Transported

Part 4

Kathryn awoke at 0400, feeling less rested than she expected. She probably needed to regenerate, she considered, but the idea unnerved her. She hadn't said anything to Seven, but the cargo bay seemed desperately cold and lonely to her, and the Borg technology haunting. She wasn't sure she'd be able to let herself slip into unconsciousness in the clutches of all that alien hardware. And the soft warmth of the body pressed up against her side was simply too delicious right now for her to consider abandoning it for the alcove, no matter how much her current body needed to regenerate.

She shifted a bit to see if she could get comfortable again and drift off to sleep, but the movement made her suddenly aware of the acute sensations in the area between her buttocks. She was certain that the soft tissue deep inside was still slightly inflamed and sensitive from all the attention Seven's fingers had paid it. The memory sent a current of passion throughout her body and made her smile wickedly. She wondered if the area would be hypersensitive throughout the day, reminding her of the previous night's activity. 'That could get distracting', she thought, smiling again.

Just then, Seven rolled a little away from Kathryn's side and, settling on her back, began to snore a little, to Kathryn's considerable dismay. Looking down at her morning face, Kathryn noted ruefully that this was not nearly as pretty a sight as her enraptured face, and she hoped that when they were back in their own bodies and Seven was actually looking down at this face, that her affection for Kathryn would let her find the little bit of drool around her lips "charming." Since she wasn't in love with herself, however, Kathryn felt disgruntled by it, and turned away deciding it was time to get up.

She took a sonic shower, more to clean away the remnants of their lovemaking, and then dressed quickly and quietly in the freshly recycled brown suit. Then she smirked as she caught sight of her current reflection in the mirror and noticed the loose blonde strands. Seven wore her hair up. And suddenly Kathryn was baffled by the mechanics of the Borg's standard hair style. How did she manage the twist? It certainly required some special acrobatics......perhaps some undisclosed function of one of Seven's Borg implants. Kathryn sighed. Leaving it loose might make people suspicious.......and it would certainly make them take notice.....especially since Seven looked impossibly more beautiful with her hair down.

Kathryn looked at the one long and two short hair pins that she had pulled from the blonde strands the night before and decided to do her best. After nearly a half-hour -- and the addition of four extra hair pins to pull up errant strands -- Kathryn decided that she had managed a reasonable approximation. So with a nod to herself in the mirror, she headed out the door.

She hoped she wouldn't run into anyone while on Deck 3. After all, it wouldn't do to have her crew noticing Seven of Nine leaving the captain's quarters in the middle of the night. Not that she wanted to hide her relationship with Seven, or even that she thought that they could hide it on such a small ship. But it was too soon and this method of breaking the news to the crew was just a little too flagrant. No. When the time was right, they'd opt for a less inherently scandalous method. Maybe a formal invitation reading, "Captain Kathryn Janeway and Seven of Nine cordially invite you to the celebration of their tenth wedding anniversary".......something as proper as that and in good taste......and in the distant future. Kathryn smiled to herself again, wondering why all her thoughts of Seven instantly turned into something long-term and committed. It was as if some part of her had some innate faith in their affection for each other -- an affection that, she reminded herself now, they hadn't even openly declared yet.

She was shaking her head again as the turbo lift deposited her near Cargo Bay 2. When Kathryn entered the bay, she noticed a group of Gamma shift crewmen deep in conversation next to two large cargo containers they were apparently preparing to move to another location, the anti-grav grappling rods already attached and elevating the containers.

When they saw 'Seven' walk in, they gave her a barely polite nod of acknowledgment before continuing with their conversation. Kathryn needed privacy and felt herself becoming annoyed. But she forced herself to stay calm remembering that she had a role to perform.

"May I help you crewmen?" she asked in uninflected tones.

"No, Seven. We already have what we need," Crewman Lynch offered dismissively, and then immediately returned to the conversation -- an animated discussion apparently about an earlier Velocity match between two of the men.

"Crewman Lynch," Janeway suggested, trying to keep her tone logical rather than icy, "if you already have what you need, should you not return to your duties?"

"When we're finished, Seven," he said, his tone slightly threatening.

Again Janeway forced her tone to sound matter-of-fact, even though her indignation, for Seven's sake, was steadily rising. "The grappling rods are attached, and the cargo prepped for transport, Crewman. So you are clearly finished."

Lynch now turned his complete attention to the Borg as his comrades looked on, a little too amused for Janeway's taste. "Say, why aren't you regenerating, anyway?" he asked. "You're usually in your alcove during our shift, which makes it fun coming in here for cargo."

"Fun?" Janeway asked in a low, less guarded voice, despite herself.

"He doesn't mean anything by it, Seven," Crewman Farley broke in, his tone more friendly and diplomatic. "It's just, you know, kinda nice lookin' at ya when you're sleepin'."

Janeway was appalled. The blatant invasion of Seven's privacy and the insensitivity her crewmen were displaying dismayed her, and she felt even worse knowing that until now she had never considered these issues, had never thought about what it meant for Seven to have such public sleeping quarters.

"Crewmen," she began, again attempting even tones but faltering, "I do not recall ever giving any of you permission to watch me 'sleep'. And unless each of you sleeps with your quarters open and allows others to come in unannounced to watch you, I believe you will agree that your behavior is inappropriate and unacceptable. I intend to report this to the captain and will request her permission to start locking the cargo bay doors during my regeneration cycle so that I may enjoy the privacy you evidently do not respect."

It was a pretty speech, and Janeway felt proud of herself for dressing down her misbehaving crewmen in such a Borg-like economical fashion......until Lynch responded to it.

"Gee, Seven, I think the captain's going to be heartbroken when you start locking up at night.....since she's the one who comes in here the most to watch you when you're sleeping."

Janeway felt a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Lynch was right. She herself was the one who most often and most flagrantly violated Seven's privacy, and what a fine example she had apparently set for her crew. But this was not the time nor the place for self-reproach. Lynch was out of line and needed to be put in his place. Kathryn approached the disrespectful crewman and looked him straight in the eye as she responded.

"Crewman Lynch, any violation of my privacy that the captain may have committed is entirely between the captain and me. Nevertheless, I will mention your concern to the captain, and I am certain she will be touched by it."

That managed to wipe the smug look off Lynch's face and to make him and his cohorts blanch considerably. With mumbled apologies, the crewmen quickly activated the rods and beat as hasty a retreat as they could manage while maneuvering the bulky cargo containers out of the bay.

Kathryn sighed, feeling that sick sensation returning. She would have to talk to Seven. Would have to try to apologize for her own behavior and try to do something about the young woman's living arrangements, even if it meant making Cargo Bay 2 off-limits whenever Seven was in there. In the meantime, she needed to 'sleep' herself, and turned now to the alcove with an uncomfortable sense of foreboding.

"Computer, lock cargo bay doors and open only in response to my command, the command of a senior officer, or in response to an emergency."

The computer chirped in acknowledgment.

Then swallowing some of her apprehension, she approached the alcove controls, setting it for a short cycle of two hours, which seemed to her enough to sustain the Borg implants without becoming too taxing for her human sensibilities. After all, she didn't know for certain if she'd be able to regenerate. And she was even less certain she'd be able to stand throughout the entire process, which seemed to her an amazing physical feat requiring equilibrium and stamina, like doing a handstand on a balance beam or bench-pressing 100 kilos. In fact, she thought it very likely that as soon as she lost consciousness, her knees would buckle, and she'd crash painfully to the deck. She wondered now if she shouldn't have waited for Seven so that the young woman could spot her.

Kathryn smirked at her own cowardice and made herself step up onto the dais, turning to face front and involuntarily stiffening in resolve.....and in fear.

"Computer," she croaked. Then, clearing her throat, she called again: "Computer, activate regeneration cycle."

What Kathryn felt next made her eyelids shut and her body go instantly rigid. Her last thought before losing consciousness was incoherent. It was more a sensation than a thought.......an intense, blinding flash of........elation.

*****

"Regeneration cycle complete," called the computer.

Kathryn's eyes instantly opened, and she felt wonderfully rested and something else......a sensation akin to an immense sexual satisfaction coupled with an unmistakable dampness between her legs. She shifted against it before noticing that Seven was there, looking at her with a glint in her eye and a barely contained grin threatening to curl the lips.

Kathryn smiled back openly. So that's how the Borg managed to 'sleep' standing up. The current of Borg electrical power that the alcove transmitted to the hypersensitive receptors in the drone's back was like an intense sexual stimulant. It instantly made the drone's body go rigid in a quasi-orgasmic state. The experience was, to say the least, incredibly pleasant.

"Now you know all my secrets," Seven quipped.

Kathryn shot back a disbelieving look. "It's a wonder you don't smile all the time!" she blurted.

Seven did smile at that.

*****

The two woman had returned to the captain's quarters for breakfast, Kathryn still shifting and squirming distractedly from recent experiences, now both from the experiences of Seven's fingers the night before and the equally pleasant sensations of regenerating earlier that morning. Nevertheless, she tried to concentrate and restrain herself, especially when B'Elanna joined them towards the end of breakfast to begin reviewing some of the overnight sensor data from a probe that had been sent into the Auretorean ring.

At one point, however, Kathryn lost her composure. She was idly sipping her first cup of coffee since the accident and suddenly remembering -- despite herself -- some of the previous night's activities when Seven began insisting that the sensors were not properly calibrated and that she should attempt repairs. B'Elanna shot back with what turned out to be an unfortunate choice of words from the captain's perspective.

"Honestly, Seven," she screeched, "I really don't understand why you need to stick your scrawny little Borg fingers into everything!"

Kathryn immediately choked on her coffee and turned painfully red as she sputtered the brew out her noise and wheezed for air. The other two women instantly arose in alarm and tried to assist the captain, even though they knew abstractly that the captain's fit would continue until her windpipe was clear of the offending liquid.......or until she passed out.

When she had calmed enough to speak, Kathryn suggested that perhaps coffee was a bit too strong for Seven's Borg physiology. Both women nodded in polite agreement, and then Kathryn excused herself so that she could go into the other room to clean up.

When Kathryn returned from the bedroom, Chakotay was there, looking businesslike but oddly relieved.

"What's happened?" she asked.

"The Auretoreans' sensors picked up that you and Seven transported during one of the ring's spikes. They know all about you're body switch. Apparently, it happens every time there's a transport during a spike."

"Why didn't they warn us?"

"I asked the minister exactly that. He simply shrugged. But, he says the effect is reversible and that he'd contact us later with more information. He's arranging for you and Seven to be able to beam down for the next spike."

"That's sooner than we expected to be ready," Janeway noted with relief.

"And they've sent us data explaining how the accident happened and how we can modify transporters to avoid something like this happening in the future.....in case we run into any other anomalies with refractive properties."

"Well that's helpful of them," B'Elanna offered.

"Isn't it?" Janeway agreed. "Why don't you and Seven review that data. See if it confirms what we've learned so far about the accident."

"Are you suspicious that the Auretoreans may be planning some sort of deception, Captain?" Seven asked.

"Not necessarily. I'm just being cautious."

Seven nodded and began to depart with B'Elanna.

"Uh, Seven wait," Janeway called. She approached the auburn-haired woman and stopped within centimeters. "Since the Auretoreans already know about the switch, there's less of a reason for you and me to play pretend. And I'm beginning to feel now that we'll get this entire matter resolved more quickly if I can go back to being me, even if a blonde Janeway with Borg implants does confuse the crew a bit," she added with amusement. Then reaching up to Seven's collar to begin retrieving each of her four pips, she quipped, "Bottom line -- you've just been demoted.....Captain."

"Too bad," Seven replied evenly. "I was beginning to think I had a future in Starfleet."

Kathryn and Seven should have realized that this exchange was outwardly flirtatious, given how close the two women were standing and that Kathryn was running her fingers along Seven's neck, but they were too distracted by their unbroken gaze and the fond expressions on their faces to notice. B'Elanna and Chakotay, however, did not fail to notice, immediately guessing that this little accident had brought the captain and the Borg finally together. Chakotay was unsurprised since he had realized that they had a mutual attraction before they did, and he was very pleased for Kathryn's sake. B'Elanna wasn't sure how she felt about this. On the one hand, she realized from the previous day's experience -- when Seven showed her vulnerable side regarding something as simple as going to the bathroom -- that the young woman wasn't all that bad; just inexperienced. On the other hand, that inexperience made her downright annoying most of the time, and B'Elanna wondered if she'd have to start biting her tongue now that the Borg was the captain's girlfriend!

Kathryn and Seven seemed to realize at the same time that they had let their guards down and now looked shyly at the other two officers. Chakotay was smiling back at them like a proud father -- 'Isn't he even a little bit jealous?', Kathryn wondered -- and B'Elanna was smirking at them like a resentful sibling -- 'Ha! The lieutenant is clearly concerned about my new status', Seven observed.

"I guess it's obvious, isn't it?" Kathryn asked.

"I think that's up to the two of you, Captain," B'Elanna noted pointedly. "Do you intend to keep your relationship a secret?"

Kathryn looked at Seven and considered. Then she smiled realizing that their affection was too great for them to think realistically that they'd be able to hide it from others. In fact, they had already failed.

"No," she said finally, and she knew the decision was right when Seven beamed back at her proudly.

"Good," B'Elanna noted.

Janeway shot her a look but let it go. What did it matter, really, how the crew found out?

She told Chakotay that she would join him on the Bridge shortly and then waved them all out of her quarters. Before they left, however, Seven leaned in for a kiss good-bye on the cheek, and then Chakotay and B'Elanna -- who were never ones to pass up a good practical joke -- leaned in for their kisses, too.

Kathryn laughed but happily complied, deeply shocking Seven of Nine, who had never imagined seeing herself kissing Lt. Torres on the cheek.......or indeed anywhere else.

*****

By the time the captain emerged from her quarters -- barely a half-hour later -- the news was all over the ship, both that the captain and Seven had been in a transporter accident that switched their bodies and that they had also become involved. The news was more than just idle gossip. In fact, it gave way to some rather interesting speculations about whether or not there was any correlation between the body switch and the timing of the relationship, which led, in turn, to rather absorbing philosophical discussions about the nature of one's identity in relation to one's embodiedness and whether the captain's and Seven's experience was a version of "walking a mile in someone else's shoes."

Despite their being forewarned, however, none of the crew seemed quite prepared for what they saw when Captain Kathryn Janeway emerged from her quarters. It was Seven dressed like the captain. Or was it the captain in Seven's body? Whichever it was, the image was downright confusing.....and provocatively beautiful. What they saw was a statuesque young woman, with Borg implants and gold-spun hair loosely falling about her shoulders, respectfully filling out the standard issue Starfleet command uniform -- which on that body looked anything but "standard" -- replete with red-topped tunic and four shiny pips.

"Good morning," the captain greeted each passing crew member, acting as though this morning was as normal as any other, but the glint in her eye betrayed her fascination with the doubletakes she was inspiring. That part of Kathryn that deeply loved practical jokes -- a part she didn't often get a chance to indulge in the Delta Quadrant -- was having a delightful time with this experience.

The feeling continued well into mid-morning, as Kathryn went about her duties on the Bridge and in her Ready Room and on a brief trip to Astrometrics, where she had hoped to find Seven, though the young woman had apparently gone off somewhere to handle a 'private matter'. Kathryn had been concerned that Seven was experiencing those other biological functions Kathryn had warned her about the previous afternoon in the lavatory near Astrometrics, and she did pop in there to see if she could find the young woman, but she hadn't. Ultimately, she decided that Seven would call her if she needed her. In the meantime, she would respect Seven's privacy......for a change.

Where Seven had been, however, was in her cargo bay dressing area, changing out of the Starfleet uniform and into something more familiar and comfortable -- and also pulling the auburn hair up into the Borg's preferred twist, which she found more personally manageable and efficient. So when she was called to the Bridge a bit later and Kathryn saw what Seven had chosen to wear, the captain's jocular mood regarding the issue of their attire changed. She had enjoyed the little joke on the crew when it had been a matter of Kathryn, in Seven's body, putting on her usual Starfleet uniform. But now the joke seemed to be on her as Seven, in Kathryn's body, put on one of her usual suits, which seemed suddenly too revealing. She had chosen the all-blue unitard, one she didn't wear often but which she chose now because she considered it best brought out the captain's eye color. Kathryn, of course, didn't care about the color. But she was definitely unnerved by how naked her body seemed in the suit, and by the way it was inspiring more than the usual attention from most of her crew. Harry had not taken his eyes off her rump.......uh, Seven's rump.......well, her rump......since Seven took her position at the aft engineering station. And she was seriously considering demoting the ensign for his insubordination. And Kathryn was certain that the other officers were managing to be a little less obvious only because they didn't have quite as good a line of sight. She was piqued.

"Seven, I'd like to see you in my Ready Room."

Kathryn started to lead the way but stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a great deal of shifting behind her. Then she stepped aside to let Seven go through as she turned around and glared at her Bridge crew. All heads shifted back to their monitors with half-embarrassed expressions. Kathryn glared at them a moment more for good measure and then followed Seven into the Ready Room.

"How could you?"

"How could I what, Captain?"

"Don't 'Captain' me, Seven. I don't know how, but you always manage to make that sound so condescending. Anyway, this is personal.....How could you put my body into one of your suits?"

"Why wouldn't I, Kathryn? You changed into your own clothes. I decided to do the same. This is what I always wear. What is wrong with wearing it now?"

"It's so.......revealing."

"You have never complained about that before, Kathryn."

"That was different."

"So it is acceptable if my body is dressed in revealing garments so that others -- including you -- can 'enjoy the view'. Is that it?" Seven asked frostily.

That one stung, especially in light of Kathryn's residual guilt from Lynch's little rejoinder earlier that morning. "Seven, it's different because I'm the captain!"

Now Seven was piqued. "Is this about your reputation again?"

"Yes, damn it -- it is!"

"Do not swear at me, Kathryn!" Seven warned.

Kathryn was sorry she lost her temper, but she thought Seven was making too much of it and that only made her feel embarrassed, which in turn made her defensive. "It's just a little swear word," she said more calmly. "Not one of the big ones and not directed at you. I mean, it isn't as though I called you any names."

"Nevertheless, I will not have it! If we wish to have a 'heathy relationship', it must be 'built on mutual affection, trust, and respect'! You cannot respect me if you are swearing at me."

Kathryn thought most of Seven's remarks sounded like something out of a data entry. The young woman was clearly reciting from her research and had evidently developed her ideas about what constituted a sound relationship from this research. Still, what choice did Seven have? This research was her only point of reference. And even if Kathryn might eventually succeed in convincing the Borg that a little swearing hardly heralded the end of a relationship, Seven was taking this very seriously right now, and Kathryn couldn't dismiss her concern without dismissing Seven herself, which she was loath to do.

Contrite now, she approached the young woman and placed her hands on her shoulders, trying to communicate her sincerity. "I'm sorry, Darling." She hesitated a moment, still seeing fire in her own blue-grey eyes and so not sure if Seven was ready to forgive her, and then she bent down anyway to kiss her sweetly on the cheek.

Seven fingered the area, her expression softening, and then relented. "I accept your apology, Kathryn. And I am sorry, too, that my attire upset you. My intent was only to wear something more comfortable."

"I understand," Kathryn assured and then kissed her sweetly again, this time on the lips. And then pulling back she suggested, "Maybe you could find something just as comfortable and a little less revealing?"

"I liked your bathrobe," Seven offered teasingly.

Kathryn smirked but deeply enjoyed the flirtation. And then curious, she asked, "What's so uncomfortable about the uniform, anyway?"

"I find the multiple layers of clothing superfluous. But I could wear your uniform slacks and shirt without the tunic."

"Acceptable," Kathryn responded and then realized she had used one of the efficient Borg's pat phrases. They laughed.

"I believe we have just had our 'first fight'," Seven observed after a moment, snuggling more into Kathryn's embrace.

Kathryn smiled, but she honestly thought that this was such a tame display of her typically fiery temper that it could hardly be called a 'fight'. And she knew from her previous disagreements with Seven that the young woman, too, was capable of a great deal more ire. Still, Seven seemed so tickled by the prospect that they had survived their 'first fight' that Kathryn couldn't bring herself to contradict.

"Yes, Darling," she relented. "Our first fight."

"Do we get to 'make up' now?"

"We just did," Kathryn replied, not picking up on Seven's meaning.

"Kathryn," Seven whispered, as if not wanting to embarrass her partner by explaining too loudly, "'making up' is a euphemism for 'making love'. Couples often make love after an argument. I believe it is in celebration......over the cessation of hurt feelings."

Kathryn had to stifle a laugh. And then she looked at Seven tenderly. "We can't make love now, Darling. We're on duty. But I promise you, when this is all over -- which won't be long now -- I'm going to lock us both up in my quarters and make love to you with such intensity that it'll seem as though I'm making up for a hundred fights. And then I'm going to do the exact same thing all over again, at least twice more, not to make up for a fight, but simply because.....I love you."

The words brought tears to blue-grey eyes.

*****

A very short while later the two women emerged from the captain's Ready Room. The Borg captain paused at her door watching the beloved woman in her own body make her way to the turbolift. Kathryn's indulgent look was interrupted by more shifting sounds from the bridge crew. Paris had turned all the way around in his helm chair for one parting gaze of the captain's body clad in one of Seven of Nine's catsuits. Lt. Mulchaey, who was monitoring the Auretorean ring from the port science station had swivelled around and was actually craning his neck to get a better glimpse of Seven's -- actually the captain's -- backside. Chakotay, in the meantime, had twisted himself in his seat, grinning unguardedly as he watched Seven depart. Harry Kim was a bit more surreptitious -- and flustered as ever -- turning a deep red as he, too, took a good long look at the scantily clad body heading for the turbolift. And finally, even Tuvok -- et tu, Tuvok? -- despite his formidable Vulcan reserve, apparently couldn't resist darting his eyes up and raking them over stem and stern of the vessel navigating past him.

Kathryn crossed her arms. This was intolerable! She accepted -- reluctantly -- coming across a culture that treated women as objects and, worse, as second-class citizens. After all, the Ferengi were like that. But to discover suddenly that human and even Vulcan members of her own crew regularly ogled Seven and were now, apparently, eager to ogle her was shocking.......well, except in the case of Ensign Paris, who was hopeless......but he was B'Elanna's problem now anyway, and Kathryn knew the half-Klingon was more than capable of handling Tom Paris. But the display on the Bridge just now was unacceptable behavior. And turning now to mull the matter over in the solitude of her Ready Room, Kathryn vowed to teach them all a lesson in respect. After all, hadn't Kathryn learned a thing or two herself in the last twenty-four hours about respecting Seven? If Kathryn Janeway -- stalwart captain of the Federation vessel Voyager -- could bend and grow, surely her crew could learn a thing or two.

*****

The captain and crew spent the rest of the day reviewing the data uploaded to the ship's computers by the Auretoreans. The data confirmed their preliminary assessments about how the accident had occurred. And B'Elanna and Seven determined, too, that the adjustments the Auretoreans had devised for their own transporters could be applied to Voyager's systems to avoid future mishaps -- in the event (unlikely but not impossible) that they ran across another gaseous field with refractive properties as they continued their trek to the Alpha Quadrant. What they didn't quite understand was why the adjustment wasn't permanent. It was more of a safety switch that the Auretoreans toggled at will, suggesting that they sometimes transported through unprotected beams.

Janeway and her crew also wondered why the Auretoreans had purposely withheld all of this information instead of advising Voyager about the ring's peculiar properties and cautioning against conducting transports during its energy spikes. Since the Auretoreans were being so cooperative now, however, Janeway let her natural diplomacy cover over her subtle suspicions. And she had to admit that very little harm had been done. In fact, she considered with a soft smile and a covert glance at Seven, the positive consequences of this little accident were immeasurable.

And anyway, the transference would be corrected in just a short while. Pattern enhancers had been erected at the former beam-out site on the planet and all other conditions duplicated so that Kathryn and Seven, who were already in position, could be beamed up to the ship during the next spike, which was now barely ten minutes away. Voyager would initialize transport as soon as the spike commenced.

Minister Ewl' F'Lal had graciously decided to stay up well past his own personal rest period to oversee the transport. And as she listened to him now, Kathryn decided that he wasn't such a bad sort, after all -- just a product of his culture and, despite that, generous and open in his own way.

"I trust the technical data we sent you was helpful, Captain. As you certainly know by now, this transport will reverse the process.......with no discernable physical side effects."

"How do you mean?" Kathryn inquired, more out of curiosity, at this point, than out of suspicion.

"We have observed, Captain, that the experience of occupying another's body, even for a short time, can alter one's intellectual and emotional perspective.....about the other individual, about one's own prejudices and actions, about any number of things. Surely you've come to modify some of your thinking and perhaps even some of your practices as a result of this experience."

Kathryn smiled, no longer sensing the need to be guarded in front of this individual and also feeling -- in a word -- grateful......to him and his people and his remarkable planet for what they had given her. "Minister," she began sincerely, and then unable to put it all into words, she simply offered a heartfelt, "Thank you."

"From both of us," Seven chimed in.

The minister smiled knowingly and nodded.

Kathryn was struck, however, by the irony that someone from a culture with such a deplorable gender bias could show such a depth of understanding about prejudice and perspective.

The minister seemed to read the thought behind her frown. "You are wondering how we can treat our women subordinately when our planet offers us a way of understanding the arbitrary nature of birthright."

"Yes," Kathryn admitted with surprise.

"Captain, our gender stratification is the foundation of our society. It has provided us with stability and order for millennia. Nevertheless, we are not tyrants. In fact, we have deeply ingrained senses of equality, justice, and fairness. Which is why it is our custom that every twenty-five years after their initial joining, matrimonial couples are beamed through our ring during one of the energy spikes so that they will be transported into their partners' bodies and will then live out the next quarter-century as the other sex. I was a female myself just a little under a year ago, when my partner and I underwent our second ritual transference. In this way, we are able to maintain our customs as a sexually stratified society while individually also experiencing the privileges and responsibilities of each station. It is, in our view, the epitome of a just and fair system, and it is our way."

Kathryn was dumbfounded, realizing that the Auretoreans were far more sophisticated than she had given them credit. And she suddenly had very many more questions......and no time to ask them.

"It is time, Captain," the minister announced.

Kathryn nodded, and in the next instant felt the tingling of an activated transport beam. She closed her eyes.

*****

When Kathryn opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was Harry Kim's quizzical face staring up at her on the transporter pad from his position behind the station. She then lifted her left forearm into her field of vision and was relieved to see her own fine-boned and very human fingers and hand. And then, with heightened anticipation, she looked over at Seven, her breath catching when she finally caught sight of her: Seven's golden hair loose and brushed back, her voluptuous body clad in a command uniform, and her face, happily inspecting her own body and then lighting up even more when her gaze met Kathryn's.

"It worked," Kathryn announced.

They stepped off the pad and allowed the Doctor to run a quick scan to verify that all was well, which he confirmed after a moment.

"Chakotay to Transporter Room 1. Status." It was the First Officer calling in from the Bridge. He had taken over the Gamma shift command post as a precaution during the transport and was now anxious to learn how it had turned out.

"Janeway here, Chakotay," came back the unmistakable voice of the captain. "Everything's back to normal."

"Glad to hear it," the commander responded.

"Chakotay, please inform Minister Ewl' F'Lal, and thank him again for his assistance. Then break orbit and resume course to the Alpha Quadrant."

"Understood, Captain."

Janeway turned her attention briefly to Harry and the Doctor to thank them and then looked expectantly at Seven.

The Borg responded with that trademark quirk of the implanted left brow that Kathryn so adored. "I believe I am about to be 'demoted' again," she quipped, fingering the pips at her collar.

Kathryn smiled broadly and, not caring that she had an audience, gently grasped the right hand fingering the pips and brought it to her lips. She then held Seven's hand firmly and continued holding it as she led the young woman out of the transporter room, up to Deck 3, and back to the captain's quarters.