right hand over her eyes, gripped the bed with her left hand, and wondered if she would survive the exquisite torture that Kathryn seemed intent on exacting.  A lifetime passed before the biosuit joined Kathryn’s clothes on the floor and Seven gasped, as suddenly Kathryn’s touch changed from seemingly aimless exploration.  The single finger was replaced with a hand running up Seven’s leg and skimming across the triangle of dark blonde curls then down the other leg.  Seven nearly bolted upright as she felt the flick of Kathryn’s tongue at the juncture between her legs. 

“Kathryn?”

“Shh,” Kathryn soothed and returned to her administrations.

Seven turned her head to the side and moaned softly.  She had experienced pleasure during her interaction with Kathryn in the ready room, but it was nothing like this.  Then, to her amazement, the intensity increased as Kathryn slid a slender finger inside her and began to move it in rhythm with her tongue.  Seven could feel her muscles tensing, then she felt a ball of heat grow from her middle and slowly spread out like fire and run down her legs.  The sound of the mattress ripping beneath Seven’s hand was followed by a long low moan.  Finally, Seven could not take any more, and she pushed feebly at Kathryn’s head with her right hand.  Kathryn lifted her head and gave Seven a heavy-lidded gaze as she licked her lips.  Seven swallowed once, twice.

“I think I understand,” she croaked.

Kathryn smiled and crawled up Seven’s body and wrapped the younger woman in her arms before giving her a languid kiss.

Kathryn was nearly asleep when she felt Seven’s hand move slowly up her back with feather-soft touches.

“Darling?” she queried.  The touch stopped.

“You need to regenerate,” Seven stated quietly.

Kathryn lay still for a moment as she pondered Seven’s statement. 

“Probably, but I would rather…” she pressed closer to Seven and was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath.

“That is acceptable,” Seven answered huskily as she pulled Kathryn to her.

Kathryn opened her eyes and immediately looked to her left only to see an vacant pillow.  She turned her head and peered through the dim light.  The room was empty.  She listened for a moment, but could hear nothing.  She slid out of bed and pulled a robe around her shoulders before padding into the sitting room.

She relaxed when she saw Seven sitting at the console, apparently engrossed in some data she was pursuing.  Seven looked up as Kathryn appeared at the bedroom door. 

“You are awake.”

Janeway chuckled at the announcement, then sauntered over to where Seven was sitting.  She leaned over and gave the young blonde a lingering kiss.

“And you are up early,” she said as she drew away.

“I have been analyzing the results from yesterday’s experiments,” Seven explained.

“How did the experiments go?” she asked as she replicated a cup of coffee.

“I have determined that neither compound is successful when used alone,” Seven replied, giving Kathryn her full attention.  “However, I have also been unable to determine which ratios are most efficient.  It would help,” she went on watching Janeway carefully, “if I knew which compound was most responsible for your reaction, and which was most responsible for the growth of the plant.”

“You don’t think it’s one and the same?”

“Unlikely,” Seven clipped, “If so, then the growth of the plant and your reaction should have been correspondingly acute.  That was not the case.”

“True,” Janeway agreed as she headed through the bedroom door, “but I don’t know how you can figure out which is which,” she called from the recesses of the bedroom.  She appeared a moment later and froze when she saw a small empty pot sitting on the coffee table.

“Seven?” she queried uncertainly.

“I have adjusted the compounds to a 1:1,000,000 ratio,” Seven said, “The result would tell us at least which direction to move in order to adjust the ratio.”

“But only if you agree,” she added quickly.  Janeway bit her lip and thought for a moment.

“All right Seven, we can try,” she agreed.

“Now?” Seven asked, and Janeway laughed at the eagerness.

“Now is as good a time as any,” she allowed as she carefully set her cup of coffee on the desk.

Seven turned to the pot on the coffee table and Janeway braced herself for the effects these mysterious compounds seemed to have on her.  It wasn’t enough.  As soon as Seven began to concentrate on growing the plant, Janeway fell to her knees gasping as the waves of an orgasm immediately overwhelmed her senses.  She looked up from where she knelt panting on the floor, to find Seven crouched over her in concern.

“I think you need to reverse the ratio,” she said humorlessly.

“Indeed,” Seven replied with a troubled expression.

Noting the look on Seven’s face, Janeway pulled herself upright and wiped her brow. 

“Are you all right,” she asked.  Seven frowned and looked away.  Uh oh, Janeway thought, whenever Seven had to think about the answer to that particular question then the reply was usually negative.  She stood waiting patiently for Seven to sort out her thoughts.

“Captain,” Seven began and Janeway straightened her shoulders at the use of her rank.  “Twice, my attempt to make the flower grow has resulted in unusual sensory input.”

“Twice?” Janeway asked sharply.

Seven nodded, “Yesterday in the ready room, and just now.”

“But not while you were conducting the tests in the lab?” Janeway asked.

“No.  This has only occurred when the compounds are used successfully in tandem.”

Janeway reared back and put her hands on her hips.  “Describe this ‘unusual sensory input’,” she commanded.

Seven tilted her head and pursed her lips, as she struggled to put the sensations into words.

“In the first instance, I thought I heard Naomi speaking,” she said slowly, “and in the second instance, I thought I saw Naomi climbing stairs.”

Janeway began to pace the room, as she thought.  “Seven,” she said finally, “how long would it take to reverse the ratio?”

“Done,” Seven replied, and to Janeway’s shocked expression explained, “It was inefficient to rely on external programming of the nanoprobes.  I adjusted them to respond to my neural thought patterns.  I can turn the compound production on and off at will, as well as purge my system of all compounds within minutes.  Given your last reaction, I thought it prudent to do so immediately.”

Janeway gave Seven a wide grin then grabbed her by the arm and hauled her to the table facing the barren pot.

“Now?” Seven asked.

“Yes now,” Janeway replied, “If, somehow, you are linking to Naomi, this may lead us to the answer.”

Seven nodded and began to concentrate on the pot.  Janeway braced herself and, after a moment, she began to feel a slight tingling in her hand, but nothing more.  She watched the pot and could not see any reaction.

“Decrease the ratio to 1:500,000,” she told Seven.  A nearly imperceptible nod told her Seven had heard.

She felt her body temperature begin to rise and the tingling sensation spread up her arm.

“One to two hundred and fifty thousand,” she whispered.

A familiar feeling of languidness flowed over her and she took a deep breath.  Pleasant, but not overwhelming, she thought, and then her eyes widened as she looked at the pot and saw the small rose bush begin to grow before her eyes.  As she watched, the small plant bloomed, the blooms wilted and faded away, and then the plant began to wither.

Seven took a deep breath and turned to Janeway.  “I believe I know how to get Voyager back; we will need to consult with Commander Tuvok,” she said, turning on her heel and marching out the door.

Janeway stood and watched Seven walk out the door with a mixture of surprise and dismay, and then with a shake of her head, hurried out the door after her.

Janeway stepped into the large stone audience chamber of the castle, and looked around curiously.  Despite all the places she had seen, nothing had ever appeared so grand, nor felt so old, as this castle.  It had been ancient, she knew, in Annika’s time and still the stone walls stood firm, and she wondered what mysteries they could tell if they could talk.  As she approached the front of the room, she turned her attention to the dais.  King George sat on an ornate chair, looking every inch the monarch, and was flanked by several people; advisors, Janeway assumed, and bodyguards, she noted as she saw Lt. Dhame. 

She came to a halt before the king and nodded her head in a gesture of respect.

“Welcome Captain Janeway,” King George rumbled.  He gave Janeway a searching look before continuing, “Upon our earlier conversation, you said you believed that you found a solution for our inclement weather.”

“I did Your Majesty,” Janeway acknowledged, “We believe that there is a combination of forces at work here.  One is the missing ship and crew, and the other is the missing queen and child.  If, somehow, we can reunite these two elements, we believe that the planet’s climate will correct itself.”

“Forgive me Captain,” a tall wiry man, to the king’s left, spoke, “but those factors have been obvious to us for some time.  What we don’t know is how to do the reuniting.  In fact, we have searched for many centuries without success.  How do you plan to accomplish this feat?”

Janeway nodded slightly to acknowledge the man’s words, “The difference is, this time we have a guide.”  Janeway finished as the unmistakable hum of a transporter sounded in the room and Seven stepped forward cradling Naomi in her arms.  “You see Your Majesty, our Naomi has already found them,” she announced, and the room disintegrated into chaos.

“Enough,” King George bellowed and the room fell into silence.

“What do you need from us Captain,” he asked facing Janeway.

Janeway looked up towards the ceiling.  “We need to go into the queen’s tower,” she said. 

“This way,” King George said softly.  Janeway and Seven followed on his heels until he stopped outside a wooden door and gave Janeway and Seven a searching look.  “You are sure?” he asked.

At their nods, he pulled a heavy ancient key from his pocket and unlocked the door for the first time in five centuries.  The door swung open and, without a word, Seven carried Naomi over the threshold and began to ascend the stairs.  Janeway immediately followed, looking back only when she heard the soft latching of the door behind her.  They were alone.  She turned back and followed Seven up the long trek of stairs.

By the time the reached the top, her legs were aching and her breath was coming in gasps. 

They entered the small outer chamber that Janeway knew they would find.  With Naomi in her arms, Seven moved to the large window overlooking the sea.  She turned her head to look down as Janeway came to stand beside her.

“Are you ready,” Janeway asked.  Seven nodded in reply, then Janeway smiled and kissed her softly on the lips, “Then go ahead darling.”

Seven turned her attention out to the sea.  Janeway sighed as the now familiar feelings slid over her; she closed her eyes and leaned into Seven.  Seven closed her eyes as well and, recalling Tuvok’s meditation lessons, stepped into Greindar.  As she stepped into the edge of nothingness, she turned back and reached for Janeway’s hand.

Seven stood for a minute, looking around as fog swirled around her feet and obscured her vision, then holding Naomi with her right arm and Janeway firmly by the hand, she began to stride confidently into the mist.  Janeway couldn’t tell how long or far they traveled, distance and time seemed to have no meaning here, so it was with a thrill of surprise that she suddenly realized they were out of the fog.  The sudden elation was followed quickly by a groan of dismay.

“Not again,” she grumbled as she realized they were climbing the stairs to the tower once more.  The climb seemed interminable, and her legs ached just as badly in this place as they did in the real world. 

Seven stopped so abruptly that Janeway ran up on her heels and only Seven’s grasp on her hand kept her from tumbling back down the stairs.  She squinted as she peered around Seven, trying to see through the darkness.  Ahead she could see the door leading to the queen’s chambers; it was standing open and a light was shining onto the landing.  She heard Seven take a deep breath, then they were moving toward the open door.

As they reached the door, the world turned upside down and they found themselves standing in the middle of the chamber.  Janeway shook her head at the disorienting sensation, then froze.  She had known what to expect, but she still felt shocked seeing Seven standing across the room.  Only it wasn’t Seven, she knew, but the missing queen.  Annika was standing motionless, staring out at the sea with such a profound look of sadness on her face that Janeway put her hand out in an involuntary gesture, wanting to comfort the heartbroken woman.

Seven glanced at Janeway; now that she was here, she was no longer sure what to do.  Janeway; however, had no doubts.

“Queen Seven,” she called.  Though she spoke softly, her words rang out with a resonance that shook throughout the castle.  The woman spun around and her eyes grew wide as she took in the trio standing before her.

“Kathryn,” she called, with a look of joy and wonder on her face.  She was halfway across the room before she came to an abrupt halt.  The smile faded and she looked at Janeway carefully.

“No,” she said shaking her head, “you are not Kathryn.  Kathryn would never call me anything except Annika.”

Janeway shook her head.  “No, I’m not your Kathryn, call me Janeway.  This is Seven. We’re here to help you find her.”

Annika looked from Janeway to Seven, then at the child in Seven’s arms.

“Naomi?” she asked, puzzled.

“Our Naomi,” Seven stated bluntly, “she is also lost in this place.”  Janeway gave Seven a sharp look as she heard an unmistakable tone of distaste and felt a surge of fear, beads of sweat were beginning to coalesce on Seven’s brow.  The ex-Borg never sweated.

“Seven are you all right,” Janeway asked with concern.

“We are functioning within normal parameters,” Seven replied in stilted Borg tones.

“We need to get out of here,” Janeway announced, directing her comment to Annika.

“I cannot leave,” Annika said in a deadened tone and started to turn back to the window.

“Unacceptable,” Seven snapped and Janeway flinched at the raw anger she heard in Seven’s voice.  Something was very wrong, she realized, so without releasing Seven’s hand, she half lunged towards Annika.  As soon as she felt the woman’s arm under her hand she snapped, “Seven, let’s go.”  And, in the next heartbeat they were moving swiftly through the fog.  The mist became so thick and pressing that only the feel of Seven and Annika’s hands told her that they were still together.

Janeway flinched as a figure hurtled out of the fog and slammed into her middle.

“Captain, Captain,” a small voice called, “I’ve been looking and looking for you.”

“Naomi,” Annika spoke for the first time since they left the tower.

Naomi looked from Annika to Seven to Janeway then her eyes fell on the small figure cradled against Seven’s chest.  She swallowed hard, and Janeway could see the child was trying very hard not to show her fear.  She tugged Seven nearer as she bent down to look Naomi in the eyes.

“Naomi,” she said softly and Naomi tore her eyes away from Seven to look at Janeway.  “I know this is confusing and frightening, but we need you to be brave.” 

Naomi nodded silently. 

“Okay,” Janeway said, “I need you to hold Annika’s hand.”

Naomi looked from Seven to Annika before deciding exactly to whom Janeway was referring, then slowly slipped her hand into Annika’s.

Janeway felt a tremor in Seven’s hand, and she looked up to see that the young woman was now sweating profusely. 

“Seven?”

“We must expedite this mission,” Seven said without looking at Janeway, and immediately plunged back into the fog.  Janeway clung to Seven’s hand as the woman hurried them through the mist following some trail that was indiscernible to the rest of them.

Janeway lost all sense of time.  They could have been traveling for hours or years, she just couldn’t tell.  All she was aware of were the hands in hers, a cool mesh covered hand in one and an equally cool, but fully human, hand in the other.  The only sound she could hear was her own heartbeat as it pounded in her ears.  Then, she slowly became aware of a slight tingling.  The feeling, usually evoked when Seven was utilizing the Tendaran powers, had disappeared when they entered this other realm.  What’s changed?  Just as her mind wrapped around the thought, they stepped out of the fog and into the most exquisite sight she had ever seen.

So many places touted themselves as paradise, but this, Janeway thought, was truly paradise.  The sands of the beach were so white, she couldn’t stand to look directly at the ground.  The water, a pure azure, shone just as brightly, and a glorious sun shining overhead instantly burned away the coldness that had been permeating her body.  She took a deep breath, then another. Then, abruptly, the hands she had been holding pulled out of her own, and Annika was running down the beach with Naomi at her side.  Seven collapsed on the beach, managing to not land on the sleeping child she still held cradled in her arms.

“Kathryn,” she called weakly and Janeway dropped to her knees beside the woman.

“What is it Seven?  What’s wrong?” Janeway touched Seven’s face gently and tried to hide her fear when she felt how hot Seven’s skin was.

“We are not functioning properly,” Seven replied stiltedly.

Janeway looked around wildly, but she had no power in this place.  She had depended completely on Seven, and now she had no idea how to help them.  She looked down at Seven then down the beach after the running Annika.  She didn’t want to leave Seven, but if there was any help to be found, it was with Annika. 

“Hang on Seven,” she whispered urgently, “I’ll be right back, just hang on.”  Then she was on her feet and racing after Annika.

Somehow she caught up to the woman as she rounded a bend on the beach and skidded to a halt, barely managing not to crash into the tall blonde who seemed frozen in place.  Down the beach, Janeway could see Tom splashing through the surf, Harry and B’Elanna were standing nearby, and farther on she could see herself and Tuvok talking to a small girl.

“We’re home,” Naomi breathed in awe and tugged Annika’s hand.  “Princess Annika, we’re home,” she cried more loudly.  They were too far away for Naomi’s voice to be heard, but then things were different here, and Kathryn looked up in their direction.  Janeway recognized the start of surprise and saw a stiffening of disbelief as Kathryn saw who was standing on the beach, then she began to stride towards them, each step longer and quicker until she broke into a run.  Annika didn’t stand still, she dropped Naomi’s hand and began to run to meet Kathryn.  They skidded to a halt a step away from one another.

Janeway and Naomi followed at a slower pace and watched as the two women reunited.

“Annika?” Kathryn said the name softly looking sharply into Annika’s eyes, drinking in her face; if she was dreaming she never wanted to wake up.

“Kathryn,” Annika rasped.  Then they were in each other’s arms.

Janeway looked away uncomfortably as her counterpart pulled Annika in for a kiss.  Some things, she thought, are just too weird.

Then Voyager’s crew surrounded them.  Naomi Wildman stepped forward and stopped in front of Janeway.  She stood tall with her hands clasped behind her back, a Seven in miniature, and perused Janeway intently.  Janeway watched bemused until the young girl nodded as if she had reached a conclusion and plunged into her arms.

“You are my Captain Janeway,” she crowed.  Janeway grunted as Naomi Wildman squeezed her around the middle. 

“That I am Naomi.  Now we need to get home,” she said and turned her attention to Annika, ignoring the crewmen standing with open mouths staring at her and the two Naomis.

“Princess Annika, Captain…eh… Kathryn,” she said managing not to sound too wry.  “We need to leave.  Seven,” Janeway gestured up the beach, “cannot stay here.”

“Seven?” Kathryn asked in a confused voice.

“My counterpart,” Annika replied, then nodded to Janeway.  “I will get you home,” she said gravely, “We are forever in your debt.”

Then she turned and marched up the beach, followed by Janeway, Kathryn and the crew.  Janeway felt a jolt of surprise when she saw that Seven lay alone upon the beach.  She looked down at Naomi and pulled the young girl to her side.  Annika knelt down and studied Seven for a moment, then she looked up at Kathryn.

“Kathryn,” she said very softly so the crew, standing a respectful distance away could not hear. “I can send them home or… ”

“Or what Annika,” Kathryn asked.

“I can take all of us home,” she replied.  Janeway watched Kathryn’s eyes widen and knew her expression mirrored the other woman’s.  Kathryn opened and closed her mouth several times, then closed her eyes, tilted her head back and took a deep breath.  Then her eyes snapped open and she ensnared Annika with her gaze.

“Are you sure?” she demanded.

“Positive.”

Kathryn took another deep breath and Janeway knew she felt every one of the crewmen’s eyes on her back, carried every crewman’s fear, loneliness, and homesickness on her shoulders.  Janeway knew the burden this captain carried with a crew lost so far from home.  And yet, they had made a new home for themselves, one in paradise.

Kathryn firmed her jaw.  “Take us home Annika,” she commanded.

With Kathryn’s words, the wind began to blow, clouds sped across the sky and Janeway could feel the fabric of time and space stretch around her, and then she felt the firm ground beneath her face as she landed on it with a thud.  The freshly fallen snow did nothing to cushion her impact and she lay stunned for a moment taking in the odd view of the ground.  Maybe I’ll just lay here and watch the flowers grow, she thought, and then she pushed up suddenly.  All around her, pushing through the snow, was fresh greenery.  Looking around wildly, she saw Naomi and Seven lying a few meters away.  She stumbled over to them and reached for Seven, just as Seven’s eyes flickered open.

“We are back,” Seven said, far too calmly in Janeway’s opinion.

“Yes,” she said and, with relief, saw that Naomi was also stirring, though more slowly than Seven.  Seven looked around curiously at the surge of plant life.

“We succeeded,” she said with the faintest hint of satisfaction in her voice.

“We did,” Janeway said, and helped Seven to her feet.  She tapped her combadge.

“Captain Janeway to Chakotay.”

“Here Captain,” Chakotay immediately responded. 

“Commander, we have one to beam directly to Sickbay.  Inform Ensign Wildman that her daughter is looking forward to seeing her,” Janeway ordered.

“Aye Captain,” Chakotay replied and the familiar hum of the transporter began before he finished.

Janeway turned to Seven and together they walked arm in arm through the castle gardens.  By the time they reached the end of the path, the flowers were in full bloom.

King George came hurrying towards them with a look of utter amazement on his face.

“Never, in all my life… I never dreamed I would live to see this,” he said giddily waving his arms at the gardens.  He held his hand out as melting snow from the eaves dripped on his hands.

“Captain, Your Majesty, we are forever in your debt,” he said, and embraced them both in a bone crushing hug.

“It is amazing, absolutely amazing.  You must come see,” and he was dragging them through the doors into the castle and practically shoved them into a long hall where portraits of generation after generation of Tendaran royalty hung.

“Look,” he pointed excited as they stopped in front of a row of portraits.  Before them hung a picture titled ‘Queen Seven’ and next to it ‘Queen and child’ and next to that one… Janeway inhaled sharply… ‘The Captain and her Queen’ and in it Annika sat casually on the throne looking up with love clearly shining in her eyes at Kathryn, dressed in full military uniform.  And looking, Janeway thought, quite rakish.  Her gaze slid over to the next painting and with delight she saw Naomi, grown and also dressed in full military uniform, and looking every inch the queen’s officer.

“Yes, quite amazing, Captain,” King George rumbled.  “We noticed the similarities as soon as we saw you, so I thought you would be interested.  Queen Seven was one of Tendara’s most beloved queens.  Now, if you have time, we have an impressive military museum you may like to see.  You are quite lucky to visit when the first roses are blooming.  It is considered quite an event here. We had an unusually long winter this year, so they are late.  Typically the first blooms would have been weeks ago… ”

Janeway looked over at Seven, who raised a brow in question.

“Paradox,” was all Janeway said, as she suppressed a shudder at the thought.  With one last glance at the portraits, she followed Seven and the king out of the hall.

“Take us out Mr. Paris,” Janeway called from the command chair, and Voyager eased out of orbit.

Once they were underway, Janeway headed for her ready room followed by Chakotay.

“Well that was an interesting stop,” Chakotay said conversationally.

“Yes it was,” Janeway agreed as she replicated a cup of coffee and plopped into her chair.  She looked up at Chakotay quizzically as he shifted from foot to foot.

“Well, what is it Commander?” she half barked.

“Well, I picked something up for you on the planet Captain,” Chakotay said sounding unusually abashed.

Janeway felt her brow try to crawl off her forehead.  She wasn’t sure what surprised her more, that Chakotay had gotten her a gift or his obvious chagrin over it.

Chakotay walked over the storage area at the back of the ready room, reached in and pulled out a large tube.  When he stood back in front of the captain, he held it in his hands and tapped it a couple of times before sighing and handing it over.

“I’m not sure why,” he said answering her unasked question, “It just felt… right.”

Bemused Janeway unsealed the roll and pulled the contents out, unrolling it on her desk.  She stared at it, unable to speak, and then she pressed her hand to her mouth for a moment as she struggled to get her feelings under control.  When she looked up at Chakotay, her eyes were shining with unshed tears.

“Thank you,” she said in a hoarse voice.

Chakotay smiled and, with a nod to his captain, exited the room.

Janeway stood outside the doors to her quarters.  She hadn’t had a chance to talk to Seven since they had returned to the ship.  She took a deep breath, palmed open the door and stepped inside.  She let the breath out when she saw Seven seated at the console.

“You are on time.”

Janeway smiled at the declaration.

“What is that?” Seven asked, indicating the tube that Janeway was carrying.

“A gift,” Janeway said.  Seven raised a brow and Janeway handed the package over.

Seven unrolled the paper and stared at it in silence.

“From Commander Chakotay,” Janeway explained.

“Indeed,” Seven replied as she stared at a print of ‘The Captain and her Queen’.

END