Transported

Part 1
 

"So this is the former Borg drone I read about in your crew manifest," Minister Ewl' F'Lal announced to no one in particular. "How delicious!"

Kathryn Janeway stared distastefully at her Auretorean host, who in her considerable opinion was being anything but hospitable. His people were clearly advanced and, in many respects, well cultured, but they had an abysmally primitive set of notions about women and had already made a number of disrespectful remarks to the Starfleet captain, whose sex had never before been an issue.

Janeway had to bite back her words, however, if she was going to prevail in her efforts to trade with this species for the biochemical supplies the crew needed to replenish Voyager's gel packs. As it was, Lt. Torres and her team would have to work closely with the Doctor to synthesize peptides, compatible with the ship's bio-neural gel, from the compounds the Auretoreans had on-hand -- distillates of flora unique to their planet. But this was the closest the crew had ever come to finding suitable substances for replenishing the packs. So Janeway had to play it particularly cool, even when the Auretorean trade minister told her she should be raising children and then asked her point-blank if she was still capable of childbearing.

But now this humanoid, who seemed to Kathryn more snake-like in his demeanor, was slithering his way towards Seven, and the captain began to bristle like a mongoose at his almost predatory appraisal of the young woman.

"Well, it is certainly obvious that you are no drone. And I must say, your humanoid physiology has reasserted itself nicely," the Minister hissed. And then he stared openly at Seven's bosom: "Just look at all that maternal bounty!"

Seven understood the statement denoted a compliment, but the raw appraisal of parts of her anatomy was not something to which she was accustomed, so the remarks unaccountably unnerved her. She suddenly felt vulnerable and exposed, and, wanting to hide her endowments, she found herself inexplicably edging her body behind Janeway's in an ineffable desire for the captain to shield her from this strange humanoid's invasive leer.

Even before she caught the inexperienced Borg's uncomfortable reaction, Janeway had thrown her arm out protectively in front of Seven, scooting the young woman behind her own smaller but formidable frame. Chakotay and Neelix, for their part, took up strategic flanking positions around the two women, each taking an involuntary step forward in an instinctive reaction to safeguard one of their own against the subtle threat of the Minister's remarks.

But it was the captain's and the Borg's reactions that most fascinated the Auretorean, particularly when Seven's hand reached up in response to the captain's offered arm and came to rest on the smaller woman's bicep, as if to hold the captain in place in front of her.

"How touching," he remarked sarcastically. "And it explains a great deal."

"I beg your pardon," Janeway growled, neither pleading nor contrite.

"Your little jealous maneuver, Captain," the Auretorean explained. "Clearly, the Borg is your woman. And you've even managed to reduce the men in your culture to mere subordinates who not only tolerate but actually defend your.....predilections. We have heard of females like you, who seek each other's company, but I had never actually met one." He took a breath, still appraising but with an apparent contempt for the two women. "I am intrigued, Captain. Nevertheless, the rest of my people are not quite so accepting of such abominations. I therefore have to insist that you and your Borg beam back up to your ship. If you hope to salvage these negotiations, you had better let your men handle the rest of the transactions."

"Minister Ewl' F'Lal," Janeway began, her voice lower than anyone on her Away team could ever remember hearing it, "I assure you that you have thoroughly misinterpreted the nature of my concern for my crew member; nevertheless, I agree that these particular negotiations will be best left in the very capable hands of my First Officer. If you'll excuse us, my Astrometrics Officer and I will be returning now to the beam-out coordinates. Good Day, Minister," she concluded, in a carefully measured, diplomatic tone.

"Happy Journey, Captain," Ewl' F'Lal responded cordially. "To you and yours," he added, favoring Seven with a parting glance.

The young woman nodded stiffly and followed after the captain.

*****

Janeway seemed to be quickening her pace with each stride, apparently desperate to get away from the Auretorean for fear that she might completely lose her temper and perhaps even turn around and physically accost him. Seven considered that unlikely since she had never seen the captain actually hit anyone, but the smaller woman's angry expression, hunched shoulders, and balled-up fists suggested that perhaps she was quite close to taking that atypical course of action. As they rounded a corner, finally out of the Auretorean's sight, Seven trotted to catch up with the agitated captain and broke into her thoughts.

"Captain, I am confused about what just transpired. What was the Minister implying, and why does it upset you so?"

"I'm not 'upset'; I'm furious! And what he was implying isn't worth repeating!"

Seven gently reached out a restraining hand, both to slow the captain's gate and to draw her attention. "Please, Captain," she pleaded gently. "I found myself unsettled by the exchange, and I do not understand why I reacted that way. I require an explanation."

Janeway let the anger seep out, unable to maintain her foul mood in the wake of the young woman's gentle tones. Turning her attention to Seven's earnest inquiry, she considered her words as the two of them continued making their way, more slowly now, to the transport site. "Seven," she began, "the Minister was suggesting that you and I are.....romantically involved." She paused to allow Seven time to comprehend that notion.

Seven barely took a nanosecond before responding, "And?"

"And what?" Janeway queried, nonplused.

"I understood that implication, but was there not something more?"

"Like what?"

"I do not know. I merely assumed he was implying something more because of your reaction. I had not expected that you would respond so negatively to the idea that you and I might be lovers," she stated matter-of-factly.

"I wouldn't!" Janeway responded defensively.

Seven suddenly and atypically smiled back broadly in response: "It pleases me to hear that, Captain."

Janeway did a double-take and found herself just as suddenly frowning. She wasn't quite certain why Seven would be delighted by her declaration nor was she sure she even wanted to consider that. In fact, she didn't know how she felt about the "idea" Seven had mentioned. Her response had been automatic, but it was out, now, and she allowed ruefully that perhaps she should have tempered her words before blurting out a response.

Seven had been unusually attentive lately. So much so that the First Officer had brought it to the captain's attention and had suggested that perhaps the young woman was developing a "crush" on the captain. Janeway had dismissed the suggestion, unnerved by it and unable even to begin to determine how she might deal with a situation like that.

It was not, of course, that Janeway had never before had a crew member, even a female crew member, fall in love with her. Having to contend with crushes was a common occurrence for Starfleet captains and, indeed, for anyone in a position of power. Janeway knew this both from historical lessons and from her own personal experiences. The mantle of command always flatters the wearer. And this, more than anything, is what places an added burden of responsibility on those in positions of authority -- and rightfully so. It was far too easy to take advantage of a young person falling for that sort of irresistible yet ultimately superficial charm. In fact, however romantic an affair with a Starfleet captain might seem, the truth was that they tended to make terrible partners: not surprising given that their first love was their ship, and for Kathryn, it was love at first sight. And perhaps this is precisely what made Starfleet captains particularly attractive. Everybody loves a lover, and Starfleet captains were certainly that, exuding an unwavering love, devotion, and fidelity for their ships coupled with the cocky arrogance that comes from being a well-loved lover, an unrestrained confidence that derived, in this case, from a captain's unique relationship to her vessel. In essence, though, it was the position of captain that was romanticized, and that was another reason -- in addition to Starfleet protocol -- that Janeway was adamant about deflecting romantic attractions from members of her crew. Janeway wanted to be loved for being Kathryn, not for being captain. And the simple truth was that crushes from a crew member often reflected an attraction to the position not the person. So in all of these respects, these crushes were always a problem.

But with Seven, such an attraction would be far more complex and far more difficult to address. First, Seven's humanity was a new and delicate facet of the former Borg: one that was still developing, still evolving, and that had to be encouraged and guided very carefully. Rejection could devastate the young woman and set her progress back considerably.

Second, Janeway's customary way of dealing with unwanted affection was to distance herself from the crew member in question, beginning with a shift reassignment: not as punishment but simply to redirect the individual's attentions elsewhere. But this ploy would never work with the single-minded Borg. Once Seven settled on an idea, she was steadfast in its execution. Furthermore, Seven had a more personal claim on the captain's attentions that Janeway simply couldn't shunt. Janeway had severed Seven from the Collective and, in so doing, had accepted the responsibility of reintroducing Seven to humanity, which is why the young woman would have a right to expect that the captain dedicate some of her off-duty time to the former Borg. And Seven did expect that contact. In fact, a few months earlier, when the captain had switched for a week to the Gamma shift, which she did every so often in order to reacquaint herself with the crew on that rotation, Seven had adjusted her routine so that some of her off-duty time would overlap with the captain's, and she had sought more off-duty contact with the captain to make up for their lack of contact during the Alpha rotation. So a mere shift change was not a distancing tactic that would work with Seven of Nine.

There was one final problem with Seven's possible crush on the captain -- a little extra fly in the ointment that Janeway had not yet given herself permission to acknowledge but which her own subconscious mind was already aware of. Or perhaps it was her own body that instinctively knew even if her mind was not yet willing to accept it. But Janeway had.....feelings for Seven. Certainly, there was a shared affection between them -- Chakotay had called it a "bond," and had already noticed it less than a year after Seven joined the crew, when the deadly radiations of a Mutara Nebula forced Janeway to put herself and everyone else (except the nanoprobe-protected Borg) in stasis and leave the safety of the ship and the crew in Seven of Nine's hands.

And this "bond" had grown in the subsequent months until the Borg Queen reclaimed Seven of Nine, and Janeway came to the stark realization that she couldn't bear Seven's absence, that she simply had to risk ship and crew to get the young woman back from the Borg.

Seven had been shocked by the captain's decision and had asked her -- in softer, shier tones than Janeway had ever heard from her before -- why she had come after the rebellious young woman. Janeway didn't explain away her motives by reciting Starfleet protocols or a captain's duty. Instead, she allowed vaguely that there were still some things the former Borg had to learn about humanity. That reply was the closest the captain had ever come to disclosing her feelings for Seven.

Despite this evidence, however, Janeway was not yet willing to dissect those feelings nor to analyze Seven's own emotions too closely. So once again, she felt compelled to deflect the young Borg's efforts to venture into this new frontier.

"Seven," she began, "my reactions to the minister's comments were not about us. I just resented his speculating about something so private, about my personal relationships," she explained. "And I can't say I very much cared for the way he was inspecting you. Didn't that bother you?"

Seven thought about that a moment. "Indeed, it did," she finally admitted, and then added, "Of course, I have often been the subject of such inspections but not quite to that degree nor so openly."

"What are you talking about?" Janeway asked, coming to a full stop.

Seven was taken aback at the captain's abrupt reaction. "It is nothing quite so......malicious as what I sensed from the minister; however, a number of the crew often.....'inspect' me."

"What?!"

"Captain, I do not understand why you find that notion so appalling."

"It's inappropriate, Seven. For members of my crew to ogle and leer at you as if your feelings didn't matter. It's dehumanizing!"

"As I said, Captain, the looks I have gotten from the crew have not been malicious. Their appraisals have been more appreciative in intent. I have never felt the least bit threatened by them.....And furthermore," she added after a moment, "you yourself have appreciated my physique, Captain.....on several occasions."

That last observation nearly scared the eyebrows off Janeway's face. She felt her mouth go very dry and swallowed nervously to regain her composure.

"Seven, I -- "

"No!" Seven pleaded. She seemed suddenly embarrassed by her emphatic outburst, then continued nervously. "Please, Captain. I neither require nor desire an explanation for that. You would attempt to assure me that your appraisal of me has no significance, and I do not wish to have you minimize that appraisal so readily." Seven then looked down shyly but added with the utmost sincerity, "Your......approval means a great deal to me."

Janeway was momentarily speechless and became pensive as she forced herself to begin walking again toward the transport site, the young woman matching her pace. Seven's typically cool, superior demeanor made her more often dismissive of other people's opinions. As a consequence, the captain was unprepared for this earnest admission of vulnerability, so openly declared.

She tried to adopt her gentlest most sincere tone when she finally responded. "Seven, I do 'approve' of you......most of the time," she added teasingly. "But your intellect, your scientific analysis, your burgeoning social skills, your continuing efforts to fit in with the crew: those are the things I value most about you. As you've said yourself on more than one occasion, 'Beauty is irrelevant.'"

Seven took a deep, pensive breath, reconsidering that notion. Then she returned her attention to the captain and announced, "I believe now that in certain situations, that statement is false." She did not explain further.

Feeling suddenly too awkward to pursue the point, Janeway gratefully noticed that they had reached the transport site. She glanced at the young woman and immediately regretted it, unexpectedly finding herself fighting the urge to say more to Seven, to reassure her that she did have feelings for her, to blurt out that in fact she thought Seven was absolutely the most beautiful creature she had ever seen. Janeway swallowed back the crescendo of emotions. Shaking off the mood, she tapped her comm badge: "Janeway to Voyager. Two to beam up."

Instantaneously, Janeway felt the tingle of electrical currents charging every bit of her anatomy as the transport beam converted her body, at the sub-atomic level, from matter to energy and then rerouted that energy, on a carrier wave from the planet to a transport pad on the ship. There was always a momentary lapse of consciousness as whatever part of her could be called her "soul" entered a kind of immaterial limbo while her transport signature was buffered into the ship's onboard computer before rematerializing her on the pad. The experience was a bit disorienting the first couple of times an individual was transported, but the body and mind of Starfleet personnel quickly adapted themselves to the experience.

Janeway's body and mind were particularly attuned to the rhythms of transport. Consequently, the moment she regained consciousness, even before she had completely rematerialized, she sensed that something had gone incredibly wrong. And when she did finally materialize and looked down at herself and saw Seven's brown-mesh covered bosom and implanted left hand, and then looked over at Seven and saw her own face staring back at her with a wide-eyed expression, her fears were confirmed.

"Oh, no!" she said.