STAR
TREK: VOYAGER
An Original J/7 Voyager Story
Ó2007 by Patricia L.
Givens
Rudbeck’s Prize
October 2007
Disclaimer #1: This story is an original work of fiction set in the
pre-existing universe of Star Trek: Voyager.
As such, many of the characters and references used within belong solely
to Paramount Pictures. I have borrowed
them for the purpose of creating this scenario and promise to return them
unscathed, and smiling, as soon as I am done.
No gain, monetary or otherwise, is expected from their use and no
copyright infringement is intended or should be inferred.
Disclaimer #2: All original characters and storylines contained herein
belong to the author. (Like anyone else would claim them! J
) This story may be archived upon
request with the stipulation that it must be posted exactly as it was written,
with all disclaimers intact.
Disclaimer #3: This story depicts a loving relationship between two
women. If this bothers you then please
feel free to tell me so I can print it out and put it at the bottom of my cat’s
litter box (He deserves a good laugh too!).
If you are under 18, then please share this with a friend (You’ll be
moving out soon and will probably need the toaster oven). If this is illegal
where you live then we have obviously traveled back in time so please don’t
tell me about it. I hate temporal
mechanics…
Who To Blame: Thanks
must go out to Ky (Who is now a refugee from the Hyphenated Semi-Colonic
Militia), Andrea and aw61 for being my Collective.
This one is dedicated
to Rudbeck, because she did win after all…
I hope this is true to your ideas.
No naughty Ensigns
were harmed during the writing of this story.
However, one did get a firm spanking from all the women on the Janeway/Seven
Faction…
To all that makes us
unique!
DAx =/\=
“I love you, and because I
love you,
I would sooner have you hate me for telling you
the truth, than adore me for telling you lies.
-Pietro Aretino
“Regeneration cycle complete.”
Seven of Nine stepped
down from her alcove in time to see the doors to Cargo Bay 2 slide shut. She cocked her head to one side, a small
smile playing about her lips.
“Computer,
locate Captain Janeway.”
“Captain Janeway is on the
bridge.”
Seven frowned, a
small furrow of confusion appearing on her forehead. She was used to catching the Captain’s
backside as she left the
In some ways, the
fact that it was so completely out of character made it all the more intriguing
and, for lack of a better word, charming.
She had often
considered asking the fiery redhead about her propensity to so often end up
where Seven herself was, but that would undoubtedly end up leading to one of
two scenarios. The first would be that
she would embarrass the Captain, something she was loath to do. The second would be the Captain offering her
assurances that she was merely checking on her wellbeing out of the
responsibility she felt for every member of her crew. And the fact that she was merely another
member of the Captain’s crew was something she loathed to hear.
Seven sighed. No, it was better just to leave things as
they were and enjoy the Captain’s presence without her knowing she was aware of
it.
Going to her
terminal, she accessed her personal agenda for the day, slightly confused to
find the board already up and running but then, Cargo Bay 2 was hardly her own
private space. Adding a few final
details to her planned activities, she shut down the board and headed on her
way to Astrometrics.
* * * * * * * * * *
Captain Kathryn
Janeway sat in her command chair listening idly to the chatter on the
bridge. Tom was regaling them with yet
another tale of Captain Proton while Harry interjected good-natured insults in
regards to his friend’s performance as the protector of the universe. Chakotay laughed along with them while Tuvok
listened in with a vaguely disapproving expression on his face.
Janeway smiled. The conversation wasn’t exactly the correct
discourse for a bridge crew by Starfleet standards but it wasn’t as if much
else was Starfleet standard out here in the Delta either. Protocol would survive a little banter here
and there.
“So, what do we have
on the agenda today, Commander?” She
smiled at her first officer.
Chakotay
held up a PADD with a grin. “Crew
rotations.”
“That time of the
month again already is it?” She nodded,
giving up a sigh of mock weariness.
“Well, let’s get to them shall we?
You have the bridge, Mr. Kim.”
Her First Officer
followed her into the ready room, accepting her offer of coffee with a nod
before folding his large frame into a chair across from her desk. She joined him with her own cup and held out
her hand, taking the PADD from him to look over the list of requests as she
sipped at the hot beverage, enjoying the slight burn and the bitterness of it
as it coursed down her throat.
“These all look
fairly standard.” She set the cup down
as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“Except this one. Ensign Rudbeck
is requesting a transfer to Astrometrics.
Why don’t I recognize that name?”
Chakotay thought for
a moment. “Rudbeck… ahh… Anne
Rudbeck. She was Maquis. Had a talent for communications, if I
recall.”
“Not according to this.” Janeway passed the PADD back to him. “It shows she excelled in astronomy and
science at the academy before leaving to join the Maquis. Why do we have her in Maintenance?”
“I have no
idea.” He looked at the screen with no
small amount of confusion. “The aptitude
she showed for communications alone should have her on a higher rotation. How did she slip through the cracks?”
The Captain
sighed. “Maybe she wanted to slip
through them. The fact that both of us
needed a moment to remember who she was indicates that she’s been a peripheral
entity up until now. It could be she has
decided to step up and fulfill a bigger roll that she didn’t feel she was able
to handle before now. Either way, I’m
sure Seven would welcome her expertise.
Assign her to Astrometrics on Seven’s shift and let’s see what she can
do.”
“Aye,
Captain.” He grinned at her. “You want to tell Seven or should I?”
Janeway drained the
last drops of coffee from her mug before throwing him a wry look. “I’ll do it.
We haven’t been arguing much lately.
I guess we’re overdue. I’ll be in
Astrometrics.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Seven felt the hair
on the back of her neck stand up as the doors to Astrometrics slid open. The corners of her mouth curled into a small
smile as she spoke, her hands never ceasing their movement across the data
screen. “Captain, is there something you
require?”
“Good morning
Seven.” She could hear the smile in the
Captain’s voice as she moved to stand beside her. The presence of the smaller woman at her side
radiated a heat that seemed impossible for a being so small. “I wanted to talk to you about the duty shift
rotations this month.”
The
Borg stopped and turned to face her.
“Yes, Captain?”
“We’ve discovered
that Ensign Rudbeck possesses a high aptitude for astronomy and science and we
believe your department will benefit from her assistance.”
Seven’s
face grew solemn. “You believe my
efficiency to be inadequate.”
Janeway
held her hands up. “That isn’t what I
said, Seven.”
“Then
why do you deem it necessary to provide me with assistance?”
“You have often
stated that Tal Celes did not perform her duties adequately and since she has
been reassigned to Biometrics I thought you would welcome another hand to help
out.”
“I
was unaware my performance has been lacking.”
Janeway reached out
and placed a hand on her arm. “Your
performance is exemplary, Seven. But you
cannot be expected to run this whole department by yourself. Especially if we’ve found a crewman that
could not only aid in your endeavors but also benefit from the time spent
working with you.”
“I see.” Seven’s tone was cool, remote. “How long is this duty rotation to be in
effect?”
“For the moment we’ll
place her here for the standard monthly rotation. Once we see how it works out then we’ll make
a decision as to whether to assign her here permanently or not.”
The blonde turned
back to her console, entering the information slightly more forcefully than
necessary. “I assume that I am to have
no input in this decision.”
“Of course your
opinion will be taken into consideration, Seven. You are the head of Astrometrics.” The Captain gentled her tone. “All I am asking is that you give her a
chance.”
Seven
nodded stiffly. “Of course,
Captain. I will do as you request.”
Janeway bit back a
sigh. For some reason the difference
between an order and a request seemed to escape the younger woman. She was about to explain it to her when the
doors slid open again to admit the Ensign in question. The Captain looked at her speculatively. She was human, slightly shorter than herself
with an athletic build, a thick crop of short black hair and wide, dark
expressive eyes.
“Ensign
Rudbeck reporting for duty, Captain.”
Seven turned to meet
the newcomer and felt herself stop cold as her thoughts spun strangely in her
mind. “Anne?” She said softly, looking almost as surprised
as the Captain did by her use of the woman’s given name.
“Hello, Seven.” The Ensign gave her a wide, sensual smile,
her eyes sparkling with warmth that made the Borg’s heart catch briefly in her
chest.
Janeway blinked,
looking from Seven to Rudbeck and back again.
“I take it you two know each other?”
Anne turned her
bright smile on the Captain. “Oh, we’ve
seen each other around.”
What the hell? Janeway
swallowed her confusion and forced a smile.
“Well then, I’ll let you two get down to work. Seven, meet me in my ready room at 16:00
hours. I’d like to go over your scans of
the upcoming sector before the end of your shift.”
“Of course, Captain.” The Borg said quietly, never taking her eyes
off the black haired beauty.
The older woman cast
one last look at both of them, feeling something dangerously close to jealousy
wind its way down her spine. “As you
were then.”
Once the Captain had
gone, Anne slid up next to the much taller woman, looking up at her through
dark eyelashes. “You look wonderful
today, Annika.”
Seven began to
correct Anne’s use of her human designation but found that it felt… familiar
for some reason. “My appearance has not
been altered, Ensign Rudbeck.”
The shorter woman
smiled at her sensually. “I thought we
agreed that we wouldn’t worry about titles when we were alone? And just because you haven’t changed your
appearance doesn’t mean you aren’t lovely.”
The Borg felt her
heart rate increase, a reaction that had only ever occurred when she was in the
company of one other individual. She
found it disconcerting. “Thank you. You… look lovely as well?”
Anne
slid her hand down Seven’s arm. “I’m
glad you noticed.”
Seven shivered at the
touch. Suddenly she felt the need for
some space, as quickly as possible.
“Anne, could you take these projections to Lieutenant Torres in
Engineering? She has been requesting
them.”
“Sure
Annika. I’ll be right back.”
When Anne had gone,
Seven leaned heavily against her console, trying to get the thoughts racing
through her mind under control. Images
of the young woman seemed to surface faster than she could process them, all of
them becoming increasingly personal in nature.
For some reason that she could not fathom, she had been noticing the
Ensign for some time and only her close proximity had reminded her of it.
Willing herself to
focus solely on the work at hand, she felt the images recede until she could
once again concentrate on her spatial scans.
The
Ensign was an enigma that would have to wait.
* * * * * * * * * *
Janeway left
Astrometrics sorely vexed. First, Seven
had been offended by the addition of Ensign Rudbeck to her department, then she
had practically fallen all over herself when the young woman appeared. Ok, falling all over herself was a bit of a
stretch but the fact that she knew the woman’s first name and seemed to look at
her in stark appreciation were both extremely unusual occurrences.
Making
her way to the mess hall, she stepped up to the counter. “Neelix?”
The jovial Talaxian
smiled broadly when he saw her, setting a mug on the counter that he filled to
the brim with coffee. “How are you this
morning, Captain?”
“I’m
fine, Neelix.” She smiled at him. “How are you?”
“Doing
well. Just getting the last of the
breakfast customers taken care of.”
Janeway
looked at him thoughtfully. “Neelix, do
you know Ensign Rudbeck?”
“Rudbeck…
Rudbeck.” He scratched his chin. “Short?
Black hair?”
“That’s the
one.” The Captain leaned in closer,
lowering her voice so that only the two of them would hear. “What do you know about her?”
“Not
very much. She’s quiet. Keeps to herself a lot.”
“Has
she ever come in here with Seven?”
“Seven?” He shook his head. “Not that I can recall. Is there something wrong, Captain?”
“No, no, not at
all.” She patted him on the hand. “Just trying to get to know everyone as well
as I can.”
“Well,
if I hear anything I can certainly let you know.”
“Thanks, Neelix, but
I’m sure I’ll run into her more now that she’s no longer in maintenance.”
“All
right, Captain. Have a good day!”
Janeway took her
coffee and headed for the turbo-lift.
“Deck Four.” She wasn’t sure why
but her wanderings were taking her directly to Cargo Bay 2. As she neared the doors, she was startled
when they slid open to reveal Ensign Rudbeck just leaving.
“Ensign?” She looked at the young woman
quizzically. “What are you doing in the
“I didn’t mean to startle
you, Captain. Annika forgot one of her
PADDs and she asked me to run up here and get it for her.”
“Annika?” Janeway’s eyebrows shot up.
“Oh,” Anne looked
contrite. “I forgot she prefers that you call her Seven.” The young woman held up the PADD. “Well, I’d better get this back to
Astrometrics, unless there’s something else?”
“No, you’re
dismissed.” The Captain watched her go
and then entered the
Frowning
to herself, she headed back to the bridge.
Chakotay took one
look at her face and raised an eyebrow questioningly. When she inclined her head towards her ready
room, he followed her in silence until the doors slid shut behind them. “I take it the conversation did not go well?”
The Captain sat down
with a sigh. “Actually, it didn’t at
first. But when the Ensign showed up, it
was like they were old friends.”
“Old friends?” Her First Officer couldn’t keep the
skepticism from his voice. “With Seven?”
“Exactly!” She leaned back in her chair and placed a
hand on her forehead. “I don’t
understand it. It was like all of the
fight went out of her as soon as she laid eyes on her.”
“Love at first
sight?” He blanched at the glare that
earned him. “Or maybe not. What do you think is going on?”
“I have no idea. But I intend to find out. Get me all of Ensign Rudbeck’s service
records, from both the Maquis and Starfleet databases. Something’s… off. And I intend to find out what it is.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Seven glanced up as
the doors to Astrometrics slid open, her gaze becoming immediately concerned
when she saw the unhappiness apparent on her friends face. “Anne?”
She reached out and put her fingers under the smaller woman’s chin,
using them to lift her face, gasping softly when she saw the dark eyes were
full of tears. “What is wrong?”
Anne
sniffled, her lower lip trembling slightly.
“It’s the Captain.”
“The
Captain? What has occurred?”
“She
doesn’t like me, Annika. She never has.”
Seven felt a fierce
protectiveness flow through her. “You
must be mistaken. Captain Janeway treats
all of her crew in a fair and consistent manner.”
“Didn’t
you see the way she looked at me this morning?”
The Borg thought back
and truthfully the Captain had seemed a little off with the Ensign.
“I just ran into her
on the way back here and she treated me like a bug. I swear, Annika, she’s jealous of how close
we are.”
“Why
would Captain Janeway be jealous of our friendship?”
Anne’s
face became angry. “Because you’re her pet Borg! She’s
apparently the only one that’s supposed to have anything to do with you. You don’t know what I had to go through just
to get her to give me a chance to work in Astrometrics. I studied advanced astronomy at the academy
but she had me assigned down in maintenance.
Why do you think that is? If
Chakotay hadn’t gone to bat for me I’d probably still be flushing out plasma
conduits.”
Seven felt
confused. Her thoughts seemed to swim
with images of Anne again. After sifting
through them, she could find no reason why the Captain would harbor animosity
towards the young woman. She was
friendly and vivacious, and if she was honest with herself, very pleasant to be
around. “You must be mistaken.” She was astonished to find herself wrapping
her arms around the smaller woman. “I
will speak to the Captain on your behalf.”
“No!” Anne returned the hug tightly. “That will only make her angrier. I think for the time being our best course of
action would be to keep our friendship between us. I don’t want to give her any reason to pull
me out of Astrometrics. Not now that we
are finally getting to work together like we always talked about. Promise me,
ok?”
The blonde looked
down and felt herself falling into the darkness of the young woman’s eyes. “Very well, I will not broach the subject
with her for the time being.”
The Ensign sniffled
one last time and then smiled up at her before standing on her tip toes to kiss
her gently. “Thank you, Annika.”
The kiss electrified
Seven, causing a cascade of images to flood through her mind of them engaging
in that same activity before. Bending
down, she brought their lips together again, enjoying the feel of the mouth on
hers and sighing when she felt a shy tongue reach out to touch her own briefly.
“Now.” Anne pushed her away playfully. “We better get some work done or we’re both
gonna be on the Captain’s bad side.”
“Agreed.” Seven smiled at her and turned back to her
work.
* * * * * * * * * *
Captain Janeway
frowned at the PADDs before her. They
contained Ensign Rudbeck’s entire history, both with the Maquis and on Voyager. They clearly outlined her proficiency in
astronomy and communications, including commendations from her professors at
the academy for outstanding work before she resigned and joined up with the
freedom fighters.
The records of her
service to the Maquis before she came to be aboard Chakotay’s vessel were
rather limited, but contained the same kinds of glowing praise as her Starfleet
records did.
Apparently, her
abilities and contributions only became muted once she joined the crew of
Voyager. From that time forward, there
was next to nothing, aside from receiving adequate personnel ratings, up until
her request to be transferred to Seven’s department.
It
was like she was a ghost lost in the machine.
How could both she
and Chakotay have missed her potential?
It just didn’t make sense.
When her door chimed
several hours later, she looked up, rubbing her eyes. “Come.”
Seven of Nine strode
purposefully into the room, coming to stop before her desk where she stood
patiently.
“Seven.” The Captain smiled. “What can I do for you?”
“It is 16:00 hours,
Captain.” Seven raised one eyebrow. “You requested my presence to discuss our
scans of the upcoming sector.”
Our scans?
“Oh, right, I’m
sorry. I didn’t realize it had gotten so
late.” She stood and went to the
replicator to get a coffee. “Can I offer
you something to drink?”
“I do not require
liquid refreshment at this…” Her voice
trailed off and Janeway turned to see her looking down at the PADDs strewn
across the desk. “Why have you accessed
Ensign Rudbeck’s personnel files?”
Janeway
felt her hackles rise. “I beg your
pardon?” She said coolly.
“Why are you studying
Ensign Rudbeck’s personnel files?” Seven
looked at her keenly. “I can read upside
down, Captain.”
“While I am sure that
you can, Seven, it is not for you to question my activities regarding another
crewmember.”
The Borg looked her
directly in the eyes, her chin jutting forward slightly. “Even when those activities are
inappropriate?”
The Captain moved to
stand toe to toe with the angry young woman.
“Again, my decision to peruse the Ensign’s personnel files is none of
your concern. Your behavior is bordering
on insubordinate, Seven.”
“And
your behavior is bordering on harassment!”
“Seven!” Janeway’s countenance changed from angry to
concerned. “What is wrong with you?”
“I could ask you the
same question, Captain. Are you so
threatened by my personal interest in Anne that you feel the need to
investigate her covertly?”
“Threatened?” Janeway reached out only to be shocked when
her hand was batted aside. “Seven what
has gotten into you?”
The younger woman
looked as though she would become violent for a moment, then all the fight went
out of her, leaving her looking very young and very confused. “Captain?”
She seemed to fall back slightly.
“I do not believe I am functioning correctly.”
“I would say that’s
an understatement.” The Captain reached
out again, relieved when Seven accepted the hand on her arm. “Come on, we’re going to sick bay.”
She led Seven quietly
through the bridge, shaking her head at Chakotay’s questioning glance.
In the turbo-lift,
the younger woman leaned on her heavily and the Captain felt herself give into
the tenderness she felt for the Borg, reaching up to brush back the strands
that had come loose from the normally elegant bun.
She was grateful to
find sickbay quiet when they arrived, leaving Seven to rest on a bio-bed as she
went into the Doctor’s office.
“Captain?” The Doctor looked up at her concerned face
from where he sat behind his desk.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s
Seven. She’s behaving extremely
erratically.”
The Doctor glanced
out the window, taking in the blonde’s confused expression with worry. “What is she doing?”
“She seems to be unusually
attached to an Ensign that I just assigned to her department this morning. When I first informed her that the woman
would be working with her, she was completely against the idea. But as soon as she met her, she began acting
like they were…”
“Were
what?”
“Involved.” The Captain said the word like it left a bad
taste in her mouth. “Personally.”
“I
see.” He looked at Janeway
thoughtfully. “Is there any chance they
might be?”
She pinched the
bridge of her nose between her fingers.
“I suppose it’s possible, but I find it highly unlikely. She was so adamant about not wanting Ensign
Rudbeck in her department and then did a complete 180 on the subject. Then there is also her behavior towards me.”
“You?” He picked up a medical tri-corder.
“Yes. You know that Seven and I are close.” She raised her hands helplessly. “But she attacked me verbally when she found
out I was looking into the Ensign’s past.
It appeared as though she was close to striking out at me…physically.”
The Doctor’s eyes
widened. That was completely out of
character for Seven. He was very aware
of her affinity for the Captain. At
times it almost appeared as though the Borg harbored feelings for the older
woman. “Let me do some scans.” He walked over to Seven, a carefully pleasant
expression on his face. “Hello,
Seven. How are you feeling?”
The Borg looked up at
him, confusion apparent on her face. “I
am unsure, Doctor.” Her voice was quiet,
small. “I am not operating within my
normal parameters.” She looked up as
Janeway joined them, shame filling her features. “I have been most unpleasant to the Captain.”
“Alright.” He smiled at her reassuringly. “I’m sure we can figure out what is going
on. Why don’t you lie back on the
bio-bed.”
The young woman
complied docilely, causing his concern to double. He ran the tri-corder over her entire body,
and then localized his scans over her head.
“Wait here, Seven.”
Janeway followed the
Doctor over to his console where he downloaded the information into the
computer. His brow furrowed as he read
the results.
“What is it,
Doctor?” Janeway stepped closer, looking
at the scans over his shoulder.
“Seven’s cortical
node has been hyper-stimulated.” He
tapped the controls, pointing at the screen.
“Look at these memory engrams. It
almost looks as though her cortical node has malfunctioned, causing several of
them to be stored over the same areas as other memories. It’s no wonder she’s behaving
erratically. Her thoughts must be
running all together, conflicting with each other.”
“What’s
causing it?”
“I won’t know until I
can do further research.” He glanced
back at the young woman in concern. “I
think the best thing for her now is to regenerate. It could help to bring some order to the
chaos going on in her mind and it would definitely be better for her cortical
processes to be limited for the time being.
I would recommend a full eight hour regeneration period while I go over
these results.” As they rejoined the
Borg, he said gently “Seven, there seems
to be a discrepancy in your eidetic memory.
The Captain is going to escort you back to Cargo Bay 2 where I want you
to regenerate for a full cycle while I go over your scans more thoroughly,
alright?”
Seven nodded, sliding
off the bio-bed and allowing Janeway to slip an arm around her waist
protectively. “You will contact me when
you know more?”
“Of
course.” He assured her. “Just go rest
for now.”
She nodded, walking
silently with the Captain until they reached the
“Captain…
I am… I am…”
“It’s
alright, Seven.” Janeway said
gently. “It isn’t your fault. We’ll figure it out.”
The Borg nodded,
closing her eyes as the Captain began her regeneration cycle. Janeway stood beside her, looking up at the
Borg’s beautiful features for several long minutes before she sighed.
She knew what she
felt for the young woman went beyond friendship, beyond being her mentor and
the fact that she was suffering was more than she thought she could bear.
She
would figure out what was causing the problem.
No matter what it took.
* * * * * * * * * *
Seven smiled,
sitting up in bed to hold the sheets modestly around her chest. Anne looked up at her, reaching out to run
her hands through the Borg’s pale mane of hair.
“I love you, Annika.”
“I love you as well, Anne.”
The smaller
woman sighed, sliding out of bed to reach for her uniform. “You know we’re going to have problems if we
stay here on Voyager. People aren’t
going to like that we’re involved.”
“People?”
Seven looked at her in confusion.
“Why would anyone be concerned?”
“Because you
used to be Borg, Annika. None of them
can see beyond that. They still think
you’re some kind of monster. They don’t
know you the way I do.”
“They will adapt.”
“Will
they?” Anne sighed. “As much as I love working with you, I wonder
why the Captain finally allowed it? She
has been so against it up until now. I
can’t help but wonder what her personal agenda is.”
“Why do you
believe the Captain will be unhappy with the natural progression of our
affiliation?”
“Haven’t you
seen the way she looks at you? She wants
you all to herself. She doesn’t want to
share you with anyone, even as she isn’t willing to give you the things you
need.”
“Captain
Janeway has always been very supportive of me.”
Seven replied, but part of her began to doubt her own words.
“That’s what
she wants you to believe. But think
about it, Annika. Really think about
it.” She finished dressing and handed
the Borg her bio-suit. “Come on, let’s
go get some breakfast before our duty shifts.”
The two of
them left the Ensign’s quarters, holding hands lightly as they headed for the
mess hall. As they were arriving, the
doors slid open and the Captain walked out into the hall. She took one look at their linked hands and
her face went cold.
“Seven. Ensign.”
Her voice was like steel. “This
behavior is completely inappropriate. I
would expect more professional behavior from two officers on my crew.” She leaned in closer, her eyes full of
anger. “If they wish to remain officers,
that is.”
“Regeneration cycle incomplete.”
Seven stepped down
from the dais, her eyes flashing anger as she took in the empty
“Captain Janeway is in her ready
room.”
Seven strode
purposefully through the ship, her anger only growing stronger as she entered
the bridge. She stalked passed Commander
Chakotay, not even looking at him to enter the ready room without announcing
herself.
“Seven?” The Captain looked up at her in alarm, her
coffee mug halfway to her lips. “Why
aren’t you regenerating?”
“I discerned your
intentions behind assigning Ensign Rudbeck to my department.” She said coldly.
Janeway leaned
forward in her chair, carefully setting her coffee aside. “What are you talking about, Seven?”
“You assigned the
Ensign to my department so that you could then cite Starfleet protocol against
Senior Officers becoming involved with subordinate officers as a reason to keep
us apart.”
The
older woman paled. “Is that what you
think?”
The Borg
straightened, her hands going behind her back as her face took on a look of
disgust. “You desire me, and yet you
will not allow yourself to act on that desire due to your own adherence to a
Starfleet principle wholly irrelevant here in the Delta Quadrant. And yet, even though you will not allow
yourself to act, you seek to prohibit my involvement with Anne by placing us in
the same situation. I find your actions
reprehensible.”
The Captain stood,
holding on to her patience by the thinnest thread. “Seven, you are not well. You will return to the
“I am not a member of
your crew.” The Borg spat. “I have followed your orders only because I
chose to, not out of some sense of duty.
I owe you nothing and I will not allow your jealousy to dictate the
course of my interaction with Ensign Rudbeck.”
Without
another word, Seven turned and left the ready room.
Janeway moved to
follow her and then stopped herself, trying to allow herself time to cool off
before speaking with the young woman again.
* * * * * * * * * *
Seven headed directly
to the crew quarters, not stopping until she found herself standing in front of
Anne’s door. She punched in a code,
allowing herself admittance to find the beautiful young woman curled up on the
couch reading a book.
“Annika?” Anne stood immediately, walking over to her
to cup her face in her hands. “What’s
wrong?”
“You were correct,
Anne. The Captain placed you in my
department to then use Starfleet protocol to keep us apart. She will never allow us to be together while
we remain on Voyager.”
Rudbeck
sighed. “What do you suggest we do about
it?”
The Borg placed on
palm against Anne’s smooth, pale cheek.
“We should leave this vessel.
Immediately.”
“How
would we do that?”
“I am Borg.” Seven looked down at her. “Assemble any items you wish to take with
you. It will be simple for me to
over-ride the commands on a shuttle craft.
Once we are away from Voyager, we can decide where we wish to go.”
The Ensign looked
torn for a moment, and then her face cleared, a bright smile replacing her
worry. “You’re right. We need to be together. Let’s go.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Captain Janeway
stepped out of her ready room, her anger and worry apparent on her face as she
slid into her command chair.
“Captain?” Chakotay looked at her in alarm. “What’s going on?”
She
had just opened her mouth to answer when Harry spoke.
“Captain! We have an unauthorized shuttle launch, bay
one.”
Janeway
stood. “Who is it?”
Harry scanned the
vessel, his eyes widening. “It’s Seven
of Nine and Ensign Rudbeck.”
“Seal
the bay!”
“I
can’t, Captain! Seven’s locked me out
with a Borg encryption code!”
She turned to the
view-screen to see the small craft sliding away from them. “Lock on a tractor beam!”
“They’re
offline!”
“Hail
them!”
Harry
punched his console. “No response!”
Janeway turned back
to the screen, watching helplessly as the shuttle went to warp. She looked at Kim.
He
shook his head. “They’re gone, Captain.”
She stared at the
empty space in front of Voyager, her heart catching painfully in her chest.
* * * * * * * * * *
Anne glanced over at
the beautiful drone beside her, taking in the pale complexion and console
lights reflecting off the implants still adorning her face. “We made it.”
She said in wonder.
“Yes.” Seven’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Did you doubt we would?”
“Well, I had my
concerns. Captain Janeway can be pretty
wily when she needs to be, even if she was idiotic enough to get us stranded
out here in this God forsaken quadrant.
Seven felt a momentary
twinge of anger at hearing Janeway disparaged in that manner, but it was lost
quickly in the feel of the smaller woman’s lips against her own. When they broke the contact, she leaned her
forehead against the other woman’s, asking quietly, “Do you have any thoughts
as to a destination?”
Anne looked down at
her with her dark, hypnotic eyes. “Oh, I
have an idea or two.”
Without warning, she
pressed a hypo-spray to the Borg’s neck, watching in satisfaction as the much
larger woman slumped in her chair.
The
smile on her face turned into a sneer.
“I very definitely have an idea or two.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Janeway stood quietly
on the dais of Seven’s alcove, her eyes closed as she tried to sort out her
thoughts. What the hell had
happened? She went through her memories
of the past two days carefully, examining every interaction, every nuance of
conversation until she thought her head would explode.
“Captain?”
Her eyes flew open to
find the Doctor standing in front of her.
“I was just trying to make sense out of all of this.”
“I think I can
help.” He led her over to the computer
console, pulling up his data from Seven’s scans. He pointed at the screen. “These are Seven’s normal memory
engrams.” He pressed in another command,
causing a second set of readings to overlay the first. “These are the results of my scans. What do you see?”
Janeway
bent closer, studying the screen. “The
synaptic patterns don’t match!”
“No, they don’t. I wouldn’t even have noticed it except that
two of the engrams have the exact same time index. Meaning Seven would have had to be
experiencing two distinctly different set of circumstances at the same time.”
“How
is this possible?”
The Doctor
sighed. “All I can come up with is that
someone has been feeding false memories directly into Seven’s cortical node.”
The Captain’s head
came up. “Something like this happened
before; when she downloaded too much information directly from the data banks,
throwing her thoughts into chaos!” She turned
back to the alcove and started to run her hands over and behind it. Her eyes closed as her hand came in contact
with something attached firmly to the back of one of the contacts. Pulling, she ripped out a rectangular
box. “A Borg data node.”
The Doctor took it
from her and connected it to the computer console through an interface that
looked as though it had been added for just that purpose. He frowned in anger. “This is how they did it. They falsified memories and uploaded them
directly through her alcove. This would have to have been done by someone
extremely intelligent. Someone well
versed in science-“
“And
communications.” The Captain ground her
teeth. “Ensign Rudbeck.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Anne closed the
stasis drawer, sealing Seven’s unconscious body inside. With a snarl of disgust, she tore the
Starfleet uniform from her body and threw it to the ground before slipping into
the comfort of her Maquis uniform.
Moving back to the
fore compartment, she sat down in the pilot’s chair and accessed the
communications array, sending out a signal to the ship she knew was waiting for
her several sectors away.
She smiled when the
signal was answered and the view screen lit up with a familiar face. “Darius.”
She greeted.