Seven sat beneath the willow tree , caught up in watching the ripples spread across the pond into which she had cast a pebble. She was trying to decide just what aspect of the program lured Janeway into replaying it many times in some months , and then - leaving it neglected for weeks on end.
Seven was so caught up in her analysis she missed the approach of footsteps behind her.
"Penny for your thoughts ." came the sound of a smokey , sensual voice just behind the Borg's back. As Seven spun about to see her intruder she relaxed whenshe realized who it was. "Sorry , for startling you Seven. I saw you sitting here beneath the willow when I walked by and thought I'd come back and offer you a sweater to keep the night chill from ruining your contemplation."
Before , Seven, stood the matriarch of the Janeway clan herself :Gretchen holding forth a navy blue sweater of beautiful workmanship ; probably knit by the same hands that now offered it as shelter from the cold.
Still startled by the appearance of Gretchen , Seven, was momentarily speechless ;but, her Borg grit took hold and she gracefully stood to face her hostess.
"My nanoprobes provide the neccessary adjustments for my body to remain comfortable in a number of climatic situations." And then belatedly she remembered some of the Doctor's social classes and chirped "Thank you."
"Well . It must be nice to have nanoprobes to keep a girl comfortable in this breeze ; but, there's something to be said for creature comforts that you can snuggle down into on occassion." replied Gretchen as if she and Seven held these little chats daily.
"Would you like to join me on the porch for a cup of tea ? I usually take a tea break about this time each day and it would be nice to have company for a change." As Gretchen had spoke , she had wrapped her left hand about Seven's right bicep and started to guide the young woman towards the front porch.
As they walked along the country lane , Seven was struck by how comfortable she felt in the prescense of this 'being' . It was almost as though she was in the prescense of her Captain ,Kathryn Janeway -probably the only person Seven let her gaurd slip aside for in quiet moments. 'Why should I feel comfort in the company of a hologram - it is not the real Gretchen , yet I am acting as though it is.'
"You never did tell me what you were thinking when I arrived at the pond. Is a penny not enough for you kids these days?" asked the hologram Gretchen as she held Seven gaze. "Or is it too personal to discuss ?Hmm?"
"I was contemplating the calming effect of casting pebbles into a body of shallow water as I have witnessed many crewmembers do this on a variety of planets we have surveyed. I did not experience any change in my physical or mental reactions - so why do they continue to do this ?" Commented Seven as her observation turned into a question. "Is there something I am missing or have I not done it correctly?"
"I think you are placing too much emphasis on the what and not enough on the why , my dear Seven. People have always enjoyed tossing stones into bodies of water if for no other purpose than to make the calm surface a fury of activity - all because THEY tossed a small pebble into the air."
"Have they always been like this , humans and thier non-apparent logic ruling thier emotions ?" Uttered the confused young woman .
"Oh, I dare say , it's what makes them human , Seven." Answered Gretchen Janeway as she climbs the four steps of her side porch. "Why don't you settle in on the porch swing , and I'll get us some fresh apple cider."
Before Seven could ask to assist , Gretchen had scurried in thru the screen door and could be heard pattering down the hallway's wooden floors towards the kitchen in the rear of the house. Seven , settled her lanky frame onto the porch swing and immediately sprung back up when it tried to 'swing' beneath her.
Staring with true consternation is how Gretchen found her moments later when she returned to the porch with warm apple cider and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. Seeing the glare cresting Seven's fair face she placed the tray on the side table and settled in on the swing and patted the seat beside her as she held the swing steady for Seven to lower herself onto.
"Really Seven, it's not going to bite you. I'll hold it steady so you can join me and then we shall be able to enjoy a nice slow steady rock while we share cider and musings on my daughter." Gretchen saw the startled glare change to curious shock all in one moment of time. "Oh - don't start to think I can read minds young one. But - why else would you run Kathryn's program and not delete the characters ?"
~ * ~ * ~
Seven's allowance of Holo-deck time was far too short for all the questions she had to ask of Gretchen , so she returned to the program a couple of times before she felt ready for her next phase of 'becoming more human'.
Over the next week of shifts Seven spent far more time eavesdropping on her fellow human travelers to gain better insight as to what made them unique persons with individual personalities and mannerisms in a collective of humans. One day while monitoring progress in Astrometrics she listened as the Delaney sisters cooked up another conquest.
As the twins worked at deciphering the data they compared notes on their potential subjects. Seven monitored the data stream and listened to every word.
"I think we should consider Ensign McCartle. After the last party that Neelix threw , she pinned me in the turbo-lift and planted a truly mind blowing kiss on me. But , before I could move it to another venue she bolted from the lift at the next stop." Megan whispered to her twin Jennifer.
"You never told me about that. How come you kept mum on this until now? That was almost a month ago." Asked Jennifer Delaney , of her slightly older sister.
"I guess because when I got to our quarters , I found you and Harry Kim waiting for me to join you. But lately I bumped into her in the mess hall, and now I can't get that kiss off my mind." The more moody of the two surmised.
They continued to co-allate the data flow in front of them ; slowing only for a quick glance in Seven's direction. Believing that Seven was not listening to them ,as they worked through the data-stream , they continued thier discussion.
"Well I was thinking more along the lines of Lt. Chapman. He's got those dreamy eyes and has a cute butt. I'd love to play with those cute ass cheeks of his from behind while he screws you real slow." Jennifer purred into her sister's ear.
"We pounced on him right after we landed in the Delta Quadrant. Why would you want to revisit old conquests when we still have so many possibilities to' still explore ?" Querried Megan ,as she re-adjusted the data they were combing through for Seven-of-Nine , the Head of Astrometrics.
"Something tells me that after a taste of the resident IceBorg , he may be more accomodating of a woman's needs. I mean , if I had been brutilized by a woman , I think I would try real 'hard' to please the next one, if you know what I mean." Stated Jennifer , not realizing that ,Seven, had indeed been listening to the twins with her Borg enhanced hearing.
"How about Ensign Conroy? He has the biggest feet of all the males on board; plus he hasn't been involved with anyone for months. I bet we could lure him into our snare without even plotting a means of attack. All we'd have to do is call from our quarters and invite him over. I bet he'd be there before we could disconnect the call." And with that they both broke into peels of laughter that lasted for a couple of minutes with: tears , sniffles , snorts and gaffaws included before they settled down.
While the twins fought to regain thier composure, Seven , came up from behind them - lifted her left brow at thier blatant exhibit of 'humaness' and came to rest in front of thier workstation. As the twins looked up to find Seven examine them she asked her question.
"Ensigns Delaney , would you please explain to me why sexual encounters are considered to be conquests by the two of you. I have observed that many members of the crew who are copulating with each other have entered into stable bonds of commitment; yet , the two of you do not wish a permanent bond with any of the people you discuss having sexual couplings with. Explain." Stated the beautiful blonde as she thrust her chest outwards while resting her arms behind her back , she awaited thier explanation.
Both young women quickly quit laughing as they realized that ,Seven, had indeed been listening to them discuss thier plans for a pleasurable evening of merriment.
'Goddess!' thought Megan, 'she heard that quip Jennifer made about her being the resident IceBorg.'
For Jennifer the epiphany was more like : 'Shit - Seven , is the last person I want to explain the birds & the bees to ; but, I wouldn't mind showing her.'
"Seven - sorry." Stated Megan "We didn't remember you were right behind us. We didn't mean to disturb you with our discussion. We'll try to keep our conversation to work topics." adding a belated "Ma'am." to her excuse.
"I do not wish an apology. I would like an answer to my earlier question. I find human courting rituals to be confusing and very contradictory. I was hoping you two could explain the need for yourselves and other crew to engage in sexual couplings without benefit of companionship that is permanent." Seven's eyes had become incredibly blue as she stood before the twins; and now her face was taking on a hint of pink as though her thoughts were starting to embarass her .
The twins looked into each others eye , and with no more than that one glance; had settled on the person who would be thier next conquest : Seven-of-Nine.
Jennifer spoke first for the twins. "Seven, how can you come to a conclusion about anything so convaluted as sex without trying it for yourself first?" the hazel eyes of both twins focused with searing intent on the lovely Borg as they now focused thier considerable sexual charm on the blonde with the full , lush lips.
"I do not think you have answered my question; all you did was ask me a question implying my research methods may be faulty." Spoke Seven with all the conviction she could muster. For some reason beyond her ability to understand she was becoming confused.
"Seven" Megan started , looked to Jennifer , then continued "Don't you think you should try some hands on research of your own , before you try to extrapolate what other people have concluded for themselves." Still not answering the young Borg's first question ; but, finally able to divert her thoughts to where they wanted to lead her.
"I have no need to research such things; I just wanted you to clarify why such matters were considered to be like a contest of acquisition for you." Seven stated in her clipped formal manner. But the look that hovered behind her eyes told the twins otherwise.
Jennifer took up the ball once more to keep this line of talk open with Seven as long as it took to hook her. "Okay , Seven. I'll tell you why we treat sex like a game , if you will consider some hands on research before you make any final conclusions."
Seven rolled this in her mind, feeling that possibly the twins were right. Perhaps this was too multifaceted to make conclusions about before she had tried it for herself. "Very well. I will consider some hands on research before I make any conclusions. Now - tell me why sex is a competitive sport."
"Hey Seven." Protested Megan "We do NOT view sex as a competition - just a sport. It's how we unwind and relax. You know - like how you and Captain play Velocity."
"Yeah" Picked up Jennifer "We just play different games that include some skin contact. Some people use holograms to have recreational sex with the program characters. We like to have recreational sex with live people - it's alot more fun to inflict delight on a real person. With live people you don't know how they will react to stimuli until it is applied ; but , in a holoprogram it will react to everything you do as if you are the only person who has ever been smart enough to do it."
Megan picked up that thought and carried it a bit farther "Yeah, and if a holoprogram will only respond with positive responses it can become really boring. Some of the most incredible experiences we've had have involved unexpected reaction to applied stimulation."
This last bit of information really stirred the Borg's interest. "What do you mean by unexpected reaction to stimulation. Do not all people respond favorably to what you do to them?" Seven had not considered that there may be unfavorable reactions to sexual stimulation under recreational circumstances. Would the twins actually harm someone while they were 'unwinding' with them?
"Seven, everyone responds to sexual stimulation in different ways. What floats some peoples boats would likely sink someone else's." Explained Jennifer to the confused looking blonde.
Seeing the confusion playing across the young Borg's face , the twins sensed they were closing the distance to targeting her curiousity ; now they needed to shift her thoughts to experiencing some stimulation 'for research' purposes of course.
Megan looked into Seven's blue eyes to conclude "In fact Seven - even though Jennifer and I are as similar as two people will ever be ; even we have different likes and dislikes when it comes to matters of sexual stimulation. Whenever we start a new encounter with someone , they are always amazed at how different we are - especially our responses to sexual stimulation. In our own way , we are a sexual experiment into stimulation response. And don't even get me started about the things we can do to someone since there are two of us !"
Jennifer delivered the conclusive tidbit "Yeah. A number of people have left our encounters with a new appreciation for thier ability to respond to new sexual variables. When we were at the Academy we were known for our ability to impart new knowledge to those with a knowledge to learn."
Megan nodded her agreement to this last statement ; but, before Seven could make a reply her comm-badge chirped.
"Bridge to Seven." It was Commander Chakotay interrupting this very interesting discussion ; the young blonde sighed.
"Seven here / How may I assist?" She bit off each word , she was not pleased to have been interrupted.
"Could you transfer the charts you have completed to the helm ? Then come to the bridge conference room for a senior staff meeting." Calmly stated the Commander, not letting on if he heard any irritation in Seven's voice.
"Yes , Commander . I am transferring the charts as we speak. I will report shortly for the staff meeting. Seven, out."
Maybe Chakotay didn't sense any irritation from Seven; but, the twins knew that they had been on the verge of snagging the beautiful blonde. Chakotay, had awful timing as far as they were concerned. This would definitely keep him on the bottom of thier 'play list'.
Perhaps it is as the Delaney sisters say , thought Seven. Until I have firsthand knowledge of this field of research , I should not consider a proper relationship as I had thought - there is much I do not know about human interaction.
As she made her way to the turbo-lift she decided that a proper course of action , would be to learn the sexual knowledge the Delaney twins had to offer. Afterall , she would hate to attempt a personal relationship with the object of her affection until she knew if she was capable of pleasing someone in such a manner.
When the door to Astrometrics closed behind Seven , the Delaney sisters turned to each other.
"We were this close" said Jennifer , as she held up her right hand with thumb and forefinger less than an inch apart. "That damn Chakotay has a terrible sense of timing !"
"I don't know Jennifer. Seven isn't the kind of person who's curiosity will fade.I have a feeling all she needs is a bit of time to think about what we could offer her - all in the name of research of course." replied , Megan , just before both twins again broke into peels of laughter in the Astromtrics lab.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Later that month , as Seven left the quarters of her beloved Capt. Janeway she heard her lover whisper exhaustedly from her bedcovers "Darling - you are like an exotic fruit: you may bruise easliy ; but , are succulently juicy and sweet !!"
PS - (Thank Goddess for those Nanoprobes huh Katie ?!? - Blackie)
- FIN