Rescues and Revelations


A carefree Kathryn Janeway walked across rolling hills dotted with tall, shady trees.  She was carrying a backpack personally overpacked by her companion on this three-day away mission-slash-vacation, namely her overprotective Astrometrics officer.  She checked her tricorder and adjusted her direction to her destination, an underground cave system that Seven of Nine had found while scanning for dilithium crystals, which this planet had in abundance.  Voyager was currently in orbit around the next planet in this star system, undergoing an overhaul of the warp engines while the crew took advantage of some shore leave.  While Seven was mining and harvesting the crystals at the base of the mountain containing a rich deposit of dilithium ore, her captain was getting an early start on her vacation, hiking along the planet’s gorgeous landscape dotted with trees anticipating a preliminary exploration of the cave. 

She tapped her communicator.  “Janeway to Seven.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“How are the crystals coming, Seven?”

“I estimate that the process should take four hours and seventeen minutes.  I should be able to join you for an early dinner at the cavern entrance as we planned.”

“Great.  You’re going to love this, Seven.  I can’t wait to introduce you to the pleasures of caving.  I’ll check back with you in about two and a half hours.  And don’t forget to bring the food.  Janeway out.”

As the captain continued walking, she heard the sound of what sounded like water gurgling just over the next low hill.  When she reached the top, she smiled at the sight that greeted her:  a secluded grotto surrounded by trees and rocks filled with bubbling water giving off steam.  She feels the temperature rise as she stops by the edge and whips out her tricorder, checking the water.  “Just the thing after exploring the cave, a mineral bath to wash off the dust.  Our own private spa.” 

The captain arrived at the cavern entrance a bit breathless from thoughts of a wet and naked Seven of Nine in the steamy water.  She shook off the erotic images of Seven that seemed to come so easily to mind and strapped on her wrist lamp.  She turned her thoughts to what she might find inside.

She had to stoop a bit to enter the cave, then passed through a gradually descending passage that soon became a large room.  She used her tricorder to guide her to the lower levels of the cavern where the more interesting speleothems were likely to occur.  This was obviously a solution cave, carved out over thousands of years by acidic water which then drained, allowing the air to form the huge variety of mineral features and shapes found throughout the cave.  The cave was not unlike many others she had explored during her youth in Indiana, and she looked forward to possibly discovering some differences.

The path she followed took her past some underground pools, passages containing many familiar mineral features typical of solution caves:  ceilings covered with popcorn and blisters, rooms with columns and stalagmites rising from the ground and hanging soda straws and draperies.  After almost an hour of enjoying the shapes and textures she entered a very large room.  She gazed with wonder at the stunning display of shelfstone that surrounded a small pool off to her right.  At the far end, large showerheads, a very unusual formation she had only seen in holovids until now, hung from the ceiling.  As she approached, she scanned the interior with the tricorder, noting that the cavern also boasted several unusual compositions of rock.  She set down her pack on a dry area and took out a small hammer and pick to chip away some samples to analyze back on Voyager.  As she worked, happily combining a youthful hobby with her natural scientific curiostiy, she detected the sound of fluttering.  She turned in the direction of the noise, just in time to see a flock of this planet’s version of cave bats coming at her from an opening in the ceiling.  Janeway quickly dimmed her wrist beacon and watched the reddish colored bats fly out of the room. 

Returning the wrist beacon back to full strength, she walked to the dark corner from where she thought the bats had flown.  She stepped up onto a large, irregular ledge at the base of the wall.  Aiming her light at a deep hole spiraling up into darkness, she was unable to see much beyond the reach of the light.  Possibly there was another room or deep crevice above this cavern.  Suddenly a few bats seemingly left behind by the larger group, flew directly at her, disturbed by the light intruding into their private space.  The captain backed away quickly, instinctively putting her hands up to protect her face as the light shone wildly over the walls and ceiling of the cave.  Struggling to retain her balance, she stumbled backwards, lost her footing, and landed just beyond the ledge.  The ground gave way, and she fell through a thin layer of porous rock that was covering the top of a deep shaft connecting the main cavern to a smaller room below.  She plunged down the shaft, bumping and scraping the rough walls for what seemed like a very long distance.  She hit the ground hard, her head making painful contact with the floor, a sharp pain in her leg.  She groaned, crying out for Seven as her hand tried to activate her commbadge before she blacked out.   Seven of Nine, Voyager’s Astrometrics officer and a former Borg drone looked up from her work with the dilithium crystals precisely two and a half hours after her last conversation with the captain.  When the hail on the communicator did not come at the time they had agreed upon, Seven did not immediately become concerned, more than familiar with the captain’s ability to become engrossed in whatever she happened to be doing at the time.  After all, humans were notoriously unreliable in matters of punctuality, particularly the good captain when she was engaging in off-duty activities.  In her defense, as captain of a starship stranded so far from home, she had many claims on her time, and Seven was aware that since she had joined the crew in the fourth year of their journey home, much of Captain Janeway’s off-duty time was spent in her company.  Seven simply wished they could spend even more time together, which was why she had been gratified at the older woman’s invitation to join her on this ‘working vacation.’

When Captain Janeway’s hail was almost thirty minutes late Seven was concerned, having tried repeatedly to contact the captain, with no response.  Of course, the inability to make contact could have a perfectly logical explanation, such as interference from the rocks.  But knowing the captain had a positive genius for getting into trouble, she secured the area where she had been mining the ore and refining the crystals and set off at a brisk pace to the coordinates of the cavern, picnic basked and tricorder in hand. 

As Seven approached the cave, she passed by the hot spring pool and spared a thought that during their three-day stay on this planet, the captain would no doubt wish to indulge her passion for hot baths.  The thought was most appealing.  She tapped her commbadge and attempted to hail the captain as she arrived at the cave entrance.  When there was no response, she adjusted her tricorder, triangulating the signal of the captain’s communicator and headed into the cavern.

~~~~~

The object of Seven of Nine’s search was slowly coming to in complete darkness.  The captain felt a stab of agonizing pain shoot through her leg.  Trying to get up was a big mistake, and she groaned as she tried to shift into a more comfortable position.  She found out that there was no more comfortable position.  She felt for her wrist beacon, and found it smashed.  The pain in her leg was joined by the pain in her head and her chest, as she coughed and passed out once again.

Seven was able to follow the captain’s trail with relative ease; her biggest concern was the gradually increasing darkness, which slowed her down.  Her Borg-enhanced vision could do many things, but operating in total darkness was not one of them.  Even in a Borg cube, there was always residual greenish glow from the equipment, enough for the ocular implant to function properly.  Much like a human eye, the Borg ocular implant refracted light from outside sources to visualize images, only it was capable of many more sophisticated operations than a normal eye.  The small amount of light from the tricorder’s screen gave off a tiny bit of illumination, but in total darkness, Seven would only be able to ‘see’ with her Borg eye for a small distance.

She arrived at the large room where the captain had encountered the bats.  The opening in the floor and the lonely backpack some distance away told its own story.  Seven set the unused basked of food down and took the climbing gear out of the backpack, thankful for her insistence on what she considered adequate preparation, and looked for a good place to secure the rope.  She found a likely spot on the wall just beyond the hole in the floor, and hammered in a duranium bolt and attached to it an anchor, also made of duranium.  She then tied a strong knot at the end of a rope and attached it to the anchor.  She took her tricorder and adjusted the settings to help her navigate her way down the shaft and strapped it across her chest.  Then, strapping on the backpack, she let the rope fall through the hole and began to descend.

The way down was somewhat treacherous.  Seven bumped and scratched herself against the walls, discovering that they were dotted with sharp, spiky calcite formations.  The bottom of the shaft was about three meters below the main cavern above, and after taking off the backpack, she used her tricorder in order to pinpoint the captain’s location one meter to the left of her present position.  She reached into the backpack and took out the emergency medkit, then knelt down next to the captain and checked for her wrist lamp, which she discovered was smashed beyond repair.  This made the extra power cell in the backpack redundant, of course, and Seven realized she needed some additional source of light if she was going to be able to treat the captain’s injuries.  She thought quickly, and after some swift commands to her cortical node, a small beam of light began to come through her ocular implant, enough that with the help of the enhanced vision in the left eye she was able to see well enough in the pitch black of the cavern.  What Seven didn’t realize in her anxiety about the captain was that the energy from her implants, drawn as it was through the Borg circuitry of her implants, was transformed into a greenish glow that resembled her alcove.  The light enveloped her head and shoulders in a halo of shimmering soft, green that was reflected by the tiny crystalline dust particles that had covered her as she descended through the shaft.

She reached into the med kit and found the small scanner which verified a compound fracture to the right leg, a concussion, three cracked ribs, multiple contusions and abrasions.  The captain was running a high temperature and was suffering from shock and prolonged exposure to the cold and damp of the cavern.

As Seven began to check Janeway’s head injury, the captain stirred and began to wake up, moaning in pain.  Her eyes fluttered open and she caught her breath, whispering in a raspy but awed tone of voice, “I called for you and you came…you look like an angel…my beautiful Borg guardian angel.”  She coughed and closed her eyes as she lapsed back into unconsciousness.

Seven was momentarily stunned, not knowing what to make of this peculiar statement from the captain, but decided the cryptic words would have to wait.  She worked quickly, grabbing a hypospray and injecting a broad spectrum of antibiotics to deal with infection.  The bone knitter came next to repair the leg and the ribs.  Now Seven would be able to move the captain to a more comfortable position and evaluate the seriousness of the concussion.  She took the thermal blanket in the pack and spread it on the cave floor against a dry part of the wall.  She gently placed the captain on it, and elevated her legs with the remaining contents of the backpack, covering her with the rest of the blanket.  She had gotten a glimpse of the angry scratches on the captain’s face and hands, the torn clothing only partly covering the many abrasions on her chest, back and legs.  She scanned the captain again, noted the fever had hardly diminished and that she remained unconscious.  She patted the captain’s cheeks gently, “Captain…Captain Janeway, wake up.”

The captain remained quiet, and Seven took a sterile pad from the medkit to wash off some of the dirt and blood from her face.  The captain finally regained consciousness, opening the blue-gray eyes with effort.

A vision in glowing green looked back at her, and she smiled.  “Annika, you’re here.  You look so beautiful in that light, even more than on Voyager when I would watch you in your alcove.”  Tears suddenly began to fall and she clutched Seven’s arm with unexpected, desperate strength.

“Darling, I missed you so.  I’ve been looking everywhere for you, calling for you, and you didn’t answer.  But you didn’t leave me, you’re here, and everything is going to be all right.”  She relaxed her grip momentarily, then clutched at Seven again, “Promise me you won’t leave me again, I couldn’t bear it…to be alone again, without you, not able to be close to you, or touch you, or love you.  Annika, swear it!  Swear that you won’t leave me!  That you still love me and won’t ever let me go!”  The captain’s expression was filled with terror and pain, and she closed her eyes and collapsed back on the blanket.

A confused Seven of Nine attempted to answer, “Captain, you have been seriously injured in a fall, and…”

“Darling, why are you calling me that?  Where are Mother and Phoebe, and why is this place so dark?  My head hurts…why does my head hurt so much?”

“Captain…Kathryn,” she amended, and was rewarded with a wan smile, “do you know who I am?  And what happened to you?”  She took a water bottle and held it up to the captain’s lips.  After Janeway managed to sip some of the water, Seven took another sterile pad and pulled away the blanket and moved aside the torn sections of the captain’s uniform, cleaning the cuts on the captain’s chest and arms.  The dermal regenerator repaired the worst of the cuts and scrapes.  Seven noticed her breathing becoming shallow as she carefully covered the captain’s exposed chest after finishing with the dermal regenerator.

“Sweetheart, of course I remember what happened.  I’m Kathryn and you’re Annika, and we’re home…” her voice trailed away as she looked around at the darkness beyond the green glow from Seven’s ocular implant and looked terrified.  “No, Seven, no!  How did she find you?  How could she find you here, of all places?  She’s taken you from me again!”

Seven found Janeway’s implied possessiveness intensely satisfying.  She did not bother to examine why this might be so.  “Who, Kathryn?  Who has taken me from you?”

“The Queen, of course…she’s never forgotten that I stole you from her, from the Borg, and she’s come back.”  She moaned, turning her head away from the greenish light.  “This is what I’ve dreaded since I brought you back that other time, but I couldn’t let her keep you, you belonged with me, not with her on some cube, you belong with me!”  Janeway started to cry, and said fiercely, “Don’t let her win, Seven, I need you, I need so much!  I need you to feel…alive.  Oh, God, it’s all so useless, so EMPTY without you.  You have to fight her, you have to come back to me!  I love you so much, I should have told you after she took you the first time, but I was so afraid…so afraid you would say some awful Borg phrase like ‘Love is irrelevant,’ and that you didn’t love me, that you might never be able to love me…”

The captain’s ramblings flooded Seven with equal parts warmth and worry.  “Shh, Kathryn, she is not here.  We are both safe from the Queen and she can never harm either of us again.  We are in a cave where it is cold and damp, not hot and humid as it would be in a Borg cube.”

“We’re in a cave?”  The captain’s gaze cleared momentarily.  “Of course, there are hundreds of caves in Indiana, I loved going caving.  But this isn’t the Sullivan Cave at home or the caves on Mars.”

“No, we are still in the Delta Quadrant.”

“Annika, how is that possible?  How can we still be in the Delta Quadrant?  I remember taking you home, to Bloomington, showing you the farm and introducing you to my mother and sister.”  The captain focused on Seven’s ocular implant.  “Where is that green light coming from?  My head hurts…everything hurts.”  Janeway closed her eyes again in pain.

“Kathryn, the wrist lamp you carried was damaged when you fell.  It was too dark for me to see well enough, but I was able to access part of the energy powering my implants and convert it into the light coming from my ocular implant.”  Janeway’s attention wandered and Seven coaxed her into sipping more water.  Please drink some more water, Kathryn.  You have been hurt very badly, and you are suffering from a concussion, which may be causing you to be confused.  But I will not let any harm come to you.”  Seven’s voice faltered, and she tenderly wiped the tears from the captain’s eyes with a fresh pad.

“Kathryn?”  Seven called out softly.  She patted her cheeks, and the pats became gentle caresses, as her thumb found the curve of the captain’s jaw.  Seven was concerned about the captain’s lapses in and out of consciousness as well as the erratic phrases and sudden shifts of topic.  Concussions could certainly include temporary memory loss and confusion, but not fantasies or hallucinations as far as Seven could recall.

“Kathryn, you must attempt to stay awake!” she said.  It was becoming imperative that she find a way out of the cave and back to the Delta Flyer as soon as she could.

Seven took advantage of the captain’s lack of awareness and moved the blanket aside, cleaning and repairing many of the cuts and scratches on her legs.  Janeway began to shiver, and Seven rubbed the blanket briskly trying to stimulate her circulation and dry off some of the wetness that had penetrated Janeway’s skin through the torn uniform. 

She covered the captain once more with the blanket and began scanning the cave with the tricorder.  Seven was hoping to find a way out of the room they were in, but the results of the scans were not encouraging.  This room had no natural access to the main cavern above and there did not seem to be an easy way out, not without blasting through the wall of the cave.  This could possibly destabilize the cavern’s structure, and Seven had no intention of risking the captain and herself by causing a cave-in.

The captain moved restlessly and began to mumble more audibly.  “No, oh God, no!  I don’t know if I’ll be able to stand up to them.”  She paused, then continued, “They’ll be coming for you soon, Kate.  You’ll have to show them and yourself what you’re really made of.  But I’m afraid…I don’t know if I’ll be able to take it.”  She put her hands over her ears, “No, please, no more, I can’t think what they’re doing to him, what they’ll do to me.”

Seven goes back to the captain immediately and strokes her cheek, trying to wake her from whatever nightmare she is experiencing.  “Kathryn, wake up.  You are safe; I will do anything to keep you safe.”

The captain opens her eyes.  “No one can save me now, it’s the Cardassians they’re coming for me, and I’m afraid…”

Seven realizes that the captain is reliving her capture at the hands of the Cardassians, along with Admiral Owen Paris.  “No, Kathryn, there are no Cardassians here, no one can hurt you, I will make certain of it.”

“You don’t understand…I can hear the screams as they torture him, and I’m next.  They’re coming for me next, and I’m afraid I won’t be tough enough, I’m afraid I’ll disappoint my father.  Daddy, I’m so sorry, I tried so hard to make you proud of me, to be like you…”

“Kathryn, please wake up.  We need to make our way out of this cave, and get you back to Voyager.”

Janeway suddenly changes the subject, as if the mention of her ship has moved her forward in time.  “I can’t face the crew, they’re better off without me.  This endless void, there seems to be no way out, and it’s my fault, my decision that stranded us out here.  So many deaths because of me.  I should have died along with the others…” she continues to ramble.

Seven becomes infuriated when she hears this, and lashes out in unreasonable anger.  “How can you say this, Captain?  If you had died, Voyager would never have made it this far.  If you had died, I would never have been severed from the Collective.  I would have continued my existence as a drone, destroying others, assimilating them…”  As Seven speaks she begins to relive many of her experiences as a drone, and she doubles over in anguish next to the captain.  “Noooooo,” she cries out, and collapses, sobbing.

After a few minutes the memories began to fade and Seven raised her tear-stained face, having regained some of her customary control.  She was appalled at her outburst when her focus should be on caring for the captain, who was in the middle of yet another hallucination about her years at Starfleet Academy. 

Seven recovered her customary control and analyzed the situation, certain that something had caused her atypical emotional reaction.  She made some adjustments to the tricorder and began taking additional readings.  The results now clearly indicated that there was some kind of gas leaking into the air of the cavern that her initial scans had missed.  The normal settings of the tricorder are set to measure atmospheric particles up to .001% the atomic weight of oxygen.  Her adjustments were able to extend the parameters of the tricorder to .0001%, and Seven was able to confirm the presence of the gas.  She took further readings and stored a sample for analysis on Voyager.  Her observation of her own reaction was that the gas behaved like a strong narcotic in human beings, creating a strong, hallucinogenic reaction of some kind.  No doubt her little improvisation with her ocular implant was draining her energy reserves and diminishing the ability of her nanoprobes to counteract the effects of the gas.  She began to make preparations to leave, as the episodes were really most unpleasant, and she had no wish relive any more of her past as a drone quite so vivdly.

First she had to construct some kind of harness to pull the captain up through the shaft since her tenuous mental state as well as the recently knitted bones and ribs would not be up to the task of climbing.  The blanket would provide a small measure of protection from the rough surface as she was pulled up the shaft.  She took the extra rope from the backpack and began constructing a web of knots and rope, much like a fishing net, to surround the captain.  The top of the net extended up to the captain’s shoulders, and Seven used two loose ends to create a sling, tying them into a tight double-eight knot.

She took her tricorder and strapped it across her chest, and took the hand phaser from the backpack, planning to use it to smooth out the rough walls of the passage as much as possible.  The medkit and the captian’s own tricorder, along with everything else went into the backpack.  She laid the rope net at the base of the shaft, and then moved toward the captain, gently moving her and placing her on the net with her back resting against the rock.  Using her hand implant, she cut off a length of rope and used it to tie together the sides of the net snugly around the captain, creating a harness that would make it possible for her to pull the captain up almost as if she were lying in a crude hammock.  She took a locking carabiner from the pack and secured it to the end of the rope she used to descend, glad of the generous length, and slipped the sling with the double-eight knot through the spring. 

The captain had been quiet and sleepy during most of these preparations, and Seven tried to wake her, afraid that she might struggle if she woke suddenly and found herself trussed and pulled up through a dark, damp passageway.  “Captain, wake up.”  She felt the captain’s forehead, still hot from the fever.  She would have to take a chance, so she stood up and began her climb, wanting to get the captain back to sickbay as soon as she could manage it.  As soon as she was underway, the captain began to murmur, moving her head restlessly.

Seven made the climb as quickly as she could, using her Borg arm to anchor herself with the rope as she paused several times to use the phaser at a low setting, smoothing out the irregular surface of the shaft.  She reached the top, pulled herself over the edge and prepared to pull up the captain.

After untying the rope from the anchor on the wall, she gripped it and pulled until the slack was gone and she felt the resistance of the captain’s body weight at the other end.  Balancing her own weight against the rope carefully, she slowly began to pull up on the rope hand over hand, making the motion as steady and smooth as possible. 

When Seven calculated the captain was approaching the half-way mark, she felt a sudden jerk at the other end of the rope.  The captain had regained consciousness and was struggling inside the webbing that was surrounding her.  Seven stopped pulling instantly and dug her feet into the ground for extra leverage.  She bent her knees slightly and balanced herself against the captain’s struggles, trying to keep the rope from moving too much.  She could hear the panic in the captain’s voice, seemingly in the throes of yet another episode. 

“Where am I?  Who are you, and why am I being held against my will?  Let me go!”  The captain seemed convinced that she was being held prisoner.

“Kathryn, this is Seven of Nine, please remain still!  You had a caving accident and have been injured.  I am Seven of Nine, and I am pulling you up to the surface, then we will return to Voyager.  You are safe, and I will take care of you.”

Something, perhaps the total confidence in Seven’s tone of voice must have penetrated, because she stopped struggling and relaxed, allowing Seven to pull her up.  Her teeth chattered in reaction to the cold in the passage.  “Seven, is that really you?  Where are we?  Hurry up; I hate feeling like a trussed chicken in this thing.  And it’s very cold in here.”

Seven was please to hear the captain’s natural feistiness coming through as she continued to pull on the rope.  “Kathryn, I am pulling as fast as I can.  You are almost at the top.”

In a matter of seconds, she was able to see the top of the captain’s head.  She made her way to the edge until she could pull the captain into a sitting position.  She bent and picked up the captain, moving away from the shaft.  She set the captain down and directed her Borg hand to become a sharp blade, cutting through the ropes.  Then her hand returned to its normal appearance.

“That implant is certainly useful in a pinch,” the captain said dryly.  “But let’s get out of here.  I’m so c-cold.  And my head hurts, along with everything e-else.”  The captain tried to stand up and stumbled, grabbing Seven’s arm.  Seven put her arms around the captain to keep her from falling, thus bringing their bodies into close contact.

“Captain, you suffered multiple fractures in your leg, and broke some ribs.  You should not try to stand so soon after the bones were repaired.”  Seven found the physical closeness to the captain disconcerting, noting absently the increase in heartbeat and respiration on contact.  The faint light from her implant cast a greenish tint on the captain’s face as she shivered against Seven.

Seven helped the captain sit on a rock and said, “Let me gather the equipment and the basked of food, and then I will carry you out.  Are you hungry at all, Captain?”  The captain grimaced in response, feeling a bit queasy by now, and shook her head no.  Seven tucked the now worn blanket around the captain and gathered the ropes and climbing gear after strapping the basket to the backpack, being careful not to leave anything that could pollute the cave.

“Will we be able to find the way out?” Janeway asked, pulling the blanket tightly about her.

“You forget I have an eidetic memory, and can retrace my steps exactly.”  Seven knelt and picked the captain up in her arms.  “Just rest and trust that I will get you back to the ship.”  The captain settled her head against Seven’s neck, seeking the warmth of the other woman’s body.

“I do trust you, Seven.  Right now there’s no place I’d rather be than right here in your arms,” she said quietly as she relaxed completely and placed herself in Seven’s tender care.

Seven could not be sure if the captain was fully in the present or still suffering the effects of the gas in the cavern below, but her words gave her great pleasure nonetheless.  “Try not to fall asleep, Captain, it is advisable to stay awake with a head injury.  Tell me what you remember,” Seven prompted as she began the return journey out of the cavern.

“I can’t remember much at all, but I do seem to remember falling.  Not much after that, though,” Janeway managed to say, closing her eyes in concentration.  “Everything is a bit confused…nice dreams of you and Mother and Phoebe mixed up with memories of the Queen, the Academy and the Cardassians…or at least I think they’re memories, because I can’t seem to tell the difference between things I’ve imagined and things that actually happened.  Nothing really makes much sense, except that being with you like this feels…right, somehow.”  Janeway burrowed her head deeper into Seven’s neck, and her hand stroked the skin surrounding the star-shaped implant on Seven’s right cheek.  “So soft…”

Somewhere in the back of Janeway’s mind a thought was fighting to emerge, telling her that touching Seven this way was not something she should indulge in, but the mental haze caused by the gas in her system and the pain from her injuries overcame that faint warning with ease, and she succumbed to the temptation of creamy skin, blonde hair, and eyes that she knew as surely as she knew her own name were a blue as beautiful as a clear summer sky.

The captain opened her eyes and turned Seven’s head, trying to use the faint light from the implant to look into her eyes.  She could feel the warmth of her breath as Seven looked back at her, pupils large in the dim light.  Suddenly every reason she may have ever given herself for not acting on her very deep feelings for this woman dissolved in the darkness of the cave, with only a soft greenish reminder of the Borg to light the way. 

Unable to stop herself, she angled her head slightly and brushed her lips against Seven in a fleeting shadow of a kiss. 

~~~~~ 

Seven stopped dead in her tracks at the first touch of the captain’s lips, unable to manage so simple an act as walking when her cortical processor was bombarded with the sensations caused by that kiss.

Despite her recently expressed doubts about the accuracy of her memory, Janeway was positive she had never kissed a woman before, since she could imagine no head injury severe enough to make her forget the magnitude of the experience.  Surely no amount of fantasizing could have prepared her for that first touch of another woman’s mouth.  Her first coherent thought was how soft it felt, so much softer than a man’s.  Her second thought was that it was Seven’s lips she had pressed, however tentatively, and that nothing in her life so far had ever felt better.  Her third thought, practically at the same time as the first and second was why the hell had she waited so long.  So she went back for more, deepening the kiss and coaxing Seven’s mouth open as her tongue made its way inside, seeking its mate.

Seven followed the captain’s lead with abandon and her customary quickness in mastering most activities, soon adding embellishments of her own.  She eased the captain into a standing position, enjoying the pressure of the captain’s body as it slid against her own.  She made sure to hold the captain in such a way that she was not resting her full weight on the injured leg.

Her hands traveled up and down the captain’s back as the kisses became more heated, her fully human hand finding its way inside the blanket to mold the captain’s buttocks, pressing the two bodies even closer together.  Seven’s mouth left the captain’s to travel across the stubborn jaw, the same jaw that had jutted out in challenge during their many furious clashes in the past.

As the blanket fell to the cavern floor, the captain became aware of the cool air chilling the skin exposed by Seven’s curious hands.  She shivered and reluctantly pulled away from Seven’s mouth and hands, currently making a thorough exploration of the captain’s breasts.

“Seven, as much as I’d like to continue, this is neither the time nor the place.  I’m freezing, and we should really get out of here.”  The captain brought her hands up past Seven’s generous chest, unable to resist making her own discoveries, stopping only when her arms were circling Seven’s neck. 

Seven closed her eyes, trying to slow down her breathing, unwilling to stop this intoxicating activity, but conceding the wisdom of postponement.  She could feel the captain trembling from the cold and the presence of goose-bumps on her skin.  She nodded.  “You are correct, Captain, we should continue this later.  We are approximately .18 kilometers from the cavern entrance.”  She bent and picked up the blanket, wrapping it around the captain, who was shivering from the cold.

“I’m not sure I can walk very well, or find my way in this light,” she began.

Seven simply swept her up in her arms again, setting off at a brisk pace.  “This is much more efficient,” she stated.  “This close to the entrance, we will gradually have more and more light, greatly facilitating the way.”

Janeway nodded, for once in her life simply leaning back and letting someone else take control of her and the situation.  That the ‘someone else’ was Seven seemed fitting.

In a matter of minutes the darkness was relieved by their nearness to the cave’s entrance.  Seven was able to stop generating the greenish light from her ocular implant, and soon they passed through the entrance to the cave. 

The sun had just begun to set, but it was still bright enough that Janeway had to turn her eyes away until they became accustomed to the light outside, and Seven’s neck provided convenient shade.  A cool wind blew past the two figures and caused the captain to shiver in the damp blanket.  “S-seven, h-hurry…I’m s-s-so c-cold.”

Seven looked down at the small woman in her arms.  “This blanket is damp.  We must find a way to raise your body temperature quickly.” 

The captain could not resist responding under her breath, “I c-can think of several ways th-that c-could work,” as Seven headed for the cluster of trees some fifty meters from the entrance to the cave, remembering the heated spring nearby.

“Captain, I believe I have a solution to our problem.”

“S-seven, I believe I must have a philosophical d-discussion with you about loaded statements.  Sooner rather th-than later.”

“Captain?”

“N-never mind.  Put me down over there, so I c-can take off my boots.”  She pointed to a spot near the shallow end of the pool.  “I can’t wait to get in th-the water.”

Seven obliged, and watched avidly as the captain peeled off what was left of her tattered uniform, retaining some modesty by keeping on her underclothes.  Conscious of Seven’s scrutiny, the captain allowed her glance to drift up to meet Seven’s eyes, and the air between them crackled with sudden awareness.

Seven took off the backpack and helped the captain up as she limped to the edge of the pool, favoring her recently mended leg.  She gingerly stepped into the pool, sighing in pleasure as the water’s warmth eased the soreness.  “Oh, this is heavenly!” she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with something other than fever for the first time since she woke from her fall.

Seven smiled at the captain’s unabashed appreciation of the spring she waded into the center of the pool, the buoyancy of the water easing the burden on her leg.

“This is fantastic, Seven!” the captain enthused.  “You should join me!”

“Perhaps I will,” Seven responded.  “But first I will endeavor to wash out the blanket and your uniform.”  She proceeded to do just that, wringing out the excess water from the various items.

The captain laughed, “I’ll probably freeze again when I put them back on, but it will be worth it just to be able to enjoy this.”  

“Perhaps not,” Seven answered, tearing her eyes away from the vision of an almost naked Kathryn Janeway laughing and splashing, covered only by underwear made semi-transparent by the water.  She took the blanket, uniform and the phaser and headed to the other end of the pool, where a group of rocks formed a low wall near several trees, providing a small barrier against the breeze.  She converted her hand implant into a machete-like implement, and efficiently stripped several branches near the rock wall into smooth poles, then hung up the uniform and the blanket.  She stood back and checked the phaser and changed the intensity to the lowest setting.  She pointed the phaser, aiming it at the rocks and fired steadily until the rocks seemed to glow from within.  Satisfied, she lowered the phaser, and looked back at the captain, who had watched the entire proceeding with approval.  “I believe that should take care of the problem,” she said with faint smugness.

The captain inclined her head in agreement, clapping several times for emphasis.  ”Brava, Seven!  Borg efficiency and human resourcefulness – a most impressive combination.  I’ll have to give you a special commendation, especially for allowing your captain to enjoy a warm bath without freezing to death afterwards.”

She swam over to the deeper, shaded end of the pool until she was covered completely by the bubbling water.  She lifted her hand, brandishing her underwear and wringing them out.  “I think I’d like to try your system on these as well,” she said as she laid them out at the edge of the pool.  She could feel the heat from the rocks, and swam back to the middle of the pool, but not before offering Seven a tantalizing glimpse of her unclothed form under the churning water. 

Seven stood stock still as the sight severely compromised her ability to breathe.  She looked away, and gave the rocks another dose of phaser fire while she gathered her jumbled thoughts.  Her growing desire to continue where she and the captain had left off in the cave was becoming a serious distraction.  She only hoped the captain felt the same way. 

Seven sat a short distance away, close enough to the rocks to keep monitoring their temperature while the blanket and clothing dried.  She took her communicator and flipped open the back of the commbadge, exposing the circuitry inside.  Then she did the same with the tricorder.  When both pieces of equipment were ready, she opened a channel to the main computer on the Delta Flyer.  She directed one of her assimilation tubules to connect to the tricorder, the other to the communicator, then sent the necessary instructions to the computer.  As her ocular implant began to reflect the rapidly moving data passing back and forth, her face took on a blank look for a few seconds until she terminated the link.  She then withdrew her tubules and returned the panels to the backs of the communicator and the tricorder.

Seven checked the clothing hanging on the trees and turned them, giving the rocks another phaser blast.  She looked back at the captain, who was treading the warm water and looking back at Seven.

“Are they dry yet?” she asked.

“Not completely.  The blanket will require more time.”

“Then what are you waiting for?  There’s an old Earth saying:  Come on in, the water’s fine!”  the captain responded. 

Seven walked around the pool to the shallow side, “Captain, I believe you are attempting to seduce me.”

The captain swam forward until the water just barely covered her breasts, offering Seven an enticing view of cleavage.  The grin on her face was crooked and slightly predatory and her voice dropped to a gravelly timbre.  “You bet I am.  Any objections?  And would you please, please call me Kathryn?”

Seven’s thoughts were moving at breakneck speed, analyzing this much sought-after turn of events.  Her overwhelming desire for the captain warred with her knowledge that the captain’s atypical behavior was probably still affected by the gas in the cave, and she wanted whatever happened between them to be a fully conscious choice.  She wanted nothing more than to accept the captain’s invitation and join her in the bubbling pool of water, but logic dictated that she exercise restraint, and concern herself with the captain’s well-being. 

“As tempting as that is, Captain…Kathryn,” she corrected as the captain frowned mockingly, “the most prudent course of action is to return you to Voyager.”

“You would condemn me to the tender mercies of the Doctor without at least a kiss to see me through the experience?  That’s positively heartless, Seven!”

Even under the most mundane of circumstances the captain was intensely attractive to Seven, but when Kathryn Janeway chose to tease and exercise her potent charm, she was positively irresistible.  “Perhaps a kiss or two can be arranged.  But only when you are dry and once again fully clothed.”

“Coward!”  The captain’s throaty laughter followed Seven as she went to retrieve the blanket and clothing.  She returned to the shallow end of the pool with her eyes slightly averted and the blanket extended, affording the captain some cover as she stepped out of the pool and leaned on Seven’s arm for support.  The captain wrapped herself in the blanket, and hobbled over to the rock, sitting down.  She dried herself off, and Seven handed her the now dry undergarments and took the blanket back to hang once again over the branches.  As the captain dressed, she began to shiver again, chilled by the breeze blowing once again through the trees.

Seven began rubbing her arms and legs briskly, trying to stimulate circulation.  When this did not stop the shivering, she carried the captain back to the rocks still warm from the phaser fire and set her down.  Feeling that her efforts were still inadequate, she wrapped her arms around the captain and directed her Borg hand to change once again, into a rectangular shape with an uneven surface that vibrated rapidly back and forth.  She moved the vibrating device all over her as she surrounded the captain in a cocoon of friction and warmth. 

“S-seven, I d-didn’t know your implants d-did…th-that!”  The friction from the vibrating implant augmented by Seven’s proximity did wonders for stimulating the captain’s circulation, taking away most of the chill.

“Among other things,” Seven agreed.  “If you are warm enough now, I believe this would be an excellent time to return to the shuttle craft.”

“Are you planning to carry me all the way back?”

Seven stopped the vibration of her Borg hand and pulled the blanket off the tree branch, covering the captain with it.  She put the phaser and tricorder in the backpack then her arms through the straps as she went to stand next to the captain.  She gave her commbadge a short tap, “Computer, engage transporter lock, remote setting, Borg encryption code theta 3 7 9 pi.  Two to beam out.”

Seven managed to convince the captain to stay in one of the shuttle’s bunks to stay warm.  The freshly replicated pajamas and hot pot of coffee that Seven thoughtfully provided managed to accomplish what her logical arguments could not.  With the captain settled for the time being, Seven sat at the pilot’s seat of the Delta Flyer and transported the dilithium crystals and the lab equipment she had left on the planet to the shuttle’s cargo hold and did a final check before taking off.  She estimated that at Warp 5, the Delta Flyer would be within transporter range of Voyager in approximately 3.5 hours. 

~~~~~~ 

“Seven of Nine to Voyager, acknowledge.” 

“Delta Flyer this is Voyager,” Harry Kim responded to the shuttle’s hail. 

“Mr. Kim, the captain has been injured.  Please lock on and transport her directly to sickbay as soon as the Delta Flyer is within range.  Also, please notify the doctor that I am downloading all of the pertinent scans and information relating to her injuries directly into sickbay’s computer as soon as the captain has been transported.  Seven of Nine out.”

“Seven, wait!”  Harry Kim frantically tried to keep the channel open before completely losing the signal.  “What happened to the captain?  How seriously is she injured?  Does the Doctor need to make any special preparations for emergency treatment?”

Seven sighed, “Mr. Kim, I believe I did not indicate the necessity for any panic on the part of anyone on Voyager.  If I considered any additional emergency treatment other than what I have already administered necessary, I would have indicated it in my initial message.  The captain’s injuries are not life-threatening, but she does require the Doctor’s care.  Please do not jump to unwarranted conclusions, and follow my instructions.  As soon as the Delta Flyer docks, I will report to sickbay and brief the Doctor personally.  Seven of Nine OUT!”

Back on Voyager, the entire bridge crew winced at the abrupt click signaling the end of the communication preceded by the emphasis on Seven’s last sharp word.  The dismay on Harry Kim’s face was almost painfully obvious, and Chakotay turned around in his chair to offer a word of comfort.  “Cheer up Harry.  You know she talks to everyone that way when she’s annoyed or upset.”

“I thought Borg didn’t get annoyed or upset, I thought Borg were above such mundane human emotions,” Harry muttered as he keyed in the appropriate commands on his console.  “Doctor, stand by to receive Captain Janeway in sickbay.  Bridge to transporter room, prepare to beam the Captain from the Delta Flyer directly to sickbay on my mark…energize.”

Seven walked into sickbay just in time to put a stop to the heated argument by the biobeds.  The Doctor was insisting the captain needed to stay in sickbay for observation and tests, and the captain insisting she didn’t.  “Captain, I must agree with the Doctor, you should stay until the he can review the data from this sample.”  She handed the tricorder to the Doctor.  “This contains a sample of the gas the captain was exposed to for several hours in the cavern.  The gas caused the captain to experience a number of hallucinations.  From what I could surmise, they seemed to be primarily, although not entirely, vivid recreations of past events.  Once we returned to the surface, the hallucinations seemed to recede, but her behavior seemed to undergo a noticeable change.”

At this point, an indignant Captain Janeway interrupted, “Could you please not speak about me as if I weren’t standing right here?”

“Captain, Seven’s report makes it imperative that you remain in sickbay for observation.  Besides your head injury, which I should monitor at least overnight, I want to run some tests to make sure you are suffering no residual effects from the gas.  And as CMO, may I remind you, I can compel you to stay until I release you,” the Doctor concluded with a flourish.

The captain’s eyes narrowed, as a calculating gleam appeared.  “Doctor, what about Seven?  She suffered from hallucinations too, and her behavior was also slightly off, as I recall.”

The Doctor certainly knew how to pick up a cue.  “On the biobed, please.”

Seven glared at both of them.  “Doctor, I am perfectly all right.  My nanoprobes compensated for the effects of the gas, and my behavior was not altered significantly, despite the captain’s best efforts to convince you otherwise.  A full regeneration cycle should take care of any lingering symptoms.”

The Doctor imperiously pointed to the biobed, “Sit!  A complete examination will make certain, and I can combine it with some regular maintenance of your Borg systems.  Then you can regenerate.”

~~~~~ 

The captain returned to her quarters the next afternoon, finally receiving a clean bill of health from the Doctor.  The analysis of the gas revealed that in its active state it attacked the parts of the brain’s frontal lobe that control memory and caused vivid hallucinations and dreams, which explained the confusing fantasy of being with Seven at home on Earth.  That had been so real it had actually felt like a memory.  Her own prolonged exposure after the fall seemed to heightened the intensity and frequency of the images.  After several hours, the gas mutated and affected behavior, removing a person’s normal inhibitions, particularly regarding sexual behavior, judging by the elevated hormonal levels in the captain’s and Seven’s blood tests.  The captain had a difficult time deflecting the Doctor’s natural nosiness regarding this unexpected bit of information, and was still not certain that she and Seven had been adequately convincing. 

She headed to her replicator and requested a chicken salad sandwich and hot coffee, glad to be back in familiar surroundings.  She was in desperate need of some time to process the memories of her time on the planet with Seven.

She was actually very lucky.  The ribs and leg had healed completely, along with any remaining cuts and scratches.  The concussion was mild, made to appear much worse by the bouts of unconsciousness, her reaction to the gas.  At least she knew that the gas was now inert, and her body’s systems would eliminate any lingering traces.  But how successful would she be at eliminating the memories of how it felt to hold Seven and be held by her, to kiss her.  She had managed to suppress her feelings for Seven ever since realizing that she was hopelessly in love with her, during the incident with the Borg Queen all those months ago.  Now it seemed that Seven had been hiding her own feelings.  The captain was fairly certain she would not be able to go on the way she had before, but was Seven really ready to step into an adult romantic partnership, particularly one with the captain of a starship and all the problems that would bring?   

Janeway finished her lunch and went to draw a bath.  Since the Doctor had ordered her to finish her shore leave rotation, she would do her best to enjoy it.  Besides, a tub full of bubbles was a wonderful place to think.  To fantasize.  And to anticipate.

~~~~~~  

“Regeneration cycle complete,” the voice of the computer droned.  Seven opened her eyes and stepped away from the alcove.

“Computer, state the location of Captain Janeway.”

“Captain Janeway is in her quarters,” the computer responded obediently.

Seven marched out of Cargo Bay 2, determination in every step.  As she approached deck 3, she was busy listing all the reasons the captain would have for rejecting the possibility of a relationship between them.  The captain’s stubbornness and insistence on protocol were formidable obstacles, and Seven knew that she would need all of her considerable determination to overcome them.  Janeway’s behavior on the planet had given Seven the assurance that her feelings were not one-sided, but would she accept that a relationship between them was possible?  She approached the captain’s door, and rang the chime for admittance. 

The captain was enjoying her bath when she heard the door chime.  “Computer, who is at the door?”

“Seven of Nine is currently outside the captain’s quarters,” the computer informed.

Well, it seemed that the captain’s time for reflections in the bathtub was over.  She reached over to the sink console next to the tub and tapped her commbadge.  “Janeway to Seven of Nine.”

“Yes, Captain,” Seven responded.

“Seven, come in and wait for me in the living area.  I’ll be finished with my bath in a few minutes.”

Images of the captain naked in the tub assaulted Seven as she entered, and the predictable physical signs of arousal made themselves known.  Seven had become all too familiar with them over the past 36 hours, as well as experiencing several erotic dreams during her regeneration cycle, more than twice her usual number.  Her libido seemed to be on permanent red alert since she returned from the planet.   

She stood by the couch waiting for the captain, her enhanced hearing easily picking up the sounds of Janeway preparing to join her.

The captain quickly got out of the tub and donned a pair of comfortable pants and a sweatshirt, toweling her hair as she left her bedroom.  She saw Seven waiting for her by the couch and stopped, tossing the wet towel on the nearest chair before brushing out the tangles in her hair.

“Captain, I trust you are completely recovered from your injuries,” she began.

“Are we back to Captain, Seven?  After all that’s happened, maybe we should stick to Kathryn when we are alone.”

“Thank you, Kathryn, I would like that very much,” Seven replied, the name flowing easily in her even tone.  “I wished to speak with you about what happened between us on the planet and to clarify…”

The captain held up her hand as she approached, interrupting smoothly.  “I also wanted thank you for getting me out of the cave, and to apologize if anything I may have said or done while under the influence of that gas made you uncomfortable.  Seven,”

“Kathryn, please, let me speak.  Nothing you said or did made me uncomfortable, at least not in the way you mean.  I have wished to hear you say these things and many others, for some time.  Ever since I ascertained what my feelings for you were.”

The captain sat down on the couch as Seven spoke, listening attentively.  “And what are your feelings for me?” she asked quietly looking at Seven.

Seven came close to the captain and knelt in front of her, aware that she had to be very, very convincing.  “Kathryn, what do you think they are?  You are the person who defied the Borg, not once, but twice for me.  You defied your crew and made me one of them.  You defied me, and as you know, that is no easy thing.”  The captain smiled ruefully as Seven continued.

“You are the person who has been my guide, my example, my mentor, and, I hope, my friend.”

“But Seven, that’s exactly why…”

Seven raised her human hand and touched Kathryn’s lips, “For once, you must let me speak.”  She rubbed the captain’s bottom lip gently, and continued speaking.  “You are all the things I said, but you are much, much more.  To me, you are the most important person in the universe.  You are my last thought before regenerating and my first thought when the cycle ends.  You are everything I want and all I need.  Kathryn, I love you.”

The captain was a little short of breath at this eloquent speech from the normally brief and succinct former Borg.  “Seven, do you have any idea how complicated this is?  The crew, the ship, Starfleet…”

“The only thing that matters is how you feel about me.”

“Seven, ever since I realized how I felt…”

“Kathryn, you have not told me how you feel, not free from the influence of the gas.  I need to hear you say it!”

The captain took a deep breath, then looked Seven squarely in the eye, holding her hands in a firm grip, “I love you too.”  She stood, pulled Seven up and put her arms around her and whispered, “I have never loved anyone as much as I love you, right this second.”

“Then why did you wait so long to tell me?”

“It’s complicated, Seven.  I wasn’t sure you were ready for this, or that you would feel the same way.  There was Starfleet protocol looming over me, frowning in disapproval.  The ship and crew will always come first.  But most of all, as I think I may have mentioned on the planet, I was afraid if I admitted my feelings you would say something in Borg-speak, like ‘Love is irrelevant.’  I was afraid of making myself vulnerable then having to face life without you.  Why didn’t you say something before now?”

“I also need you for my continued existence.  Your love is not irrelevant to me, it the most relevant thing in the universe.  But I feared that you could not love me.  Or that as the Captain, you would not let yourself love me.”

Seven found the captain’s mouth and kissed her senseless.  The kiss lasted a very long time.  “Kathryn, I anticipated that you would have many objections to pursuing a relationship with me.  I came prepared to counter every one of them.  Yet you have proved to be unexpectedly docile.”

“Well, you know what they say.  ‘Resistance is futile,’” the captain murmured, as she kissed her way behind Seven’s ear and down the length of Seven’s neck.

In a voice as dry as desert sand Seven responded, “I have observed repeatedly that although this threat is quite effective throughout the known quadrants, there is one notable exception, that of course being Captain Kathryn Janeway of the starship Voyager.”

The captain threw back her head and laughed, the sound sending tingles of sensation all the way down to Seven’s toes, and other southern ports of call.  “I certainly hope that’s a compliment!”

Seven ran her hands possessively through the captain’s hair, then let her human hand wander under the sweatshirt up her bare back as her Borg hand moved behind her knees.  She picked Kathryn up in her arms and moved toward the bedroom.  “Compliments should be earned.  Since it is clearly in your nature to consistently overcome impossible odds, I hardly see how your success against the Borg merits a compliment.  But I do not wish to talk any more.  Perhaps if we continue what we began on the planet you will be able to earn that compliment.”

“Darling, I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” the captain purred as she pulled Seven on top of her.  “Now, show me how this biosuit comes off…”

THE END

…post scriptum

The captain stirred, gradually waking from a contented slumber.  She was surrounded by a naked Seven of Nine, holding her in a pleasant tangle of arms, legs and sheets.

“Mmmm, Seven, I haven’t slept so well in years.  Were you able to sleep at all?”

“For some of the time.”  Seven moved aside Kathryn’s hair and began to nibble her neck.  “The rest of the time I watched you sleep.  You look very beautiful when you sleep.”

“Well, I’m not sleeping now.”  The captain turned around in Seven’s grasp, moving one leg between hers and rubbing it over the implant on her thigh, hands caressing full breasts.

“Acceptable,” Seven murmured, as she met the captain’s lips in a searing, open mouthed kiss.  Seven let her Borg hand gently mold the captain’s smaller but well formed breast, letting the mesh trail across the reddish nipple, which instantly stiffened in response.

“You have a positive genius for understatement, you know.  ‘Acceptable’ is not a word I would use to describe what I plan to do to you.”  The captain pushed Seven on her back, straddling her as her eyes roamed hungrily over her lover.

“What do you plan to do to me?”  Her hands moved over the captain’s thighs to her slim hips as she ground her pelvis against Kathryn.

The captain grasped Seven’s hand and pressed herself against it, sighing in pleasure and arousal, then brought the hand up to her lips, licking and kissing the metal tipped fingers.

Seven was profoundly moved by the way the captain demonstrated her complete acceptance of the parts of her that were still Borg, paying the same loving attention to her implants that she lavished on the rest of her body.

Kathryn gave Seven’s hand one final kiss, then wrapped both her hands around it, peering intently at it.  “Seven,” she said thoughtfully, “back on the planet when I was so cold after getting out of the hot spring, you made your hand vibrate when you rubbed my back.  Was I imagining it or did your implant also change form and become some kind of blade or knife to cut through the rope?”

“No, you did not imagine it.”  At the captain’s expectant look Seven continued.  “My hand is capable of changing into a variety of tools and shapes in response to commands from my cortical processor.  The Borg have found this function to be quite useful in the performance of many routine maintenance tasks required on a cube.  I have been able to add certain refinements, such as making my hand vibrate to speed up your circulation.”

The captain slowly stretched out next to her and bit her earlobe.  Her voice was dripping with sensuality as she whispered, “Seven, love of my life, I think that between the two of us, we can find lots more interesting and creative uses for that implant…”