TITLE: Janeway Redux STATUS: On-going AUTHOR: halfofone RATING: R CODE: J/7 FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome. SUMMARY: Set five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her? SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers. ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where. DISCLAIMER: TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would own Star Trek but it's not and I don't.
Set five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her?
TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would be own Star Trek but it's not and I'm don't. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
===The Delta quadrant - Five years after Voyager first encountered the Devore===
The red alert klaxon woke Captain Chakotay. A second later Voyager shook with the impact of weapons fire. Cursing he scrabbled for his comm badge.
"Chakotay to the bridge. What's happening Tuvok?"
"A warship has emerged from a transwarp conduit off the port bow and fired on us Captain. They are hailing us: demanding that Voyager heave to. We are trying to outrun it but it is maintaining pursuit, and Captain," Tuvok hesitated, "the vessel appears to be Devore in origin,"
"Open fire if you have to Tuvok. I'm on my way." Chakotay struggled into his uniform pants and boots. This was no way to wake up after only two hours sleep. His tiredness abated as the adrenaline pumped through his veins and the Captain's brain kicked into gear. He wondered why Tuvok had said that the vessel only appeared to be Devore. His first officer was always precise. Chakotay picked up his jacket and headed out of his quarters towards the turbolift.
A minute later he was on the bridge. A huge black ship was clearly visible on the aft view screens. It seemed very close. Another burst of green phaser energy bounced off Voyager's shields.
"Shields at 69% Captain." reported Lieutenant Harry Kim at ops. "They seem to know where to hit us Sir."
"Why are the Devore this far from home and what the hell could they want?" Chakotay wondered aloud. "I never thought we would see them again."
"I cannot speculate as to their intentions Captain." Tuvok replied in the same tone of voice he would use if he were discussing a new staff rotation. "However it is probable that the pursuit relates to our contact five years ago. Captain, it should be noted that this ship is not following standard Devore boarding procedures nor is the communication signal consistent with the Devore Imperium. We have attempted to scan the vessel, but we were unsuccessful in penetrating the shields."
Chakotay cast aside any further hypothesising. They needed facts. "Ensign open a hailing frequency to the ship" he ordered and paused momentarily waiting for the link to be established.
"Unknown vessel please identify yourselves and end this unprovoked attack. We will return fire if necessary."
As he spoke the great black vessel fired on Voyager and the smaller ship lurched as the shields flared. Harry Kim was openly worried as he reported "Their weapons seem to be more powerful than in our previous encounters with Devore sir. Shields are now at 23%. Another hit will leave us defenseless." Looking up from his console he hesitated and then continued too quickly "Captain, the weapons signature seems to be... Borg!". The tension on the bridge immediately increased. There could be no negotiation with the Borg and surrender would mean assimilation.
"Tom, evasive manouveures, try and keep out of range of their phasers," Chakotay sounded calm as he continued to give orders, "Harry see if you can slow them down a little, target the ship's engines and fire phasers at will." Turning to Ensign Nicoletti at the tactical station, Chakotay asked quietly "Susan is there anywhere we can run to?"
"There is a nebula less than 0.2 light years from here if we can make it. It should be large enough to hide in and its emissions would disrupt sensors. But it will take at least 33 minutes to reach at maximum warp," the ensign answered quickly and completely. She had been expecting the question - after ten years in the Delta quadrant, crew members knew exactly what was required of them.
Chakotay grimaced. This was a little too uncomfortable then again there wasn't much choice. It seemed his unknown opponent wasn't going to give him any opening. "Tom set course for the nebula, full speed. Harry, report."
"Captain I have returned fire but with no effect. The ship is gaining"
Chakotay suppressed a frown.
"OK Harry let's try and really shake them up. Target engines with torpedoes, full spread, fire at will. Tom. Make sure we don't take another hit."
Voyager's torpedoes hit their mark and exploded around the pursuing ship's glowing engines.
"The ship has slowed Captain," reported Harry Kim, "and it is damaged but the shields are regenerating quickly."
"OK let's take advantage of this and make tracks for that nebula. Tom, quick as you can."
Almost before Chakotay could finish speaking another blast rocked the ship. Some of the bridge personnel were thrown to the ground as power surges shorted their consoles causing a fanfare of pops and small explosions.
Harry's voice rose through the noise "Shields are down and Voyager has taken heavy damage. There are casualty reports from decks 6 to 8. There is a possible hull breach on deck 7. I am reinforcing the structural integrity fields."
"Nicoletti where the hell did that come from?"
The ensign struggled back to her station.
"A second ship has appeared from a conduit between us and the nebula Captain." Another phaser blast shook the bridge.
Hanging onto his console, Harry Kim despairingly issued more bad news: "direct hit on the starboard nascelle. Warp engines are damaged and we are venting plasma. Engineering are trying to reroute power to the port engine."
"We are losing speed Captain" said Tom, "I can't maintain power."
Nicoletti interrupted. "Captain, the second vessel is hailing us."
A voice, which Chakotay had thought he would never hear again except in his dreams, echoed through the bridge.
"This is Janeway, Marshal of the Free Alliance privateer, Fearless. Voyager your shields have gone and your engines are damaged, power down your weapons and prepare to surrender now. Yield and prepare to be boarded." Almost as an after thought the voice added "Or die."
At that moment Chakotay knew that this must be a bad dream. The voice was undeniably that of Kathryn Janeway, former captain of Voyager, but the message was being converted from another language by the Universal translator. The familiar voice and the inconceivable demands continued, resounding in the shocked silence. "Commander Chakotay, obey my orders and live. You have one minute to comply."
"If you have any ideas Tuvok now would be a damn good time to share them. What or whom the hell are we dealing with?" asked Chakotay, unable this time to repress his astonishment. "Is it the Borg? Do they have the Captain?"
"It is extremely puzzling Captain" Tuvok understated though outwardly the Vulcan had betrayed no surprise at hearing the voice of the lost Captain. "If these ships are Borg then they have not identified themselves as such nor do the vessels appear to be Borg in any other respect. The communications we have received from them were not Borg signals."
Chakotay considered the few known facts.
Otherwise unassimilated Devore ships with what seemed to be partially Borg propulsion systems, weaponry and shields, twenty thousand light years from the Devore Imperium. Yet only five years ago the Devore had no transwarp or slipstream drive though of course they may have developed it and had never heard of the Borg. Of course if they really were Devore then perhaps it really was Captain Janeway aboard that ship, maybe she had found a way back to them but then why would she attack Voyager?
He had no answers and in the end it came down to this: Voyager and its captain had been out-gunned and out-manoeuvered. This battle was lost. Chakotay made the only decision possible.
"Tom, all stop."
Voyager came slowly to a halt and the pursuing ships slowed and positioned themselves either side of the small white ship, their dark hulls almost invisible against the space behind. A tractor beam fastened on to the smaller ship, removing any hope of a quick get away. Chakotay looked at the faces around him and tried to think of something to say and failed. Instead he addressed their attackers.
"Commander of Free Alliance vessel Fearless we are prepared to negotiate terms with you. Permission to come aboard is granted."
Tuvok immediately started issuing orders to the crew and readying them for invasion. "All crew are to implement condition yellow. Prepare to be boarded and do not engage the enemy without further orders. The Captain is negotiating the terms of our surrender. Retreat to decks 1 to 5 and 12 to 15 where there is less damage. Security teams are to prepare themselves for a possible defence but repeat do not engage the enemy without orders."
The crew of Voyager waited to meet their conquerors, and wondered what they would see: soldiers of the Devore or the Borg or something else. After an agonising few seconds came the unmistakable whine of transporters and on each deck dozens of soldiers materialised. Harry Kim at tactical recorded over five hundred intruders before the bridge was taken and he was captured and knocked unconscious. The rest of the bridge crew were also rapidly and brutally subdued. The invaders shackled Chakotay and Tuvok together and dragged them into the Captain's ready room. Elsewhere on the ship, individual crewmen found themselves outnumbered three to one. All hopes of mounting a defence evaporated. With no orders forthcoming from the bridge Voyager's crew were swiftly disarmed and the frightened crewmen herded down the long corridors towards the cargo bays where they were held under heavy guard.
Amongst the invaders were indeed many Devore soldiers dressed in their usual black uniforms, however not all of the boarders were Devore; a great many Delta quadrant species were present; even the Brenari telepaths so loathed by the Devore were in evidence and there were many species completely unknown to the crew. But there was one chilling commonality among the invaders: the Borg-like implants visible on many of their faces, arms and hands. Yet these soldiers were not the Borg. These were not silent, implacable, walking-dead men. They were noisy, aggressive and piratical; pushing and shouting, cursing and swearing at their prisoners. They wore no single identifiable uniform and many, apart from the Devore, seemed to have a taste for bright colours. All were heavily armed but even in their weaponry there was variety and an apparent gothic pleasure in wearing lethal looking swords and knives in addition to the more usual forms of hand weapon.
Ensign Vorik watched as a heavily manacled B'Elanna Torres was taken away, still shouting abuse at her captors. The Chief Engineer had put up a fight and two of the invading soldiers lay dead on the floor of engineering. Sheer numbers had finally overwhelmed her, yet the invaders had not seriously injured the Lieutenant despite their own losses. The Vulcan thought that this seemed surprisingly disciplined behaviour for such rowdy pirates.
Still contemplating this paradox, he was doubled over by a blow to the stomach from a creature as broad as it was tall and with no apparent facial features. A guttural voice barked "Hands behind your head you skinny bastard and get in line." The engineering crew, minus their leader, were then marched out in a line, any hesitation or slowness being met with blows. As they marched away a replacement crew from the invasion force entered main engineering.
After ten minutes walking along corridors Vorik could see a small group approaching from the opposite direction. The Voyager engineering crew were pushed against the wall of the corridor and forced to their knees by their escorts shouting and waving weapons in their faces. The soldiers had become very agitated when they spotted the approaching group.
Four figures walked smartly towards them. Vorik took a chance, and looked up to watch them pass. The two beings in front were bipedal, tall, willowy and identical in appearance, dress and movement. Quite irrationally he found himself assuming they were female although they were, in humanoid eyes, quite androgynous. They looked straight at him, their dark heads turning in perfect synchronisation and two pairs of beautiful golden eyes looked into his and then passed by.
They were followed by a brutish animal as ugly as they were beautiful, three metres tall and also bipedal but with a strong resemblance to a Terran warthog with a fleshy face and prominent tusk like teeth. Its body was covered in reddish coarse hair. The creature was lightly armoured and carried no weapons except a curved blade nearly two metres long.
Behind the brute a smaller figure appeared, dressed in a black Devore uniform. Vorik looked into her face and with disbelief registered the features of Captain Kathryn Janeway. Her red hair was cut shorter and she seemed paler and a little thinner than he remembered. Then he noticed her hand, as she lifted a tricorder like device and stopped to scan a power relay in the adjacent wall. The hand was covered with an unmistakable tracery of Borg implants. She did not seem to notice the Voyager crewmen crouching against the wall of the corridor and walked past them impassively.
After the group had passed the prisoners were hauled to their feet and pushed on towards the waiting cargo bays. A wide-eyed Crewman Ryan looked at Vorik and mouthed "Did you see her?" A heavy blow on the shoulder with the stock of a disruptor rifle put an end to any attempt to answer.
==Old friends, new aquaintances==
Captain Chakotay struggled to sit up; the weight of Tuvok's unconscious body which had been thrown on top of him and the chains around his ankles and wrists made it hard to move. The Vulcan groaned incoherently as Chakotay tried to shift him.
"Tuvok. Tuvok are you alright. Wake up Commander."
Tuvok's head was resting on the Captain's chest and Chakotay winced a little when he realised that the dampness he could feel was blood from the his first officer's head wound, soaking through his uniform jacket.
Tuvok stirred and groaned again. Chakotay spoke to him gently, "Tuvok. Try not to move. You have a head wound, it's bleeding and you may have other injuries. I'll help you." Gently he helped Tuvok to ease into a sitting position between his legs so that the Vulcan was leaning against him. Chakotay could clearly see the deep gash in the Vulcan's skull. Unfortunately with his hands chained there wasn't much the Captain could do to stem the bleeding. He hoped it was slowing.
The door to the ready room hissed open and Chakotay looked up as Captain Janeway entered her ready room for the first time in five years. She hardly looked any older than when he had last seen her. He started to smile, Then he saw the Borg implants and fear and horror wiped the smile from his face and the words from his lips. Cold blue-gray eyes regarded him without any hint of emotion. Behind her a huge ugly bipedal warthog had entered the room together with a male soldier in Devore uniform.
Janeway spoke slowly, almost clumsily, in Federation Standard English.
"Captain Chakotay your ship is mine. We will discuss the terms of your surrender." He saw her take in the condition of Tuvok. She spoke in the same slow English and with a touch of regret. "It appears that Commander Tuvok is injured."
She addressed the Devore male by her side but this time the Universal translator kicked in as she addressed him in an unfamiliar language.
"Jerholdt bring Voyager's Doctor here. Let him treat the Bridge crew and then I want him taken to the cargo bay to treat any other injuries." Her voice became lower and menacing as she continued to speak to the soldier. "And I hope Major that the Commander's injuries are not typical of how you obeyed my orders."
Jerholdt looked nervous but replied steadily. "Marshal there have been no serious injuries amongst the Voyager crew although our marines have suffered several fatalities and serious injuries." Janeway nodded slightly to acknowledged his words and turned her back as the Devore left the room. She looked at Chakotay and Tuvok and, for the first time, a hint of a warmth entered her face. She switched to English.
"You don't look very comfortable Captain. Release them Kraal." She ordered quietly.
The warthog grunted and snorted. "It is safer to keep them tied up."
Janeway smiled then and continued in a mocking voice. "Kraal could you be afraid? Or perhaps you think you cannot protect me from such fierce creatures?"
"I can protect you Kathryn from far greater dangers than these pathetic creatures" replied the Warthog grumpily, "but you always like to make my job harder."
Chakotay was surprised at the clearly affectionate tone that Kathryn used towards the unappealing creature. The brute moved with agility and grace as it bent down and took hold of the chain that joined the manacles on Tuvok's hands and ankles. With a twist of his great hands and a small grunt Kraal snapped the chain and Tuvok was able to stretch out his legs. With a similar lack of effort the great beast broke the remaining chains leaving Tuvok with a broken manacle dangling from each wrist and ankle. The brute lifted Tuvok aside from where he had rested against Chakotay, and then Chakotay's bonds were broken equally quickly. Chakotay stood, grimacing slightly as the blood returned to his limbs.
"You could have used the unlocking code rather than destroying the ship's property," said Janeway, grinning openly now at the creature.
"Yes, but I was making a point. Do you think they understood? They do not look very intelligent and it surprises me that you survived as long you did in their company. We took their ship with little effort and they do not seem to be worth the journey," replied Kraal and he accompanied his words with a snort which was utterly derisive.
"Captain Chakotay, you have not impressed my colleague. But then he does not know you or this crew." She paused for a moment. "I am sorry about the manner of our reunion Chakotay but I am operating under certain constraints which made this approach necessary."
Chakotay was silent and his former captain said sharply "You don't have anything to say?". She stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm. "Chakotay you need not fear me. This ship and its crew are still important to me."
Glancing down Chakotay looked at her hand and the dull grey metal threading through it and could not stop himself from pulling away from her. He had never been able to forget his horror at being linked to a Borg hive mind.
"Are you..." his voice sounded hoarse and he steadied himself, trying to overcome the sudden dryness of his mouth, "Are you really Captain Janeway?"
Following his gaze down Janeway looked at her own hand and frowned a little, then she looked into his dark eyes and smiled the same lazy smile that he remembered so well. He remembered also how much he had missed her, missed their easy friendship, how much he had lost. Her smile became sad as she recognised the hurt on his face. Her distinctive low voice was gentle and reassuring.
"It is me Chakotay. An enhanced model perhaps, as Seven of Nine would have it, but none the less I am Kathryn Janeway former captain of the USS Voyager."
Startled again, Chakotay exclaimed "Seven of Nine! Is she with you?"
Janeway's expression darkened and she became brisk. "No. Seven is not with me. But she is the reason that I came looking for you. Look Chakotay I have a great deal to tell you but we will have time for explanations on the way back to Devore space."
Chakotay protested "Kathryn, the Devore Imperium is twenty thousand light years from here and it has taken Voyager five years and a lot of luck to travel that distance. You can't ask us to give up those gains."
Her eyes had hardened from the soft blue-grey of a few seconds before to an unyielding grey, any sympathy, real or fake, vanished from her steel-plated voice.
"I had forgotten how awkward you could be Chakotay. I am not used to having my plans questioned." Kraal snorted a little and looked unrepentant when Janeway scowled at him but the interruption seemed to calm her. She sighed and rubbed her face and said in a quieter voice. "I'm sorry Chakotay but command protocols are a little different in the Free Alliance. I'm afraid you will just have to excuse my occasional bursts of despotism."
She smiled at him reassuringly and her voice was again gentle and persuasive. "Chakotay the return journey will take just one week and, with good fortune, you, and the rest of the crew, will be home in the Alpha quadrant within two months. Trust me I am going to explain."
Ignoring Chakotay's still obvious suspicion, Janeway then knelt down to Tuvok and and hugged him carefully. "Tuvok it is wonderful to see you again old friend."
The Vulcan's face showed some alarm at the embrace despite his best efforts, as well as some discomfort from his injury, however he answered her calmly, as though meeting Janeway at some Starfleet social event. "I am gratified to see you also Marshal Janeway and to know that you are well."
Despite the situation Captain Chakotay was amused by Tuvok's extreme politeness but the Captain felt battered by the revelations and sudden changes of fortune. Kathryn had certainly retained her ability to disconcert and he could not shake the feeling that he was being manipulated. It was important to remain alert to possible opportunities, to recover some advantage. At the moment Janeway held all the cards and he could only go along with her plans whatever they might be. He made a conscious effort to look more relaxed and confident. He walked to the nearest couch and sank down and stretched out his legs and then sat back, smiling at Janeway who had now released Tuvok. She looked relieved.
Kraal was standing watching in the corner; he snorted again and muttered but his alert pose eased and he leaned his great bulk against the wall with one hand resting lightly on the huge sword that he carried.
Tuvok was still on the floor, propped against a step; he sagged slightly and Janeway immediately became concerned. "Jerholdt. Where is the Doctor?" she snapped, presumably to a communicator hidden somewhere on her uniform.
Jerholdt's communicator reply sounded a little tinny "My apologies for the delay Marshal but the Doctor has been less than co-operative."
"Well tell him Tuvok is injured and Captain Janeway says he is to come to her ready room immediately."
She heard Jerholdt repeat her words and then someone gasp. Then they heard the Doctor's voice. "What do you mean Captain Janeway. If this is a trick, it's not a very clever one. Obviously my good man no-one bothered to tell you that we lost the captain five years ago." By the end of the sentence the Doctor's tone had moved from bluster to become smug and superior. Chakotay offered a wry smile to his former captain. Some people never change was the unspoken thought. Janeway did not return the smile.
"Janeway to the Doctor."
She spoke in her most forceful command voice. "I am here in my ready room and we require your services. Now." Her voice became rougher. "In future Doctor if I give an instruction I expect immediate obedience. Deviation from this will not be tolerated and either you or one of your shipmates will be punished. Is that clear?" Not waiting for an answer she closed the comm link, "Janeway out."
There was a momentary shocked silence while Chakotay and Tuvok stared at the ex-captain. Janeway said carefully, "Chakotay it is imperative that you understand that my behaviour in front of my present crew may not be as you remember me. Please do not interfere. You may speak freely in front of Kraal and in front of my first officer Nithqref but no one else. Many of the Fearless's crew may also be trusted but as you do not know them it is better to trust no one. The Devore marines and the crew of the Revenge believe that you are unwilling prisoners and it is better that they continue to do so. To avoid any further complication I think it would be easier if Voyager's crew were also informed of the true situation on a need to know basis only."
Before Chakotay could ask what the 'true' situation was, a buzz at the door informed them of the Doctor's arrival with Jerholdt.
"Enter" said Janeway. The Doctor was pushed, complaining into the room. As he entered his gaze fell on Captain Janeway and he spluttered "Captain it is you. I can hardly believe it."
Janeway did not lift her eyes from the padd she was studying. "You do not have permission to speak Doctor. Treat your patient."
The Doctor opened his mouth and then thought better of it. He drew out his tricorder and moved to examine Tuvok.
Continuing in a voice that would freeze the feathers off a penguin, Janeway turned her attention to Jerholdt. "I want you to supervise the transfer of all healthy prisoners to the holding cells on the Fearless. We will only require a single platoon of marines to remain on Voyager after the transfer has taken place to guard any remaining sick prisoners while the Doctor attends to their injuries. You may then transport yourself and the remainder of your men back to the Revenge. Remember Major, no members of Voyager's crew are to be hurt. If any of them cause you any trouble then sedate them. When the Doctor has completed his work any prisoners remaining on Voyager will also be transferred to the holding cells. Report when you have completed the transfer and the withdrawal. Dismissed." Jerholdt turned smartly and left the room.
Janeway spoke again.
"Nithqref get here as soon as you can and please bring B'Elanna Torres with you." There was no answering voice from her communicator but she smiled and said. "I know. She's a handful."
The Doctor was finishing his treatment of Tuvok's head injury. He hesitated and looked at Janeway warily, then said "I have completed treatment of Tuvok's injury, Captain, but he should really remain under observation in sick bay for at least two days."
"Understood. Now get down to the cargo bays where the remainder of Voyager's crew are being held." As Janeway looked at him, the holographic doctor could have sworn the he felt the room get colder, "Doctor you have your orders. Please do not give me reason to be angry. Go. Commander Tuvok will be transferred in due course to the sickbay on the Fearless with the other injured prisoners." The Doctor hurried out of the ready room without another word. Smiling again, Janeway looked at her former officers, "I should have tried that approach with the Doctor years ago."
Chakotay had at last gathered his wits sufficiently to ask questions. "Captain, er I mean Marshal, what is going on here? Why are you transferring my crew to your ship as prisoners?"
"It is standard procedure. If I did not do it, Jerholdt would be suspicious and I would be endangering everyone. Listen Chakotay I will explain to you as soon as I can but I need to get the crew safely aboard the Fearless first. Suffice to say that I need your help but in return I will ensure that you and your crew get back to the Alpha quadrant."
Tuvok heard her words and noticed the phrasing. "You do not intend to return to the Alpha quadrant with us Captain?"
Quietly, she replied "My home is here in the Delta quadrant Tuvok; I have a family here. I am no longer a Starfleet captain." Both Chakotay and Tuvok felt the world slide a little further off its axis. She grinned lopsidedly. "It is one of the ironies of our lives in the Delta quadrant that Chakotay has become the Starfleet captain and I have become a rebel leader and an outsider in my own space. Lifting her chin she asked, "Would you like to see my family?" There was a mixture of determination and hesitation in her voice as though she wasn't sure that this was the right thing to do but wanted to anyway. Chakotay wondered briefly if Kraal were the lucky man and inwardly shuddered at the repellant images.
Janeway pulled a wallet out of her jacket and opened it. Inside was a picture of Seven of Nine standing with her arm around a smiling Janeway. Both women were dressed in outdoor clothing and they were standing in front of a wooden dwelling, that in the Alpha quadrant would have belonged at one time to an ancient pioneer or backwoodsman. Two small children stood in front of them.
Chakotay felt his mouth drop open again. The two children, both girls of about two and four years of age, were the spitting image of Seven of Nine except for their red hair and the lack of any apparent Borg implants. Janeway returned the picture to her jacket.
"It was taken six months ago on a trip to the back country on Kraal's home world. Two weeks later a faction within the Devore Imperium recaptured Seven of Nine. I have not seen her since. The children are with Kraal's wife in a Free Alliance colony. Chakotay I need you to help me rescue Seven before the Devore kill her."
The pain in her face and the note of pleading in her voice brought all his chivalrous instincts to the surface. He had loved this woman once and been forced to abandon her against his will. It would be nearly impossible to deny her whatever she wanted.
Another buzz at the door brought in a marine officer carrying a report. Janeway was immediately all cold efficiency and discipline. Chakotay slid back into his role of defeated commander and slumped on the couch, watching the small woman as she sat at her desk grilling the subaltern about his report.
Small wonder, Chakotay pondered, that Janeway could see no future in Starfleet. A lover of the same sex, and a former Borg at that, would damn her on two counts. The modern Starfleet expected its captains to conform to norms of behaviour - such stuffy and conformist attitudes had played a large part in Chakotay's decision to leave Starfleet many years before - however even without the unconventional family, he knew that Janeway would have had a hard time explaining to Starfleet many of her actions in the Delta quadrant. That would have been true even five years ago, and it was plain that she had been far from inactive since. There were many possible accusations that could result in a discharge from the service if Starfleet felt so inclined. And, even if all the other matters could be ignored or glossed over, there remained the apparent Borg assimilation of the Captain. Although the assimilation process had been reversed or arrested in some way, Kathryn Janeway was to some extent undeniably Borg.
Another buzz at the door and two beautiful androgynes entered the room side by side, followed by two soldiers holding a handcuffed, gagged but still struggling B'Elanna Torres. The escorting soldiers dumped her on the floor. Janeway looked up from her reading and dismissed the subaltern and the two escorts. One of the latter could not forbear from aiming a hard kick at B'Elanna's head as she lay on the floor. The engineer slumped into unconsciousness. A sharp word from Janeway and the soldier scampered from the room apologising for his existence. It was clear to Chakotay that Janeway was feared by her Delta quadrant crew in a way that had certainly not been true when she captained Voyager. It disturbed him. Trying to be rational, he realised that like a Maquis captain, Janeway may have had to adopt many unorthodox methods; cracking heads was often the only form of discipline widely recognised. That said, she had still changed; brutality towards her crew seemed to be very out of character with the woman he had once known.
Janeway's voice interrupted his thoughts "Captain Chakotay this is Nithqref, my intelligence officer and second in command."
Looking up, Chakotay could see her gesturing at the two androgynes. Slightly embarrassed he said "I am sorry Marshal but I didn't catch which one ....".
Janeway laughed "No you misunderstand, they are Nithqref. One mind, two bodies. Nithqref is a member of the Halquine species. The Halquine have many unique abilities." She smiled gently, more like her old self. "And Nithqref has been a good friend to me."
The tall beings did not say anything aloud but Chakotay could hear a voice speaking in English apparently inside his mind and from the manner in which Tuvok's eyebrow had suddenly lifted, Chakotay guessed he was having a similar experience.
"I am pleased to meet the great Captain Chakotay and you also Commander Tuvok. Kathryn has told me many things about you both."
Collecting himself Chakotay smiled as warmly as he could. "It is a pleasure for me also, Nithqref, to meet someone so obviously valued and trusted by my Captain."
Nithqref smiled - with both faces in unison.
Tuvok had made his greeting telepathically but for the sake of the two humans he then spoke aloud. "You are an entirely telepathic species without any spoken language. I find that most fascinating. How do you communicate when not within telepathic range of your crew?"
Any answer was forestalled by a groan from the engineer lying on the floor. Kraal stepped forward and hauled B'Elanna Torres upright.
"Now the pleasantries are over," he grunted, "perhaps we should do something about your little friend here." B'Elanna Torres scowled at him from behind her gag and struggled.
Janeway grinned slightly. "I should perhaps warn you Kraal, the Lieutenant is not as manageable as many of Voyager's crew."
Kraal wrinkled his nose in what Chakotay had begun to recognise as a sneer. "I do not think this little one poses much of a threat." He unlocked her chains with a key code and as they fell away the engineer unleashed her considerable pent up fury in a crushing kick to the stomach. Kraal found himself reclining on a large chair, several feet away, with the engineer starting to swing at him with his own sword. Struggling to his feet, he threw himself out of the way as the blade crashed down through the seat splitting it in two. A stream of Klingon invective rained down on him as B'Elanna prepared for another swing.
"B'Elanna drop the sword," Chakotay intervened and stepped between them. B'Elanna Torres tried to push him aside. This time he said more loudly "B'Elanna I said that's enough. Put down the sword this instant Lieutenant. That's an order." She stood swaying for a minute the sword half raised over her head. Standing between her and Kraal, Chakotay could see the half-Klingon's sense of self returning. He relaxed. The Klingon battle rage was cooling and she started to breathe more normally.
"One day Chakotay you are going to allow me to finish one of these fights" she grumbled. "You're always such a kill joy." B'Elanna then threw the sword to the floor and looked around her as if seeing the room for the first time. Her gaze lighted on Captain Janeway. Disbelief warred with hope. Hope won.
"So the rumours are true! In Kahless' name Captain." In two strides she had covered the distance, picked the ex-Captain up and tried to swing her round, only to drop her rather unceremoniously on the floor. Janeway looked up at her with a pained expression.
"No offence Captain but for a small woman you're pretty heavy" B'Elanna gasped apologetically.
Kraal had recovered by this time and infuriated by the apparent attack on Janeway, he grabbed B'Elanna Torres from behind, lifted her a metre off the ground and started to shake her.
"Put me down you great oaf" yelled the half-Klingon. "Don't you recognise an affectionate hug? No of course you don't" she taunted. "What am I saying? Who would hug a man who is a dead ringer for a warthog? I'll bet even your mother thinks twice!" Kraal shook her harder and growled with rage.
Picking herself up, Janeway gestured at Kraal to put B'Elanna down which he did reluctantly. The half-Klingon and the Warthog stood and glowered at each other.
Janeway addressed her former engineer with a little sarcasm. "Impolite as it was for you to mention my weight B'Elanna, it is true that a cyber-enhanced skeletal structure does tend to add a few pounds."
The normally fearless half-Klingon stepped back with an ill disguised look of terror. Chakotay was watching Janeway carefully and observed the pain in her expression as she reassured B'Elanna.
"I am not going to assimilate you Lieutenant and, despite the appearance, I have not been assimilated by the Borg either."
"If you were not assimilated by the Borg, Marshal Janeway, then how did you acquire those?" asked Tuvok, his eyes fixed on the implants on her hand.
At first Janeway glanced away, appearing to be annoyed by the question, then she raised her hand, examining the back of it as carefully as though it were strange to her. She half-smiled, another echo of her former easy charm. "I am what you might call a prototype" she explained. Her smile seemed to chill, losing its charm as she added, "Not a satisfactory prototype from my progenitors point of view."
"Five years ago, as you no doubt recall, the Devore were lords of all they surveyed in a very large sector of space. It didn't last. Only months after Voyager left Devore space who should arrive but the Borg and they meant business."
"The Devore are nothing if not determined and well organised militarily; they put up one hell of a fight but like most species, resistance was increasingly futile and the Borg made steady inroads in a matter of weeks. Many of the Devore colonies and slave worlds were assimilated. Just as it looked hopeless, an opportunity fell into the laps of the fortunate Devore - Seven of Nine, to be precise - looking for me." She paused, taking in the varying expressions of her prisoners. "However I think it would be better if I told you this story from the beginning and now is not the time. I need a report on Voyager's space worthiness and a repair schedule. B'Elanna. You are to work with Nithqref and report back to me in two hours."
The note of command in Janeway's voice was still so familiar and current in the chief engineer's memory that B'Elanna Torres responded "Aye Captain" as smartly as any new ensign on her first mission, turned smartly on her heel and had taken two strides towards the door before the engineer skidded to a halt just before the exit, with an apologetic look at Chakotay.
If Kathryn Janeway was amused by B'Elanna's embarrassment she hid it well. "What are you waiting for Lieutenant," she queried impatiently. "Captain Chakotay has surrendered his ship and you are under my command."
B'Elanna stared at her captain, seeking confirmation. Chakotay nodded his agreement with Janeway and B'Elanna left the ready room, muttering what sounded like an oath of some sort. The Halquine followed and further cursing could be heard as the telepath silently introduced itself to her.
"Captain Chakotay, I'm glad that you have accepted your position. We will continue our discussion at eighteen hundred hours this evening. In the meantime please accompany Commander Tuvok to sickbay. Dismissed."
Janeway's demeanour was now fully that of her new, more intimidating self, her orders to be obeyed without question. Chakotay found himself on his feet, almost propelled from his chair by Kraal, and helping Tuvok out of the room before Janeway had finished giving instructions to her sub-ordinate.
"Kraal. Captain Chakotay and Commander Tuvok are to be detained in sickbay. I want you to bring them to the briefing room at eighteen hundred. The Doctor, Neelix and B'Elanna Torres are also to be present." Kraal scowled at the last name. His stomach still ached from where the half-Klingon had kicked him. "And Kraal, no-one else apart from Nithqref and yourself is to attend, or to even know that we are meeting. Oh and see if you can find them some food."
The big beast nodded his understanding. He followed the two Voyager crewmen onto the bridge. "Here we go again," he said to them cheerfully, a suspicion of a smirk on his warty face, "determined to take us through the Haroun Nebula. I feel quite nostalgic."
"Haroun Nebula?" queried Chakotay.
"Normally a metaphor for certain death, only a lunatic would actually plan a crossing. Of course in Kathryn's case, the passage through the Haroun Nebula is historical fact and a turning point in the first Borg war!"
"Then it would appear," said Tuvok, "that Captain Janeway remains as she was in at least one respect."
"You are not reassuring me Tuvok" muttered his captain. "You are not reassuring me at all."
TBC
TITLE: Janeway Redux
AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: R
CODE: J/7
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Set after five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her?
SPOLIERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
DISCLAIMER: TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would own Star Trek but it's not and I don't.
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
Part 2 - A Captain lost
When her audience were seated Katherine Janeway, Marshal of the Allianceof Free Worlds, and commander of the warship Fearless, stood up and walked over to the transparent aluminium window of the briefing room on Voyager and looked out at the stars. She was nervous. No more so than her guests she reasoned. Glancing over her shoulder she smiled reassuringly at the B'Elanna who had been uncharacteristically quiet. By contrast Neelix had been unable to stop crying or talking up until a few seconds before. He was wiping his eyes, still overcome with emotion at meeting his Captain again. She extended her smile to him and he responded with a teary grin. Slowly, she began to speak.
"It is strange to stand here looking out from this room. I had not expected to ever see Voyager, or any of you again and, if I am honest, I did not intend to try even when I finally acquired the means to do so." Janeway glanced around the room, to see the reaction of her audience range from dismay to sorrow. "Many things have happened to me in the last five years, some terrible and some wonderful. I hope that when you hear my story you will not judge too harshly and you will not feel that I should have left you alone. Whatever you may think, I can tell you now that I would not change the decisions I have made, because for me there has been one outcome of that fiasco five years ago, which makes any of the subsequent suffering worthwhile and bearable. My family. To be exact my wife and children. If I had stayed on Voyager, Seven of Nine and I would never have formed any relationship because I would not have permitted it."
There was a stir in the room at these words. B'Elanna swore gently and wonderingly, Neelix began to cry again but this time he was smiling. The Doctor was about to form words when Janeway caught his eye; he rapidly closed his mouth. Janeway continued.
"I suppose it is something of a surprise to those of you that never really knew Seven. And that probably means all of you." She could not prevent the note of recrimination that entered her tone; she gave herself a mental kick and a reminder that she was here to get their help. Needing a distraction, she walked to the replicator. "Coffee, black." When the mug appeared she picked it up and without stopping took a swig. She promptly spat it out, gasping "It's boiling!"
"I'm sorry Captain." said B'Elanna through laughter. "I should have warned you but I finally got around to repairing the damned thing."
The laughter broke the tension. Janeway grumbled "My first cup of coffee for five years and you try to kill me."
Still smirking at Kathryn's expression, it occurred to Chakotay to wonder how the Devore had survived Kathryn's withdrawal from coffee. She anticipated his question.
"Before any of you ask how I survived even a week without coffee let me tell you that I have found a wonderful Delta Quadrant substitute. Not as healthy as coffee I'll admit but it serves the same purpose." The Doctor groaned aloud.
"Sorry Doctor" Janeway said with a wicked grin. Nursing her cup of coffee, Captain Janeway slouched elegantly down into a chair at the head of the table. There was nothing of the Borg in the way she moved, the innate gracefulness and barely contained energy were exactly as her crew remembered.
"Back to my story. I'll start at the very beginning. Some of you may remember my arrest by the Devore, but Kraal and Nithqref do not. Chakotay has offered to fill in some details of things that happened after I left the ship."
=The Delta Quadrant five years earlier=
Voyager slid through the darkness, creeping away from the malaise of the Devore Imperium. Captain Janeway gazed out of her ready room window. Three weeks earlier the Captain had tricked the Devore inspectorate and helped a group of telepathic refugees to escape. She still felt the satisfaction of seeing the chief inspector's face when he realised that she had deceived him completely. Kashyk was a clever and devious man and he had not expected the forthright and open captain of the Alpha quadrant vessel to display a level of cunning of which he himself would have been proud.
Yet she knew they had been lucky. Kashyk had let them go rather than have to admit to his superiors that he had been fooled. A less arrogant or more dutiful man than Kashyk would have arrested them and faced the ridicule of his peers. She was anxious to be out of Devore space as soon as possible.
Her comm badge beeped - Harry Kim's voice - "A Devore inspection vessel has been detected at 110,000 kilometers off the starboard side Captain.
The captain walked quickly to the ready room door and entered the bridge.
"Report Mr Kim".
"The inspectorate are hailing us Captain."
"On screen Mr Kim."
The Devore Inspector Prax filled the view screen. He had been Kashyk's side kick but not half as charming as his boss.
"I have a warrant to inspect Voyager" he intoned in a dull monotone. "Prepare to be boarded."
"Where is Inspector Kashyk?" Chakotay asked.
Prax almost cracked a smile. "He is on extended leave of absence while he is investigated. Prepare for boarding."
Sighing Janeway addressed the crew. "We are to be boarded by the Devore; please co-operate......in the usual manner."
"What about Voyager's telepaths Captain?" asked Tuvok, himself a telepath.
"Somehow I don't think that the Devore are that interested this time." she replied. "However tell them all to lie low just in case."
She walked back to her ready room with Chakotay and waited for the Devore to make known their demands.
"Devore inspectors have materialised on deck one only Captain" reported Harry Kim. As he spoke four heavily armed soldiers came through the door of the ready room followed by Prax.
The inspector peered at her and smirked "Captain Janeway. I have a warrant for your arrest and detention. You will accompany us back to our vessel."
Janeway stood up. "On what grounds are you arresting me?" she asked calmly.
"Deviation from the prescribed route through Devore space" came the terse reply. "As this is a first offence, your ship may continue on its way but you, Captain Janeway, will be sent to a secure detention centre in the non-Devore Detention and Resettlement Zone"
"Wait a moment" interrupted Chakotay angrily. "What about an investigation and trial. Aren't you running away with yourself?"
"You are unfamiliar with the Devore Justice system as it is applied to gaharay. The procedure has one stage only: detention. Sentences are mandatory."
The cold grey man smirked a little more. "You are lucky that Inspector Kashyk has some very good friends or the charges would have been more serious. As it is the Inspector will have his wrist slapped for a minor omission and you will only lose your captain. Of course, were you to resist arrest then a much more interesting situation would arise, your vessel would be impounded, the crew imprisoned and the senior officers executed."
Looking out the window at the vast bulk of the Devore vessel and realising that others would have arrived in support or would be joining very soon Kathryn Janeway made the only decision she felt to be correct in the circumstances.
"Chakotay much as it pains me to agree with Inspector Prax, we have got off lightly. You are in command now and it is your responsibility to get this ship home."
"Kathryn you cannot be serious. These charges are entirely spurious...."
"They are the local law Chakotay and we knew that when we entered Devore space. Under no circumstances are you to further endanger Voyager by attempting a rescue. That is my final order. Inspector Prax if you would like to lead the way." So saying Kathryn Janeway walked out of her ready room for the last time onto the bridge. One of the Devore thugs moved up behind her and cuffed her hands behind her back. Harry Kim took a step forward.
Captain Janeway put on a brave face. "Don't worry Harry. I have been in worse situations than this. Safe journey everyone."
The Devore transporters removed the captain and her guards from the bridge and the Devore vessels moved off at high speed going to warp almost immediately.
"Pursuit course Commander?" asked Tom Paris who had already started to lay in the coordinates.
"Yes! No! Belay that order! Set course for the Alpha quadrant, impulse speed only. I'll be in the Captain's ready room. Please ask Commander Tuvok to join me as soon as possible." Chakotay left the bridge but still caught Tom Paris' parting comment.
"Yes Commander. I hope the Captain's seat is still warm."
*~~~*
Kathryn Janeway was pushed roughly off the transporter pad by the Devore thug who had been holding her. As she hit the ground her head collided with a well aimed boot and she sagged into unconsciousness. Her last thought was that today she should have been playing velocity with Seven of Nine. She hoped Seven would not be too disappointed.
*~~~*
When she came to, she groaned, her head was pounding. Disorientated, she wondered why she was apparently lying on a hard floor; then the events of her arrest came back also and she groaned again. She opened her eyes slowly, squinting at the bright light and found herself looking up at a pale-pink ceiling. Carefully she lifted herself on one elbow and looked around. She was alone though she could hear voices and shouting. She sat up. Her Federation clothes had been removed and she was now dressed in rough cloth pajamas. There was no blanket but it wasn't cold.
She was in a small cell roughly three metres long by two metres wide. A narrow bench stretched the length of one wall. The three solid walls were of some polymer which she didn't recognise. The ceiling and floor and bench were of the same material. Smooth and flawless. Nothing or no-one held in this cell had ever made a dent or a scratch on those walls. The fourth wall was a double force field and double rows of emergency power supply cells could be seen clearly on the outside. Not much hope of a power cut helping here. A single, bright, light, positioned on the other side of the force field illuminated the cell.
She stood up carefully, walked to the edge of her cell and looked out into what appeared to be a narrow unlit chasm. She could clearly see across to the far side of the chasm about 20 metres away. It was a wall of brightly illuminated prison cells just like her own. Cells were stacked on top of each other as high as she could see and when she looked down she could only see more cells. Three or four faces peered out each one. So far she had this cell to herself which, as it was barely big enough for one person, was some comfort. She also realised that her side of the chasm was probably also a wall of prison cells although she could not get near enough to the edge to see for herself.
There was a lot of shouting between the cells but without her universal translator Kathryn had no idea what any of it was about. Two guards walked up and down a narrow walkway that was suspended in the gap between the two walls of cells but not actually touching either side. The walkway could move up and down and along the chasm like an elevator.
She wondered if she was still on a ship or whether she had already arrived at the detention centre. She dismissed the latter idea. It would take three weeks for the Devore ship to return to the main centres of population and she had not been unconscious for that long. The wound on her head was still relatively new and she certainly had not been without food for three weeks. The pain in her head had subsided a bit but she could feel the dried blood at the base of her skull.
Discussions with the Brenari that she had saved from Kashyk, suggested that the detention centres were actually work camps of some sort although even the Brenari knew very little about them. Just that no one ever came back.
A loud and discordant clanging noise did not help the pain in her head. The noise continued for a few seconds; Kathryn suspected that it was a warning of some sort and probably presaged some daily event. The other prisoners seemed excited; their shouts and screams increased in volume and quantity.
She was swiftly proved correct as a small hollowed out cube,10 centimetres square, materialised on the floor at the front of the cell. The cube was filled with some clear liquid. She picked it up and sniffed. Well it didn't smell offensive. And then tasted it. Water. Realising she was quite thirsty Kathryn drank the water. She then looked more carefully at the container. It seemed quite soft especially where it had been wet. A piece broke off in her hand and she tasted it. It was food. There was insufficient taste to even concern the Starfleet geniuses who designed emergency ration bars but it was definitely food. Disciplining herself to eat the stuff she forced it down. As she did, she slowly became aware of the despairing keening noises coming from the cells around her. Looking out towards the cells opposite she quickly understood why. She could see the food cubes materialising at the front of the cells opposite, short sharp brutal fights determined who would eat and drink that day. It appeared that only one food cube was beamed to each cell regardless of the occupancy. The losers could only sit and mourn and grow weaker, further diminishing their chance of eating or drinking when the next cube arrived.
As she looked more closely she could see the desperate condition of many of the cell occupants. Many just lay motionless on the floors of their cells. Occupancy of the sole bench in each cell was again decided by the relative strength of the occupants; although this seemed to the lost Starfleet captain to be of academic concern as the floor and bench were of identical hardness.
Some hours passed without event. Kathryn wondered how the prisoners were expected to wash or answer the other calls of nature. It occurred to her that perhaps the fight for the bench was not academic after all, perhaps some receptacle would be made available but she rather suspected not. Further observation confirmed this to be the truth. All of which rather puzzled her as the cells had appeared, at least earlier in the day, to be scrupulously clean, in fact you could, and did, eat your dinner off the floor. The occupants also appeared to be clean.
After the passage of yet more time the prison lights dimmed. The cells became quieter although not much. Quarrelling and crying could still be heard. Kathryn tried to sleep but could not get comfortable on the hard bench. She had not been able to bring herself to pee or defecate on the floor but knew it was only a matter of time before it became routine.
Sleep was made harder by the noise of the moving walk ways that appeared outside the cells periodically. The guards shone strong lights into the cells as they passed and shouted at prisoners who they thought were transgressing some rule or other. Occasionally they shouted at her but she could not understand what was being said.
When the lights went up hours later it was almost a relief.
Another loud clanging noise announced the start of one of the most god awful noises Kathryn had ever heard. It set her teeth on edge.
It wasn't for some time that she was able to identify the source of the noise; until she saw a large machine traversing the wall of cells opposite, pausing at the entrance to each cell; she realised that gigantic sonic showers were moving up and down the rows of prison cells blasting everything inside the cells clean. There were several of the beasts moving over the fronts of the cells and it still seemed to take hours.
As the cleaner passed in front of her cell the force fields went down but there was no where to go as the cleaner completely covered the opening of the cell. The sonic settings were much higher than would be found on a domestic shower and the noise actually physically hurt. For several minutes the torture continued and Kathryn's head felt as if it would explode. Then the force fields went back up and the cleaner moved to the next cell.
A short while later the loud clanging noise announced the arrival of the food cube and the start of another daily cycle.
*~~~*
After 9 or 10 days Kathryn was half mad through boredom and sleep deprivation. The daily cycle revealed little more about the operation of the prison than she already knew. Careful observation had shown that prisoner transfers were accomplished by transporting directly to and from cells but she had guessed as much. Apart from that there was little to do other than watch her fellow prisoners fight, starve, go mad and die. It occurred to her that she could do with a little forced labour just to alleviate the boredom. Her inability to understand any of the languages she heard was also driving her insane.
Shortly after the daily food ration had been delivered a guard appeared outside her cell on the walkway and started gesturing to her to get on the bench. With a mixture of hope and fear she realised this was done before a prisoner was transferred to a cell to avoid nasty transporter mix ups.
Seconds later a transporter beam appeared and two forms shimmered into existence. Kathryn felt dismay. One additional prisoner might have avoided any major fights but there was definitely insufficient food for three. Two tall and impossibly slender, impossibly beautiful creatures stared into her face. Their flawless, smooth dark skins shone in the unforgiving cell lighting though their eyes were seemingly lit from within by a dark golden fire. They were apparently identical in appearance, dress and movement. They gazed at her for a moment and then blinked in perfect unison. A noise outside startled them and they looked towards it, their movements perfectly synchronised.
Kathryn was fascinated despite her fear. 'A starship captain can do better than this Janeway' she scolded herself. Smiling in what she hoped was not an offensive gesture for these people she offered the remainder of the food cube that she had been keeping for later. Miming eating the cube she offered it again and wondered which of the two beings would take the offering. To her delight they each smiled, reached out a right hand and taking one half of the bar snapped it in two. They then proceeded to eat the food exactly together. Even when the creature with the slightly smaller bar of food had finished first he (or perhaps she) continued to chew in the same rhythm as its still feeding partner. They finished chewing together and swallowed at exactly the same moment.
At that moment Kathryn heard a strange sound which seemed to be inside her head. It was a voice. She felt panic as the voice continued. At first she could not understand what it said but after a while the words became meaningful.
'I am Nithqref' it said, echoing slightly.
Oh god! I have gone mad thought Kathryn.
'No kind fellow prisoner you are not mad. I am Nithqref of the Halquine.'
Kathryn looked up quickly at her two fellow prisoners. "Which one of you is Nithqref?" she said out loud.
They both smiled and the voice in her head repeated 'I am Nithqref.' Watching her confusion, the beings took pity and added 'One mind, two bodies.'
Kathryn was astonished. In all her years as a Starfleet officer she had never encountered such a being. "Greetings Nithqref of the Halquine," she said, getting a grip on her self as she welcomed them or (was it, it!) to her cell such as it was. "I am Captain Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager."
'I think you will find it easier Captain Janeway if you think of me as Nithqref rather than attempting to classify me with your rather primitive language structures.'
Kathryn laughed aloud. "I wouldn't presume to ever classify you Nithqref. How do you understand my language, primitive as it is."
'I do not understand your language, I understand your thoughts.'
"You are reading my mind as I am speaking?"
'Yes. Does that bother you?'
"Not at the moment. I am just really grateful to be able to converse with anyone." She felt concern from the strange being.
'You must learn the prison lingua franca if you are to survive Captain Janeway.'
"Call me Kathryn. Can you teach me?"
'Not directly as I have no direct access to any language but I can help you. Give me a moment to speak to some of our fellow inmates.'
Disconcerted, Kathryn could understood why telepaths might frighten the Devore. Such abilities were outside her understanding and it was clear that the telepathic species she knew in the Alpha quadrant were not typical of those in the Delta quadrant. However she pushed the fears aside as unworthy narrow mindedness and found the smiling voice of Nithqref inside her head.
'You are a very unusual person Kathryn. Are you typical of your species?' She did not know how to answer that question. Her embarrassment communicated directly with Nithqref. The two elegant faces laughed in perfect synchronicity.
'Do not answer if it embarrasses you Kathryn. To get back to the matter of learning the local languages, I think I have found a suitable teacher for you.'
A woman's face appeared in her mind. With utter clarity, Janeway understood that the woman was dying but she did not know how she knew. "Is it true? Is she dying?" she asked Nithqref. Janeway could sense the sorrow in the Halquine's reply.
'She is dying, and will die regardless, but she wishes that her last act will be to transfer her knowledge to you. She has given her consent. She is Brenari and does not fear me, or this act. I will try and shield you from the worst of her pain but it may not be entirely possible. Do you wish to continue?'
"Are you sure that this will not hurt her?"
'It will do her no further damage Kathryn.'
Kathryn drew a deep breath "I wish you to thank her and to wish her a better life in the next world." Kathryn knew the Brenari were firm believers in an afterlife. After a few moments the face of the woman in her mind smiled.
Nithqref stood on either side of her and placed a hand on each of the captain's shoulders.
'Now I wish you to relax Kathryn and think of as little as possible'
Kathryn tried to think of nothing, staring at the vague marbled patterns in the pink surface of the synthetic cell wall. As she did so, thousands of images and words and emotions seem to play across the surface of her mind. Then she felt enormous sadness and fear and despair. Unable to prevent herself she started to cry. She felt Nithqref enfold her and the sadness seemed to be pushed away. After a few minutes the emotions faded but she knew she would never forget that despair and suffering as long as she lived.
'It is over Kathryn. Do you understand the voices around you?'
She listened to the babble of shouts and screams from the surrounding cells, and gradually came awareness what they were saying.
"Yes. More than one language I think." Her elation was swiftly snuffed out as with deepening horror she realised that not only had she acquired the languages of the dying woman but her knowledge, beliefs and memories also. She could remember the woman's suffering, the fear of her own death, then watching members of her family dying and since they were Brenari, sharing their suffering and fear also. She could feel the hope they shared that the torment would cease and the strength of their belief in better world to come. And all this was just the surface skin of the woman's mind, her immediate past, beneath were layers and layers of memories, feelings and knowledge. Janeway felt sick. It was an act of total voyeurism and she could not close the door.
'It is impossible to separate knowledge of a person's language from their wider knowledge and memories.' Nithqref interjected, trying to calm the swirl of fear and disgust in the small red-head's psyche.
"But these are not my feelings" she protested with angry desperation, writhing physically within the Halquine's grasp as though to escape from the memories she now shared.
'They will fade as you forget them just as they would have faded for her.' The Halquine hugged her and stroked her. Gradually Kathryn stopped struggling.
Still very shaken, her voice quivered as she said "It's like the Borg, I feel as though I have just assimilated someone."
Nithqref's reply was not comforting.
'The process is not dissimilar although the mechanics are different. Indeed there is some speculation that the Borg were once a telepathic race.'
Janeway shuddered with uncontrolled sobs. Nithqref continued to hold her as for the first time in many years, tears rolled down her cheeks.
TITLE: Janeway Redux
AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: R
CODE: J/7
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Set after five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her?
SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
DISCLAIMER: TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would own Star Trek but it's not and I don't.
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
Part 3 - A new Captain
Voyager - One day after Captain Janeway's arrest and detention by the Devore.
As Chakotay arrived for the briefing with the senior staff, he was aware of the hostility he would face. Tom Paris had been openly expressing the view to anyone who would listen, that it was criminal to have left the Captain with a bunch of Nazis. The crew of Voyager were more familiar than most with that period of Earth history having been forced to enact it in holodeck simulations by the Hirogen. Everyone understood the analogy between the Devore Imperium and the Third Reich.
The Devore oppressed many of the local systems and enforced their power by the ruthless use of slavery and detention camps. They particularly hated the telepathic races and relentlessly tried to eliminate them or imprison them in the many labour camps that supported the military might of the Imperium. It was likely that the Captain was being taken to just such a camp.
Chakotay knew that many of the Voyager crew would be traumatised by the loss and he had expected to have to deal with a lot of anger and distress. The Commander had never in the past had much time for Starfleet counsellors but he could certainly have used one now. Even the former Maquis crew had grown to respect the captain and B'Elanna Torres in particular was completely devastated. Janeway's support and trust over the years had restored B'Elanna's self esteem. The grieving chief engineer refused to speak to Chakotay after Janeway's arrest except in response to matters directly related to engineering operations. Tom Paris' sniping and B'Elanna's silent treatment were difficult manifestations of loss but Seven of Nine's behaviour was something else. It had not occurred to Chakotay to worry about the former Borg's reaction.
Seven of Nine had tried to kill him.
*~~~*
The previous day, soon after Captain Janeway's arrest, Chakotay and Tuvok had been seated in the Captain's ready room discussing the options when the Borg entered without announcement and spoke sharply with barely contained anger. "How do you propose to recover Captain Janeway?" A pair of icy blue eyes interrogated Chakotay and he shivered involuntarily.
"Seven it is customary to sound the door chime before entering the Captain's ready room. The current situation will be addressed at the emergency meeting in 10 minutes." Chakotay felt weary and didn't really feel like dealing with the Borg's rudeness.
Seven of Nine ignored his words. "Voyager is still on a heading for the Alpha quadrant. Why? You are abandoning her are you not" she stated.
"As I have already said this will be discussed by the senior officers, together." A little surprised at Seven of Nine's vehemence Chakotay then said more gently, "Seven, the loss of a Captain is always a tragedy for a starship and Captain Janeway was more than just a colleague, more than just a captain...."
"You speak as if she has ceased functioning. That is unacceptable." Seven was almost whispering and Chakotay realised with astonishment that the emotionless Borg was in pain. "You will change course to pursue the Devore vessel and rescue the Captain," she ordered, her voice strengthening and becoming fierce again.
Chakotay's own guilt and despair made him answer her with a conviction that he did not feel, "Seven we cannot do that. The Devore are too strong and would destroy Voyager and the crew. The captain knew this and her last order was that under no circumstances should we attempt a rescue."
"Do you believe Commander that, were the positions reversed, Captain Janeway would leave you or any crew member with the Devore?"
Chakotay blanched. That was it. The question he had not wanted to ask himself. His rational self answered that such a question was hypothetical and that he had to do what was best for the ship and the crew. Kathryn had often taken what he thought were outrageous risks with the lives of everyone on Voyager. Her self-confidence sometimes bordered on dangerous arrogance but she had the skills, abilities and courage to back up her choices. The alliance with the Borg against species 8472 exemplified both the risk taking and the brilliance.
Chakotay knew with certainty that Kathryn would not have left anyone to the justice of Devore. However he was not Kathryn Janeway. He did not believe he had the right to march Voyager's crew to almost certain death, protected only by his abilities as a captain and luck. In the Maquis he had fought many dangerous battles against heavy odds yet the risks were always carefully considered. The Maquis had too few resources to do otherwise and it was no different now. One bad decision and any hope of surviving and returning to the Alpha quadrant would be lost.
Seven of Nine still stood motionless in front of him waiting for his answer, Chakotay noticed her hands clenching. "Seven..." He paused not quite sure how to continue. "I realise that Captain Janeway meant a lot to you." This was untrue. It was a surprise to him that the Borg cared about anyone. "The captain understood the risks and put the lives of her crew and the safety of Voyager before her own life. We would be betraying that sacrifice if we disobeyed her order."
Seven of Nine answered quickly, "then do not risk Voyager commander, give me a shuttle and I will find the Captain and return her to Voyager."
Chakotay sighed and stared at his hands, resting on Kathryn's table while he sat in her chair. He felt like an interloper, giving orders in her place.
"I cannot do that Seven, we are not yet clear of Devore space and any such action by members of Voyager's crew would be considered an act of aggression. It would endanger the ship just as much as if Voyager itself were involved."
"Ensign Paris is correct." Seven's tone was icy. "You have usurped the Captain and do not wish her to return."
Tuvok moved towards her. "Seven of Nine your analysis is faulty and it is inappropriate to address the Commander in such a manner"
Chakotay stood up and leaned forward on the desk, outraged by her accusation. Before he could put his outrage into words, a Borg-powered uppercut lifted him off his feet and thumped him against the wall behind the ready room desk. Pain exploded in his face. Seven stepped neatly round the desk and picked him up, slamming him against the wall, cracking his head. Two more blows impacted on his chest and he heard a crack of bone. He screamed and lost consciousness.
Caught off-guard Tuvok was slow to react, he finally moved to pull Seven off Chakotay, urgently summoning the doctor and a security team as he went. Her hands were on the new Captain's throat, and Tuvok found it tremendously difficult preventing the ex-drone from throttling Chakotay. It took all his strength just to hold her. Eventually the security team arrived and rushed to assist the struggling Vulcan.
"Fall back" he ordered. "Phasers on heavy stun, fire on my mark!". Tuvok let go of the battling ex-drone and stepped back.
"Fire!" he ordered. The two security officers turned their phasers on Seven and fired. As the phaser blasts struck her she staggered. The impact stunned Seven just enough to allow the newly arrived Doctor to sedate her with a hypospray. Seven of Nine sank to the ground. The Doctor quickly focused his tricorder on the fallen woman.
She'll be fine," he assured with obvious relief.
"Take her to the Brig, said Tuvok calmly although he could not disguise his breathlessness. "Level ten force field and two armed guards," The security team removed Seven and Tuvok turned his attention to Chakotay and the Doctor who was now attending him, clucking disapprovingly.
"I can't do anymore here. Computer - emergency transport, two to sickbay," said the EMH. He sounded urgent.
"Is his condition serious? "Tuvok asked the Doctor.
"It will be Commander, if I stand around here gossiping." With that the Doctor and Chakotay's prone body shimmered and disappeared.
Tuvok looked at the blood staining the wall and allowed himself to admit that the current situation was disturbing.
*~~~*
The Doctor had treated Chakotay's injuries without too much trouble, three cracked ribs, a shattered jaw, a cracked skull and a ruptured kidney were dangerous if untreated but posed no great difficulty for the skills of the EMH. Chakotay was up and about the following day although he still felt some discomfort.
Chakotay now sat in the delayed senior staff meeting aware that most of his colleagues had some sympathy with Seven of Nine even if they thought her actions were extreme. He heard B'Elanna say admiringly, in a deliberately loud stage whisper, "I'll say one thing for her - she certainly stands by her friends. Who would have thought our resident ice queen had it in her?"
Chakotay called the meeting to order.
"I am going to make this brief. As you know Captain Janeway was arrested and detained by the Devore Imperium because of alleged breaches of the law governing their space. Rather than precipitate a fight which she knew we could not win, Captain Janeway agreed to surrender herself in return for Voyager's freedom."
Looking at the expressions on their faces Chakotay hesitated before finishing, "I am not going to betray the Captain by returning on a fool's mission and losing the ship and crew which she loved so much."
Tom Paris opened his mouth to protest but Chakotay spoke first. "I know some of you think this decision is cowardly or worse self-interested but your opinion matters less to me than doing what I know to be correct for Voyager and the crew. There will be no further discussion. Meeting dismissed."
The senior staff looked at each other with shock. Up to this moment they had not really believed that Chakotay would abandon the Captain.
Harry Kim managed to speak "Commander we can't just leave....." He tailed off when he saw Chakotay's expression. Tom Paris was on his feet, complete contempt stamped on his face. He was not intimidated by Chakotay's glare.
"I never took you for a coward 'Commander' Chakotay; it seems I was wrong. Of course you never really respected her did you? Perhaps you felt it was about time she gave up command to you... "
"That's enough Lieutenant Paris! Get back to your station. And that goes for the rest of you. Dismissed." Paris threw him a hate-filled look and stormed from the briefing room. The other senior staff filed out in sullen silence. Last to leave, B'Elanna Torres turned back at the door, hardly restraining the snarl that curled her lips. "How the hell are we supposed to accept this Chakotay?" she demanded angrily.
"You will accept it because I am ordering you to do so and because this is what the Captain wanted. If you can't obey me then at least obey her."
"She would not have left any of us behind Chakotay. You know that!"
He met her accusing glare. "What would you have me do?"
B'Elanna shook her head in despairing frustration. "I don't know." She scowled. "Can I ask what you are going to do about Seven of Nine? Lock her up for saying what everyone else is thinking?"
It was Chakotay's turn to scowl. The ex-drone had left his ribs sore, but she had bruised his self-esteem more with her self-righteous certainty and easy judgement. She didn't have to choose between feelings for Kathryn and the lives of one hundred and fifty people.
"That, Lieutenant, is a matter of ship's discipline and I have no intention of discussing it with you. You are dismissed."
Tuvok who was watching the encounter, experienced some disquiet as Lieutenant Torres tensed visibly and her fists clenched hard. Tuvok prepared to defend his Captain again. It would be unfortunate if physical attacks on the new captain by irate crew members were to become the norm. However Torres didn't attack her old commander; she just glared and muttered insolently "Yes Captain. I will obey!" Her tone of voice suggested that for her this was not the end of the matter. She left the room without a second glance, leaving Chakotay and Tuvok alone.
Chakotay exhaled deeply and put his head in his hands. "I think that was the hardest thing I have ever done." He sat still staring at the table and rubbing the tattoo on the side of his face. "Tuvok. Have you spoken to Seven of Nine?"
"Yes Captain. She is unrepentant and has expressed the opinion that you will not be as lucky next time."
"So what shall we do with her. Keep her in the brig forever? Even if that were possible, and I do not underestimate her ingenuity and determination, it would be a constant drain on ships morale." Chakotay looked perplexed. "I can't resolve this at the moment. Inform Seven of Nine that she is to remain in detention for sixty days and the situation will be reviewed at the end of that time. It will be necessary for her to regenerate periodically. I want her confined in Cargo bay 2 rather than making regular transfers to regenerate. I will authorise the necessary work to secure her regeneration alcove and part of the surrounding area."
Tuvok nodded and turned to go when Chakotay spoke again "Tuvok do you think it is possible that Seven of Nine is in love with Captain Janeway?" He wasn't sure why he asked. It was a foolish notion and Tuvok was the last person to have an opinion on such matters.
Tuvok had seen the distraught Borg nearly weeping, striding up and down the brig like a tiger, calling down revenge on the heads of all her crewmates. "I think, Captain, that is an entirely logical conclusion although I doubt Seven would use that terminology."
*~~~*
Six days later B'Elanna Torres was reviewing the overhaul of one of the class 2 shuttles. She and Ensign Vorik had each been working double shifts, adapting the shuttle and improving its weapons and shields using similar technology to that employed in the Delta Flyer. One adaptation which had intrigued Vorik was the installation of one of the Borg alcoves from Cargo bay 2. When he queried the Chief Engineer, B'Elanna had informed him that the project was confidential and other members of the engineering crew were not to be involved. Vorik maintained total discretion as B'Elanna knew he would.
Engineering had completed work on adapting part of cargo bay two as a secure brig. The additional Borg alcove, which was now on the shuttle, had been removed as part of this work and in the process B'Elanna learnt a great deal about Borg engineering. She applied much of her acquired knowledge to the shuttle enhancements. It rather embarrassed her, looking back at when Seven had first arrived on Voyager, at how ignorant she must have appeared to the Borg.
Seven of Nine had been transferred to the cargo bay a week earlier and access to the cargo bay was now severely restricted. Any requests to enter the cargo bay had to be routed though Tuvok. B'Elanna Torres had been in there on only one occasion, to review a minor problem with one of the force fields. The Chief Engineer was upset by the sight of Seven of Nine, slumped on the floor, entirely defeated. This was not the arrogant stubborn Borg who annoyed her so much but a very vulnerable, unhappy and lonely woman.
The Lieutenant cursed Chakotay for being so ham fisted in his dealings with Seven of Nine. Chakotay could only see the young Borg as a threat and he had never trusted her, despite the many occasions that Seven had saved Voyager. Nothing if not honest, B'Elanna had to admit that she had also been guilty of fear and narrow-mindedness. Only Captain Janeway had ever consistently shown Seven of Nine any kindness or understanding even when Seven was at her most outrageous.
However, seeing Seven in such pain solidified B'Elanna's resolve to carry out her plan. The shuttle was now ready and Torres took time to stock it with supplies she had gradually been squirreling away over the last three weeks. She had logged the shuttle as unavailable for ordinary missions while it was being overhauled. The next part of the plan was unlikely to be so easy for the half-Klingon.
B'Elanna recruited the assistance of Voyager's only child. She knew that Naomi Wildman adored Seven of Nine and had been pestering her mother to allow her to visit her friend. Everyone was amazed when the Chief Engineer started to spend some time with Voyager's youngest crew member, volunteering for babysitting duties and allowing the child unprecedented freedom.
Naomi was delighted at being allowed in engineering and being asked to assist the Chief. Not only that, B'Elanna told the child wonderful stories about Klingon heroes and heroines. Naomi's mother may have been a little concerned at the high body count in these stories but Naomi thought they were wonderful and rather thought that if she couldn't be perfect like Seven of Nine then perhaps she could be a Klingon warrior instead. She added a Bat'leth to the top of her list of desired birthday presents.
After a few days B'Elanna went to see Samantha Wildman and volunteered to arrange and supervise a visit to Seven of Nine, Naomi's mother had been unsure but Naomi was so pleased that her mother stifled her objections. B'Elanna obtained permission for Naomi and herself from Tuvok who had lifted his eyebrow but acceded to the request without any apparent hesitation. "I trust Lieutenant that you will discourage Miss Wildman from smuggling in a hacksaw." B'Elanna looked at him oddly and wondered if he suspected something.
Outside cargo bay 2 B'Elanna decided that she did not want Naomi to see the Borg in such despair and that she had to somehow make Seven act a little more in character, so she went in first, asking Naomi to wait outside. Seven of Nine was huddled in the corner of the secure area.
"Seven - you look like hell!" Not perhaps the most endearing greeting but Seven at least looked up if only to glance away almost immediately. "Seven someone wishes to visit you; I think you will appreciate the visitor." The Borg ignored her and B'Elanna felt a little desperate which quickly became anger.
"Seven I know you have been roughly treated but this attitude is not going to get you released anytime soon."
No reaction.
"Listen you pathetic excuse for a human being and a borg, Kathryn Janeway would be ashamed of you sitting there feeling sorry for yourself. Do you think that is how she would expect you to behave?"
At the mention of Janeway, Seven was on her feet, glaring at the Klingon. "How would you know what she expects Klingon? This collective abandoned Captain Janeway as easily as the Borg would terminate a damaged drone. You displayed none of that much vaunted humanity and concern for the individual, but only your selfish concern for yourselves. Do not presume to understand me Klingon."
Satisfied that an angry Seven at least looked more like herself than the sad creature she had been five minutes ago B'Elanna grinned and called out "Naomi - you may come in now."
Naomi ran in looking as cheerful as ever. Her face fell at the slightly grim surroundings of the cargo bay turned prison and at the two armed guards who were watching carefully. Then she saw Seven and brightened.
Seven was obviously bemused at her visitor but asked in a much more even voice. "Naomi Wildman why are you here?"
Naomi beamed at her and said "To visit you of course silly. I have been trying to for ages and ages but B'Elanna said she would help me." Naomi looked around. "I don't like it here. Why is Captain Chakotay keeping you here?"
Before Seven could explain Chakotay's iniquity B'Elanna interrupted hastily. "Naomi don't you have something for Seven?"
The child beamed and lifted up the padd she was carrying. "I have written a story for you all about...."
B'Elanna interrupted again hurriedly. "Er... Naomi put the padd down here in the food transfer box. Don't tell Seven the story, it will spoil the surprise." To her relief the two security guards were looking amused. B'Elanna felt a momentary guilty niggle at the deception taking place.
"Alright." the child replied a little disappointed, and then said with obvious pride "B'Elanna helped me with some of the difficult bits about engineering and encryption codes but I made up lots of the story and drew all the pictures."
Seven looked at the Klingon and there was almost a hint of amusement in her eyes; B'Elanna reddened and muttered "Just a babysitting thing." She punched the transfer button and the padd materialised on the other side of the forcefield.
Seven looked back at the child and felt warmth for the first time in three weeks. It seemed she was not entirely friendless. "Thank you Naomi Wildman. I will find the information useful. We will discuss it on your next visit."
B'Elanna grinned. "You bet you will. Come on Naomi, the bridge assistant has many other duties to perform." So saying she marched the child out.
Naomi called back as she was dragged round the corner "We can play KadisKot next time Seven and I will tell you a story about a brave Klingon princess."
Seven sat down again and felt her misery and helplessness creep back. But some of what B'Elanna had said returned to her and she straightened her back. The captain would not have liked Seven to be defeated like this.
Seven looked at the padd. The story had a title - "Seven of Nine rescues Captain Janeway." Seven began to read the story and as she read, admiration for the half-Klingon rose in her. Hidden in the story was a detailed plan of escape timed to the second.
Much other data was also hidden in the padd using Borg encryption codes that the Klingon had somehow learned, and these included specifications for the shuttle, command codes and as much information as B'Elanna had been able to find on Captain Janeway's last known whereabouts and the details of her arrest. Seven checked the time; four hours to go before the escape attempt began. The Borg memorised the contents of the padd and then deleted all the incriminating evidence. She did not want Naomi to get into trouble.
*~~~*
Seven walked to the back of her secure area one minute before zero hour and waited. Exactly on time there was an explosion outside and the cargo bay doors blew in. A fire had started in the corridor and the two security men ran to get fire extinguishers from the nearest emergency cabinet. It took them only two minutes to get the blaze under control but when they turned back to the secure area the Borg had gone. A panel was hanging from the ceiling and a hole was clearly visible.
"How did she get up there?" asked one. The other was busy summoning Tuvok, "Commander, Seven of Nine has escaped through a ceiling cavity. We are pursuing but request some back up." The two officers then fetched a box, climbed up and into the ceiling and started to look for the Borg.
Two minutes earlier, Seven of Nine materialised in the adapted shuttle where B'Elanna was busy entering lockout codes to the main computer to prevent anyone seeing the transporter log. She looked up and acknowledged the Borg. "No one knows you are here yet, I have successfully masked the transporter signal. They are all running around searching for you on deck 2, following a trail of false clues. I am going to manually jettison the shuttle in two minutes. Do not activate any of its systems for at least 15 minutes after it is jettisoned or Voyager's sensors will detect you. The only systems working on the shuttle will be inertial dampeners, shields at ten percent and minimal life support. I have installed a form of cloaking that we tried in the Maquis - it only works while the engines are off-line and the ship is using little or no power but it does at least disguise life signs and the power signatures of some systems including the inertial dampeners."
"Lieutenant Torres why are you helping me?"
B'Elanna tried to look irritable to mask her feelings "Seven don't be obtuse. The Captain meant a lot to me you know. You aren't the only one who loved her. Now get going Seven. Goodbye and good luck finding the Captain. I will try to keep them off your track as long as possible." B'Elanna moved to the door of the shuttle, she hesitated and without warning, ran back and hugged the Borg fiercely; not looking back again, the Chief Engineer then exited from the shuttle and ran at the double to the shuttle bay door controls.
A force field went up between the shuttle control area and the launch pad and B'Elanna Torres guided the manual shuttle launcher with Seven's shuttle towards the bay doors.
The launcher was intended for emergency use only and allowed malfunctioning shuttles to be ejected into space in the event of serious problems.
The bay doors opened, hopefully unobserved by any monitoring equipment. B'Elanna had worked hard to hide all these events from internal sensors and warning systems. Seconds later, the launcher catapulted the small shuttle out into space. The shuttle disappeared instantly as it was thrown out of warp. The deceleration from warp speed would have killed the Borg instantly without inertial dampeners.
B'Elanna closed the shuttle bay doors and dropped the force field. She made her way to main engineering having no doubt that Tuvok would eventually work out the sequence of events but determined to give Seven as much time as possible.
*~~~*
B'Elanna Torres stood at attention in front of Chakotay and Tuvok. Chakotay was saying "B'Elanna I cannot believe you helped her do this."
She looked him in the eye. "I more than helped her Chakotay, I thought up the plan and carried it out. Seven just did as she was told. Ensign Vorik had no knowledge of what I was planning. I told him this was a secure project, which he was to mention to no one."
"So you are going to take full responsibility for helping a prisoner to escape, sabotage, damaging ship's systems, misusing Starfleet supplies, stealing a shuttle, falsifying logs and records and causing other Starfleet personnel to also commit offences." He sounded exasperated though B'Elanna noted that there was a certain admiration underlying his voice. She had pulled off a fine Maquis style mission.
B'Elanna pressed her advantage. "Look Chakotay you can lock me up in the brig if it makes you feel better but consider this. What would you have done with her? Watched her go mad in prison? Had her sewing mail bags for twenty years? I have done you a favour. There is no reason or need to go after her. Let her go."
"There is some logic to the Lieutenant remarks, " said Tuvok, surprising everyone including himself. "Seven of Nine has been gone for three days. It would take Voyager more than five days at high warp to catch her, it will take Seven another two weeks before she comes into contact the Devore and by then we will be far from their space. It is highly unlikely that they will pursue us so far beyond their own borders."
Chakotay considered his errant chief engineer. "Why should I trust you B'Elanna. How will I know that you will not pull a stunt like this some time in the future when it suits you to disregard me?"
Torres said nothing.
"I will place a reprimand on your record. In addition you will lose you replicator privileges for six months and will be expected to attend a course on Starfleet command protocol given by Tuvok. You will also fully log all your proposed work schedules with Tuvok and these may be subject to inspection." Torres was gritting her teeth - the loss of replicator privileges for six months was a heavy blow, not to mention all the paperwork. But she knew she had got off lightly. Janeway would have scalped her.
"And" Chakotay continued, "you will bring the remaining class two shuttles up to the standard of the stolen shuttle in your own time without the assistance of your staff. If you step out of line then you will be busted back to ensign and sent to the brig. Dismissed."
Before she turned smartly to leave, B'Elanna grinned cheekily at him and her expression clearly said you know I was right. With difficulty, he prevented himself grinning in return. He watched her leave before addressing his first officer.
"Tuvok I agree that pursuing Seven is a waste of time. Log Seven of Nine as absent without leave." He then said to no-one in particular "I hope she succeeds."
TITLE: Janeway Redux
AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: R
CODE: J/7
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Set after five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her?
SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
DISCLAIMER: TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would own Star Trek but it's not and I don't.
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
Part 4 - A place to die
The Devore prison ship
Kathryn lay huddled on the hard bench, her back against one of Nithqref's bodies. It seemed like an eternity since she had left Voyager; in reality it was less than four weeks. As she stirred she felt Nithqref in her mind and sighed; sharing a cell with a telepath was more intrusive than she had guessed. She regretted the thought immediately, feeling Nithqref's hurt.
"I am sorry. The inactivity is making me jumpy. I just wish we could arrive wherever we are going and have a change of routine."
'We may look back on these days as halcyon. It is certain that our future will not be comfortable' the telepath replied sternly.
"Is it necessary for you always to be quite so gloomy?" said the former Starfleet Captain rather snippily. "Sorry! Sorry! I am not at my best first thing; must be the coffee deprivation." She deeply missed coffee at all times but it seemed worse when she had just woken up.
Nithqref looked at her closely and was concerned. The food and drink shared between them was insufficient to maintain three bodies and Kathryn was insistent that Nithqref received a two thirds share once she had realised that both the Halquine bodies had an equal requirement for nourishment. She looked thin and weak.
'This coffee may have been a very fine beverage Kathryn but it is equally likely that dehydration, starvation and apprehension also playing a part in your feelings. You are ill.'
The need for more fluid was especially acute. The Halquine resolved to make sure that today Kathryn had a larger share of the water, yet knowing how stubborn the small woman could be, it would not be easy. Yet again Nithqref reflected on the good fortune in being transferred to this cell. Kathryn Janeway was a born survivor and a leader and cared for those she led. Unfortunately it was also true that another few days would see them both too weak to survive regardless of how they rationed the food and water.
The sounds of the cleaning units began and Kathryn shrank against the Halquine. It was strange the creature reflected that the good Captain found this daily occurrence to be more painful than anything else but as on every other day the Halquine attempted to divert the Captain by telling her stories, explaining local politics, showing her images of the Halquine home world before the Devore had invaded and many of the other places which Nithqref had seen in eighty years travelling in this sector.
After the ordeal was over Kathryn relaxed and began to ask questions. She found it hard to speak now because her tongue was swollen - lack of water she supposed. At least Nithqref made it easy for her. She only had to think about what she wanted to know and the beautiful alien would reply. Mainly she asked about the resistance to the Devore; how it was organised; who were the main players; what were the weaknesses and strengths. Nithqref was careful to tell her things in such a manner that Kathryn would not be able to reveal real names and places were she to be interrogated. The Halquine had no doubts about the Starfleet officer's sincerity but also knew that very few people could survive a Devore interrogation.
With a telepath in the cell, Kathryn now found the whole experience of the prison to be much less lonely. She had an open channel to the huge number of other telepaths on the prison ship and through them access to rumours and information about the outside world. The Devore inspectorate were well trained at hiding their thoughts from the Brenari but many of the other Devore aboard the vessel were not as well trained or as naturally resistant. The Brenari Resistance were adept at identifying such weak personnel and watching their minds for relevant information.
A rumour had begun to spread about some terrible new enemy that the Devore had encountered. Finally Nithqref produced an image of the invaders stolen from the mind of a high ranking Devore official. Kathryn groaned as she recognised the invader. "The Borg".
Nithqref had heard a little about the Borg from travels outside the Devore Imperium and from the widespread network of Halquine listening posts that stretched throughout much of the Delta Quadrant surrounding the Devore Imperium. The few thousand Halquine, who had survived and remained free after the Devore had invaded the peaceful and non-military Halquine home world, had made it their business to become the intelligence network of the Free Alliance Resistance. The Devore despised the Halquine as telepaths and had little understanding of the powerful telepathic abilities of the race. The Halquine lack of a verbal language and lack of resistance was enough to convince the Devore that the species were stupid and no threat. The Halquine and their allies did nothing to dispel this belief.
Unwillingly Kathryn revealed the nature of the Borg to the Halquine and the Brenari. The feeling of rejoicing that had started to fill the prison was abruptly replaced by despair and concern for those planets in the immediate vicinity of the invasion. Kathryn could hear the non-Brenari shouting the news to each other and it seemed to echo in her skull as it was passed from cell to cell and wing to wing.
Later that day Kathryn felt ship shudder slightly and surmised that they had dropped out of warp. "Perhaps we have arrived?" She sounded hopeful and Nithqref smiled and shrugged, The Halquine was not optimistic about what they would find at their destination, however Kathryn's guess seemed to be correct. The cells were now emptying rapidly as the air hummed with transporter noise.
A feeling of panic gripped Kathryn and she said hurriedly "Nithqref, in case we are separated I cannot tell you how much I will miss you." She then realised her own foolishness, Nithqref knew exactly how much she would miss the strange alien. She threw her arms around the Halquine's bodies. At that moment the transporter beam latched onto them and they shimmered out of existence in their cell, to be recreated elsewhere a moment later. The instant after they re-materialised, Kathryn leapt back from Nithqref and tripped over, landing awkwardly on her knees.
The first thing she heard was a familiar, smooth dark voice. It seemed pleased.
"Well! Well! Well! The mighty Captain Janeway on her knees, and she seems to have brought some unfortunate friends."
The voice was speaking in its native Devorean which she could understand but some instinct in Kathryn prevented her responding. Her command training came back to her - when captured, hide anything that may be an advantage. She looked blankly towards the source of the voice, already knowing that she would see her former opponent, Inspector Kashyk of the Devore Imperium.
"Of course" said Kashyk pityingly, "without your formidable technology you cannot understand me." He gestured to one of the guards who walked over to Kathryn, hauled her up by the collar of her prison clothes and slapped a communicator on her sleeve.
"That's better isn't it Kathryn?" He smiled at her with that mixture of menace, dishonesty and openness which she had come to know so well. It occurred to her that perhaps sometimes Kashyk did not know when he was telling the truth either.
Trying not to let her dry mouth get the better of her, Janeway answered politely. "Inspector Kashyk. I did not expect to meet you again."
She felt Nithqref in her mind. 'This man is afraid of you Kathryn and he hates you. Be careful.'
She saw Kashyk's eyes jerk round to look at the Halquine. "Did you just attempt to read my mind you telepathic scum?" he inquired. His voice didn't even rise and Janeway shivered. This was his turf; he did not need to shout. Nithqref looked at him without expression or even apparently understanding. Kashyk raised an eyebrow and one of the guards stepped forward to club Nithqref's nearest body on the back of the head. It collapsed, to the total distress of the other body which fell also. Kathryn felt the cries of pain and separation in her mind. She steeled herself to show nothing.
"Get it out of here." Kashyk snapped and the two bodies - one completely limp and the other writhing in pain - were dragged from the room. He smirked. "It is very amusing to separate the Halquine - almost like cutting out the eyes and ears of a normal humanoid, but sadly those two are required for research. They are not an intelligent species but their unique physiology is apparently of interest to our scientists."
Turning his attention fully to Kathryn, his face twisted in a bitter attempt at a smile.
"Kathryn," he said softly, his voice dripping hate and falling on her ears like acid, "our happy reunion in this... facility... is entirely the consequence of your actions. The High Command feel that my encounter with you and your ship demonstrated that I am no longer fit for the challenge of commanding a ship in the field and that my talents are better suited to a desk job, overseeing this stinking death camp."
For a second Janeway felt sorry for him. She knew exactly how she would feel - denied command of a fleet vessel - she feared a similar fate were she ever to return to the Alpha quadrant. Her sympathy was short lived as she remembered Nithqref's pain. She shrugged and looked the Devore in the eye. "It was unfortunate that Prax was not more loyal. Perhaps he felt unloved."
"Unfortunate for you also." Kashyk moved closer and back handed her across the face. She staggered, tasting blood from a cut on her lip. "My job does have its compensations" he said candidly. "I am to interrogate you. The High Command wishes to know more about the Federation and it is believed you have some knowledge of the Borg also. A species we recently encountered who are proving somewhat troublesome." Kathryn almost laughed. Kashyk's arrogance was still cast-iron. He saw the amusement before she could disguise it. He hit her across the face again. She sprawled on the floor and was swiftly picked up by two guards. They held her upright to face the inspector.
"It is not wise to laugh at your captors Kathryn and consider this Captain - you have no hope - no-one is coming to rescue you; I can do exactly as I wish with you, for as long as I wish, and thanks to modern medicine, I can probably keep you alive indefinitely or at least until I get bored. I would like you to ponder your helplessness Captain Janeway so I will not commence the interrogation until tomorrow. Take her away."
The two guards twised her arms behind her, while a third chained her legs and then passed the chain up to shackle her wrists also. They shoved her forwards and she fell and was dragged along the floor and thrown bodily out of the inspector's office. They proceeded in that manner, dragging, shoving and pushing her, along corridors and down flights of stairs until they arrived at a dimly lit, filthy corridor full of unpleasant smells. They stopped outside a barred door and removed the communicator from her arm and the chains, unlocked the door and threw her inside. The door banged shut and was noisily barred behind her.
Kathryn lay there on her side, on what felt like a rough brick floor, bruised and winded. She wondered whether it was worth opening her eyes, or whether it would be better just to let the dizziness and exhaustion have sway. After all, she was likely to see nothing good. Overly pessimistic as it turned out when after a few minutes, she eventually did open her eyes. She felt a certain sort of crazy relief. The cell was filthy. No sonic shower had been by here in a long while. She rolled over and looked about with more interest. Some light was seeping in through a tiny barred window high on the wall. "Well" she said aloud. "This is more like it - a proper dungeon."
Then she heard what was unmistakeably a growl from the darkest part of the cell. She got to her feet a little shakily. "Who's there?"
A deep animal voice said in the main lingua franca of the region, "I see that dinner is moving tonight. My complaint to the chef must have been heard."
Kathryn backed towards the door and tried to see into the gloom. She could just discern a bulky shadow crouching in the corner. She tried not to flinch as the thing unfolded and rose up to tower over her. It was nearly twice her height. She still could not see its face but two gigantic hairy arms were just visible folded across the thing's enormous chest.
Taking a defensive position and trying to control her voice Kathryn replied "I am sorry but dinner will be delayed."
"Ah. Food with attitude," the thing snorted and took a step forward into the weak light.
The creature was extremely unattractive with a long broad snout and on each side of its mouth, a long and yellowing tusk-like tooth jutted along its face and forward of its snout like exaggerated sideburns. A pair of small reddish eyes glared at her from a face covered in short, coarse red hair.
To her dismay Kathryn felt herself swaying; lack of food and water and the rough handling had taken their toll. Blackness rose up and covered her. The last thing she heard was the deep sneering voice saying "I don't know why it is, but the ladies always fall for me."
*~~~*
Kathryn woke up gagging. She opened her eyes and looked up into the ugly face of her cell mate. He was holding her up by the shoulders and trying to pour some liquid into her mouth. Without thinking Kathryn forced her arm, with all her remaining strength, up into his jaw. His head snapped back and he dropped her.
Rolling away from him, coughing, she snapped "Dammit I thought you were going to eat me not poison me."
"I was" he replied furiously rubbing his jaw "but you are skinny, dirty and unappetising. And this arrived"; he indicated two plates of thin grey paste on the floor; "It looked so good that I lost my appetite for small frightened humanoids."
As the threat of becoming kibble had apparently diminished, she sat up.
"What happened?"
"You fainted with terror when you saw me." he made a face that Kathryn decided was a smirk and she immediately lost her temper.
"I did not. I am a Starfleet captain and I am not frightened of an overgrown hog like you." Shocked at herself her inner voice said Get a grip Janeway. You are not in a school playground.
The beast seemed unperturbed and even amused. "Say what you will, I stepped into the light and you lost consciousness. Then the guards arrived with this fine repast and indicated to me that it would be unwise to eat Inspector Kashyk's prize prisoner."
"Oh God Kashyk. I had forgotten."
"How pleasant for you. I find it very difficult to forget the bastard."
"I can understand that," she croaked. Kathryn's two day old thirst became paramount and she looked around for the container of liquid that the thing had been trying to force down her throat. It was sitting on a bench behind her cell mate. The latter saw her looking longingly at the container and the ugly face twisted into some sort of expression, possibly a grin; he reached over to offer her the container.
"It's alright," he encouraged, "it is only water."
Kathryn took it quickly and drank deeply. It looked a bit murky but tasted wonderful. With an effort of will, Kathryn stopped herself draining the cup and proffered it back to the thing.
"Drink as much as you like. There is plenty more running off the walls" her companion said casually. "How long were you on the prison ship?" he asked while fetching another container of water from the dark recess in which he had been sitting.
"Nineteen or twenty days. I am not entirely sure."
He snorted derisively. "I am surprised that a feeble little creature such as you lasted that long however since we are likely to be sharing this abode for at least this evening I will introduce myself. I am Kraal, Captain in the Parath Guard. And you are?"
"Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager."
"Well that means nothing to me. You are far from home?"
Kraal's tiny eyes bulged slightly when Kathryn told him that home was about forty thousand light years distant in another quadrant of the galaxy.
The beast grimaced slightly in what may have been a smile. "Captain shall we eat first and then you may tell me your story? I am particularly interested in how you have offended Inspector Kashyk. The guards seemed all a twitter with anticipation of your coming interrogation."
Kathryn laughed despite herself. They settled down to eat the plate of grey paste which tasted like porridge oats flavoured with quinine. It was at least plentiful and after eating Kathryn felt in better shape than she had for several days. She then told Kraal her story, how Voyager had come to the Delta quadrant and some of the highlights since that day. When she reached the part about her deception of Kashyk she knew Kraal was impressed. He was less impressed that Vooyager had left her behind but Kathryn did not linger over the details of her capture or the journey here.
The ugly creature was now lying on the floor snoring. Appearance aside, it seemed she had been fortunate in her cell mate once more. She felt pain as she realised that she missed Nithqref and the constant presence in her mind. It was worrying that she still felt nothing from the telepath. The Halquine had said that contact would be maintained regardless of the physical distance. Must still be unconscious, she reasoned, or dead. She pushed this last thought away; Kashyk had been clear that the Devore wanted the Halquine alive. Feeling unreasonably cheerful she at last allowed herself to think for the first time in weeks about her ship and crew. Recounting their exploits to Kraal had made Kathryn extremely homesick. She hoped they had left Devore space and were safely on their way. She tried to imagine the daily routine of the ship operating without her and wondered how Chakotay had managed the transition.
She then thought of Seven of Nine and the ache inside grew worse. The Borg had lost another friend and she didn't have many to lose. Kathryn suddenly felt worried about her protege. Without Kathryn's protection the ex-Borg might be exposed to a great deal of hostility on Voyager; Chakotay had never trusted Seven of Nine and his expectation was still that she would betray them.
She remembered the last occasion she had seen Seven. The beautiful blond had come to Janeway's quarters at 0100, the night before her arrest, to quiz the Captain on some decision Kathryn had made that day which the Borg could not agree with. It wasn't unusual behaviour. Seven of Nine had some difficulty with the concept of off duty hours.
Kathryn sometimes affected annoyance at being disturbed, but as Seven pointed out, the Captain was never in bed anyway, and if she were honest, Janeway had enjoyed the discussions and even the arguments. Seven made the Captain feel a little less lonely and isolated.
Kathryn fell asleep on the cold prison floor thinking of her astrometrics officer.
TITLE: Janeway Redux
AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: R
CODE: J/7
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Set after five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her?
SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
DISCLAIMER: TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would own Star Trek but it's not and I don't.
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
Part 5 - The Search Begins
The same star date - Ninety light years away
Seven of Nine looked at the view screen with concern. A wide scan revealed very large numbers of ships of different sizes travelling at high warp away from the immediate area mostly heading further into Devore territory. The cause of this exodus was not apparent however she reasoned, it might make it easier to travel unnoticed as part of the multitude.
Seven noticed one small ship seemed to be at a standstill. It was only half a light year distant and appeared to be Brenari. She set a course for the ship although she was not exactly sure of her purpose other than a need to start her search in earnest; the occupants might offer some information.
As she approached, a scan revealed the ship was damaged and the engines were non functional but the damage did not seem to be the result of phaser fire or torpedoes. The most likely scenario was a genuine malfunction. She could detect two humanoid life forms which the ship sensors did not recognise.
Seven hailed the stricken vessel. "This is the Federation shuttle Faraday - damaged Brenari vessel please state your condition. Do you require assistance?"
A shaky female voice replied "We are fine, no problem. There is nothing to worry about. Please continue on your way."
Puzzled Seven answered. "Pilot of Brenari vessel, your ship is obviously badly damaged, are you certain you do not need any help?"
"We are perfectly alright and can defend ourselves if necessary," the shaky voice insisted. "Please just go."
"As you wish. But may be you can assist me. I require information. I am looking for a female humanoid taken prisoner by the Devore Imperium: Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Starship Voyager. Do you possess any information which may facilitate location of the captain or of Devore prisoners in general."
There was a momentary silence and then the voice returned a little stronger. "Listen I know nothing about Devore prisoners or your captain. I'm sorry. Goodbye." The comm connection was broken. Seven decided to waste no further time wondering about the strange little ship, laid in her original setting and altered course.
She had just moved the Faraday back on course when the occupant of the damaged ship reopened the hailing frequency.
"Hello? Are you still there? Please we do need help. We did not mean to offend you."
Seven felt impatient. The pilot of the Brenari vessel did not seem to know her own mind and was therefore unlikely to be of much assistance.
A sudden phaser shot across the bows of the Faraday from another larger ship which dropped out of warp 200,000 kilometres away did not improve Seven's temper. The attacking ship hailed her. "Be gone. The Brenari ship is ours. We claim it. Leave before we are forced to destroy you."
Seven scanned the attacker. The ship was large and well armed but the technology was inferior and presented no danger to the Borg enhanced shuttle. She realised now why the Brenari ship had suddenly decided that they did need her help. Seven decided that a strong reply would save time and fired the shuttle phasers. The Borg weapons sliced through the opposing ship's shields and impacted on the hull causing a lot of damage.
Seven then hailed her attacker. "Desist from your attack and you will be permitted to leave..." before she could finish the ship had already turned tail. The ex-drone was pleased with the efficient outcome.
Seven of Nine then returned her attention to the damaged vessel still lying motionless in space. "Brenari vessel is any further assistance required."
After a short time the occupant replied. "Our vessel is too badly damaged to repair. Could you tractor us to Halten space port at the following coordinates?"
Seven performed some brief calculations and responded "My ship is insufficiently powerful to tractor your ship. I cannot comply with your request. I will take your crew to the space port as it does not involve a substantial deviation from my route. Do you wish to proceed?"
"That would be better than nothing I suppose."
The woman's voice sounded a little ungrateful but Seven was not concerned.
"Please prepare for transport to my ship on my mark."
Two small humanoid figures appeared on the tiny shuttle transporter pad. The female was standing and the other, a male, was lying prone. The female looked at Seven and her features contorted in terror. She screamed "Borg" and then fainted. The man pushed himself upright against the back of the shuttle and covered his face, cowering.
Seven of Nine had elicited many similar reactions in the past: victims of the Borg collective; races encountered by Voyager over the last twelve months; but she could not remember feeling quite so irritated before.
She compared the behaviour of these two sorry specimens to Captain Janeway when the latter was negotiating an alliance with the collective and realised yet again that her Captain was not as others.
The male was an unremarkable looking bony specimen having grey slightly scaly skin. His head had a light covering of thin ginger coloured hair through which the grey skin on his skull was clearly visible. Two round pale grey eyes peered nervously from under deep set brows. His other facial features seemed even less conspicuous. Small thin grey nostrils atop a thin white lipped mouth. He had no chin to speak of and his face appeared to recede straight into his neck. The woman was similar in colouring and appearance but slightly larger and bulkier. They were both clothed in orange one piece uniforms.
Seven addressed the cowering man.
"Calm yourself. I am not a member of the Borg collective. You are in no danger." She retrieved a medical tricorder and ran a scan over the man. "You are in need of medical attention. You have a fever." The man took his hands away from his face and stared at her. She offered him two tablets from a medi-pac, saying "Take these. They should reduce the fever and combat the infection."
He shrank back from her borg hand still obviously terrified. Seven offered a formal introduction.
"I am Seven of Nine Tertiary adjunct of unimatrix 01, formerly of the Borg Collective and before that I was a human designated Annika Hansen. You may call me Seven of Nine."
The man was still gaping stupidly at Seven and two rows of small jagged teeth could be seen set well inside his mouth. Seven felt her irritation and sense of repulsion increase.
"Your designation?"
The creature did not reply.
Exasperated she dropped the tablets on the floor beside him and turned back to the shuttle controls. She set course for Halten space port at a speed of warp five, anxious to be rid of the annoying hitch hikers.
She became aware of whispering behind her back and turned to look. The woman had recovered from her faint and was huddled against her crew mate. They both still looked very fearful but the woman finally spoke in a thin quavering voice. "Are you going to assimilate us?".
"As I have said I am not with the Borg collective now. I will transport you to Halten space port now. We will arrive in three hours and twenty three minutes." Seven turned her back on them again and rather hoped that they would remain quiet.
An inconsistency occurred to Seven.
"I am curious as to where you have acquired your knowledge of the Borg. I was not aware that the Borg were known in this sector."
The two beings looked at her as though she were mad. The male whispered fearfully as though he might be overheard.
"We did not know of the Borg until they invaded our sector eight days ago. Fourteen systems have been taken already. We escaped from Gill IV with only minutes to spare and we had been trying to reach Halten for three days when our engines failed. We are told that the Imperium will defend that space."
Seven considered the new information. The presence of the Borg explained the mass movement of ships in the area. It also created an added urgency. Seven had reasoned to herself that if the Devore did not immediately execute the Captain then they would keep her alive and imprisoned and Seven would have time in which to complete her search. Now she had to find the Captain before the Borg completed their assimilation of the Devore. This might not be a very rapid process depending on the strength of the Devore defences, but it would happen and even her most optimistic estimate only gave the Devore between two and three months before all five hundred systems in the Imperium were assimilated.
She addressed the two shivering grey rat like creatures in a sharp voice. "What do you know about the non-Devore Detention and Resettlement Zone?" (This was the place mentioned by Prax as the likely destination for the Captain.)
The aliens jumped nervously and the male replied almost whimpering "We know nothing beyond this dear borg lady. It is a terrible place, a prison planet. No one ever comes back. I have heard that there are great mines of some importance and all the miners are slaves drawn from the prison population. Even those with short sentences don't survive long enough to return."
"What are the co-ordinates?"
"We cannot say kind borg lady, the resettlement planets are very closely guarded by the Imperium and their locations kept secret to prevent their discovery by insurgent forces."
Seven of Nine controlled the fear that ran through her at the thought of Captain Janeway dying in a place like that. She told herself that the Captain would survive longer than most and certainly long enough for Seven to find her.
Seven ignored her passengers after that. They sat huddled together whispering quietly. The journey proceeded without further incident. Seven concentrated on giving any potentially threatening vessels a wide berth.
Fifteen minutes out of Halten space port she activated the fore view screen to reveal a very large and impressive space station about 50 kilometers across. What she supposed was the region adjacent to the docking ring was thronged by ships and looked chaotic.
Turning to the two aliens Seven requested their assistance. "What is the procedure for contacting the space dock controllers and arranging docking?"
The sight of the space port seemed to put some backbone into her guests who both crowded a bit nearer. "It depends who you know and what you have to offer....." The female almost smirked. This reply meant nothing to Seven and the little rat elaborated. "You see there are strict commercial rules for obtaining clearance, highest bidder wins. But we know some people who may be able to cut you a better deal. If you were interested." The creature sounded wheedling.
"I do not have time for this. I will beam you directly to the space port. Please step on the transporter..." before Seven could finish speaking she felt pain explode all over her body. The grey aliens had each produced some sort of weapon from the pockets of their orange coveralls and she was caught and held in two red-orange beams of energy.
She could hear the male speaking.
"That should be enough my dear but we must keep alert, we don't want our Borg escaping now do we." The energy beams were cut off and Seven collapsed on the floor. She tried to move but was completely paralysed. "I am very sorry Miss but this ship and your good self will be worth a great deal to the Devore authorities or the Free Alliance. Best offer gets the prize. Now my dear wife it is time to call in some favours."
The male moved to the communications console and began to key in commands. His spouse kept her weapon trained on Seven.
After nearly fifteen minutes of intense activity the male left the console and sat down. "Now we wait my dear." He looked closely at Seven "I think I see our friend here twitching sweetcakes, give her another dose of medicine. To keep her quiet you understand." Seven felt intense pain as the paralysing energy beam enveloped her body. But she couldn't move or cry out. After a minute it stopped. "That's better. Much quieter." her tormentor muttered.
And so it continued. Hours passed. The two ratty humanoids sat cuddling and murmuring sweet nothings to each other only occasionally getting up to ensure that Seven was completely immobile. Seven wasn't sure which was worse, the pain of the paralyser or the nauseating sight of the canoodling rats.
A chirrup from the communication console brought them to their feet, the male rat whined with excitement as he read the incoming transmission. "Well me dear it seems our contact has come through with a deal. We are to leave the goods at the following coordinates. Payment has been made fifty percent in advance and the rest on delivery." His wife giggled with nervous delight.
A few minutes later the ship shuddered and started to move.
Addressing his wife, the male rat explained, "Our contact has arranged a ship to tow the merchandise to the appointed place." He looked at Seven and grinned maliciously, showing his jagged teeth.
"Well we must be leaving you now young Borg lady" he said. "I am sure you will be safe and if you are not then I hope the end is painless." The rodentine beings turned their weapons on her for a final paralyzing blast and then on a pre-arranged signal they transported off the vessel leaving Seven alone and immobilised.
TITLE: Janeway Redux
AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: R
CODE: J/7
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Set after five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her?
SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
DISCLAIMER: TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would own Star Trek but it's not and I don't.
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
Part 6 - A life worth living
Kathryn lay on the floor of the cell and tried not to move. The intense pain in her chest suggested broken ribs and possibly a punctured lung. Third of the week. She could hear Kraal, her cell mate, cursing.
"Don't touch me" she managed to say. "I don't think I could bear it."
"Hell and damnation" muttered the hairy biped. "Where are those accursed medics?"
Kathryn felt a cool wet cloth lightly stroking her forehead and felt a little water dripped on to her lips. As she lay there she rather hoped that the medics would let her die. Then she shrugged that thought off angrily. I am not going to die here.
From outside the high prison window a dreadful crying and screaming began. Janeway heard Kraal get up and move to the window. The huge beast could just see out of the window although it was nearly three metres off the ground. She knew what he was watching and as usual he began swearing, a low continuous and rhythmical stream of obscenity. After an hour had passed the noises outside had subsided and Kraal left his post.
Kathryn had still not moved. Steeling herself she asked the same question that she had asked every day for the last two weeks. "Did you see them?"
"No."
A noise at the cell door announced the arrival of the Devore prison doctor with two guards. "Well how is my most beautiful patient today? More little accidents I see. Well don't worry I'll have you fixed up in no time so you will be fit and well for your meeting with the Inspector tomorrow."
Examining her he frowned slightly. "I think Inspector Kashyk was very enthusiastic today. I really think you should be more cooperative Captain Janeway."
She heard Kraal growl and prayed he wouldn't act foolishly. The guards would gun him down and he would not get any treatment. No one cared if he lived or died.
The Doctor injected her and the pain subsided. He then proceeded to run a variety of instruments over her, repairing broken bone and damaged tissue. The treatment continued longer than usual.
"Some of these injuries cannot be immediately repaired. You will need surgery tomorrow. Inspector Kashyk may have to defer your next tete-a-tete until it is finished."
Breathing against the pain Kathryn said as brightly as she could "Well I hope that you are the one to tell him Doctor. You know how he hates to be disappointed."
Kraal snorted his approval.
The Doctor thought about her words and looked nervous. He gathered his tools before leaving with a parting shot. "You may think you are smart Captain Janeway but from what I have heard, come tomorrow you will be only too glad to cooperate with anything he asks."
Janeway kept her face impassive. But when the Devore had left she sank down. "What now? Kraal I do not understand. Kashyk is enjoying himself but he is not actually asking me any questions of importance. Not since the first day. They are waiting for something. This is just the warm up."
Concern wormed into her mind and then a musical voice in her head said. 'You are still in pain Kathryn.'
"Nithqref" she said with pleasure. "You are back from the research centre. Are you OK? Where are you?"
'The current experiments are not too distressing and I have been returned to my holding cell. Kathryn I have obtained some information about Kraal's wife. She is part of a mining detail in a camp four days distance from here. She is reported to be holding up well.' A pause. 'There is no news yet of the children.'
"Kraal", Kathryn repeated aloud, "Nithqref has found out where your wife is. She is ok and working in a mining camp four days walk from here. Nithqref has not yet found your children, but is still looking." She added the last bit to counter the expression of sadness that had entered Kraal's eyes.
"I knew the old harridan would survive!" the redoubtable warthog grunted.
Kathryn laughed despite her pain. Deadman's humour she thought and then returned her attention to the telepath she could still feel in her mind. "Nithqref how is the war with the Borg progressing?"
'The Devore are losing. Another forty systems have been assimilated. The Devore had some success initially and managed to hold the Borg for a period due to some new weapon. But that advantage seems to have been lost now.'
"The Borg have adapted." A small part of her was pleased. Kathryn could not deny how she felt. She tried to squash the thought and told herself that millions of innocent bystanders were being destroyed or assimilated in this conflict yet she hated the Devore. She wasn't sure she had ever hated anyone like this before even the Cardassians. The anger and hatred were growing inside her.
She could still feel the agony of the Brenari woman who had given her mind and knowledge to Kathryn. She felt the pain as that gentle woman had watched her husband and children tortured to death. Not because they knew anything or had done anything but just because they were Brenari.
She had felt some of the despair Nithqref had suffered at the loss of his world and his culture. She could feel the pain of the beautiful Halquine at this moment, in this prison, being subjected to endless physical and psychological experiments.
She watched Kraal everyday, looking through that prison window, waiting for his wife and children to appear in the daily purge of the sick and the weak prisoners. Pushed into a large walled holding area and then methodically vapourised by phaser blasts from the gun turrets. Kraal was left to rot here knowing that all he could expect, for the short remainder of his life, was to see his family walk one by one for the last time into the ugly grey holding area.
She hated the memory of the arrogant black suited bureaucrats stalking about on her beloved ship, persecuting and bullying her crew, hunting down helpless children and terrified adults.
And she pushed her anger into a tight ball inside her. Everyday as she was beaten and humiliated she used that fury like a wall concentrating on it so hard that she could hardly feel the blows. Nithqref had noticed the change in her but when he had tried to place her feelings in perspective Kathryn had cut him off. She needed that anger to survive.
*~~~*
Kashyk smiled as his prisoner was dragged through the door and pushed to her knees on the floor in front of him. "Good morning Captain Janeway. The Doctor tells me you are not fit to continue our little discussion but I disagree and here you are."
He walked towards her and lifted her chin. "I have a nice surprise for you. An old friend. I think our meeting will be very fruitful." A man that Janeway did not recognise stepped into the room.
"Captain Janeway, I would like to introduce one of our foremost exobiologists, Professor Derrish."
"I am afraid I don't remember meeting you Professor." replied Janeway.
Kashyk sneered slightly. "My dear Captain, it is not Professor Derrish that you know but the subject of his latest investigation." He gestured at a guard standing by the door. "Bring it in."
Janeway knew almost before the figure was led through the door and could not disguise her anguish. Kashyk looked at her in delight.
"Why Captain that is more emotion than I have seen in the last two weeks."
Seven of Nine swayed uncertainly. She had been drugged and paralysed for most of the previous two weeks and had not been allowed to regenerate. Her face showed a distinctly Borg like pallor and she was painfully thin. Her eyes, even the Borg eye, focussed with difficulty on the small woman kneeling on the floor.
"Captain I have found you."
Seven of Nine pitched forward and passed out.
"What have you done to her?" said Janeway in a voice so icy that Kashyk involuntarily stepped back. He caught an amused expression on the face of the Professor and promptly kicked Janeway in the stomach to relieve his irritation. She fell back and screamed in pain as his boot impacted on her injuries from the previous day. As she lay gasping on the floor, Kashyk prepared to kick her again.
"Inspector" interrupted Professor Derrish "I am sure this is all very entertaining but we need to get to work. Bring Janeway and the Borg to the research facility."
Kashyk shrugged his shoulders and gestured to the guards who picked both women up by the arms and dragged them unceremoniously out of the Inspector's office.
*~~~*
Through force of will, Kathryn Janeway watched impassively as two Devore soldiers chained a still unconscious Seven of Nine to a bench. Professor Derrish was introducing himself to several Devore scientists and technicians who worked in the research centre. From their attitude of deference it was obvious that the Professor was an important man.
The Professor disengaged himself from the fawning scientists and came over to stand in front of Janeway. She didn't look at him but kept her gaze on Seven of Nine who had started to move a little. The Professor followed her eyes and started to speak.
"The Borg is a remarkable piece of engineering. Force fields, paralysers, tranquillizers. It has adapted to them all. We have had great difficulty controlling your Borg. Preventing it from regenerating has been the most successful strategy."
Carefully controlling her voice to sound casual Janeway enquired, "Fascinating Professor Derrish but where do I come in?"
"You are aware of the Borg invasion. Do not bother to deny it. The telepaths always know everything. You are probably also aware that we are losing this conflict."
Janeway kept silent. She did not want to admit the extent of Brenari intelligence gathering even if the Devore were truly aware of it. The scientist looked at her and seemed slightly amused in a grim way.
"Captain Janeway I see that cooperation is not going to be your preferred working method. Alright let me get to the point. We know that you and your ship survived a conflict with the Borg collective and that you captured and have somehow gained control of this particular specimen. We need any possible advantage that can be obtained from this knowledge. Therefore you are required to disclose whatever information you have. Promptly."
When she did not respond he continued. "When we captured it, this Borg was looking for you. It was travelling in a specially adapted Federation shuttle equipped with much technology of Borg in origin. We believe that your Borg has been sent by your crew to rescue you. Our fleet are now looking for Voyager as it must be somewhere near Devore space, waiting for you and the Borg to return."
Janeway felt annoyed at the idea that Chakotay might have disobeyed her orders. She suppressed her reaction. She needed to know more.
"How do you know Seven of Nine was looking for me? Perhaps she was rejoining her collective."
"The Borg asked for help in locating you from the creatures who then betrayed it to us." Derrish answered honestly, seeing no advantage in withholding information. He needed her help anyway he could get it. He returned to the point of his visit. "We are particularly interested in how you control this Borg and your knowledge of their assimilation technology. How did you avoid assimilation?"
Janeway's tone was sardonic as she replied. "I'm afraid my dear Professor that I cannot help you. We did not beat the Borg by fighting with them. The separation of Seven of Nine from the Borg collective was forcible but our success in 'controlling' her depended on persuading Seven that the future lay with us and in allowing her to develop her individuality. I do not think this method could be applied to the many thousands of drones in a Borg cube." She allowed herself to smile a little. "Believe me, it was hard enough with just one."
Derrish looked at her face trying to gauge the truth of her words. His shoulders drooped slightly and she could see the unwilling acceptance.
Kashyk entered the room, having overheard the last part of the exchange between Derrish and Janeway. He took a position facing Janeway.
"Do not believe her Professor Derrish," he said. "Deceit is second nature to the woman. I'll get the truth out of her." So saying he slapped Janeway across the face. The Captain's head snapped back and she grunted in pain.
"Do not touch her!" Seven shouted furiously. She strained desperately in her bonds and with an effort the ex-drone could not afford, snapped the chains that held her to the bench. She lurched towards Kashyk but in her weakened state, she stumbled, giving him time to retreat behind Janeway. He grabbed the Captain from behind and held his disruptor to her head. His voice shook as he shouted "Stay where you are Borg monster or your Captain dies." The Devore commander was obviously very frightened.
Seven of Nine stared unsteadily and stopped. "Do not hurt her," she half-ordered, half-pleaded.
Janeway completely ignored the nervous and highly dangerous Devore commander as he held her hostage, clutching her with sweaty trembling hands. She felt no fear. All her attention was focused on Seven of Nine.
"Seven are you alright?"
If she had not been restrained Kathryn Janeway would have hit herself for asking such a stupid question. Seven was clearly far from alright. But the she answered with her usual accuracy. "I am partially functional Captain, I am operating at approximately 53.2% efficiency."
Janeway visually examined her former astrometrics officer. She noted the many bruises and cuts. She noted the exhausted trembling of her hands, the white face that spoke of days of torment and deprivation. She added Seven's suffering to the long list of grievances to be avenged.
Professor Derrish watched the exchange curiously. For two weeks the Borg had behaved like an emotionless automaton ignoring any questions, trying to escape at every opportunity but entirely without disclosing any feelings. Within five seconds of meeting Janeway, the Borg had started to display emotion. Her fear for the Captain's safety was visible in her cold blue eyes, and so was the rage directed at the shivering Kashyk as the Borg stood clenching her fists, rocking as though barely able to contain herself. A surprising hypothesis suggested itself. Derrish decided to test his idea.
"Seven of Nine."
Seven looked at him with slight surprise - none of the Devore had used her designation previously.
"Captain Janeway will not be harmed if you cooperate with me."
"You have already damaged her." Seven stated flatly.
"If you will not help us I will be forced to ask Inspector Kashyk to damage her further. But if you decide to assist me in my investigations the Captain's injuries will be attended to and no further damage done."
Janeway could see what the Professor was attempting and her hatred boiled over. "Seven you are not to help this man. That is an order." she commanded.
Seven looked at Janeway with a trace of her old arrogance. "I am not under your command now Captain Janeway. I am no longer a member of the Voyager collective."
Before she could stop herself Janeway asked in a furious voice "Then why are you here?"
Seven looked a little bewildered and realised why Naomi Wildman found adult humans somewhat stupid sometimes. They seemed to miss the obvious. "To rescue you. Silly."
Janeway opened her mouth and then did not know what to say. She was returned to the present when Kashyk roughly twisted her arm and she gasped in pain.
He snarled at the ex-drone. "Borg. It is clear your rescue attempt has failed. You will obey the Professor or I will take great pleasure in making your Captain beg for mercy. And even greater pleasure in denying her request."
Derrish interrupted quickly as Seven stiffened and took another shaky step towards the arrogant fool holding Captain Janeway.
"Thank you Inspector but I am quite capable of negotiating with my prisoners. And they are now my prisoners Inspector. The Imperium have transferred full authority to me since you were deemed to be ineffective in this matter." The contempt in the scientist's thin toneless voice was apparent. Kashyk did not release Janeway but his hold relaxed. Janeway heard him swear under his breath.
Professor Derrish then addressed Captain Janeway. "Captain Janeway why are you opposed to helping us defend ourselves against the Borg invasion? I understand that you may not have formed the best impression of the Devore Imperium but surely even you can see that the Borg must be stopped."
Janeway stared back unblinking and answered in a low frozen voice "Ask the Inspector why. Perhaps you have not noticed the purpose of this camp, this slave world. Perhaps you have not noticed the murder, suffering and torture meted out daily to your unfortunate subject peoples. Perhaps, like the Inspector here, you enjoy this power and believe in your right to inflict such pain. The Borg are a terrible foe but as someone once said to me they are like a force of nature. You cannot blame them. But I am unable to extend that understanding to the Devore Imperium."
There was a silence.
Seven of Nine broke it unexpectedly, saying evenly "I will assist you Professor."
Janeway almost screamed at her "Seven do not help them. They will not keep their word."
Seven looked into the anguished blue eyes and spoke gently but implacably. "Captain, if I do not help them then there will be one of two outcomes. Either they will eliminate you or the Borg will assimilate you. Neither option is acceptable." Ignoring the confusion in her captain's face, Seven turned her attention to Derrish. " Professor Derrish, I must regenerate for approximately sixteen hours if I am to be restored to 100 percent functionality. You will take me to the Borg alcove aboard the shuttle Faraday."
Professor Derrish nodded his assent with relief and instructed his assistant to accompany Seven of Nine.
"Remember Seven of Nine", he called after her, as she was led away under guard, "do not deceive me or your Captain Janeway will pay with her life."
"Hmm. How very touching." said a smooth voice in Janeway's ear, "The Borg would appear to be emotionally attached to you Kathryn." Now that Seven had gone Kashyk had recovered his nerve and was holding her painfully tight and grinning. "This could be very amusing. I wonder if you have feelings for that creature? Surely not after all we have shared." He pushed her back against the wall.
The memory of kissing the Devore Inspector on Voyager made Kathryn feel sick now, although at the time it had not seemed so bad and a necessary part of the game she had played with Kashyk. Seven was not the only one who would do almost anything to get what she wanted. she reflected.
"That's quite enough Inspector Kashyk" said Professor Derrish impatiently. "We need the Borg's help. Captain Janeway will remain in good health and you will keep away from her. Is that understood? When the Borg has regenerated, she will be very hard to control without the help of the good captain. Return Janeway to the cells but I want her back here in sixteen hours fed, rested and healed."
Kashyk scowled and then released Janeway, forcing a half-smile to his lips. "A temporary respite dear Kathryn. Temporary."
*~~~*
Kathryn sat on the floor of her cell refusing to speak. Kraal had roared, argued and sneered for the last thirty minutes but without penetrating her fully armoured indifference. Internally she raged against Seven of Nine for agreeing to help the accursed Devore, the act had became a betrayal of everything that she had believed the Borg had learned in her time on Voyager. That Seven was doing this to save Kathryn Janeway made it worse, made the Captain responsible. The small part of her mind that asked why the ex-drone would want to rescue her was shouted down.
It was in this mental state of incoherent fury and turmoil that Nithqref found Janeway. Gently, trying not to intrude too brutally on her disturbed psyche, the Halquine probed her thoughts trying to understand the ex-Federation Captain's distress.
"God! Nithqref, you have no sense of privacy," she exclaimed angrily.
'That is a difficult concept for a Halquine' Nithqref agreed equably. 'Why are you so adamant about helping the Devore?'
"How can you, of all people, ask such a question? After what those bastards have done to your people." She banged her hand on the ground in frustration, ignoring the pain in two broken fingers, a parting gift from the Inspector.
'Kathryn I have no love for the Devore Imperium but assimilation by the Borg is not an acceptable alternative. My home world has been enslaved and my people hunted and persecuted for more than one hundred Halquine cycles but at least we can resist the Devore. There is hope that one day we will prevail. Once assimilated by the Borg that hope has gone.'
The small redheaded captain shifted uncomfortably but was not ready to surrender her hatred. "If we help the Devore then we hand them even more power over their enemies. I cannot allow that, I made that mistake once before."
Janeway's imagination presented her with the image of two pairs of gentle violet eyes, studying her and she felt the Halquine's compassion as Nithqref postulated 'When you helped the Borg defeat species 8472? The Halquine winced at the guilt oozing poisonously in the human's mind.
Kathryn, there are always choices between lesser or greater evils. Your decision then may have had appalling consequences but to have done otherwise may have had worse consequences. You will never know. You made the best decision you could under the circumstances.'
Her voice was anguished as she confessed, "But I did not defeat species 8472 to save the galaxy. I did it to save my ship, to help Voyager get home a little quicker. And now I am expected to help the Devore to save myself." Janeway wrapped her arms tightly around her knees and tried not to shiver.
Nithqref was relentless. 'Your guilt is unproductive and selfish. Kathryn, another two subject systems were assimilated today. The H'ronor home world and the Kirrin. The H'ronor were an ancient and civilised race. They were unique and now they are gone. The Kirrin were home to one of strongest resistance cells in the Imperium. All lost. If you can help to stop the Borg then you must. Feel the truth of what I say.'
"This is not my fight. I have no right to interfere. I am a Starfleet Captain and I pledged to uphold the Federation's prime directive."
Nithqref cut her off abruptly. 'Please do not quote your prime directive to me Kathryn, this fight is yours as much as mine. Your quadrant is far away but if we defeat the Borg here then perhaps your people will not have to fight them again. Not to mention the thousands of peaceful worlds in between.'
Nithqref had kept Kraal up-to-date with the argument so far and now the Parath spoke up, quite gently in his terms.
"Kathryn, stop whingeing! You are one of us now. Your ship has gone and your old life with it. You are no longer a Federation captain but a prisoner of the Devore Imperium. It is time to accept that and move on. Your life is here and your friends are here." He added with complete certainty in his gruff voice "We will defeat these Borg and then we will overthrow the Imperium."
Kathryn exploded to her feet and shouted "I will not assist that murdering monster Kashyk, even if the future of the Galaxy is at stake." As she said it the smallness and unimportance of her feelings overcame her and she sank back to her knees sobbing and put her head in her hands. Kraal walked slowly to the small, crumpled human, lifted her up with ease and held her weeping face against his warm furry chest. After ten minutes, the helpless crying gradually subsided and her red rimmed eyes looked up at the Parath guardsman's face. There was a suspicion of a smirk curling his hoglike features.
"How very feminine Captain Janeway. Your Federation must be an unusually gentle part of the galaxy."
"Let me go." She was angry and unbelievably embarrassed. The Parath set her down on the floor gently and she straightened her back and glared at him with a full force ten Janeway special.
Nithqref, sensing the impending storm, intervened hurriedly and clumsily tried to divert Kathryn's attention with the first thought in mind 'You are surprised that Seven of Nine tried to rescue you. Perhaps she is not as indifferent to you as you feared.'
"What!" Janeway's inner wall of denial and suppressed emotions shook and crumbled as though impacted by a cannon ball.
Nithqref mentally cringed at the inadvertent disclosure of such intimate knowledge. I am sorry Kathryn but your feelings for her are very strong and hard for a telepath to miss. I did not mean to intrude.
Kraal was now looking very interested.
"What's all this?" he asked, a grin rippling his features, "Do not tell me that our fearless Captain has the hots for another woman." He roared with laughter, the folds on his face shaking violently.
Kathryn gritted her teeth. "Nithqref I may have to kill you but only after I have disembowelled this pig with a dinner plate."
"Fine words, my weeping lover of women." Kraal collapsed laughing again, leaning his huge, quivering, bulk against the sodden wall.
"I am not a lover of women," she blustered and then realised that denial to a Halquine (and by extension Kraal) meant nothing. "I mean I have never loved a woman before, and anyway even if I did have feelings for her, nothing ever happened. It wasn't appropriate. How could I act? I was her commander, goddammit, not a potential lover." Aware that she was babbling, and babbling loudly at that, Janeway shut up. Kraal continued to guffaw uncontrollably.
'Do you care for the Borg?' In her mind she had sensed Nithqref smiling before feeling the question and she couldn't understand why the telepath bothered asking, her inner feelings were plainly known to the strange being. She answered anyway.
"Yes. I love her." And was shocked to hear the words from her own lips. She tried to ignore Kraal who was busy stuffing half his jerkin in his mouth while apparently having convulsions.
"Always - from the very beginning." She looked around her at the dark, damp, grimy cell. "This is a fine place to admit aloud what I had barely acknowledged to myself."
'Seven of Nine is here and you are here. You may have a better future than you realised.' suggested the gentle Halquine.
"But only if the Borg are defeated and we escape the Devore, not a very promising scenario for future bliss," she murmured cynically. She felt Nithqref's disappointment like a whiplash and was ashamed. Kathryn Janeway squared her shoulders, shaking off the fear and doubt. Nithqref experienced a surge of total determination, powered by a duranium will, being focused on one end only, the defeat of the Borg. Suddenly the telepath had a moments pity for the unfortunate Collective.
TITLE: Janeway Redux
AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: R
CODE: J/7
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Set after five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her?
SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
DISCLAIMER: TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would own Star Trek but it's not and I don't.
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
Part 7 - Desperate times
In a Devore research laboratory on Devore II Seven of Nine and Professor Derrish reviewed the tactical data from the 73 battles fought against the Borg by the Devore Imperium. All but four encounters had been lost despite the Devore fleet outnumbering and even outgunning the Borg. The Borg had conquered 63 planetary systems in only four weeks. There had been a slight lull since the last battle but terror had gripped the remaining four hundred systems in the Imperium. There was widespread panic and disorder; an unneeded distraction for the hard pressed Devore military machine.
Janeway sat quietly to one side and watched Seven of Nine, as the ex-drone studied the tactical analyses on two workstation view screens. Seven was still a little thin and pale but regeneration had returned the beautiful woman to something close to her normal physical perfection. Her customary body suit had been replaced by Devore military fatigues. Janeway thought the black rather suited the ex-drone.
Three armed guards stood behind the Captain watching them at all times; trigger happy and very nervous of Seven of Nine. We won't survive if Seven makes any rapid movements Kathryn thought as she pondered their overall tactical position. She wanted some kind of escape plan as a fall-back.
The laboratory was clean and tidy except for two tables where the components of a disembowelled Borg drone were laid bare for examination. Living tissue and organs lay dissected, prepared for microscopic examination. The inorganic components were also being disassembled, labelled and studied. An isolated Borg eyepiece, mounted in a network of experimental circuitry, glowed red as the scientist working on it adjusted and monitored the control circuitry. Kathryn observed that Seven of Nine turned her head away whenever she had to pass the Borg remains.
Despite the circumstances Kathryn felt a curious sense of freedom. She had allowed herself to admit her feelings for Seven and the customary sense of guilt that pervaded her thoughts whenever she looked at Seven or thought about the younger woman had vanished.
The Starfleet Captain had been constrained by fear of acting inappropriately towards a member of her crew. Starfleet ethical protocols were unanimous and absolutely prescriptive about relationships between the Captain and crew. These must be wholly professional. Captains were trained to understand that even friendships lead to problems and that essentially the Captain must be aloof and alone. Which just about worked in the Alpha quadrant where the Captain had lovers, friends and family, port side but was a damned sight harder for the Captain of Voyager lost and alone in the Delta quadrant.
I am not a Starfleet captain any longer. I have new friends and enemies, a different life. But if that life is to amount to anything, Seven and I must avoid assimilation by the Borg and torture and execution by the Devore.
Kathryn concluded with some amusement that perhaps she was being a little premature in planning a long term future. She also forced herself to consider the possibility that Seven might not be interested in a middle-aged former Starship captain. She wondered what Seven was thinking. The Borg seemed totally in control and had shown little emotion, only speaking to Janeway when required to do so, concentrating absolutely on the information being presented.
The laboratory's occupants were watching and listening to visual and aural records (retrieved from intelligence probes) of a recent battle. The events were played out on a large view screen on the wall.
Three Borg cubes had come out of a transwarp conduit close to the major manufacturing and mining colony on Malta VI only 130 light years from the Devore home system. The colony was well defended by a fleet of thirteen warships and massive planetary phaser cannons located on the two moons of Malta VI.
'We are the Borg'. The customary Borg hail rolled through the small laboratory with an echo of the fear that must have swept the doomed Devore fleet.
In the opening stage of the conflict the Devore fleet was successful as it concentrated its enormous fire power on the leading Borg cube. The moon based defences kept the other two cubes at bay, the great phaser beams slicing through the Borg shields. The leading cube was damaged severely as three waves of jet black Devore warships flew past and strafed it on three sides. The cube was finally destroyed by a blast of phaser energy from one of the huge planetary cannons. The second cube was also taking heavy damage but the tide was turning. One Devore warship was destroyed and three others were now non combatant. Soon several more of the warships had fallen silent or had left the fighting. The moon based cannons ceased firing soon after.
Battlefield communication logs revealed the desperate events aboard the warships as panicked Devore officers reported their ships boarded by squadrons of Borg drones. Six vessels managed to initiate self destruct sequences before being fully assimilated and hundreds of tiny escape pods could be seen floating away from the stricken vessels like thistle seeds in the wind only to be picked off by Borg weapons fire or caught in tractor beams and dragged inside the surviving Borg cubes.
The Professor's thin face was grey and pained, his voice hoarse as he spoke. "Only one ship, and three escape pods that were picked up, survived. The entire system of 23 million people was assimilated in a 72 hour period. We do not believe there were any civilian survivors."
He stopped and blinked and when he began speaking again he had recovered his customary detached nasal monotone. "Malta VI was a serious loss to the Imperium. Ten percent of all dilithium in the sector was found on planets in the Malta system and were processed on Malta VI for use by the fleet."
Now fully in control of his voice the Professor addressed the assembled scientists, engineers and technicians as though he was delivering a lecture. "This defeat followed the pattern of all the other conflicts with the exception of four early battles where reinforced shields prevented the Borg from boarding. Unfortunately the Borg have adapted to those modifications."
"Tactical analyses suggest we require a minimum ratio of 11 warships to 1 cube in any conflict. We must destroy each Borg cube within one or two minutes of engaging, or the Borg adapt to our shield frequencies and drones are transported aboard the fleet vessels to assimilate our soldiers and the warships. The firepower of a large Devore fleet can defeat the Borg but if our ships cannot be deployed in adequate numbers assimilation inevitably follows. Since we lack the transwarp capabilities of the Borg ships it has proved impossible to ensure sufficient ships are available wherever a threat is identified. The area of space is simply to large to allow rapid reinforcement."
Pausing to bring up a three dimensional colour coded image of Devore space he indicated the present location of Devore fleets. "Current strategy is to withdraw military units from all but the most important systems and mass our forces sufficiently to allow defence of key systems. This strategy will fail eventually but may give us a little more time to develop alternatives. As a side issue we are experiencing some problems with refugees fleeing from the unprotected areas to the defended systems. It has not been possible to prevent rumours about the strategy of selective defence circulating widely in the Imperium. The wide scale ship movements have made identifying invading Borg forces even more problematic."
"The Imperium's scientists and engineers must provide technological solutions to the tactical problems of fighting the Borg if we are to survive. The Imperium requires a new type of space propulsion system to rival the Borg transwarp engines and several teams are working in that area. Other groups are concentrating on developing better weapons and defences designed to exploit weaknesses in the Borg, be they tactical, physical, chemical or biological or even psychological."
"This team is to concentrate on identifying weaknesses in the physical and biological structure of individual Borg to allow us to develop weapons which may be used at close quarters and enable our soldiers to defend our warships."
Seven interjected.
"The Borg have no such weaknesses. They will adapt to whatever weapons you devise."
Seven said this with undeniable arrogance. The ex-drone had no wish to rejoin the Borg but part of her still believed in the strength and perfection of the Collective.
"I don't agree Seven" said Janeway calmly. The Professor regarded the former Captain cautiously but did not interrupt. "If the Borg cannot assimilate a life form or technology they cannot adapt to defeat that life form or technology. We learned this from the war between species 8472 and the Borg." She shrugged a little. "It is a weakness but I admit exploiting it is a different matter since we lack the biological advantages of species 8472."
The Professor was clearly interested.
"Expand please Captain Janeway."
The Captain recounted the history of the Borg war with species 8472 and that species subsequent defeat by Voyager. A defeat based on medical research on species 8472 by the Voyager doctor using modified Borg nanoprobes. The Starfleet crew, in alliance with the Borg, had then applied the same knowledge to building a military weapon to defeat the previously invincible species 8472.
"A fine solution."
The steely eyed Professor was regarding her with admiration verging on awe. Kathryn felt immediately uneasy. When species such as the Devore or Cardassians were complimentary about your methods then your ethics must be questionable.
"But I am puzzled Captain," the Professor said thoughtfully, "We found no mention of any of this in the records of Voyager when they were inspected."
"Any information that we deemed classified was hidden and encrypted by Seven of Nine. And that included all and any knowledge of superior technologies which we acquired in the Delta quadrant. In any case your inspection teams were more concerned with finding helpless families of telepaths than advancing Devore knowledge or understanding of other species."
Kathryn said this last part, knowing that Kashyk had just entered the room. He scowled but ignored her and nodded curtly at the Professor.
"Inspector. How may we assist you?" asked Professor Derrish politely enough though the tension between the soldier and the scientist was noticeable.
"I merely wish to observe and possibly contribute Professor, if that is agreeable" replied Kashyk equally politely though from his tone Janeway deduced that being agreeable was not the true motivation. "My knowledge of Devore military installations, tactics, ships and combat expertise may be of value to your research. There is not normally much need for such military knowledge in the day-to-day work of a penal colony." He smiled without humour.
Janeway did not like the idea of spending any time with Kashyk but objectively he was a more than competent scientist and a creative lateral thinker. They had worked together effectively while hunting for a wormhole and she shuddered to remember that she had even enjoyed working with someone of equal status, a colleague rather than a junior officer. That was something she had greatly missed in the Delta quadrant.
The Professor was studying the reaction of the ex-Voyager captain to Kashyk's suggestion with some concern and was slightly nonplussed when Kathryn remarked quite coolly "I have no objection Professor. Inspector Kashyk may be useful."
Seven stared at her with a very peculiar expression almost angry and hurt. Kathryn was not sure what was wrong and smiled uncertainly at the Borg. The ex-drone turned away and muttered fiercely "As you wish Captain, the Inspector's presence is irrelevant."
Her reaction reminded the Captain of how little she knew about Seven's motives and how or why Seven came to be looking for her without Voyager. However Janeway certainly did not want to ask direct questions about Voyager's whereabouts in front of the Devore soldiers and scientists, so she kept quiet.
Professor Derrish was also thinking of Voyager but his thoughts were more pragmatic.
"It is unfortunate that we do not have access to Voyager's database now. Your research on nanoprobe technology would be of great value. We have carried out extensive research on a few captured Borg drones but it is clear we have not reached the same level of understanding. It has so far proved impossible to devise a method of destroying the nanoprobes at a microscopic level."
Seven of Nine hesitated for one moment. "It is possible that data relevant to the Borg is stored in the Federation shuttle data banks."
"Unlikely Seven of Nine. Our technicians have thoroughly examined all the shuttle records and databases. Nothing with any reference to the Borg could be found. The technology aboard the shuttle is however of great interest particularly the weapons and shields."
"And did your technicians identify the Borg encrypted databases hidden within the astrometric database?" Seven asked without irony. Kathryn bit her cheek to avoid laughing when she saw the Professor flush a dark red.
"I will check. But you can be sure a thorough inspection took place." Derrish walked to the back of the lab and spoke quietly into his communicator. The anger on his face after a few minutes discussion did not require translation.
Inspector Kashyk was grinning openly at the Professor's discomfiture.
"This will be more entertaining than I had hoped," he murmured to Kathryn looking into her eyes with a hint of the charm he had employed on their first meetings on Voyager. A creaking noise drew their attention to Seven of Nine. She was watching Kashyk without expression while her Borg enhanced hand crushed a heavy alloy tube she had picked up off a lab bench. Kashyk's grin faded and he busied himself looking at a view screen image of a stasis field containing a few wriggling nanoprobes magnified many hundreds of times.
The Professor stalked back to their end of the lab.
"The shuttle databases will be transferred to this laboratory for further analysis by Seven of Nine and my team." he said shortly. "We must commence our research. Time is not on our side."
*~~~*
*48 hours later*
The latest war news display on the wall of the laboratory showed 68 planetary systems lost and 13 billion individuals assimilated. Like watching a scoreboard the numbers rolled over every time another battle was lost.
Kathryn leaned tiredly against the wall. The laboratory was nearly empty. The Professor was talking to one of his technicians at the far end and three guards sat at a table playing some kind of gambling game that resembled poker. Inspector Kashyk had left to deal with a matter of prison administration.
Seven of Nine and the shuttle databases had provided a great deal of information and assistance to all the research teams. The group working on the transwarp propulsion project were reporting a great deal of success and predicting an imminent breakthrough directly as a result of the Borg's advice. But that success was not being repeated in this team.
Seven of Nine was working on a calculation of staggering complexity but without any direct relevance to the problem of fighting and defeating thousands of drones in hand to hand combat. Most of the team's effort seemed to have gone into modelling the adaptive technology of the Borg and proving that the Borg could deal with every form of armament the Devore possessed.
Seven straightened, turned to face the former Captain who was still slumped against the wall. She scrutinised her steadily.
"You are tired Captain, you should rest." she observed.
Kathryn shook her head.
"Come here and talk to me Seven. We have had no opportunity to speak alone. I want to know what happened on Voyager after I left and how you came to look for me on your own."
The Borg reported the plain facts of her escape from Voyager. And by the end Kathryn did not know whether to be wildly flattered by Seven and B'Elanna Torres' loyalty or incredibly angry with both of them for behaving quite outrageously and breaking every Starfleet rule. It did not take much imagination to flesh out Seven's bald account and to sympathise with Chakotay having to handle a mutinous crew.
"Seven..." Janeway took a deep breath and placed her hands on Seven's forearms as the Borg looked at her expectantly. "Seven you should not have done this. Chakotay was following my express orders. He did not deserve to be treated this way."
Seven did not argue the point; the ex-drone's blue eyes blurred with unshed tears as she explained her disobedience with heart-breaking honesty.
"You are my connection to humanity Captain. Without you there was nothing to hold me on Voyager, nothing to bind me to that human collective." Her voice became softer and Kathryn could barely hear the next words.
"I did not believe that I would ever experience loneliness as great as being severed from the Borg Collective, but that was insignificant compared to the pain when I knew that Chakotay had abandoned you. I could not abandon you."
Kathryn gulped air and blushed.
This is your chance Kathryn Janeway. She has all but said she loves you, now tell her how you feel. But looking into Seven's troubled face the words would not form and the indomitable Captain felt her knees were going to buckle first. Mentally Kathryn kicked herself. What the hell am I thinking, standing here like a hyperventilating guppy? I may never get another chance.
She was spared trying to reply by Kashyk's return. Janeway dropped her hands from Seven's arms and stepped back quickly but not quickly enough. His shrewd dark eyes took in the scene and an unpleasant smile formed on his face. He opened his mouth to sneer "What a pretty pic...."
The smirk on his face enraged Janeway.
"Be quiet" she growled with such implacable fury that Kashyk stopped mid-sentence and gaped at her. The poker playing soldiers fell silent and stood up looking expectantly at their leader, waiting for his retribution against the insolent gaharay. He said nothing.
Kathryn ignored them and him. The anger had fuelled her determination to seize the moment and she had the irrational conviction that it was now or never. Taking Seven's hand, who did not protest but raised her eyebrow in question, Kathryn stood and thought for a moment.
What can you say to a woman who has returned to the heart of darkness because she could not bear your loss? The Starfleet captain in Kathryn might deplore the means but the romantic could hardly argue with the gesture. And then she knew what to say and it was so obvious that she grinned in relief and said simply, without thinking about consequences, responsibilities or even the practical impossibility.
"I know that this is sudden and my timing is off and this may be the last thing you ever expected or wanted me to say but I think that we may never have another chance, so I am going to say it anyway. Seven of Nine, I love you. I have loved you from the beginning. I hope and believe that you feel the same way about me. Will you marry me?"
The second she uttered the words, an avalanche of consequences, responsibilities and practical difficulties slid into her consciousness, but skating topmost was the fear that Seven might not want her. Maybe she had completely misunderstood Seven's feelings. The stunned expression on the ex-drone's face didn't help. Janeway started to back-pedal.
"I mean at least think about it, you know, you don't have to answer now, perhaps when this...", she gestured vaguely about, "is all over..."
Seven looked wide-eyed at her Captain. "You intend that you should form a legally recognised domestic partnership... with me..."
"I suppose that's one way of putting it."
"Today?" asked the drone.
"No! Of course not! I meant after we have left this prison and the conflict with the Borg is over."
"It is highly unlikely we will survive the war Captain or leave this place. If this plan is to be accomplished, an earlier resolution will be required," Seven remarked calmly.
Wanting to curse Seven's precision a frustrated Kathryn half-yelled "Seven! Will you stop analysing the timetable and tell me if you want to marry me!" The soldiers sniggered. Janeway glared at them with a look that had quelled many junior ensigns and the three young Devore fell silent. Kashyk was also silent, his anger overshadowed for the moment by fascination at the scene in front of him.
"I am sorry Captain, I did not understand that I had a choice." Seven was quite straight faced but something about her expression made Kathryn suspicious. The Borg went on "You have made many life changing decisions on my behalf, I assumed this would be the case now."
Kathryn was astonished. Was Seven of Nine teasing her? Now of all times the Borg was choosing to develop a sense of humour!
"Seven please answer the question. Will you marry me?" Kathryn pleaded quietly. The ex-drone canted her head slightly on one side and her ice blue eyes considered Kathryn Janeway carefully. Feeling helpless and incredibly vulnerable Janeway returned the gaze.
"Acceptable" said Seven of Nine without preamble and wrapped her arms around the former Captain of the Starship Voyager, kissing her thoroughly if not very expertly. The Universe shrank to include nothing but the two of them.
Finally needing to breathe, Seven lifted her head.
"I hope my actions are correct Captain, this behaviour is customary after such a declaration is it not?" she queried breathlessly.
"Quite correct Seven," mumbled Kathryn into Seven of Nine's shoulder where she was now resting her head. Relieved to know that her behaviour was acceptable, Seven tightened her hold and kissed the top of Kathryn Janeway's head. Kathryn raised her face and they would've kissed again except they were brought back to the moment by Professor Derrish exclaiming loudly.
"What! What is this? The professor had been shaken from his habitual detachment.
Kathryn turned within the gentle circle of her Borg's arms to face the scandalised scientist and leant her weight against Seven, feeling absurdly happy and safe. "We are disturbing you Professor?"
Kashyk intervened smoothly before the purple-faced scientist could formulate any coherent words.
"I offer my congratulations Captain Janeway. This was a touching interlude but if there is to be a happy ending I suggest we return to matters of more immediate importance." Menace entered his voice. "Other considerations must wait."
Kathryn Janeway could feel Seven of Nine warm against her back and for a few seconds Janeway just wished the Devore, the Borg, Starfleet, everyone would just go away and leave them alone. Her hatred of Kashyk and all he represented began to bubble to the surface. Feeling Kathryn's body stiffen suddenly, Seven released her from her arms causing Janeway look up at Seven. The ex-Captain reminded herself of what she had to lose and that this was no time to lose her control. She could see the uncertainty on the younger woman's face, so she took her hand and said quietly "There will be a time for us Seven. I promise." Then the Janeway nodded to Kashyk in acknowledgement.
"You are right Inspector, there are pressing concerns. As the senior command staff present perhaps you and I should consider the tactical data together," she suggested with a note of challenge in her deep voice. "Perhaps we have been approaching this problem in the wrong way."
TBC
TITLE: Janeway Redux
AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: R
CODE: J/7
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Set after five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her?
SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
DISCLAIMER: TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would own Star Trek but it's not and I don't.
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
Part 8 - Desperate measures
Another 4 hours have passed
The war news display now read 70 planetary systems lost and 16 billion individuals assimilated.
Inspector Kashyk, governor of the penal colony on Devore II, threw aside his padd and groaned. "This is hopeless, no one has proposed a single workable idea."
Kathryn leaned back and considered the same information on her own analysis padd. It certainly wasn't promising. All existing Devore weaponry had proved ineffective in fighting the Borg, even the newest designs of weapon were swiftly dismissed by Seven of Nine who easily demonstrated how the Borg would adapt. The Borg had defeated many species who were technically more advanced than the Devore.
Not as willing to admit defeat as the inspector, the human rubbed her eyes and said "OK let's consider again what we know about the Borg."
Kashyk shrugged his shoulders "For all the good it will do Captain....."
"Humour me Inspector." And she smiled disarmingly at her former persecutor.
"Right" said the tall dark man resignedly. He began to intone the facts already established and chewed over many times. "They are physically stronger than most organic beings and certainly two or three times stronger than the Devore, they don't use disruptors or phasers in hand to hand fighting. Instead they rely on their strength, body armour, adaptive shielding and assimilation of their opponents plus of course sheer numbers. The shielding is highly effective and will adapt to phaser and disruptor fire after just a few shots, chemical and biological weapons are ineffective against the nanoprobe technology which is again highly adaptive."
He paused and Kathryn took up the litany. "Successful attacks against the Borg have either used technology which is unavailable to the Borg or stealthy attacks on the collective mind. None of these have been successful long term strategies because the Borg eventually adapt to nullify the threat. The only identified weaknesses are the inability to adapt to technology/biology which they cannot assimilate, some vulnerabilities in the mechanisms used to control the collective mind and an occasional slowness identifying potential threats."
"And where has this analysis left us Kathryn? The Devore inspector asked politely.
Kathryn stopped pacing and stood very still behind Seven of Nine, looking at her ex-drone who was, unusually, seated. Half an idea began to form.
"You need soldiers who cannot be assimilated." Without being really aware she placed her hand on Seven's shoulder. Seven jumped but did not object as the Captain absentmindedly began stroking the back of Seven's neck.
The Inspector cast his eyes heavenward. "I don't think your mind is on the job Kathryn."
She ignored Kashyk's jibe and continued her train of thought "there is an old saying from Earth Inspector 'Fight fire with fire'. What you need Inspector are drones of your own."
"What a revolutionary idea Captain. Every home should have one, but I fear they are not all as charming as Seven of Nine." Kashyk said flippantly. Seeing the irritation on Kathryn's face he added more seriously "How or where would we obtain drones?"
The hand on Seven's neck stilled and Seven looked disappointed. The Captain considered Seven pensively. "Seven could you modify your nanoprobes to resist assimilation?"
The Borg turned to face Kathryn as she answered decisively. "It is possible Captain but the effect would not last. Assimilation nanoprobes are programmed to adapt to malfunctioning nanoprobes and destroy or repair them. It is the main defence against viral infection of the programming code."
"What would happen Seven if the Borg reassimilated you?" asked Professor Derrish. His thin face showed the strain of the last few days but he was interested if a little confused.
"I would be identified as Borg and my malfunctions assessed for repair or termination. If repairs were effective I would be returned to the Collective."
Janeway's head jerked up, interest sparking her eyes. "Seven what would happen if no malfunction were identified?"
"The assimilation 'probes would deactivate themselves," Seven replied, "but Captain only a fully functional drone would be accepted."
"Or," said the Captain, "something that appeared to be a fully functional drone. Seven, explain exactly what happens when someone is assimilated."
"The nanoprobes first take control of the main neural pathways and set up the neural transceiver link to allow connection to the hive mind. The nanoprobes then make the adaptations necessary for the future functioning of the drone."
"And those are?" prompted the Captain.
"Nanoprobe replication modules, neural processors, logic centres and memory units, skeletal enhancements, adaptive shield generators, units to monitor and control the host's biological functions, assimilation technology and internal connections to sensory systems."
Kathryn Janeway was now in full command mode, alive with energy, barely able to wait for the answers she requested. Seven knew that every person in the room could feel that energy and was being swept along; she had observed the effect many times with Voyager's crew.
"How much of this internal structure do you retain Seven?" the Captain asked, stopping her pacing for just a moment.
"I am Borg" replied Seven of Nine. She was going to leave it at that but observed Kathryn's impatient expression.
"The Doctor removed most of my external implants and a number of the internal additions but I retain all essential systems. The neural link to the Hive mind has been disabled and some of the suppressed human biological functions have been enabled. I retain an external interface to the nanoprobe control system," Seven indicated the implant above her eye, "and regeneration ports for linking to a regeneration alcove."
"Seven" said the Captain, "would it be possible to assimilate someone partially and to programme their nanoprobes and internal structures to deceive invading assimilation nanoprobes into believing that this is a fully functional drone?"
Seven stood as she gave the matter full consideration. After a long pause she replied carefully "I could reprogram my assimilation 'probes to perform a limited assimilation, all the necessary physical structures would be created. In theory Captain it may then be possible to programme dummy functions to mimic a properly operational drone linked to the hive mind."
"What of any missing external implants?" asked Kashyk, serious at last.
"These would be ignored on reassimilation as each drone is configured differently and repairs would normally be done by the drone's own nanoprobes. Each drone has standard external ports to allow linkage of external implants but the attachments may differ widely depending on the drone's function."
The Professor spoke and there was more than a little fear in his voice. "It is a fascinating and original idea Captain if I have correctly understood what you are suggesting. But how could we test such uncertain technology? Who could be recruited as subjects for such a project? Who would control these drones and would they remain individuals?"
Seven replied "The initial assimilation would fall short of collectivisation - the drones would remain individuals. We lack the necessary Borg technology to control a collective mind..."
Inspector Kashyk interrupted "I do not think that recruits will be a problem Professor, I can assure you that volunteers will be available." Seeing the concern on Janeway's face he went on smoothly, "after all better a few heavy bones than becoming a genuine drone, which is the fate that awaits our soldiers if we do not succeed. I am certain our army would welcome any protection offered."
Seven was still doubtful, "there is considerable risk Captain. Insufficient reprogramming would risk creating real Borg drones but if the reprogramming was too obvious the fake drone would fail to convince invading assimilation nanoprobes and the drone would be 'reassimilated'. There would be no second chance to correct the error."
In answer to Janeway's unspoken question Seven said simply "If a fake drone is assimilated the Borg will know our strategy Captain. The technology must work first time and then continue to do so on every subsequent occasion."
There was silence. Kashyk asked carefully "can we agree that this line of research should be pursued?"
The Professor stood in thought, he was troubled by Seven of Nine's assessment and his natural conservatism made the whole idea seemed outrageously imprudent. On the other hand there were no alternatives plans to consider.
The Inspector became impatient. "This is the only new possibility we have identified Professor. We must take it further."
After a long pause in which he visibly chewed over the ideas before him, the Professor spoke, very ponderously.
"Although I have many reservations about this proposal, as project leader I must follow any possible line which may help us resist the Borg. But Inspector, a full assessment of the risks is essential even if it takes a little longer, and I will not approve proceeding unless I am completely satisfied. After all we do not wish to create an army of drones within our walls."
Janeway had returned to earth and was a little shaken by where her thinking had taken them. She added in as firm a voice as she could muster "And Kashyk, our help is strictly on condition that only willing volunteers are used and then only if we are very certain of success. Is that understood?"
"Of course Captain." The Inspector smiled at her affectionately, "we are not barbarians."
An hour later
Derrish and Kashyk were watching the small Starfleet Captain go over yet another project plan with one of the three small teams of scientists she had organised to work on the project.
"Incredible isn't she? An hour ago the project and the team was on its knees, now look at them." said Kashyk observing the look of near awe on his companion's face. His voice tightened "that is what the High Command could not understand."
"From what I have read of your encounter Inspector, your own attraction to the Captain played a significant part in your failure with Voyager." Derrish needled the Inspector.
Kashyk turned towards him and the Professor paled at the ferocity in the man's eyes.
"They used her to destroy my career now I will use her to go even higher than before." With a cold smile, which even a man as unsentimental as Derrish found chilling, he said "now I must attend to the matter of obtaining volunteers."
Kashyk left the room. The Professor ran his hand nervously through his thinning air and wondered again why he had accepted a career so closely associated with the military.
72 hours after the drone project commenced
The war news display showed the score: Borg - 96 planetary systems and 23 billion individuals assimilated. The Devore - 18 cubes destroyed.
Professor Derrish was not the neat tidy bureaucrat of five days previous. He had slept less than fourteen hours in the previous eighty but he knew that was several more than the slight red headed human he was watching. Apparently indefatigable she led the teams of scientists, reviewing their data, pushing them on, giving encouragement and ideas freely. It amused him to see that even the guards now deferred to her rather than Kashyk.
The Captain and her Borg were also being watched by the Parath guardsman and Halquine telepath. Janeway had insisted they be freed and brought to the research laboratory several days earlier. The Professor had been appalled at the idea of a telepath being present but he had to admit they took better care of the Captain than he had managed, Kraal virtually force fed her at intervals. The only sleep she had taken was at the insistence of Seven of Nine who refused to regenerate unless the Captain slept.
The relationship between the Borg and the human was bizarre. How could anyone as vital as the redheaded human be in love with such a cold and unemotional being as the Borg even if she was almost unearthly beautiful? And yet as he watched, Janeway leant on the bench next to Seven of Nine reading some output from a recent test while the Borg looked down at her. After a few seconds Janeway stopped reading to look up into the former drone's eyes and the Captain's expression softened. Seven said something quietly and Janeway ran her fingers down Seven's cheek, pulling her face down to kiss her lightly on the lips. Derrish did not feel disgust as he might have done a few days before but an emotion he could only describe as envy.
There were many things about the current circumstances which should have disturbed him more but it occurred to Derrish that he had enjoyed the last few days. He was not experiencing the ambivalence that normally accompanied his work for the Imperium. He was an ambitious man and had accepted that working for the Imperium would often entail dealing with people and principles he did not like. But this time there was a common goal, a common enemy and colleagues for whom he felt unequivocal respect.
He was still worried by Inspector Kashyk, a ruthless and driven man. The Inspector came hourly to the laboratory for progress reports, he had informed the High Command of the new project and there was now increasing pressure being applied for early results despite the Professor's attempts to reduce expectations.
Kathryn Janeway approached the Professor clutching a gigantic beaker of steaming hot chealath, a Parath stimulant drunk widely throughout the Imperium. It was an acquired taste and not considered a healthy habit but the Parath guardsman, Kraal, and the Federation Captain apparently thrived on it. Janeway's face had lit up after her first taste and had muttered something about life being bearable in the Delta quadrant after all.
"The latest test results are much better Professor" said Kathryn. "Seven has successfully managed to reprogram nanoprobes to give false readings and laboratory tests with real assimilation 'probes have been one hundred percent successful, full deactivation after receiving the dummy information from the reprogrammed nanoprobes."
"Are we ready to test a real subject?" He sighed "I am sorry to push Captain but the High Command have become very insistent that we begin final tests on live subjects."
Janeway suddenly looked tired and he could hear the uncertainty as she replied.
"Seven has made the necessary adjustments to limit the assimilation process and considers the probability of success exceeds 95%. But Professor I would be lying if I said the first person tested was not running a real risk of becoming a drone, and even if that part is okay then we still have to field test an attack using captured Borg assimilation nanoprobes which will be even less predictable." She finished her report with a little bitterness.
"Perhaps I should learn to keep my bright ideas to myself. The lucky volunteers will have two chances of becoming a borg drone, not to mention the thousand other ways the tests may malfunction given we no so little about some of the underlying technology."
Derrish was not very used to ethical doubts being expressed by military personnel. However it did appear that the Federation captain was genuine in her concerns.
"Captain, it may help you feel less ambivalent about this project if I explain my personal involvement in defeating the Borg."
The Professor lowered his voice. It was less steady than normal.
"You may recollect the logged footage of the defeat of the fleet at Malta VI which was shown to the team at the outset of this project?"
Kathryn Janeway nodded.
"My son was present as a Lieutenant aboard one of the vessels which we saw being assimilated, the warship Invincible. Indeed it is his voice you may have heard announcing the arrival of the Borg drones aboard that vessel." Kathryn stared at scientist, horrified. The professor's own voice was detached as though he was trying not to hear his own words.
"It is not known whether my son was killed or assimilated but he was not amongst the survivors, I do not know whether it is worse to think of him as dead or lost to us forever amongst the Borg."
The professor was now shaking and Kathryn instinctively took his hands in her own and squeezed hard. "I will never recover my son and this work may even ensure his ultimate death but I do know that if I can save one other parent from such grief then my life, or death, will have meaning."
In a softer steadier voice he then said "I have informed Inspector Kashyk that I will personally volunteer for the initial tests."
Kathryn wanted to argue but seeing the determination in the pale grey eyes of the scientist she realised she had no right and said instead "Seven and I will do our very best Professor. You may inform Kashyk that we will be ready for the live tests in three hours."
TBC
TITLE: Janeway Redux
AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: R
CODE: J/7
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Set after five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her?
SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
DISCLAIMER: TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would own Star Trek but it's not and I don't.
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
Part 9 - Desperate remedies
The day of the live tests
Seven and the Captain were alone for the first time in several days. A guard was on duty outside but he was not really watching. In the laboratory a meal lay uneaten on a table. The Captain was in no mood to eat. Kathryn Janeway was feeling real apprehension. Seven was reasonably confident of initial success but much more pessimistic about the long term prospects.
Kathryn leaned against Seven and closed her eyes in exhaustion. The Borg was worried, her Captain seldom allowed anyone to see any weakness.
"Cap... Kathryn you are concerned about the coming tests?"
"Please Seven talk about something else."
"I would prefer not to talk Kathryn" the Borg stated and turned the small Captain in her strong arms. She kissed her. After a few minutes Janeway drew her head back breathless and smiling.
"You are a very quick study dearest one."
"I endeavour to improve." the Borg quirked her eyebrow and bent her head to continue the lesson.
Some while later she asked "Kathryn I am curious whether you were in earnest when you asked me to marry you?"
"What?"
"It seemed possible that when you asked me you were trying to anger Inspector Kashyk." The Borg's voice remained calm but Kathryn could feel the tension in Seven's body. For some reason the Captain felt she should be cautious.
"Why would I do that?"
"Because you are still attracted to him" replied the young woman, sounding distant and withdrawn. "Did you allow yourself to be arrested on Voyager because you wanted to return to him?"
"What are you trying to say Seven?" Kathryn released her hold on Seven and walked away a few paces before turning back to face the Borg, her confusion apparent. "I find your reasoning very hard to follow. I can assure you I never had any interest in the Inspector and of course I was serious when I asked you to marry me."
"Then why did you kiss him on Voyager and why do you accept his presence here, on the research team? He hurt you and yet you still do not reject him."
The customary lack of emotion had disappeared from Seven's face and voice, replaced by youthful despair. Janeway felt a wave of affection and was about to kiss and comfort her sweet drone when an uncomfortable question occurred to her.
"How do you know I kissed the Inspector?"
"Voyager's security logs" said the Borg evasively.
"You were watching me." Kathryn was now angry and her voice dropped to a lower pitch. "Seven it was not your business to spy on me."
"But I love you, I must protect you." Seven knew that Voyager's Captain would not take kindly to the idea of being watched even if she had done it with the best intentions.
Trying to control rising anger, Kathryn said "I had to play a difficult and subtle game with the Inspector which required me to pretend to feelings which I did not have. But Seven, even if my feelings had been genuine it was certainly not your part to interfere, I do not need that kind of protection."
Seven flinched and blurted out furiously "I should have eliminated him."
"Love does not give you the right to threaten violence or to invade another's privacy. Back on Earth I was in love with a man and we were to be married, if he were here now would you threaten him?" From Seven's expression Kathryn realised with a sinking feeling that the drone was unaware of her former fiancee.
Seven's voice trembled. "Captain it is apparent I have misunderstood the nature of such human relationships, obviously you feel free to move from one lover to another. We should return to our former relationship as I do not believe I could bear to be abandoned when you find the next true love."
It was Kathryn's turn to flinch but her temper had burst its restraints. "I'd have to agree Seven, at this time you obviously lack the maturity for a personal relationship, not to mention your obvious lack of trust. Just forget the whole thing - put it down to stressful circumstances."
The women stood and glared at each other, shaken by anger and fear. They barely noticed the arrival of two Devore soldiers who saluted smartly, the smaller one saying "Captain Janeway, Sir, Inspector Kashyk requests your presence in the main laboratory. The Borg is also required."
The Captain drew a sharp breath and the habitual mask of command came down over her features disguising the anger and distress that had been visible a moment before. She nodded her agreement and turned and led the way out of the room. The two soldiers waited as Seven of Nine stood looking after the Captain unable to comprehend how quickly her world had collapsed.
The soldier hesitated as he looked at Seven, he was at a loss to see tears rolling down the face of the Borg. "Ma'am, er Miss, Seven of Nine. You must accompany us now. To the laboratory."
Seven looked at him and did not understand what he was saying. Controlling herself she rapidly replayed the last few seconds of conversation. "I will comply." was all she could manage to say. Consciously she handed motor control to her analytical Borg brain and her machine-half took over, suppressing the pain, organising her thoughts and monitoring her actions. She left the room unaware that her walk and speech were noticeably more Borg than usual.
*~~~*
The laboratory was crowded, the full team of scientists were present, most standing by monitoring equipment and Professor Derrish was moving from one station to another fussing over the details.
Janeway entered the room with Nithqref and Kraal who fell into step on either side, Seven walked a little further behind.
The ex-drone looked unemotional and calm but Janeway had noticed her slightly jerky motion with some concern and cursed her own loss of control. Seven was young and wholly without emotional experience. Her inner voice was scornful If you couldn't be patient with her Kathryn you should have left her alone, Kahless knows how much you have hurt her.
Kashyk stood talking to two men that Janeway did not recognise, a high ranking inspector and a senior army officer.
The Inspector introduced them "Captain Janeway, this is Controller Goff representing the High Command and General Maryk, commander of the Marine regiments."
Goff, a corpulent and cold eyed man spoke in a soft voice, "Well Captain I understand you and your team are ready for testing on live subjects. The High Command are very interested in the outcome of this test, however we are not happy with the first tests being performed on Devore citizens or soldiers and I have asked Inspector Kashyk to obtain some subjects from amongst the prisoners."
He pointed towards the corner of the room where she could see three terrified looking prisoners cowering before their guards.
Captain Janeway stepped back sharply and glared at Inspector Kashyk. "What the hell are you talking about? That was not what we agreed Inspector, you said they would be volunteers."
Inspector Kashyk regarded her with lethal amusement. "Indeed they are volunteers Captain. Their future options were explained to them and they volunteered."
"Controller Goff I made it clear that our co-operation was strictly on the basis of using free volunteers, the tests will not take place unless this condition is met."
The fat controller was not used to prisoners arguing with him and was somewhat taken aback but he recovered quickly. "You and your team are in no position to bargain with us Captain Janeway." His low voice was menacing and many of the assembled Devore began to look frightened; Goff had not reached the elevated position of Controller of the Inspectorate through a reputation for good works.
Kathryn Janeway was icy and fearless.
"You still require Seven of Nine to complete the tests and you will find that a number of the key control protocols cannot be released without my personal authorisation." She sneered with a lot more confidence than she actually felt "Controller Goff, you may be able to torture compliance from myself and Seven of Nine eventually but I promise it will take several days you cannot afford." She gestured at the war display on the wall. "Likewise you may be able to work around the technological problems without our help - but that would take even longer."
Inspector Kashyk was smiling at her outburst, amused by Goff's obvious annoyance and the thought of his coming surprise. "Kathryn I was worried that you might be unreasonable about this so I took out a little insurance."
He nodded to a technician who adjusted a control panel. A two-meter view screen on the wall activated and they could hear loud terrified squealing noises. A large, but definitely feminine, Parath could be seen sitting on the floor of a room bound and gagged together with five young Parath who were the source of the squealing noises. Kraal swore but then kept silent except for some heavy bass growling noises emanating from deep in his chest.
"Either we carry out the tests with our three volunteers or I will have the Parath's family slaughtered now, your choice Captain."
"Kraal is that your family?" Kathryn asked.
The Parath nodded and ground his teeth.
Kathryn fought to keep her face impassive. She had steeled herself to the idea that the Devore might torture her or her comrades, even her beloved Seven of Nine. They were in a war and she understood the risks. But to choose which innocent parties should suffer was different, she did not know how to take that responsibility, had never been able to make those choices. Her father and a fiancee had both died because she couldn't make that kind of choice. Nithqref could feel her anguish and spoke to her 'Steady Kathryn, you can do this. Do not allow them to take away your choice, remember many lives depend on you.'
Kathryn looked at Kashyk and caught the triumph on his face. A flash of mental lightning illuminated his intentions as if they were her own. This dispute had nothing to do with defeating the Borg and everything to do with Kashyk's obsessive hatred and desire to outwit her and prove the weakness of her compassion. The answer was to give him what he wanted.
"Controller Goff, Inspector Kashyk, may we speak alone for a few moments?" Goff waved everybody away and the Devore scuttled off immediately even General Maryk.
Captain Kathryn Janeway turned on the diplomatic charm. Her voice was calm and reasonable "Controller Goff we all wish this project to succeed and I would like to offer a compromise to overcome the immediate problem. This project was my idea and it would seem just to test the results on myself first; if the first test is successful then two other free volunteers may be used at considerably less risk and if they are Devore the credibility of the project would be greatly enhanced."
Goff allowed his doubt to show "I do not believe that is a good idea Captain Janeway. These prisoners are expendable. At the moment you have a certain value."
By contrast Inspector Kashyk pounced on the offer as Janeway knew he would.
"On the contrary Controller I believe the Captain has provided us with an excellent solution. Assuming the procedure works, and I have every confidence, what better way of encouraging our troops than to show that the Captain had enough belief in her work to be the first subject? If the test fails then I do not believe that either the good Captain or this project will have much to look forward to."
Kashyk looked as pleased as a Klingon with a cornered Targ. Kathryn had to resist the impulse to wipe his smile off with her fists.
Goff looked suspiciously at the Starfleet Captain, "Captain it escapes me why you should risk yourself in this manner."
"The fair Captain cannot resist proving her nobility and superiority compared to barbarians such as ourselves Controller" said Kashyk.
Kathryn Janeway smiled broadly "I believe the Inspector feels he is a winner however the test works out. He is either a hero of the Devore Imperium or I die a horrible death. A somewhat personal motivation but perhaps the Imperium finds that acceptable?"
Goff laughed, or at least Kathryn guessed that was his intention, the result was nearer a cackle. "The Imperium finds any motivation acceptable if the outcome is in our interests, including yours my dear Captain, you may proceed."
*~~~*
Kathryn's team stood a little way off watching the apparent affability between their Captain and the Devore. "What in Freling's name are they saying Nithqref?" asked Kraal.
'Kathryn made it clear to me that I was not to intrude,' replied the telepath, 'but they appear to have finished.'
Goff raised his voice and addressed the room. "I have decided that the tests will proceed, Captain Janeway has volunteered to be the first subject,..."
"No, you cannot" Seven's voice was barely above a whisper but in the silence it was clearly audible.
Goff ignored the interruption ".... we will be seeking two additional volunteers for the subsequent tests"
Kraal stepped forward "Captain you will be a most unimpressive drone, I am far better suited to the uniform and I will go first."
"I am afraid that is not part of the deal Kraal, I go first or no one gets to play." Kathryn's tone allowed no argument.
For once Kraal did not try. "Then I will be next. So we have one Human, one Parath and no Devore, how unsurprising," the Parath sneered.
"I have already indicated my willingness to the Inspector" said Professor Derrish quietly, "Let us proceed, enough time has been lost."
Kathryn nodded and started to organise her team. She removed her battered Starfleet jacket and then looked at the Devore guards and said firmly "You had better be ready. If things don't go as planned you will have limited time and limited shots before the new Borg drones adapt. Whatever happens the drones must not be allowed to contact the collective, is that understood?" The Devore guards came to attention and saluted.
"Seven are you ready?" It was only now that Kathryn allowed herself to look at Seven of Nine. The drone looked lost and vulnerable, for the second time that day Seven could not process her feelings or make sense of events. All she could think was that somehow her argument with the Captain had caused this to happen.
"Kathryn please, I did not mean to ..., I cannot do this. I know you fear assimilation, why are you allowing this?"
Kathryn lowered her voice to reply "Seven this is not a personal matter. It is a matter of responsibility and duty and has nothing to do with us." The Captain paused and then continued a little hesitantly "Seven, er I.... look, earlier - I was hasty and .... unkind - You and me, we need to talk, to spend time, to get used to being in a different relationship. But I do love you, a few words spoken in anger cannot change that."
"We are unlikely to have that time if you are assimilated." Seven looked and sounded so forlorn that Kathryn nearly smiled.
"Why are you so pessimistic?"
Seven recovered some of her Borg detachment when she answered "This work was done with Devore volunteers in mind and many of the tests made specific reference to Devore physical characteristics. You are Human and the tests are much less reliable indicators. You and Kraal introduce other variables which we have not considered."
"The physiological differences between Humans and Devore are not so great from an assimilation point of view, are they?" Seven dropped her eyes in reluctant agreement. The Captain stepped forward and put her arms around her drone "Seven remember we have a few safety nets tucked up our sleeve. You will just have to be quick to implement them before our friends there terminate me."
*~~~*
The hypo entered her arm. A curious warmth began to flood through her veins and then the pain began as the 'probes began the destruction and reconstruction of her internal organs, bones and even her brain. The crowd saw her body go rigid within the bonds holding her to the chair. "Seven help me." She whispered and then could make no more sounds nor even move. Seven turned her head unable to watch anymore, Kraal put his hand on the Borg's shoulder.
Inspector Kashyk stared at the bound and helpless figure of Captain Janeway, a parody of a smile glued to his face, fascinated by the metamorphosis. Controller Goff was impassive, his small grey eyes betrayed no feelings beyond mild interest. There was utter silence as the seconds shuddered by.
The Captain had become visibly paler and a small implant exploded below her ear, several people gasped and the watching crowd collectively shrank back.
"Life signs, are they stable? I want a progress report now." Prof Derrish snapped angrily at the distracted technicians who were unable to drag their eyes back to their monitors and away from the spectacle in front of them. Other implants began to erupt on Janeway's hands and arms.
Reluctantly the senior technician returned to his post. "Transformation is proceeding as expected Professor. Estimated completion 27.2%, life signs are within acceptable parameters."
"Report progress at 30 second intervals."
The reports continued marking the passage of time until the terse response "estimated completion 93.4%." The technician's voice then rose slightly "the process is not slowing down Professor, there is a problem."
Seven of Nine pushed Kraal away and stepped closer. "What is wrong?" She sounded fierce and the technician replied quickly.
"The rate of conversion is accelerating - and does not accord with the specifications, unknown changes are being effected. The process should have stopped."
Seven was at Janeway's side so fast that the Devore had no time to intervene and without hesitation plunged her assimilation tubules into the Captain's neck.
"What you are doing Seven of Nine?" Kashyk snapped back to life.
For a few seconds Seven ignored the enquiry, concentrating on her task before replying "I am accessing the nanoprobe assimilation records, the 'probes have failed to recognise that assimilation is complete. I am now manually deactivating them."
Seven breathed out slowly "further assimilation has been stopped, I do not know if I was in time." The Captain's body twitched and relaxed.
Janeway eyes opened and focused. The world looked odd - she could see objects clearly, very clearly, but could not make out what they were. Then a bolt of pain shot through her. "I don't feel so good," she tried to complain. Her voice sounded wrong and the words were gibberish. Slowly the memory of what had happened returned to the ex-Captain. Doesn't look good for me - seems like Seven was right. God I wonder what I look like.*
"Captain can you hear me?" asked Seven and then jumped back as the small red head effortlessly snapped the braces holding her right arm and flailed it in her direction but the Captain was not even looking at Seven. She stared straight ahead while her arm waved about, she was making noises but nothing intelligible. The guards aimed their weapons.
One of the shapes made a sound - Janeway could not recognise the noise. She then tried to look round but her field of view didn't change and she could not work out where her head was or where her body began. She had a vague sensation of movement and she could see a long thin shape in motion somewhere close by. I wonder if that belongs to me whatever it is. Perhaps I am dead.
"Do not fire." said Seven of Nine as forcefully as she could. She and Kraal placed themselves between the Captain and the raised phasers. "Captain Janeway cannot yet control her body, without the collective voice she must learn to control her mechanical implants directly."
Kashyk advanced towards the group with a sneer. "You did not mention this before Borg. It appears to me that the Captain has become a drone, what if she is attempting to contact the collective? This must not be permitted."
Derrish intervened quietly. "The Captain is being fully monitored and has not attempted to communicate with the Borg collective. We must allow her some time to recover her senses, literally, her condition is not unexpected and monitoring her recovery is part of the test."
Kashyk became furious.
"I do not agree with you Professor. The experiment has clearly failed and we cannot risk attracting the attention of the Borg so we must eliminate her now." He appealed to his superior, "Controller Goff, in view of the dangers it is clear that the subject should be destroyed."
The fat controller hesitated a moment too long. Seven of Nine seized Inspector Kashyk by the throat and spun him round to face their audience. She increased the pressure on his windpipe until he was unable to breathe. "You will not attempt to harm her. Any sudden movement will result in the Inspector's immediate termination." To make her point Seven twisted the Inspector's head to within a millimetre of snapping his neck. He would have screamed if he had been able.
"Put him down Borg. No one will be hurt if you release the Inspector but I will not tolerate blackmail." Controller Goff's small eyes showed no emotion as he spoke. "The Inspector's loss will cause me little grief. As a hostage he was a poor choice," his jowls quivered slightly, possibly with amusement, and he gestured at the Captain, "However I am interested in the results of your project. You have ten seconds Borg before I order the guards to kill all of you."
Before his ultimatum could be tested, the emergency klaxons began and the hailing system began to issue warnings.
TBC
TITLE: Janeway Redux
AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: R
CODE: J/7
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Set after five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her?
SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
DISCLAIMER: TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would own Star Trek but it's not and I don't.
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
Part 10 - Escape
"BORG SHIPS HAVE BEEN DETECTED ONE LIGHT YEAR FROM THE BASE. ALL PERSONNEL ARE TO REPORT IMMEDIATELY TO BATTLE STATIONS."
Seven dropped Kashyk who fell to the ground gasping for air. The Devore soldiers lowered their weapons and fear washed over every face except Captain Janeway who still sat slack-jawed and staring at nothing.
"Controller Goff we must get our research and all relevant personnel off the base now." said Derrish.
The controller shook his head. "There are fifteen Devore fleets defending this system plus the finest planetary defences in the region. You have to finish your work Professor. I need Janeway for the Fearless soon."
"The evacuation protocol was agreed with High Command. In the event of a Borg attack on this system, all research teams would be immediately evacuated and all evidence of their existence destroyed. This has absolute priority Controller."
The fat controller nodded reluctantly and Derrish took charge, sending his technicians and scientists to scurry about collecting data and equipment and preparing to destroy what they could not remove.
"Seven of Nine. I would be grateful if you could help me move the Captain to the transporter area for immediate transport."
"Why can we not transport from here?" she asked.
"The planet is heavily shielded to prevent rescue attempts. Transporter signals are specifically targeted and recently we have attempted to modify the system to counter Borg transporters. Only one place on the planet can be used for transport. Now we must hurry"
"What about them." Seven pointed at Kraal and Nithqref.
"They are not required" said the Devore scientist. "Our orders are to evacuate essential staff only."
"Kathryn would not allow me to leave without them. I want the PArath's family also"
"There is no time for argument Seven. We must leave now."
"Precisely Professor. Therefore it would be prudent to agree to my terms and avoid any further delay."
He gave up. The Borg was as stubborn as the human. "All right but quickly."
Moments later, a jubilant Kraal was finishing untying his wife who had been hog-tied. The two enormous creatures had their arms full of small over-excited piglets. Urgency overcame her reluctance to interrupt the reunion and Seven gently prodded the Parath, gesturing to him to hurry and pick up the Captain and follow her. Kraal nodded his understanding, leaned down and unfastened the Captain's remaining arm restraints and picked her up. He staggered slightly and cursed. His wife who had removed her own gag snorted disapprovingly.
"Cavorting with strange women as usual; come here children, we are again obliged to follow your fool of a father!" The five piglets giggled and squealed. Kraal grinned at his wife and turned to follow Seven.
They set off after Derrish, accompanied by a senior technician and a couple of soldiers. The small group pushed their way through a platoon of Devore soldiers heading in the opposite direction. The klaxon continued to sound and green emergency lighting had come on casting a bilious light over the organised chaos. Kraal was finding the Captain quite a burden and was complaining loudly.
"Why do all emergency warning systems mean everyone has to get a headache. Turn the damned siren off you cursed excuses for sentient beings," he shouted at the scuttling Devore. He shifted the Captain in his arms.
"In Freling's name she has put on weight. No more snacks between meals for you Captain."
Seven looked at him oddly. "The Captain's change in weight results from the reinforcement of her bone structure not from overeating."
"Humour is not your strong point Seven of Nine. I suppose jokes are frowned on amongst the Borg." A Devore escort sniggered at the Parath's remark, Kraal growled, amusing the Devore was not his aim in life.
"How many Devore does it take to change a tube-light?" He asked and then answered himself "Five, one electrician, one judge and a firing squad." Kraal snorted at the Borg's unamused expression and gestured with his head toward the now scowling Devore soldier. "Well perhaps that was not funny but it annoyed him which gives me pleasure."
Seven shrugged "You may be fortunate Parath. A race who could only offer the Borg such a sense of humour would be unworthy of assimilation."
Kraal's wife admired the insult. "A better class of female than you usually meet Kraal."
Seven turned her attention to the elegant Halquine who walked before them, each body uncomfortably clutching a wriggling Parath baby but still managing to retain a certain dignity.
"Nithqref have you succeeded in contacting Captain Janeway yet."
'I can feel her but it is not yet possible to fix a link to her mind. Her neural pattern has been replaced and the new pattern is very variable but it is stabilising. I will keep trying.'
Seven glanced at the death-pale Starfleet Officer lying limply in Kraal's arms. She did not want to think about what Nithqref might find when the Halquine made contact with Kathryn.
She should be recovering, the links to her neural pathways are fully established ... but no Borg ever had to complete the transition alone. I should have prevented her from doing this.
Alone in her sensory prison Kathryn was frightened. The world she could perceive was still a jumbled mass of meaningless shapes and noises. There was very loud continuous noise which drowned out anything else but she could not identify it or put it in any context. She also thought she might be feeling movement and some pressure but without any sense of location. What if I am like this for the rest of my life? Don't be silly Katie - anyway if you stay like this the Devore will terminate you so 'the rest of your life' will be quite short. That thought cheered her up more than it should. More loud noise interrupted her thoughts.
A BORG VESSEL HAS ARRIVED WITHIN TRANSPORTER RANGE OF THE PLANET. TRANSPORT HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY DISABLED, ALL EVACUEE PERSONNEL SHOULD PROCEED TO SECTOR ONE TRANSPORT ZONE AND AWAIT CLEARANCE.
They hurried on, out of the science complex into the main prison quad. It was the first time any of them apart from Kraal's family had been outside. The heat was unbearable and a biting hot wind whipped up clouds of red dust making them choke and cover their eyes. Dozens of ragged, starved and terrified prisoners milled about, completely ignored by the frantic Devore military. Any attempt to impede the soldiers was met with blows or worse. One woman with a child, begging for help, was murdered in front of them by a soldier with a disruptor. Two hellish minutes later they were across the yard and in a corridor marked "Sector One Access - Authorised personnel only". The way was blocked by a force fields. After Derrish's voice identification the force field in front of them dropped and they proceeded along the corridor stopping for clearance at several successive force fields.
"BORG VESSEL DESTROYED. A NUMBER OF BORG HAVE TRANSPORTED TO SECTOR TWO. SECTOR NULLIFICATION INITIATED. ANY PERSONNEL TRYING TO LEAVE THE SECTOR WILL BE DESTROYED."
"Didn't we just leave sector 2?" asked Kraal.
"We were lucky," said Derrish looked even greyer than usual. "No one else will be leaving. Half my technicians are still in there."
"What will happen to them?"
"Has happened. The sector has been flooded with nerve gas to prevent any personnel being assimilated. Any living being trying to exit the sector will be destroyed by automated disruptors."
Seven thought of all the helpless prisoners who had just died and hoped that Kashyk had been amongst them.
She was to be disappointed. They entered a holding room to find Controller Goff and Kashyk waiting with a squad of heavily armed guards. "We have decided to leave the battle zone with you. I feel it is important that I closely monitor your research Professor." said the fat controller. "Transport facilities will be restored as soon as the small Borg contingent on the surface are destroyed."
Kraal put Kathryn down gently and muttered to Seven, "The fight must be going badly if they are running away."
The sound of disruptor fire nearby galvanised the squad of soldiers into activity and they took up position. Two soldiers ran through the door "The Borg have adapted to our weapons. They are trying to break through the last force field, we cannot hold them."
"How many?" yelled Kraal.
"Five. We destroyed four and the automatic disruptors took another five."
"Have there been any assimilations?" snapped Derrish.
"No Sir. I don't think so, we killed anyone injured or captured before they could be assimilated."
The remaining defenders were now retreating through the blast doors and back towards the only exit. "Stand and fight" screamed Kashyk. But the Devore were too frightened. Most of the Devore panicked and followed their comrades into the maze of transporter rooms.
"Inspector Kashyk you are to ensure that Captain Janeway's body is not taken by the Borg under any circumstances, is that clear? On pain of death Inspector!" commanded Controller Goff who then waddled out as fast as he could in the wake of his soldiers.
"Fat bastard" muttered Kashyk.
The first Borg drone appeared at the open door, disruptor fire from the automated defence systems bounced harmlessly off his shielding. His optically enhanced eyes swept the room with a dead gaze and expressionless he moved towards Seven and Kraal. Another appeared behind him.
"Shut the blast doors you fools." Kashyk shouted at the remaining soldiers.
The doors slammed shut behind the two drones. Immediately the doors were under attack from the Borg outside. The two drones inside the room only paused to looked at the closed doors before resuming their advance.
Kraal picked up a dropped disruptor and began firing at the drones trying to distract them. His wife gathered the frightened children and herded them away from the oncoming drones.
"Get Kathryn," yelled Kraal firing continuously. Seven nodded and ran towards the Captain's twitching body. She reached Kathryn at the same time as the Borg only to be knocked away by a swipe that would have killed a weaker being. The Borg lifted the Captain's body gently and plunged his assimilation tubules into her neck.
Seven screamed and threw herself at the drone pushing it backward, knowing she was already too late. Grasping the Borg's head she twisted it with rage until she heard the snapping of metallic bones and the Borg drone collapsed against her.
The second drone staggered back, brains and circuits oozing from its skull after a crushing blow from Kraal, wielding his disruptor like a club.
The noises and shapes span wildly. This is like space sickness only less fun, thought Kathryn. Then a particularly sickening swing made her senses lurch but it was followed by a curious sensation. For a brief second millions of voices swam in her head and then there was silence. And before her eyes the world solidified into intelligible forms and sounds. The sounds of fighting.
Captain Janeway rose unsteadily to her feet to find Seven of Nine and Kraal staring at her. They looked at her. Uncertainly, hope and fear mixed in their eyes. Kraal lifted his disruptor. Behind them she heard Kashyk's voice shouting "Kill her, kill the drone." The only two Devore guards who had not fled aimed their disruptors at her. But unexpectedly they hurled their weapons away screaming with pain.
'STOP! She is Captain Janeway.' echoed through the minds of those present.
'Kathryn you are alive' Nithqref stated. The brief thought was wrapped in relief and affection.
"Thank you Nithqref. That's a neat trick." She gestured at the two guards who were wringing their hands and looking at their discarded weapons with great suspicion. The Halquine's two bodies shrugged as one. 'The guards are highly suggestible - it was, as you say, a trick.'
Kathryn caught sight of her left arm and cringed at the sight of two Borg small implants protruding blackly from her pale skin. This was going to take some getting used to. She heard someone whisper a single word and knew the exact pitch of the voice, its direction and distance before her human recognition placed the voice as that of Seven of Nine and the word whispered as her own name.
Seven of Nine closed the space between herself and her Captain and lifted Kathryn gently against her.
"You frightened me, you must not do so again." She kissed her and Kathryn could feel her tears wetting her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around Seven's neck and returned the kiss.
Kathryn Janeway pulled back to breathe "Seven, are you okay? What is happening?"
Then Janeway saw the bodies of the two fallen drones. "Where did these come from? Please don't tell me these are two of the volunteers."
"No. They are real drones. Kathryn, you were assimilated, I could not reach you and I thought I had lost you forever." She kissed the slightly embarrassed Starfleet captain again.
"I'm so sorry sweetheart... it's okay now. I'm fine, I think. Hey put me down, I must be too heavy for you."
"You are not," said Seven firmly and carried on kissing her.
"I can't agree with that," said Kraal, "I had to carry you while you took your little nap and Captain you're heavier than a Parath policeman with a desk job. Here, Borg Lady let go of the little Captain and let me have a piece." Reluctantly Seven let Kathryn go and Kraal stepped in with a bone crunching hug. He set her down.
"You are one lucky humanoid. When that drone plunged those wiggly things in your neck, I thought we'd lost you."
Captain Janeway placed her hands on her hips and grinned with satisfaction "You mean it worked. I survived assimilation. Twice in one day."
"Congratulations Captain, your survival gives us all hope." said Inspector Kashyk. His voice dripped malevolence and Seven, remembering his order to the guards to kill Kathryn, stepped threateningly towards him.
"You tried to kill her. I will terminate you."
The noise of twisting metal drew their attention back to the now buckling blast doors.
Nithqref broadcast Captain, you may need to survive a few more assimilations today. There are at least three drones out there and transport off world is not yet permitted. We cannot stay here Kathryn, we should retreat back into the main transporter area.
Janeway stared at the buckling blast doors. She was concerned.
"Three you say, I don't think we can just leave them Nithqref. The risk of the Borg assimilating knowledge of our research is too great, we will have to destroy them. Kashyk can we use the transporters within this area?"
"I believe so Captain."
"Right, retreat in there - get all the civilians to safety." She pointed towards the adjacent transporter room. "Move, that's an order Kashyk." She glared at him and shrugging his shoulders, the Inspector complied.
"Seven when I give the signal you are to release the blast doors. Kraal, Nithqref and you two guards - I want covering fire and lots of it. Everyone else get back and take cover."
"Kathryn you cannot transport them their shielding will prevent it?" Seven objected.
"Did I say I was going to do that? However we will only get one shot at this so if there are any survivors then I'm afraid we will have to kill them the old fashioned way."
Kathryn took up position at the transporter controls and allowed herself a few seconds to ensure she could operate it accurately. Her Brenari acquired knowledge of Devore language and technology was extensive but the control panel was different and she had to be precise. She laid in the transporter co-ordinates, locked onto her targets and waited.
"OK Seven let them in." The heavily damaged blast doors slid apart but only partially.
The three drones stepped through the small opening into the holding area and were met by a blast of fire from Kraal and the others. The heavy fire did no apparent damage but the drones aligned themselves and started to walk purposefully towards the source of the firing. Kraal, Nithqref and the two guards retreated before them firing continuously.
Kathryn held her breath and as the three drones crossed the threshold of the transporter room she punched the transport button. The two drone corpses dematerialised and then rematerialised a few metres away inside the bodies of their marching comrades. For a millisecond the line of drones continued to march and then collapsed in a mangled line of merged bodies and limbs.
Kraal and his team stopped firing and gaped at the twitching, dying drones. The Parath sounded sombre when he said "Remind me never to annoy you Kathryn."
"I'm glad you realise what a mistake that would be" she answered bleakly. "Give me your disruptor Kraal."
She turned the weapon on the fallen Borg and with three short blasts ended their suffering. "Let's get out of here before any of their friends arrive."
Seven of Nine said nothing, she just stared at the dead Borg.
BORG LIFE FORMS HAVE BEEN TERMINATED, FIRST WAVE EVACUEE PERSONNEL REPORT TO TRANSPORTER ROOM 3. THE IMPERIUM VESSEL REVENGE IS WAITING. OTHER PERSONNEL ARE TO AWAIT ORDERS AND PREPARE FOR THE FULL EVACUATION OF THE BASE.
Captain Janeway led the way out of the chamber back towards the main transporter rooms. The rest of the small band fell silently into step behind her. They arrived at transporter room 3, a great cavern, where Goff and the surviving Devore scientists and technicians had already assembled. The senior Devore stared at Janeway unbelievingly.
"Captain Janeway you have returned and the Borg are dead. You are both lucky and resourceful and, it seems, dangerous. Inspector Kashyk has not overstated your abilities." Goff was almost affable in a threatening way. "How did you do it?"
"The Borg intruders are now fully collectivised, joined at the hip you might say." Seeing Seven wince Janeway regretted her levity. "I mean no offence Controller but can we leave this rock. I can debrief you later."
The Controller nodded and they took their places on one of the enormous transporter pads designed for moving large numbers of prisoners. Massive explosions could be heard as the Devore fleet orbiting the planet destroyed all buildings, removing all evidence and records. All surviving Devore personnel were being evacuated leaving only the frightened hordes of prisoners, huddled in the hot, biting winds, to await the inevitable Borg re-inforcements. The transport command was given and the Devore and their guests disappeared from view leaving the chaos of the prison planet behind.
TBC
TITLE: Janeway Redux
AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: R
CODE: J/7
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Set after five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her?
SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
DISCLAIMER: TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would own Star Trek but it's not and I don't.
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
Part 11 - Betrayal
They transported to the Devore warship and Kathryn immediately felt better, back in space where she belonged. Quite why it felt so different and familiar she did not know. Artificial gravity ensured there was no obvious change from the planet they had just left and there was no sense of motion. It must be the recycled air.
Her musing was cut short by Controller Goff wobbling in to the room.
"Follow me Captain. You are to continue to work here with Professor Derrish until we transfer to the Fearless which is undergoing tests. A single ship will be less easy for the Borg to find even by accident."
"What is the Fearless?" asked Kraal following behind the Captain.
"It is our second prototype transwarp vessel. It has already successfully travelled at transwarp speeds but we can only maintain the conduits for short periods as we lack the necessary Borg materials, and have had to use substitutes. Fortunately this is more than enough for rapid travel within Devore space, after a short period the drive can be regenerated and another jump can be made. Not perhaps as sophisticated as the Borg but it will suffice. We are refitting our fleets while continuing tests with the Fearless."
"What happened to the first prototype?" Janeway queried.
"A great tragedy Captain. It fell out of a transwarp conduit after a malfunction and crash landed on a planet, however the design has now been modified to ensure controlled re-entry into normal space." As he spoke he led them into a small laboratory. "You will work in here. Your equipment is in the adjoining cargo bay together with the shuttle Faraday and your drone's alcove. There are sleeping quarters allocated for you and your team along the corridor. Now sadly I must leave as I have other matters to attend to but I will see you again tomorrow Captain."
Janeway nodded impassively and the fat controller turned on his heel and departed.
*~~~*
Janeway was linked to a set of monitors while Professor Derrish clucked over her and fussed about with her implants. Seven silently assisted him. "Well it seems you were lucky that Borg came along Captain."
"The momentary link to the collective as he punctured your neck organised the data structures in your brain and the links to your enhanced senses. Otherwise you would have remained as you were, mind and body disjoined."
"Did the collective learn about me through the link?" asked Kathryn anxiously.
"We cannot know that. But we can modify our procedure to avoid the same problems with the next test subjects." He disconnected the monitoring equipment and handed her a jacket.
Janeway grimaced at the memory of the assimilation. "Perhaps you could do something to ease the discomfort, it hurt a lot Professor."
"I will see what I can do." He left the lab and Seven helped Janeway to her feet but still had not spoken.
"Seven, are you all right?" Kathryn was concerned by the former Borg's reticence.
"I am functioning within normal parameters." But Seven didn't sound all right to the Captain. And her face looked strained and apprehensive.
"Seven, are you upset about those drones? I am sorry if it distressed you but this is war. Pain and death are a sometimes a necessary evil. I did what was required."
Kathryn wondered about the truth of her own words, the killing had been a little too easy for her. She hadn't considered the dreadful result of her plan even for a moment, just the likelihood of success. She wondered if it was only her body that had been changed.
"I do not dispute the necessity Captain, your method was efficient and protected us from additional risk but Kathryn ...." Seven's distress was now apparent.
"Seven tell me." instructed Kathryn gently.
"For a short period before I blocked them out I could feel their pain and hear their voices, their screams. It was ... disturbing. In the collective drones would be shielded from any emotions or pain. It is the first time I have experienced a Borg death. I know how it feels and I am afraid."
Janeway put her arms around her Borg. She didn't really know what to say to the young woman and settled for holding her tight and whispering "I'm sorry darling, don't be afraid, I love you and will protect you." until she felt Seven's shaking subside. "I am sorry Seven, I should have found another way."
"Regrets are futile Kathryn, I broke a drone's neck to protect you and I do not regret doing that. If you had left them alive many others would have died." The ex-drone's voice hardened, "my fear is selfish and small, it weakens my collective."
Kathryn spoke again with a little more confidence now that she better understood what Seven was feeling.
"Fear is sometimes necessary Seven; for an individual to survive it must know it's own limits. And without fear there is no courage. You followed me into danger when you left Voyager, you risked your life to protect me. Would you behave differently now?"
Seven was shocked. "No!"
"Then how has this changed you? You are still the same courageous person. Perhaps acknowledging your mortality has just made you less foolhardy which is to our benefit. I don't want you behaving like an expendable drone."
Nithqref appeared in Captain Janeway's thoughts and she could sense his excitement 'Kathryn there are a large number of Free Alliance prisoners aboard this ship including some very senior politicians. Their ship was captured when they offered to help the Devore fight the Borg. The Devore deceived them and seized the vessel, its crew and the delegation from the Alliance. They are to be interrogated by Controller Goff.'
Kathryn tightened her hold on Seven. After escaping from the Borg it was easy to forget that they were still in great danger from their hosts.
"Charming people the Devore. I keep wondering when the Controller will decide that we are unnecessary. Find out the location of these prisoners and their security arrangements Nithqref. We need allies. Come on Seven you need to regenerate and I need to eat and sleep."
They returned to the quarters arranged for them. Janeway held Seven's hand as she helped the ex-drone start her regeneration cycle. A novel experience for both of them. Janeway realised that adapting to their new relationship would be strange and maybe even unsettling. For a while she stood and watched the gorgeous woman resting peacefully as she had done many times on Voyager. But now it's different, I am different.
Kathryn undressed and with some trepidation allowed herself to examine the changes to her body in the mirror.
Always fair her skin was now very pale and this was accentuated by large dark bruises that had appeared around the seven starburst implants that had surfaced. She noticed that the implants were concentrated on the left side of her body, on the back of her hand, her upper arm, one under her left ear, one on her side just lower than her breast and another on the outside of the upper thigh. The remaining pair were centred on her lower back. Varying in size from a half to three centimetres in diameter the implants were not in themselves too unpleasant but small darker veins of metal threading away from the implants were just visible under the skin and the bruising extended a considerable distance around them. Seven had assured her the bruising would disappear quite soon. Kathryn was not a vain woman but she had always known she was reasonably attractive and that brought a certain degree of self-confidence however much she might consciously deplore such shallowness. Now she found herself wondering how others would look at her and in particular how Seven might react.
Kathryn touched the implant on the back of her hand, it was the same smooth grey metal that comprised Seven's Borg components. Slightly cooler than her flesh, she had been surprised to find that it was as sensitive to temperature and pressure as her own skin and actually felt like a part of her. She closed her hand and watched the metal flex with her muscles, malleable and yet more resistant to damage than most substances known in the galaxy.
Internally she knew the changes were far greater, her cybernetically enhanced musculature and bone structure had already claimed a victim. When they were introduced to the captain of the Revenge, she had unwittingly broken three of his fingers. It had greatly amused Controller Goff. Again Seven had reassured her that she would learn to control the enhanced strength.
But the biggest change lay in the connection between her body and mind. She had a conscious awareness of her body's functions and operations. The neural processor which now formed part of her mind allowed her to monitor her heart rate, temperature, blood flow,chemical and neural states in detail as though she was a separate entity. And even more strangely she realised she could assign her mechanical 'brain' to think about something entirely different and even to operate her body while she considered something else and yet be conscious of its operations and thought patterns. It was as though her subconscious was laid bare before her. Seven had never mentioned this odd dichotomy - probably because it was so natural to her that she was unaware that other people thought differently.
"I can't call my mind my own now what with the mechanical squatter and Nithqref popping in whenever he, she or it feels like it" grumbled Janeway to herself. She caught sight of the implant on her arm in the mirror and her thoughts returned to the physical changes and a sudden sense of dread that Seven might find her repulsive. She shook the thought off as self-indulgent and foolish. 'There are more important things at stake here Kathryn than your appearance.'
*~~~*
The Revenge was travelling at high warp towards its rendezvous with the Fearless and the star field appeared as long smears of light. Captain Kathryn Janeway stood on the bridge of the Revenge and wished with all her heart that it was Voyager, she missed the ship and her command like a lost limb, the pain ever present. She listened with a kind of homesickness to the chatter amongst the Devore bridge crew as they monitored subspace communications and reported sensor readings. There was a high state of readiness and obvious nervousness of interception by the Borg.
She was careful not to betray any understanding, Kashyk and Goff made a great play of only permitting universal translators to be used when they authorised it; a security measure only required because of the large number of insurgents aboard they assured her. But as she and Seven were the only people aboard who supposedly did not speak any of the local languages she guessed that the real intention was to prevent her communicating with the rebels. Since she had acquired a complete knowledge of several local languages including Devore from the dying Brenari woman, Seven was the only person at all affected by the ban.
Janeway was waiting now for the Controller on the bridge. They were close to the rendezvous with the Devore's newest ship, the Fearless, where all the prisoners and Kathryn and her team were to be transferred. Kathryn was still unsure about what her next move should be. Goff had been interrogating his prisoners for the last sixteen hours and according to Nithqref some of them were close to breaking or death.
Time was not on their side for other reasons. The assimilation tests were now well advanced. Goff and Kashyk had suddenly dropped their scruples about using Devore soldiers as test subjects and some hundred and fifty had been assimilated without misfortune and were now undergoing training. The high command were apparently delighted with the results and Seven and the Professor were designing equipment for large scale conversions. Which is probably why we are still alive. she thought.
The Devore had withdrawn their fleets from the main Devore systems to save on further losses while their vessels and crews were converted. A mass evacuation of those systems was underway protected only by very minimal forces although the Borg had not yet renewed their attack. Seven thought the first attack had been largely exploratory and the Borg would now be ensuring that adequate numbers of ships were available for a full scale invasion.
The Revenge dropped out of warp and Captain Janeway was roused from her thoughts.
"Monitor forward" said the Master of the Revenge. And a large view screen opened up to display the space before them. A vessel hung in space, blacker than the void behind it, visible only because of a dull metallic sheen reflecting the light of the nearby star. It was not like the large potato shaped Devore war ships with their huge prisoner holds and marine barracks. Smaller than that but still bigger than any Star Fleet vessel excepting the enormous galaxy class vessels, this ship was built to intimidate and to fight. Like a gigantic squid three great arms projected forward from a central body. Weapons, Kathryn surmised. A single enormous engine bulging from the aft of the main body of the ship glowed gently and she could see three smaller auxiliary engines mounted around the central engine. She couldn't see the bow of the ship but docking ports and phaser banks were just visible along the port side.
"Open communications."
The screen cleared and a senior Devore Inspector appeared. "You are late. We have been holding station here too long."
"Apologies Inspector we had to divert to avoid a possible Borg squadron." replied the Master of the Revenge.
"The cargo is to be transferred without further delay. We are transmitting co-ordinates." And the view screen went blank.
"Friendly bastard" muttered the pilot. "So that is the Fearless. I heard they stole the design. Well it looks different enough. A bit short on aft defences though."
"I don't think that is the aft." said the co-pilot. "She can fly as well in either direction. And I heard they stole the ship not just the design. The shields will hold off a planetary cannon barrage. And the main weapon can disintegrate a small moon."
"Shut up the Gaharay will hear you."
"Nah she can't understand us. Hey woman, Kashyk promised us a record of his final interview with you and he means final." He laughed.
Janeway looked at him blankly.
"See what I mean. No idea. What kind of a culture allows its women to command space ships anyway?" The co-pilot laughed to think of such pathetic creatures.
Controller Goff had entered the bridge quietly and hearing the co-pilot's chatter, his nose wrinkled in distaste. He signalled to his assistants and the co-pilot found himself being forcibly removed from the bridge. "You will need a new pilot" said Controller Goff to the ship's master. "I would suggest a less talkative model."
He beckoned to Janeway to follow him. "I have activated the universal translator Captain. Please accompany me."
Janeway replied in English. "Controller Goff, I am afraid my grasp of Devore is no better than it was yesterday but I do enjoy this little game."
The translator activated and the Controller smiled as well as he was able. "I like to take nothing for granted Captain."
"I take it that was your new wonder ship."
"Yes, the Fearless. A very fine vessel but there are a number of problems with its design."
Kathryn remained silent but tried to look encouraging.
"Some aspects of its operation remain mysterious."
Kathryn's face showed what she hoped was appropriate puzzlement. "I don't understand Controller. Didn't it come with a manual?"
"Unfortunately not Captain. The Farini designers were contracted by the Imperium to modify one of their latest ships with the new drive and I am sad to say they reneged on our bargain after some very successful tests. Naturally we took the ship anyway but they had incorporated a number of fail safes which we have been unable to remove."
"And you would like Seven with her extensive knowledge of encryption codes to examine the ship's systems" finished Janeway. Well that answers the question about our continuing usefulness.
"As ever Captain you impress me. You have reached the correct conclusion although a little modestly. Your own contribution is likely to be as useful."
"Controller Goff, flattered as I am by your faith in our abilities I have to ask how we will benefit from co-operation? I am concerned with our long term welfare. I'm aware that certain elements do not accept that I have a future."
"You refer to Inspector Kashyk. A man of great promise but sadly little actual delivery. He will have no influence in this matter I can assure you Captain. We would like you to take command of the Fearless."
Janeway's astonishment was unfeigned and it took her a few seconds to recover. Controller Goff was visibly amused by her discomfiture. Annoyed with herself Janeway carefully kept her voice neutral asking with as much disinterest as she could muster. "That is an interesting offer Controller. Why me?"
"You are a commander of outstanding abilities and your experience outside the Imperium is of great value and is unique. I have studied the logs of your travels and nothing, except perhaps boredom, seems to overcome you. You do not appear to know the meaning of the word defeat. There are some cultural differences but as I have said before whatever your motivation, if it is in our interests, then the Imperium will accommodate you. We have allowed you to retain your telepath which is against our strictest taboo."
"Before I answer Controller I would like to see the ship, look her over."
"Of course Captain." He paused. "You do understand that once you board the Fearless you will not be able to leave. You will either command the ship or be a prisoner. No one outside the High Command is permitted to leave once they have acquired any knowledge of her. Even the bridge crew of this vessel will not be permitted to depart now that they have seen the ship."
"I understand. My team will transport to the Fearless at your convenience Controller and, before you object, it is all or none, even down to the smallest piglet."
He twisted his face in the now familiar parody of a smile and assented with good grace.
*~~~*
Fifteen minutes later Kathryn's little brood, including five small piglets, had transferred to the Fearless. According to Nithqref the Free Alliance prisoners had already been transferred.
Before they boarded Kathryn spoke to her telepath privately "Nithqref I need to know more about these prisoners and particularly anything that they know of the Fearless, the Farini, the Borg or anything else. Why take them there, it makes no sense and I don't like it."
When they materialised Kathryn looked round and drew a deep breath. The interior of the Fearless was as unlike a Devore ship as the exterior.
A certain clean but dour functionality characterised most Devore decorating and design with beige or grey metal walls and struts and grey-green controls and displays the predominating features. The Fearless was a riot of colour by contrast. Red and black fascia on the control systems, yellow and white metal walls and corridors.
Kathryn and Seven looked at each other and spoke simultaneously, "Arturis".
Their companions looked mystified but neither Kathryn or Seven spoke again until the guards had conveyed them to their quarters.
Janeway spoke first "Arturis was a representative of a very advanced race that was recently defeated by the Borg. Something for which he held me personally responsible. He tried to return me and Seven to the Borg for assimilation, a fitting punishment in his view. I don't want to presume too much but I would guess the people who designed and built this craft are from the same species. I would also guess that Controller Goff is well aware of our previous contact with this species from the logs of the Faraday. It explains his belief that Seven and I are particularly well equipped to fly this ship."
'And can you?' asked the Halquine.
"It's possible but Arturis' people were highly skilled linguists and cryptographers as well as ship builders. If they really tried to lock out the ship's systems then control would be hard to recover. In fact I doubt the ship would even be as operational as it obviously is. The other oddity is the ship's drive. Arturis' ship had a quantum slipstream drive more advanced even than the Borg transwarp drives. His people would not have needed second hand Borg technology. Something does not add up here."
"Perhaps the designers of this ship are not from the same species but merely shared some exchange of technology" commented Seven.
Janeway looked dubious. "This is all speculation. I would prefer to obtain some facts, we are missing some part of the picture. As I said I don't like any of this."
They were interrupted by the arrival of several Devore guards. "Janeway to come with us. Now."
"I will accompany you." said Seven
"No, Janeway alone." said the guard and poked his disruptor in Seven's face.
"It's all right Seven, they need me. Stay here and look after the others." Kathryn smiled reassuringly and squeezed her hand.
Kathryn stood up gracefully and followed the guards out of the door. Seven watched her go, painfully aware that she never knew if they were saying goodbye for the last time. Love was too hard.
*~~~*
Controller Goff and Inspector Kashyk were waiting for her on the bridge of the ship. Another figure stood in shadow watching her arrival.
"Captain you are here. I would like you to meet the designer of this ship Morvius of the Farini." Goff could have been introducing her at a diplomatic function.
The figure in the shadows stepped forward, he was enough like Arturis to be his twin. His features contorted with malevolent triumph.
"Morvius I wish to deliver to you the first part of your payment - Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Starship Voyager. Dead or alive I believe you said?" Goff still spoke as though he were discussing the price of commodities which in a way he was as Janeway now realised. Her life for a new ship.
"Dead preferred Controller but alive will do." The Farini's black eyes burned with hatred.
The Controller was matter-of-fact.
"In line with our agreement you will now give us full control of the slipstream drives. As a sign of good faith."
Morvius entered some data into his terminal. "I have transferred the lockout codes to your helm. Now I want the rest of my payment Controller."
A ragged figure was dragged through the door by two guards and dumped on the floor in front of them where it lay barely moving.
"What have you done to her?" screamed Morvius. He dropped down beside the figure and cradled her head in his arms muttering endearments.
"We interrogated her as we would any other prisoner" replied Goff in a patient but deadly tone. He hated dealing with genius, it was so unstable and emotional, so irreplaceable. "You told us yourself that if she suspected we were bringing her to you she would kill herself. At no time was she to know she was being any differently treated from the others. Now you must complete the transaction Morvius and give us full control of this ship and its weapons."
The figure on the floor raised her head to speak in a weak tired voice "Morvius please don't do this, you must not give these people this ship. They are oppressors, as evil as the Borg."
"Shh, don't speak. Look they have brought us Janeway. Our people can be revenged and the Borg will be defeated by the Devore Imperium. You must see that the Free Alliance would never have been strong enough to halt the Borg."
"They will not keep to their bargain Father, we will both be killed or kept to work for them. You have no right to do this." Exhausted by speaking the Farini female passed out, her father shook his head and gently laid her head back down. He moved back to the terminal and began entering data. Goff exchanged a satisfied look with Kashyk.
Janeway kept silent, there were too many variables. She did not feel concerned about her own position, the girl was right it was highly unlikely that any of them would be allowed to walk away from this ship and certainly not the designer. Of course the Devore might just kill Janeway and her friends once they had the Fearless under their control but she suspected that Goff had been truthful about wanting her on the Fearless, they wanted an alternative source of expertise to Morvius who was obviously unpredictable.
Nithqref she thought trying to summon the telepath.
'I am with you Kathryn and I have been observing'
You did not mention this girl
'She did not seem important Kathryn, just another young runaway rebel. I had not considered her and no one took any notice of her apart from the normal beatings. No other member of her group seemed aware of her significance.' Nithqref could not hide irritation at having missed the significance of the child and Kathryn smiled. Telepathy was a two way street.
Nithqref I am worried. The Devore obviously brought that group of prisoners here as camouflage for the Farini girl and now she has served her purpose the other prisoners are expendable. We are going to have to find a way to keep them alive. Try and contact the girl and find out what you can about Morvius; it might be better if you do not reveal your relationship to me as yet. I doubt she regards me any more kindly than her father does.
Her attention returned to the scene before her when Morvius spoke to the fat controller.
"The ship is yours Controller Goff, full control is transferred. When my daughter and I leave this ship with Janeway I will release the full technical specifications to your shipbuilders."
Goff turned to an assistant "Do we have control?"
"Confirmed Controller. The Fearless has gone to warp and engineering is warming up the slipstream drive."
Goff smiled benevolently at the Farini, "I do not think it would be wise for you to leave us just yet Morvius. There is much Borg activity in the area and of course we may have teething difficulties with such a new design. As for Captain Janeway, she will be here for you when the time is right to leave."
*~~~*
Janeway was escorted back to her quarters by Controller Goff who had assured the manic Farini that she would be kept in chains.
"An interesting situation Controller. I am trying not to take offence but it would appear that you have been parsimonious with the facts."
"It was my duty dear Captain. Often I regret the path my duty requires me to walk but nonetheless that is the path I must follow." Goff looked regretful but the impression of cold calculation remained.
"I see and where exactly is the path tending now?" asked Janeway.
"Captain Janeway, the designer Morvius is a troubled genius, the finest engineer of his generation and one of only a few thousand survivors of his race, who owe their survival in large part to his designs. Such a man is too valuable to be discarded."
"And where are the rest of his kind?" she asked curiously.
"We do not know. Hiding on some rock no doubt." With those words he dismissed the fate of a species. "Morvius came to us, to ask for a .... favour in exchange for his ship."
"He wanted me." Janeway surmised.
"Indeed. You had only recently deceived Inspector Kashyk and it seemed a simple matter to arrest you, a known criminal, and make the exchange. Unfortunately the Borg intervened and complicated a simple trade. It then became apparent to us that Morvius was not the only valuable gaharay in this sector."
"And the Fearless is not your transwarp test ship. You said that to prevent me from smelling a large Carthusian Mugwump."
The Controller looked confused for a moment as the Universal Translator struggled with mugwump.
Kathryn smiled and said brightly "I wouldn't bet the farm on converting your ships to Farini technology. We tried with very limited success and you don't have much time."
"We are aware of that Captain. The final prototype of the simulated Borg transwarp drive successfully completed testing on a converted Devore corvette 3 days ago and the drive is being installed in existing fleet vessels as we speak. That drive only permits limited transwarp travel but is sufficient for travel in Devore space."
"The Fearless and its successors are insurance for the long term future of the Imperium. The technology in the Fearless is currently unsuitable for wider adoption. We would require new ships built to these specifications."
Kathryn continued to probe gently - Goff appeared to be happy to give her information which suggested that he was very confident. She fully intended to make as much use of that as possible. "But there is another issue which interests me Controller, how do you propose to sell to Morvius the idea of his most hated enemy captaining his ship?"
Goff lips twitched at the corners as he spoke in his most unctuous voice. "I do not think Morvius has fully considered his daughter's health and how that might be adversely affected were he to protest too strongly about our plans."
Kathryn faked concern. "I would not be so sure you have control here. For example, have you tested whether this vessel is as it appears? The Farini are quite capable of disguising a cargo lugger as a warship. You already know how the Voyager crew were mislead into believing they had found a Federation starship."
"I was present at the weapons demonstration of this ship Captain Janeway. I do not think even the Farini could have faked the impressive results." He looked smug enough to slap and Kathryn restrained herself. Goff continued "But your experience with the Farini Arturis was revealing and we have overhauled the Fearless to identify any faked technology, so far without success I am glad to say."
"Well here we are. I hope your promise to Morvius about chaining me up was an empty one?"
"Of course Captain - I need you both. For the moment." The fat controller smiled benevolently at her and Kathryn suppressed an answering smile. The old devil was almost charming in a wolf in sheep's clothing kind of way.
He is so confident that he runs the show. she thought. Well we just have to do some scene stealing and make sure we get the standing ovation.
TBC
TITLE: Janeway Redux
AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: R
CODE: J/7
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Set after five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her?
SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
DISCLAIMER: TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would own Star Trek but it's not and I don't.
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
Part 12 - Traitors
Kathryn sat on a low couch in her quarters and leaned back against Seven who obligingly wrapped her arms around her Captain.
The current meeting was to discuss their predicament and Kathryn looked at her companions with affection. None of them betrayed any awareness of the changes in her but Kathryn remained painfully self conscious. She was embarrassed by the physical changes she had undergone and pathetically grateful that Seven was showing her some affection. They had hardly seen each other for several days and Kathryn had worried that Seven was avoiding her even though rationally she knew Seven was fully occupied by her work with Professor Derrish.
Nithqref's two bodies reclined elegantly against the wall resembling the delicate sylphs of Earth legends. Despite all the hardship, the prison clothing and the beatings which had left visible marks the Halquine retained an air of grace and calm.
The youngest Parath piglets Margil, Nilka and Siunaal played tag on the floor around them while the two older ones Balaan and Greka assaulted their father who feigned being frightened. Kraal's wife Makela regarded her husband and two litters of children with her usual amused exasperation and then returned to practising some peculiar Parath martial art which she did with surprising grace for such a large woman. When Kathryn had shown surprise, the woman had explained with characteristic bluntness that her oaf of a husband was not the only fighter in the family and anyway it came in handy when sorting out the kids. Kathryn had been a little shocked and not known whether to take her seriously but it was soon obvious to the human that the Parath children were indulged by both parents despite lots of bluster and threats.
"Somehow I never imagined giving a briefing like this." Janeway joked to her assembled team in Brenari (The lingua franca of the Free Alliance).
Seven tightened her arms around the small Captain as the meaning of Kathryn's words was conveyed to her by Nithqref.
"I enjoy these meetings more than on Voyager." Seven whispered in her ear in English. (Janeway was teaching the main languages to Seven who learned faster than any human thanks to her eidetic memory but without access to any language resources it was time consuming and Seven still had some way to go to fluency.)
Janeway tilted her head back against the Borg's shoulder and smiled up at her. A snort from Kraal brought her mind back to the business of the meeting.
She hoped that the Devore were not listening. Seven had accessed ship's sensors and masked the group's life signs, setting up false signals to confuse the monitoring equipment that was liberally arranged throughout their living areas. The ex-Borg was satisfied that they would not be overheard or the gathering detected so Kathryn supposed she should be also.
Seven reported that the design and build work on the mass delivery mechanism for the anti-assimilation project was now completed.
"... the project has now transferred to an engineering team. Professor Derrish has asked me to continue work on making the anti-assimilation nanites more adaptable. Better mimics. My work allows me to retain access to the computer systems."
"Thank you Seven," Kathryn then addressed the Halquine aloud for the benefit of the others "Nithqref - have you any idea where we are going and why?"
'We are accompanying the Revenge to some kind of weapon demonstration. I cannot establish any further details because only senior Devore officers have been briefed and they are too dangerous to scan.' The two androgynous halves of the telepathic being looked worried and Kathryn guessed at the cause.
"What about the prisoners?" she asked. "What is their status?"
'Some 96 prisoners were transferred and are being held in the brig. They include two very senior ambassadors from the Free Alliance. I have made contact and assured them we will do what we can to assist but conditions are very poor and several of the prisoners are seriously ill. The Devore do not appear to be feeding them or treating their sickness.' The distress felt by the gentle being was transmitted to everyone together with a sense of the pain that the telepath had experienced when contacting the prisoners. Janeway consciously ignored the shared distress. She needed to hang on to the facts she told herself.
"Where is the Farini girl?" she enquired brusquely.
'She is in sick bay receiving medical treatment and is still very weak. Again I have established contact with her but she is suspicious that we are Devore spies. Despite that she is willing to help rescue the prisoners. I have not revealed your involvement Kathryn, as you instructed.'
"Good. Keep trying to get her trust, find out what she knows about this ship Nithqref. We need any edge we can get. So the prisoners usefulness is at an end so I am surprised they have not been executed already. Okay we need a plan to rescue them as well as ourselves. What are our options?" Kathryn was deliberately hard to counteract the pervasive sadness.
"Escape, Prison, Death" said Kraal succinctly, "but on a slightly less gloomy note we have the Faraday ..."
"Engines are non-operational." Seven noted.
"Can it be repaired?" asked Janeway trying to ignore the niggling irritation that clawed at her belly triggered by Seven and Kraal's negative responses.
Seven shook her head. "No and even if it were functional, we would not be able to launch it. It was transported inside a closed cargo bay."
"We could transport it out," Kathryn suggested.
"But it still won't fly." said the Borg with finality.
Kathryn couldn't control her annoyance. "Does anyone have any ideas, apart from giving up, which Seven seems happy to do?" She felt Seven stiffen and pull away a little.
"We could steal a shuttle from this ship" said Kraal.
"Does it have any?" Kathryn asked, still with an edge in her voice.
"Don't know" Kraal replied unhappily.
"Well at least that's something we can investigate, if any of you can be bothered" she added bitterly. Seven released her hold on the Captain abruptly.
Nithqref remonstrated 'Kathryn, we have no immediate opportunities awaiting us. We must be patient and look for weaknesses.'
"What about the prisoners, our patience may see them die," Kathryn snapped immediately. Flaming anger shook her even as she recognised the irrationality of her next words "If you are all too afraid or too lazy then you can all get out of here now. I will do better without you." There was a shocked silence and Janeway drew a deep breath to calm herself before glancing at her companions. Again she wondered if it was just her body that had changed.
Kraal was plainly furious and an ominous growl started in his chest. He was restrained by Nithqref placing a hand on his arm and no doubt a quiet word in his mind. The Parath subsided scowling, his wife looked scarcely less angry but she held her tongue. From the way Nithqref looked at her she knew the Halquine was also disappointed.
Nithqref was blunt. 'Kathryn please control your temper. This behaviour is not worthy of you.'
Janeway turned away from her friends, clenching her fists, digging her nails into the palms of her hands as she tried to regain control of herself. The Halquine then took charge. 'We will find a way forward. I suggest we find out as much as we can about this ship. We must ready ourselves to take action when the moment comes. I will further my contact with Morvius's daughter and try and reach a better understanding of how much she can or will help us. What other action would you like us to take Captain?'
Chastened and already regretting her impatience Kathryn was grateful for the Halquine deferring to her. With an effort of will she moderated her voice.
"I agree Nithqref that we need better intelligence."
The small ex-Captain turned to look at Seven. She could see the hurt in her love's face but maintained the facade of command.
"Seven continue your work with the Devore scientists but try and access the main computer, we need lockout codes, schematics of the ship, operational information, crew complement, shuttles, transporters, weaponry and security arrangements."
"I will obtain what I can Captain." Seven sounded distant and had withdrawn to the other side of the seat. Kathryn's heart shrank painfully but the habit of command was strong and she avoided reacting. 'A shame you didn't have that much control earlier Katie' said her inner voice. She ignored the voice and tried to concentrate.
"Kraal, I want you to try and get to know some of the Devore officers and men. There is a bar and entertainment area near the main crew quarters. Make yourself at home and see what you can dig up."
"But don't bring her home" interjected Makela. Her husband looked outraged but she just snorted and punched his arm. A little of the tension in the room eased.
"Okay let's find what we can," Kathryn said sounding positive. "Meeting over."
The small band split up, Kraal and Makela herding their small brood into the adjacent rooms. Nithqref was again made an unwilling accomplice, a gleeful Makela handed a squirming piglet to each of the Halquine's bodies.
"Two pairs of hands for the price of one - you would make a fortune as a mother's help" she chortled.
Kathryn watched them go and it occurred to her to wonder why the others had been so ready to ignore her behaviour. 'Almost as though they expected it' she thought uncomfortably.
After the others had gone Seven rose and started to leave also. Janeway said quickly "Seven are you going back to work now?" For a long second Seven hesitated before replying coolly.
"You wanted more information Captain. I am not required on duty at this time but ..."
"Don't go yet. I'm sorry Seven, I'm an ass. What I said in the meeting was uncalled for. No-one works harder than you." Kathryn Janeway passed her hand through her hair as she admitted. "No-one else deserved to be spoken to like that either."
"They did not." Seven seemed unforgiving and Kathryn suddenly felt very tired.
"I don't know what came over me. Seven is it possible that more than just my body changed when I was assimilated. I feel... different. I am a Starfleet Captain, trained to be tough, even ruthless when necessary but not brutal and not out of control."
"It is possible that you are not yourself," said Seven quietly adding more hesitantly, "Kathryn, your behaviour has occasionally been erratic, impulsive and emotional. Nithqref believes you are suffering from traumatic stress."
Kathryn's hackles rose with her voice as she stated icily "You have been discussing me." Seven pulled back, instantly wary. With considerable effort the former captain moderated her tone. She continued carefully, "No matter, but I want to know something. Seven, if this... instability results from my assimilation, can you fix me, can you... adjust me?" She rubbed her eyes, angrily determined not to cry. "I feel like a damned engine, I just want to know, do we have the right spare parts to put bloody Humpty Dumpty back to work?" She realised that her voice had risen further and she was almost shouting.
Seven studied her quietly and Kathryn turned away from the steady gaze, clenching her fists and digging her nails into her hands again as she struggled to retain some mastery of her emotions.
"I do not believe that the Borg components are malfunctioning." said Seven honestly. "Captain you were kidnapped, imprisoned and tortured."
"I am a Starfleet officer, I have been trained to withstand..."
"You are a human being, stranded in the Delta quadrant for five years with sole responsibility for 150 people. And now your remaining friends and your ship have been taken away." Seven was relentless. "Does it really surprise you Kathryn, that you are showing signs of strain?"
Kathryn Janeway silently stared at the tall blonde woman for long seconds before saying. "I don't have time for this Seven."
"You must make time."
"Don't take that insubordinate tone with me Seven. I am your commander."
"No, you are not! Nor do you command Kraal or Nithqref except by their consent. We accept your orders because we choose to. You are not in Starfleet now Kathryn, allegiance must be earned."
For a moment Seven thought the small red-head might hit her. Kathryn's face twisted with rage and Seven flinched away, dismayed by the uncontrolled fury in the pale face. As fear flickered over Seven's face Kathryn's anger collapsed. Now she was scaring the person she loved best in the Universe. Her clenched fists dropped and she slumped down on a chair.
"Seven I don't know how to be anything else" she whispered in a low voice. "Without my command what am I? Without Starfleet what am I?"
"You are Kathryn Janeway and it is enough."
Seven awkwardly squatted down beside her, put her arm around Kathryn's shoulders.
Kathryn wrapped her arms around Seven, buried her face in Seven's shoulder and began to cry, softly at first and then the sobs became louder and more painful. Seven was beside herself with guilt. It had never occurred to her that she could make Kathryn so unhappy. It was not a power that she enjoyed. She tightened her hold and drew Kathryn closer, stroking the soft hair but the helpless sobbing continued against her chest. Almost desperate to ease her love's pain she tried to think of something to say.
"You are... the captain of my heart" she said stiffly. A phrase remembered from the romantic reading material given to her by Voyager's doctor. It was apparently successful as the sobbing stopped but after a short while Kathryn's shoulders began to shake again. Seven regretted that her efforts had been so ineffective until a less than elegant snort alerted her to the fact that the ex-Captain was not crying any more. She raised Kathryn's chin and looked at the tear stained face suspiciously. Kathryn gazed into the china blue eyes and bit her lip, trying to stifle the rising laughter.
"A little mushy for a Borg?" she choked out and began laughing openly, hiding her face again in the beautiful ex-drone's shoulder. Embarrassed Seven tried to push her away but she hung on tightly and whispered "I'm sorry Seven, so very sorry, forgive me... again. I'm sorry, I love you. You deserve better than me." Kathryn was not laughing when she raised her face to kiss the full lips.
Seven tried to hold back but couldn't withstand the soft determined mouth on hers. Resistance crumbling, she began to respond to the insistent kisses.
She swept her captain off her feet, stupidly pleased that she could still effortlessly carry the smaller woman. Kathryn snuggled her head against Seven's breast and shut her eyes. Seven carried her to the bed and laid her down.
Gazing at the blissful face and closed eyes it occurred to Seven that the Captain had escaped too easily. Apologies alone were insufficient.
"You are correct Kathryn. I deserve better..." Kathryn jerked her head up and the blue-gray eyes opened wide with consternation. Seven smirked a little "... but as there are currently no available alternatives I will make do." She smothered any attempted comeback with another kiss and ignored the grunt of protest.
When the team met again the following day in Kathryn's quarters to report their findings, the Captain was in a much better mood.
Seven had infiltrated part of the Fearless' computer records and gathered a great deal of knowledge about the ship but she had been unable to discover anything about the purpose of the current mission except the final destination which appeared to be an unremarkable M-class moon circling a large gas giant.
Kathryn had used the time to familiarise herself with the layout of the ship and to get some understanding of it's impressive abilities. She had found that the Devore crew seemed less than happy to demonstrate and explain the vessel. A few words with Controller Goff had changed all that. The controller did seem to be genuinely interested in recruiting Janeway for the job of captain.
Nithqref had also made some progress with Morvius's daughter Atara. The girl was prepared to assist and claimed to be able to obtain command codes for the ship.
Of more immediate concern to everyone was Kraal who had been missing since the previous evening. His wife was hiding her fear behind a steady drip of low level sarcasm and mild invective.
"What time did Kraal leave?" asked Kathryn.
"After dinner of course - he needed his strength. The great lump."
"Did he say where he was going?" Kathryn was patient, a few days with Kraal and Makela and she knew they were fond of each other despite the constant mutual bickering.
"After a lot of fatuous nonsense about doing his duty and suffering for the cause the oaf admitted he was going to the bar to 'make friends'. You picked the right man for that job Captain. My husband has more friends in bars than most people have blood cells."
"I hear your voice sweetness," boomed the large Parath who had appeared in the doorway. He leaned heavily against the frame, "but a little quieter please my angel. My head is full of pounding beasts, pounding."
The Parath's normally ruddy brownish complexion was pale and his eyes, always reddish, seemed about to leak blood.
"You are drunk." said his wife in the tone of an offended grand-dame speaking to an especially lowly serf and loud enough to be heard through duranium reinforced walls.
"Captain you must excuse me while my wife and I settle our differences... with disruptors." His voice rose to a shout. The sound punched through his skull and he drooped against the door again and covered his eyes with a large hairy paw.
"Do you have anything useful to report," said Kathryn unsympathetically.
Raising himself slowly he whispered "I obtained this from a friend who I do not believe will miss it for some days." In his large hairy paw he held a Devore padd that he proffered to the Starfleet captain.
Kathryn took the stolen padd and activated it. She read the contents with mounting disgust. "Where did you get this?" she asked Kraal who was accepting a large mug of black chealath from his wife. (Although from the latter's expression it could equally have been poison.)
"From a senior gunner." Kraal pulled his lips back painfully in a grin. "He and I are good buddies with a mutual interest in the finer points of adMe." Kraal took a large gulp of his drink and gasped in relief. "When the bar closed we went back to his quarters with some other 'friends' to continue our game and he couldn't resist telling me about what a big day he was going to have tomorrow. Sadly it required some considerable time and several jugs of Devorean brandy to part him from the padd."
"You say this happens tomorrow! We don't even have a glimmer of a plan." Janeway re-read the document and closed her eyes. Why is there never any time?
Seven arched her cortical implant in a question. So far she didn't have a clue what was going on. Janeway translated the contents of the padd.
GUNNERY CREWS ARE TO REPORT FOR DUTY AT 0475 DST. AT 0510 THE PRISONERS WILL BE TRANSPORTED TO THE SURFACE. AT 0530 THE TEST WILL COMMENCE ON THE PLANET SURFACE. ESTIMATED COMPLETION 0560. SENSOR ASSESSMENTS OF TEST ASSIMILATIONS WILL THEN COMMENCE. ESTIMATED TIME FOR DATA COLLECTION 20 DST. AT 0578 FEARLESS AND REVENGE WILL LEAVE ORBIT. AT 0580 FEARLESS GUNNERY CREWS WILL OPEN FIRE AND DESTROY PLANET.
"Efficient," Seven stated baldly. "It accounts for the continuing existence of the prisoners. They required test subjects for the mass assimilation programme."
Janeway looked pained. "Seven try to be a little less impartial!"
"I did not imply that the situation was acceptable, simply that their actions were..." Seven could not think of an alternative, "...efficient."
Janeway winced. "Okay we have to think. What advantages do we have?"
There was a moment of quiet while the ill-assorted band tried to think of something in their favour.
"Well... the fools don't know that we know..." offered Makela breaking the silence unexpectedly. Kraal growled approvingly at his spouse.
'An advantage we must retain.' agreed Nithqref. 'Also the Devore are still allowing Seven access to the science station computers. Perhaps she can access the main computer from there.'
Seven shook her head. "The Farini design does not depend on a single main computer. It is highly diversified and each system seems to watch the others for signs of interference. I have gained limited access to the Fearless internal sensor controls - enough to falsify life signs. We can move about relatively freely"
"That will certainly help." Kathryn smiled encouragingly at her lover.
Kraal was still suffering, semi-reclining on the floor where he had slid down. Suddenly he sat upright and shouted in triumph "The Faraday!" He recoiled in pain and resumed speaking in a much more stifled voice. "Kathryn! The Faraday..."
"Can't fly - I know."
"It has a transporter. We could transport off this ship and escape!"
Kathryn was sceptical but mindful of her argument with Seven she controlled the sharp comeback merely asking. "We wouldn't be able to transport through the shields and where would we transport to?"
Kraal's face fell and he snorted. "I've not worked out all the details human and when are you going to have any ideas?" he asked aggressively. "I haven't heard anything from you."
He was satisfied to see the small human look chastened and then surprised when Kathryn suddenly grinned at him. Not immune to the Janeway charm, or beautiful women in general, Kraal felt the sun come out.
"Got it." she announced and exploded to her feet, striding up and down the small room, gesturing as she explained her plan to her comrades. When she finished talking she stood looking at them expectantly.
"You are mad Kathryn Janeway" said Kraal.
"I don't think so but I need you all on board with this. If we fail then the Devore will execute us." She looked pointedly at Makela. It was asking a lot to expect the woman to risk her children. The initial excitement faded and Janeway said soberly "It's all or none, if anyone disagrees then we won't do it."
"You are mad," said the Parath "but I like it." The rest of the small team signalled their agreement one by one. Janeway relaxed. She wasn't sure what she would have done if anyone had refused.
0450 found Kathryn pacing up and down in the confined space of the shuttle Faraday. She was feeling worried and missed Seven. The latter had been gone all night having persuaded Professor Derrish that she was working on some unforeseen problem with the mass assimilation program when actually she was working on disguising the Faraday's transporter signal as a random fluctuation in the power signal from the Borg alcove.
Kraal and Nithqref were sitting waiting patiently for the signal from Seven. This was to take place at 0510 to coincide with the transport of the prisoners to the planetoid's surface. The massive hulking Parath and the two slender, elfin Halquine bodies were in stark contrast huddled together on the small shuttle transporter pad. Kraal was relaxed and jovial. The imminent action and impossible mission did not seem to worry him. Nor was his wife even slightly concerned to human eyes but Kathryn guessed from the unusually affectionate way they had parted that there was some anxiety under the cheerful exteriors. Nithqref was more obviously subdued and she could feel the tension whenever the Halquine's mind touched hers.
Kathryn decided to check the transport control signal one more time and was hovering over the console when she observed Kraal watching her, his hog-like features contorted with amusement. 'Too obviously nervous Katie. Get a grip.' she told herself. She deliberately dropped her hands from the controls and smiled coolly at the large hog with as much command distance as she could muster.
"Ready Kraal?" she enquired.
"Ready Kathryn." he asserted.
"Nithqref, are you maintaining contact with Atara?"
'She understands what she has to do Captain' The Halquine sounded almost impatient.
"Well let's hope she can bring it off or this is going to be a very short and inglorious rescue attempt."
Kathryn was interrupted by Seven's voice on her communicator. "Test program completed. I will return for breakfast after the second test in five minutes."
Kathryn looked at her two companions. "Seven is ready. Five minutes."
There was a bang on the shuttle door and Makela stuck her head inside. "Kathryn. We have company. A couple of Devore soldiers are at knocking at your door."
Kathryn Janeway kept her voice steady despite the sudden jump in adrenaline. "Makela take over from me here. Keep to the plan. Nithqref can you keep me linked to everyone?"
'It should be possible. What are you going to do?'
"Improvise. I'll see you all later." She left the shuttle and exited from the storage bay into the main corridor. She could see the two soldiers further down the corridor aggressively pushing the buzzer on her door.
"Can I help you gentlemen?" she drawled walking briskly towards them.
They jumped at the sound of her voice. "You are required on the bridge. Orders of Controller Goff." said the more senior of the two, still obviously puzzled by her appearance behind him. "Sensors indicated you were in your room Captain Janeway. Why are you out here?"
"Deficiencies in your systems are not my problem. Now let's not keep the Controller waiting soldier" she snapped. "I'm sure he would not be amused at being delayed by you."
Without another look at the two soldiers she marched quickly towards the nearest elevator cubicle. The two soldiers fell into step behind her. Fear of the Controller outweighed any curiosity.
Nithqref she thought. I am going to find it difficult to play an active part - they are taking me to the bridge. Carry on as we planned and I will try to get to a more favourable position.
'Understood Kathryn. Take care.'
As she entered the bridge the Master of the Fearless was giving the command to transport the alliance prisoners to the surface of the planetoid. At the same moment Nithqref informed her that the Halquine and Kraal had transported to the armoury.
Controller Goff and Inspector Kashyk were both standing behind the Ship's master. The controller was looking particularly relaxed, even merry, almost a small Father Christmas figure if you ignored the coal black uniform and the chilling pale eyes. Kashyk was scowling and Kathryn guessed at the reason. Goff took a certain amount of pleasure in reminding him of his precarious career and likely future as a junior officer on a prison ship.
"Ah Captain Janeway," said Controller Goff. "Glad you could join us. I thought you would be interested in the weapons test we are about to conduct on the planet." His fat jowls wobbled around a small smile.
She inclined her head and answered politely.
"I am extremely interested Controller. Inspector Kashyk, I am glad you are still with us." Her voice hinted surprise that the Inspector was present and she was pleased to see him frown uncertainly. Controller Goff was plainly amused and his small smile grew a little bigger. In Kathryn's head a jubilant Nithqref reported the successful theft of a dozen disruptors and a successful transport to sickbay.
Kathryn smiled back at the fat controller. So far so good she thought.
An operations officer reported. "Master there are some unusual energy fluctuations. They appear to be emanating from the Borg's regeneration alcove in storage bay 5."
The ship's master looked at Janeway enquiringly. The ex-Captain shrugged, apparently unconcerned.
"Seven has been experimenting with increasing the output efficiency of her alcove" she lied smoothly. "That may be the cause."
She could now hear the voices of Seven and Kraal being relayed to her directly by Nithqref. Seven was monitoring the status of the prisoners on the planet from the command console in the Faraday where she had returned to relieve Makela.
Kraal and Nithqref were in sickbay and judging from the conversation Kraal was rounding up the Devore on duty with extreme efficiency. Nithqref reported that the three Devore present had been successfully disabled, captured and tied up.
It was increasingly difficult to listen to the reported activities of her team and concentrate on what Controller Goff was saying to her as he explained the nature of the weapons tests. She noticed that he made no mention of the prisoners. Clearly she was not meant to know of their presence on the test planet. A surreptitious glance at her chronometer revealed that there was only seven minutes before the test assimilation was to take place. The Farini girl, Atara, would have to really fly if she was going to obtain the ship's command codes.
Kashyk watched Kathryn closely as he always did and noticed her distraction with interest. 'Odd' he thought. Janeway was usually so focused.
He kept watching while considering the puzzle. If Janeway was going to make a move then he would catch her...
TBC
TITLE: Janeway Redux AUTHOR: halfofone
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Set after five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her?
DISCLAIMER: TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would own Star Trek but it's not and I don't.
SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
Part 13 - In the balance.
Sickbay prison cells
Kraal moved quickly down the line of cells looking for Atara. The sickbay was not full.
"Found her" he boomed and dropped the forcefield. He entered the cell and scooped up the small scrawny woman effortlessly from her sick bed. She half-screamed and he clamped his hand over her mouth while Nithqref reassured her that this was her rescuer and not a horrible nightmare.
The huge Parath carried her back down to the main sickbay and set her down gently at a command console.
She was almost too weak to sit up but the Halquine supported her and she began to operate the console. "Command: use override: voice identification Atara, First Daughter of Morvius. Encryption sequence Hidden Hostile Takeover - Sub Group Vessel Commands. Computer identify and download all communication, sensor and transporter command code sequences on my mark. Commence download now."
"This will take a few seconds to complete." she remarked quietly, watching the encrypted codes spool down the screen.
At that moment the sickbay doors opened and Morvius entered. His dark eyes took in the scene before him and he screamed at his daughter. "Atara what are you doing? Who are these people?"
"Father we are trying to rescue the prisoners. Please help us."
"No you foolish child. I recognise them. These are associates of the criminal Janeway. She is trying to steal the ship."
She swung her head to look at him and then back to Nithqref.
"Is this true?"
The Halquine could feel her desperate anger and fear of being deceived. There was no time for dissembling now.
'Yes it's true but Janeway is not a criminal and we need her to rescue your comrades.'
The girl fell back from the console, horror on her face. Her father rushed towards her only to be blocked by Kraal who twisted the arms of relatively small Farini holding him immobile.
"Do not help them any further Atara. I forbid it." he squealed before Kraal silenced him with one large paw.
Nithqref knew co-operation was urgently required, they only had two minutes before the assimilation test took place.
Please Atara. Listen to me. I will prove to you that Janeway is no criminal.
"How can you do that?" asked the young woman. She sounded sceptical.
'Look into her mind. See for yourself.'
The Farinin stared at the Halquine from black eyes that seemed to admit no light. Then she silently nodded.
Nithqref prodded the Captain's mind checking that she had been following the events in sickbay.
'Kathryn I am sorry there is no time to prepare you for this - but try not to fight. You must trust me.'
The Halquine felt the Captain give her assent and raised a prayer for her courage and then opened a channel between the two minds.
The Bridge
Kathryn staggered as the link was made. Controller Goff stepped back but Kashyk moved to grasp her arm firmly.
"What is the problem Captain? Are you unwell?" he asked.
"No, just slight dizziness. It's nothing." She ground out the words, trying to keep from collapse. It was some relief as her Borg neural processor took over motor control of her body and left her conscious mind to concentrate on the battering force of the Farini woman's emotions. Hate, fear and despair surged through her. Mostly the hate and fear were directed at her and she cringed at the monstrous representation of herself as an evil ego replete with selfish overwhelming ambition and ruthlessness.
For a few milli-seconds she tried to resist the invasion but gave in to Nithqref who urged 'Don't fight Kathryn - relax, let her see for herself.'
She tried to comply and inwardly groaned as the Farinin experienced her memories. It was a very uncomfortable feeling. Nithqref's contacts with her mind had been very gentle she realised, The non-telepathic Farinin was about as gentle as a regiment of rampaging Klingon.
Kashyk watched the play of emotion on the ex-Captain's face with a sense of triumph. He was a successful telepath hunter and his instincts told him that the Captain was engaged in telepathic communication. Without fanfare he casually moved to a nearby console and began a scan for the tell-tale sub-space signature of telepathic activity. It might take three to four minutes to find but when he did Janeway was as good as dead. It was one thing to have a pet telepath, another to be one.
Sick Bay
Kraal, having roped and tied Morvius, was anxiously talking over the comm link to Seven of Nine.
"How much time left Seven of Nine?"
"Less than thirty seconds to assimilation." Seven suppressed the questions that rose to her lips. She knew something was wrong because of the delay. Cold fear was gripping her heart and she wanted to know what was happening to Kathryn but this was no time for discussion.
In the sick bay, Nithqref still supported the small Farinin. Checking her raging pulse and weakening physical signs the Halquine was frightened. She wouldn't be able to survive the link much longer.
Seven's calm voice broke the quiet. "The prisoner assimilations have started. We are too late."
'Atara?' thought Nithqref probing gently.
Nithqref sensed her confusion and then a decision being made. She entered a string of encrypted codes.
"Computer transfer command control for sensors, communication and transporters, voice activated, to alien Janeway. You have what you asked for Captain Janeway. Now try and use it." The little woman shuddered and withdrew her mind from the link. In answer to Nithqref's horrified stares she said. "If Janeway is all she appears to be then let her rescue us."
"They'll kill her." shouted Kraal angrily and lifted his disruptor to point at Atara who gazed impassively at the towering Parath.
The Bridge
Janeway experienced the Farini woman's shouted challenge in her head and she smiled grimly at the girl's ingenuity. It was justice of a sort she supposed.
She had only one choice. She had to reroute control of the ship to Seven of Nine in the Faraday if any of them were to survive, and that would almost certainly be signing her own death warrant. Unhesitating she opened her mouth to give the order when a triumphant voice interrupted her before she could utter a syllable.
"I have you now Janeway. You are a telepath."
Kashyk punched a button and Kathryn realised her link to Nithqref had vanished. Some kind of telepathic shielding had gone up around her.
"What are you talking about Kashyk?" asked Goff icily, unimpressed by the over-enthusiastic inspector.
"Controller Goff I demand that the telepath Janeway is removed to the brig." Kashyk was nearly hopping with excitement.
"It's not possible.... " said Controller Goff who pushed him aside to glance at the screen. And Kathryn saw disbelief replaced by anger and embarrassment and disgust.
"Get her off the bridge" he grated out. Kashyk beamed with satisfaction. At last he had a measure of success.
Kathryn was as confused as Controller Goff by Kashyk's accusation but surmised that the Devore had no understanding of the Halquine's abilities and had somehow mistaken her as the source of the telepathic readings. She didn't have much time to wonder as one guard seized her elbows while another hit her hard in the face with the butt of his disruptor. She made no effort to resist. They cuffed her hands behind her back and manhandled her off the bridge into the elevator as Kashyk leered triumphantly and Controller Goff looked on angrily.
Once inside the lift, the doors closed and she gazed expressionlessly at her captors who stood less than one metre away, disruptors trained on her body. She felt overwhelming urgency. She had to escape and she had to escape now. Leaning back against the wall, she tensed her wrists and felt the cuffs bite into them. Using all the enhanced strength at her disposal, she forced slowly her wrists apart and after a long painful minute was relieved to feel the left cuff begin to give. Carefully she worked her hand through the loosened restraint trying to disguise any movement by shifting her body against the wall.
"Stand still prisoner" barked the guard and raised his disruptor to her face. She froze but the restraint had come off her left hand. She was free.
The elevator reached its destination and the guard gestured to her to exit from the lift. She moved slowly, too slowly for the nearest guard, who stepped closer and lifted his rifle to hit her. Before the blow impacted on her body Kathryn seized the muzzle and used the momentum to swing the guard against his comrade knocking the latter off his feet. She pulled the rifle, and the guard holding it, towards her and brought his arm down hard on her knee. He screamed and let go of the weapon, his arm snapping noisily at the elbow. Without hesitating she swung the rifle stock up until it connected with his jaw and the guard dropped to the floor unconscious, blood spurting from his mouth.
She turned the business end of the disruptor on the other guard who was still on his knees, yelling into his communicator for assistance.
"Drop the weapon now." The terrified guard threw his disruptor aside and backed out, on his hands and knees into the corridor. "Get out of my sight." she snarled. He didn't need any encouragement, he picked himself up and scampered away.
Moving quickly she put down the weapon and accessed a computer terminal in the wall.
"Computer this is Janeway. Reroute all sensor, communication and tranporter controls to interface 4256."
UNABLE TO COMPLY WITH COMMANDS - UNIVERSAL TRANSLATOR IN USE
"Computer reroute all sensor, communication and transporter controls to interface 4256" she repeated quickly in Devore cursing her own stupidity.
CONTROLS REROUTED
"Computer establish direct voice link with alien Seven of Nine. And erect level ten force fields around sickbay and storage bay 5"
VOICE LINK AND FORCE FIELDS ARE ACTIVE
"Seven, it's Kathryn. You have control of transporters, sensors and communication systems, now get those prisoners off the surface."
"Kathryn where are you?" said Seven her voice shaking. "We lost you."
"I'm safe, relatively, just get those people out before the planet is blown sky high."
"Kathryn we are too late. The assimilation experiment has commenced."
"Then we'll simply have to hide them until their transformation is complete, and Seven try not to alert the Devore of the loss of control. I want to keep our manouevres a secret until we can take control of the Fearless, is that clear? We cannot fight the Devore fleet from a shuttle locked in a cupboard."
"Yes Captain.... Kathryn, please be careful."
"Seven ..." A disruptor blast crashed into the wall beside her head.
"Seven, I have to go. Don't try to rescue me, it will blow our cover, just get the prisoners. I'll try and keep our friends busy. Janeway out." She threw herself to the floor and let off a couple of shots at the security guards who had appeared at the far end of the corridor and then rolled over towards an exit door into another corridor. 'Damn' she thought getting to her feet and starting to run. 'I should have ask Seven to disguise my life signs. This'll be fun.'
Sick Bay
It did not occur to a harassed and worried Seven of Nine to inform the team in sickbay of the change of plans. So when dozens of partially assimilated prisoners began to materialise in sickbay, in various states of panic and transformation, neither Kraal nor Nithqref were ready.
"What the hell is going on?" roared Kraal tripping over a large Brenari who was writhing in some discomfort. "Where are they coming from?"
Nithqref shook both heads and lifted up the tiny Farini, carrying her towards the entrance, out of the way of the materialising alliance fighters but the Halquine felt relief flood through tired bones and muscles.
'She's done it, I do not know how, but she has done it. Unable to feel her Nithqref couldn't say if Janeway was still alive or prisoner behind some telepathic shielding but remote fears were forgotten as the doors of sickbay blasted open. Outside three Devore soldiers armed with heavy disruptors held their disruptors ready to fire and the Halquine knew the last moment of its life had arrived. Using both its bodies, it shielded the Farinin held in its arms.
The blasts bounced harmlessly off a force field which flared electric blue as each shot made contact. Weak with relief, the Halquine thanked its many Gods and Kathryn and Seven of Nine and then warned its comrades.
'Kraal, we can expect company. The Devore know we are here.'
Storage bay 5
Seven watched the unfolding chaos on the ship. She was jamming all internal communications and sensors, disguising them as equipment failures. Teams of Devore engineers were running about frantically, trying to restore the systems.
The sensor jam made tracking Kathryn very hard but Seven kept a transporter lock on her love for an average of 93.4% of time. An utterly imperfect performance from a borg point of view. The communicator bleeped and the low urgent voice of her beloved interrupted her efforts.
"Seven, I am near sick bay. There are at least twenty three Devore soldiers trying to blast their way in. They have to be stopped."
"Acknowledged Kathryn. Please be careful."
"That's the twentieth time today Seven. I have already promised to be careful."
"Then you have put yourself at risk twenty times. Apparently you need frequent reminding" said Seven tartly.
Kathryn stifled a laugh. She rapidly outlined her tactics for removing the Devore assault group.
Sickbay
Kraal looked around sickbay at the ninety odd prisoners who were staggering about in various stages of confusion, sprouting implants. Shaking his head he identified three, two sturdy little Kirrin and an opal coloured lizardman, who looked in better shape than the others. He collared them one by one and pulled them aside.
"Are you able to hold a disruptor?" All three nodded and he threw a weapon to each of them. "Follow me." He marched to the door and they took positions up facing the entrance. A few seconds later a heavy blast from outside hit the forcefield setting off a coruscating display of light but the field held even though the walls on each side buckled.
"Nithqref we should get the prisoners away from the main entrance" called Kraal.
"There is no need to concern yourself Parath" murmured Atara. "No Devore weapon is going to puncture that forcefield. Unless they destroy the ship around it of course." Her glassy black eyes showed no fear or even any interest.
Kraal felt contempt mixed with anger towards the little witch but his reply was contained. "Farini, I am more concerned with hiding our numbers from the Devore. They may not yet know that these are the prisoners from the planet surface. Or how many we have rescued."
Kraal was gratified to see two more of the prisoners join his small band.
"However, the little dears seem to be recovering quickly." he boomed. "We should have quite an army. Of course we don't have enough weapons for more than a dozen." Leaving two of the men to watch the door, Kraal ordered the others to start moving their slower adapting comrades to the back of sickbay out of sight of the main doors.
The number of Devore outside sickbay had increased. Watching them through the shimmering forcefield as they desperately tried to puncture it, Nithqref observed the officer in command shouting orders to his men. And then to his horror he saw all of the Devore soldiers dematerialise.
'Kraal! They are transporting in. Take cover.'
Kraal and his small band threw themselves behind whatever cover they could find and waited for battle. But no-one appeared.
After a few seconds of silence Kraal lifted his head above the bed behind which he was crouching and looked about. His gaze shifted to the main entrance and the vision of a lone figure standing with a disruptor in one hand, the stock resting on her hip.
"Computer lower force field" said Kathryn Janeway and stepped through the shattered doors into sickbay. Kraal let out a bay of triumph and vaulted over the improvised fortifications, catching her up, he squeezed her the air from her in a bone crushing hug before putting her down gasping.
Atara, who had followed the giant Parath from their hiding place, was rigid and her face betrayed utter shock.
"You survived. How?" she gasped.
"Just luck" said the unsmiling captain. "Remind me to thank Inspector Kashyk for his timely intervention."
'Kathryn, you are safe?' sent Nithqref, both bodies hugging her physically while mentally hugging her mind, she sensed the relief and echoes of anxiety. She clutched an arm affectionately, but the Halquine, aware that she was a little overwhelmed let her go and asked 'What happened to the Devore?'.
She smiled coldly.
"It occurred to me that we should replace the people we had removed from the planet with some of our Devore friends, Seven simply obeyed the Devore commander's instruction to transport his men but instead of putting them inside sickbay she sent them all to the surface of the moon." Janeway limped over to the control panel and entered a few commands, establishing a link with Seven's command centre. "Seven has intercepted no unusual ship to ship transmissions and none of the other Devore vessels seem aware that anything is amiss. We are fortunate that the Devore command are so secretive about this mission."
"You're hurt Kathryn," said Kraal, immediately concerned.
"Not badly, just a nick. Tell me, how many people do we have who can fight? We need to take the bridge and engineering soon." Kathryn was worried that the Devore would trace the source of their malfunctions to the Federation shuttle and find Seven and Makela relatively unprotected. "Seven has been jamming internal communications but it's only a matter of time before they realise that it is not a simple system failure."
"We have fifteen, more or less, able fighters and a dozen weapons, the rest of the little souls are still too feeble... completing their transformations" he finished diplomatically. Kraal was thoroughly enjoying himself and his ruddy features beamed.
Kathryn acknowledged his report with a smile. She turned her attention to the frightened Farini woman who peered at her from behind the bulky protection of the Parath as though at a monster. She thanked her gently
"Thank you for your assistance and for trusting me,"
"And for nearly getting you killed, don't forget that." snorted Kraal.
Kathryn ignored the aside and keeping her attention on the young woman, insisted firmly, "But we will need the remainder of the ship's command codes if we are to survive a conflict with the Devore fleet. Are you able to obtain them?"
"Yes but there is a condition."
The fragile woman sounded as though she could barely raise the effort to speak but despite her fear her determination was palpable.
"You must not hurt my father and you must protect him as if he were your own, no matter what happens to me. You are to swear on your honour as a Starfleet captain."
"I suppose I have no choice," Kathryn muttered. She put aside her dislike of ultimatums and accepted the inevitable, avowing with all the conviction she could muster.
"Despite my obvious differences with Morvius, I agree to your terms, I swear to protect your father on my honour as a Starfleet captain."
Atara of Farini studied the captain's face. "I accept your promise Captain Janeway." She entered some data into the terminal and waited for the computer to produce the necessary authorisations. "Domain computer transfer all command to alien Janeway."
The domain computer beeped in acknowledgement and the small Farinin whispered "Captain the ship is yours."
Janeway felt a rush of excitement as the sacred words were spoken but there was no time to linger on the special allure of starship command, she had to secure this vessel now.
tbc
TITLE: Janeway Redux AUTHOR: halfofone
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Set after five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her?
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
Part 14 - We Won, I think!
Janeway addressed the milling mob of semi-droned life-forms with as much authority as if she was talking to a squad of Starfleet Academy cadets.
"I am Kathryn Janeway. My comrades and I have the command codes and we intend to take this ship from the Devore. We will secure the bridge and engineering and then the rest of the decks. Major Kraal will choose a team to go with him to engineering, Nithqref and the remainder are to come with me to the bridge. Are there any good pilots here?" she asked. One of the rebels gestured at a dark figure resting at the back of sickbay.
"Arrin is one of the best I have ever seen." remarked the large solid looking man. He had a disproportionately small head, sharp weaselly features and little round twinkling-black eyes.
Kathryn nodded approval. "We are going to need a good pilot when we have control of the ship. Bring him here. He's to come along with my group."
The weaselly rebel displayed theatrical levels of horror and shushed her with his hands.
"That's a Her, for pities sake sweetheart. Her. Do not mistake her for a man," he stressed under his breath, "or she'll refuse to help you at all. She's like that, you know, hates men, can hardly bear to be near us."
He grinned evilly and displayed a fine set of pointed yellow teeth before he ambled over to the vaunted pilot and woke her with a good kick. After a short verbal struggle the tall, dark and strikingly good looking woman got to her feet and casually flattened the weasel with a solid punch. Dressed in a slightly ragged black flying suit the pilot swaggered towards the appalled Starfleet Captain and stopped in front of her. The only Borg implant visible on the arrogant face was a small starburst on her left cheekbone. It enhanced her dangerous appearance. She looked Janeway up and down.
"Apparently I have to help you out Red. Just remember I don't take orders from lesser beings. So ask nicely in future" she sneered in a low clipped accent.
Nonplussed at the familiarity and unprofessional behaviour Kathryn raised her eyebrow but decided to ignore the attitude for the moment. She turned away and raised her voice for the next request and tried to sound more forceful.
"Are there any engineers here who are fit for duty? We need them to go with Major Kraal and standby in engineering."
Two slightly shaky figures presented themselves, neither species was recognisable to her but one had two pairs of arms. Pretty useful, she supposed, for an engineer. Uncertain how to acknowledge crew in this strange world and even more uncertain how to establish command she hesitated.
Kraal stepped into the breach and took over in best parade ground command voice.
"Over here both of you, on the double and try not to look so droopy" he bawled and glared at them both as if their appearance were a personal affront to him.
Her ears ringing Kathryn half smiled as the two unfortunates limped over to join the engineering assault team. She was amused to note that Kraal had chosen the weaker looking rebels for his own team leaving her with a much burlier crew.
She looked at them critically. The alliance soldiers were a surly bunch of malcontents and Kathryn could not be sure of their loyalties but as there was no other choice she decided to concentrate on the plan and worry about the niceties later. After all, she reasoned, they all wanted to escape. That at least should keep them in line for the moment. Over the open communication link she asked Seven of Nine for a status report. Seven's reply sounded calm.
"The Devore are becoming increasingly agitated about the loss of internal communications and they are looking for Morvius. It may be difficult to disguise our presence for much longer."
"Hold on Seven if you can keep them confused a little longer, we'll try and get this over with quickly. We have split our forces in two. On my mark transport the group accompanying me to the bridge and the group with Kraal to engineering. Disable all external communications and put up forcefields at key positions to contain movement, I don't want any warning being given to the other ships nor do we want to be interrupted by regiments of Devore soldiers boarding us from the Revenge."
"Acknowledged, I will do my best Kathryn," said Seven before adding in a pleading voice "and be careful."
Warmed by the concern in her love's voice Kathryn joked gently. "And that makes 21 times. I'll be alright Seven, I promise."
"Kathryn please do not break that promise," Seven said seriously. Janeway was hard put to stifle the soppy smile that threatened to appear on her face.
"Everyone ready?" She said and looked round carefully at her team of eight alliance soldiers, the arrogant female pilot and Nithqref. They only had six disruptors between them. She was surprised when Nithqref insisted on taking two of the weapons, the peacable telepath simply said 'I will keep you alive Kathryn.' and Kraal had nodded approvingly. Those without guns equipped themselves with metal bars and surgical knives. With their Borg implants and unkempt appearance they looked fearsome enough.
She glanced at Kraal for confirmation that his team were also ready and he raised a clenched fist. The rest of his team did the same and shouted 'The Alliance'.
And once again Kathryn was out of her depth, Starfleet had rather given up on that sort of military gesture. Seeing the expectant faces of her team (those who had faces) she raised her fist in what she hoped was the appropriate manner. Her team promptly followed suit and shouted also.
Holding onto her command mask with some difficulty Kathryn said "I want everyone to come out of this alive. No killing unless you have to, but no hesitation if your comrades are in danger."
"We must liquidate all prisoners." objected a tall scarred man with an air of authority. "That is standard Alliance battle orders in this situation." Several of the other Alliance soldiers grunted or squeaked in agreement. The objector continued his criticism. "I do not know who you are lady but I can tell you we do not have sufficient men..."
A sharp poke in the back with a disruptor brought him to a savage halt: the point reinforced by a second disruptor held to his neck. Nithqref glared at him silently and then looked pointedly at Kathryn. Every soldier in the room experienced the Halquine's telepathic message.
'Captain Janeway has given you orders. On this ship she commands and any person here who does not follow her orders will answer to me or to Major Kraal with their lives. She is Khalid. Understood?' As one person, the assembled soldiers bowed to her, respect and even fear visible in their bodies and faces.
Kathryn was astonished and somewhat horrified, she had never seen the Halquine be anything but serene and mild-mannered. But the twin bodies, still threatening the tall humanoid male with disruptors, radiated an anger and ferocious tension that she could not have imagined; the very air around the elegant, graceful being seemed to hum with seething violence, the golden eyes afire with rage.
Even Kraal was impressed and caught up in the moment he lifted his mighty paw and roared "Janeway". The rest of those present followed suit and the air split with the noise.
Kathryn could just hear Seven's urgent voice on the comm system. "Captain, what is happening? Do you require assistance?"
The sound of Seven's voice delivered Kathryn from her state of shock and she replied, remarkably calmly she thought.
"It's okay Seven, somewhat different customs, but we're ready now." She signalled to Kraal to quiet the crew which he did by bawling louder than any of them.
"Silence!"
Absolute quiet followed. Kathryn made a mental note that she would have to try and encourage less noisy briefings.
"Seven, ready to transport the assault teams. Now."
The Bridge
The first thing Kathryn saw as she materialised was Inspector Kashyk smirking at some remark made by Controller Goff. In the next instant he turned to face her and the smirk disappeared.
"Drop your weapons now" she barked.
Three Devore guards lifted their disruptors to fight but before they could fire, the Halquine had fired four shots, two from each weapon. The three guards sagged to the floor. There were no further attempts at resistance, the dozen Devore guards still standing dropped whatever weapons they were holding.
"Get them you cowards," shouted a wild-eyed Kashyk and tried to unholster his gun, but as it cleared, and quicker than the human eye could focus, he was disarmed by the long flickering tongue of the lizardman who had materialised behind him. Kashyk stared unbelieving at his empty hand.
"Effective," murmured Kathryn appreciatively, the lizardman chittered something unintelligible in reply and waved the captured weapon about dangerously with his tongue, before bringing it down hard on the back of Kashyk's head. The Devore Inspector subsided to the ground.
Kathryn ignored Kashyk and concentrated on Goff.
"Controller, the ship is mine. At this moment my crew is taking engineering and then we control access to all major systems."
"Captain, without the command codes you control nothing."
It was hard not to admire the fat man's coolness, his pale eyes hardly even registered mild annoyance. He spoke with equal mildness. "If you do not surrender yourselves then your comrades on the surface of that moon will be liquidated in..." and he glanced at the countdown ".... forty three seconds."
Kathryn smiled graciously. "Controller look about you, look at these crew, where do you believe I found them?"
The Controller looked round at the motley assembly of alliance rebels, their Borg implants gleamed dully in the emergency lighting. He gasped slightly and for the first time appeared worried.
Janeway continued smoothly, "the only living beings remaining on that planet are a large number of your own men. I suggest we terminate countdown to the experimental firing. Battle computer, stand down. Do not fire without my authorisation."
The computer acknowledged the instructions.
"Computer," Goff shouted, "ignore orders from the renegade Janeway. Resume targeting moon."
Authorisation level insufficient replied the computer.
"The Farini," he hissed in frustrated realisation "They will pay for this, the Imperium will hunt down every last one of them."
His fury was compounded when Kraal's voice was heard over the communicator. "Engineering secure Captain, we are standing by."
"Any problems Kraal?" she asked.
"None at all, it was very dull, we have fifteen Devore under guard and no casualties," replied the Parath. "Our two little engineers are running about like piglets in a candy shop. They seem very excited."
"Can you secure the decks between yourselves and sick bay?" she asked.
"I cannot imagine it will be very difficult." He replied.
Kathryn was amused by the affected boredom in his voice but there was still much to do before she could be similarly relaxed. They needed to get away from the area as soon as possible.
"Seven we need you here to pilot this thing. Reroute control of sensors and communications back to the bridge and seal all access from the Devore crew quarters."
"It is done." said Seven. "I am on my way."
Kathryn spoke to Arrin.
"Pilot. When Seven of Nine arrives I want you and she to get us out of here quickly. Use whatever evasive manouevres you know."
The dark, good looking pilot scowled at her.
"I've never flown a ship like this. I need time to familiarise myself ......"
"You have until the Devore ships around us start firing at us pilot. However long that is. I suggest you get busy and persuade that good fellow there to help you." She gestured impatiently at the scared looking Devore pilot still seated at the navigation controls.
Arrin folded her arms and looked stubborn. "I told you Red, ask nicely."
Janeway lost patience. A full force ten command glare was levelled on the insubordinate pilot backed up by a raised disruptor.
"Follow my orders pilot or you will be the first dead alliance body on this bridge." Behind her she knew Nithqref had levelled both disruptors on the pilot.
Gazing into cold and apparently merciless granite blue eyes, Arrin recognised defeat and nodded reluctantly. She was not often scared but something about Janeway told her the small Captain was not bluffing.
Kathryn turned her own disruptor on the irate Controller standing between two of her men. "Controller Goff you are to order your remaining crew to surrender immediately."
"No." he said bluntly. "We will not co-operate Captain Janeway, you are the ones who should surrender. You will not be able to escape in this ship, you do not even have a pilot and none of my men will help you."
While the Controller was speaking Janeway just glimpsed out of the corner of her eye one of the Devore officers shuffle back towards a console and conceal something in his hand. Her alertness triggered Nithqref who was trying to monitor the minds of all those on the bridge, Nithqref's two halves spun and fired and the Devore dropped instantly to the deck, two huge holes in his chest. His lifeless fingers released the emergency beacon he had been holding. The small box tumbled to the floor and lay there, a green light blinking in synchronisation with the emergency signal it was transmitting to every Devore ship in range. For a split second everyone on the bridge just gaped at the box then Kathryn fired at it with her disruptor and it disintegrated.
"Battle computer," She yelled. "Shields now!" Before she finished speaking the Fearless shook from the impact of phaser fire from the adjacent Devore ship.
ACKNOWLEDGED said the computer and all hell broke loose on the bridge.
"Arrin, your time just ran out." Kathryn shouted at her reluctant pilot. "Get us out of here as fast you can manage."
Ignoring everything going on around her and trusting that Nithqref would make good the promise to keep her alive, Janeway ran to the tactical station hoping the hours she had spent studying the Fearless were going to be enough. She struggled to deploy the tactical sensors.
From the corner of her eye she saw Seven of Nine enter the bridge and start towards her. Kathryn felt her heart lift in spite of the danger but she snapped at the tall drone.
"Seven. Don't waste time. Get us out of here."
Without speaking Seven of Nine reached the navigational console in two long strides, threw the Devore pilot out her way with one hand and equally unceremoniously pushed the hapless Arrin aside with the other. Both gaped at the breathtaking blonde, who apparently unmoved by the chaos, began readying the Fearless for flight.
Janeway concentrated on the tactical display. Photon torpedos were closing in. Her fingers seemed clumsy as she tried to target the ship's phasers. The lead missile came in range and she pressed the firing control. A direct hit. The missile exploded but there was no time to congratulate herself. She targeted four more missiles and fired. Two destroyed but two were through and there was no time to intercept.
"All crew. Brace for impact." Seconds after her words echoed over the Fearless's comm system the ship rocked wildly and Kathryn lost her hold and fell sideways banging her head. But Seven hung on and Kathryn, lying on the floor, heard her calm report.
"Engines on-line Kathryn." Pulling herself upright Kathryn felt a stab of pride in her protege. "Course set for evasive pattern." continued Seven. "Engaging impulse engines. Slipstream in three seconds."
In the eternity that followed another direct hit shook the ship tossing Devore and Alliance soldiers about. Fighting broke out as the Devore took advantage of the situation. Then a different vibration began and for a moment Kathryn feared that the ship was going to shake itself apart.
"We have entered the slipstream Kathryn," Seven explained. "I am not entirely sure of our exact destination but we are leaving Devore space ..... "
An angry howl interrupted her. Inspector Kashyk twisted free of his guard. He grabbed his captor's disruptor. Unable to get a clear shot at Janeway who was still sitting on the deck he turned his gun on Seven.
"Watch your bitch die Janeway!" he screamed and aimed at Seven from almost point blank range. The Fearless veered sideways throwing him off balance. He missed. The ship pitched up like an old sailing clipper, climbing a giant wave, and every person on the bridge scrabbled to hold on to whatever they could. Those who failed, slipped and rolled towards the back of the bridge. Gripping the edge of the tactical console with one hand Kathryn hauled herself to her feet with desperate strength. In the other arm she braced the stock of the disruptor against the crook of her elbow. The violent motion had deposited Kashyk in a command chair from which relative safety he was struggling to aim his disruptor at Seven of Nine's back as she valiantly tried to stabilise the ship's gravity field.
Kathryn concentrated on holding her weapon steady. The noise and screaming around her faded and her vision seemed to narrow until all she could see at the end of a tunnel was Kashyk, his face contorted. He was still shrieking but she couldn't hear the words. She fired twice.
The Inspector carried on screaming but he dropped his disruptor. He had no choice. Kathryn's shots had severed both his arms at the shoulder and the limbs lay twitching on the floor. In that instant Seven brought the Fearless under control and the ship seemed to right herself. The crowd of Devore and Alliance personnel slowly disentangled themselves but there were no further struggles. Everyone was mesmerised by the agonised screams of the armless Kashyk.
Kathryn stifled the urge to vomit. She turned to the command console and announced ship-wide with as much cold force as she could muster. "All Devore crew are to surrender. Your commanders are imprisoned and we have evaded the Devore fleet. If you do not co-operate fully and completely my crew will execute you without further delay."
Around the ship her words were heard punctuated by Kashyk's pleas for mercy and death. Fear was apparent on the faces of the Devore bridge crew.
She pointed her disruptor at a white-faced Controller Goff and his head drooped in acknowledgement. He spoke quietly.
"To all crew. This is Controller Goff. I have agreed to surrender. Offer no resistance. You are to co-operate with Captain Janeway and her crew."
"Remove him to sickbay." Janeway ordered two of the Devore guards and indicated Kashyk with her hand. "And get rid of those," she added pointing at his severed arms.
"The surgeon may be able to reattach ...." protested Goff.
"Get rid of them." she said coldly, aware that fear was holding the numerically superior Devore in thrall and she was unwilling to give up that advantage. "And I'm afraid I must confine you to the brig Controller Goff." Nithqref. Get them all out my sight. she thought.
The Halquine's own artificial battle rage had faded already and Nithqref shivered at the ferocity still radiating from Janeway.
Without further instruction from their new leader, the Alliance crew rounded up the Devore on the bridge, kicking and punching them into obedience before marching them and the stretcher party from the bridge leaving just the Captain, Seven of Nine and the pilot, Arrin. The latter was now watching at the former Federation captain with undisguised admiration and some fear. Seven on the other-hand looked troubled if also slightly fearful. Kathryn felt a stab of regret. All she seemed able to do these days was to frighten people, including those she loved.
"Your aim was remarkably accurate in the circumstances" Seven said neutrally.
"It was no such thing," Janeway replied, her voice remaining unemotional. "I was aiming at his chest. Kashyk was a lucky man."
"I do not believe he thought so," replied Seven soberly.
Janeway shrugged. "It was him or you."
*~~~*
Five years later - Voyager
"And that was it," said Janeway. "We escaped, took the Fearless and joined the Alliance fleet."
Chakotay shook his head in disbelief.
"So then what? I suppose you defeated the Devore and the Borg."
Janeway grinned.
"I appreciate the confidence but it was more complicated than that. It was quite clear that neither the Alliance or the Imperium could defeat the Borg alone. There was a treaty. All the unsubjugated planets were allowed to secede to the Alliance in return for the technology we had stolen. The Borg were driven back." Her eyes darkened. "I don't want you to think it was easy. There were terrible losses. And for all our efforts the Borg will return one day; we are engaged in a ceaseless arms race."
The Voyager crew looked at their former leader and felt dismay. It was obvious that Janeway was not here to rejoin them. Chakotay was equally disappointed but he also felt apprehension. Why did Janeway need them now? Why was she here?
tbc
TITLE: Janeway Redux AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: R CODE: J/7
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her? This part opens in the same time frame as where we left part 14, five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5.
SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would own Star Trek but it's not and I don't. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
Part 15 Lost But Not Forgotten
Seven of Nine lay as still she could and tried to ignore the pain. She closed her eyes against the glare of the laboratory lights and with an effort of will forced herself to remember happier times. Not because she wished to distract herself from her situation, logically Seven knew that it was nearly over for her, she wanted her last thoughts to be of her family as the darkness closed about her.
She thought of Kathryn on the bridge of the Fearless, every inch the rebel leader, swaggering slightly to impress the ruffian element in the crew and then the transformation that occurred when the children appeared, sneaking onto the bridge against orders to say goodnight to their mother. The cold-eyed privateer would become a reluctant doting parent, endeavouring and failing to hide her pride in the children's independence and initiative; her veneer of anger easily punctured by the disingenuous questions and the eager demands for bedtime stories. The bridge crew, who knew their captain better than her ruthless reputation, would struggle to hide their amusement at seeing their infamous leader put in her place by the relentless logic of her small children. Woe betide any crewman who was caught smiling as Kathryn tried and failed to impose discipline on her irrepressible kids.
A savage jolt of electricity jerked Seven away from her recollections. She screamed at the pain in her head. The lab technician took no notice. He had watched the borg scream for months and if in the beginning he had felt any pity, that emotion had long since fled, overwhelmed by his prurient fascination with her memories and her body. His masters had no interest in the borg's pain; it was incidental to the matter at hand. They had accepted after several weeks that she would not respond directly to torture and since then they had concentrated their efforts on extracting what they needed directly from her borg brain. If it hurt then that was just a bonus as the boss would say with a twinkle in his malevolent eyes.
That was months ago. The technician's superiors were no longer even particularly interested in the ex-drone as a source of information. The technician was aware that they were simply keeping her alive as bait, to draw in 'that human bitch' as his boss always referred to the infamous Alliance commander.
The technician waited for the show to begin.
Seven closed her eyes again and concentrated. Trying not to give her persecutors anything, trying to force her borg mind away from any thoughts that might endanger her family. Experience had taught her it was better to let her tormentor see something he enjoyed, exploiting his obvious sexual arousal.
On the small holo-viewer in the laboratory a vague image began to form and the technician settled back with a smile of satisfaction and relaxed. He was meant to take notes of all the borg's memories, hunting for information about the Alliance but there was no need this time; he had seen this image many times before. It was one of his favourites.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
"... Kathryn ... please," the helpless ex-drone sobbed with need, completely unaware of the discomfort she had complained of so bitterly, many minutes before, the twigs poking into her back through damp mouldering leaves and the slight chilly breeze rustling the forest above.
"I thought you didn't want to make love out here" teased her lover who nonetheless didn't cease her attentions.
"... a ... mis ... judgement ... do not stop ..."
Words became impossible, sensation swept away thought and awareness, leaving two women lost in love and each other. As Seven arched up against her lover gasping and shuddering in the final ecstatic loss of control, Kathryn groaned and whispered "I wish I could hold you forever Seven of Nine. I love you." For long moments they clung together.
Seven loved the aftermath of sex as much as the sex. Kathryn was always affectionate and open at these times, whispering endearments in a gravelly undertone as she tenderly stroked and kissed the ex-Borg. For these short moments, Seven knew she possessed her captain absolutely. It was at these times that Kathryn would talk to her and listen to her, the continual demands of command and the rebellion muzzled.
"Kathryn?"
"Mmm?" queried the former Starfleet captain unconcernedly. She was concentrating on Seven's belly; her fingers appreciatively tracing lazy circles over the smooth, muscled flesh and taking occasional diversions to follow the branching lines of the abdominal implant.
In the early days of their physical relationship it had disturbed Seven whenever her lover touched her Borg implants. Kathryn had given such squeamishness short-shrift.
'You touch mine, I'll touch yours' she had said wryly.
In Seven's eyes, comparison invalidated Kathryn's bargain; the captain's slight but athletic body was almost unmarked except for three smallish implants (non-functional connectivity ports) on her left hand, her thigh and in the small of her back, and a rather decorative starburst just below her left ear. These blemishes were trivial compared to the several significant, very visible implants that marred the drone's fair skin and the extensive borg machinery that lay under it. Yet over time, and following extensive and energetic proofs, the ex-Borg had been convinced that Kathryn was not revolted by her more obvious Borg features. Eventually she realised that this was just one small additional unlikelihood she had to accept as part of believing that this perfect woman really loved her. And next to that miracle nothing seemed impossible.
At this moment Kathryn seemed determined to prove that some of the borg implants were erogenous zones. Seven shivered as her lover gently leant down to kiss her on the place where an implant disappeared into her skin just above her thigh. Reluctantly Seven stilled Kathryn fingers before they slid lower. Kathryn raised her head to look at her and Seven gently pulled the smaller woman up the length of her body, to kiss the elegant mouth before releasing her. Amused blue-gray eyes quizzed the ex-drone.
Seven hesitated, uncertain about what she was going to say. She had never proposed anything similar before, however she had found that it was usually more effective with Janeway to go straight to the point.
"I wish to have a family," she stated quickly.
The hand on her belly stilled and the expressive eyes darkened a shade, the amusement fading. "What are you saying exactly?"
"I believe we should have children."
Janeway rolled away and sat up. Her voice was determinedly even.
"That's not possible."
"The biological procedures for ..."
Janeway cut in harshly. "I'm not talking about the mechanics of the process Seven. I am talking about our situation. It wouldn't be right."
"Explain."
"We are in the middle of a war, light years from humanity. It would be completely unconscionable to bring a child into this life."
Janeway clearly felt the conversation was over. She stood up and started to collect her clothing from where it lay. Seven felt her ire rising. She was not going to be dismissed like some accidentally insubordinate ensign.
"You are saying that Kraal and Makela should not have children?"
"No I'm not saying that ... "
"How so?" Seven interrupted before her lover had finished. "They have been at war all their lives. Are their children less valuable that they may be more easily risked?"
Janeway did not answer as she bent over to pick up her trousers. Regardless of the argument, Seven could not help but appreciate her lover's appearance. The former-captain stood naked in the warm sunlight: a slim athletic body, trim despite her forty three years. Everything about her was neat, graceful and perfectly proportioned, smooth skin over fine muscles which were just visible, flexing under the fair skin, as she finished retrieving her uniform from the forest floor. The redundant Borg regeneration port and a long fine white scar rising across her lower back (a reminder of her imprisonment by the Devore) recorded recent history on the otherwise unblemished and silky smooth skin of her back. She turned to face Seven and the ex-drone had to consciously avert her eyes, from the swing of soft breasts, to her lover's face. Janeway's expression was a little unsettled.
"Of course not! It is not the same," Kathryn replied. She pulled on her pants with an exasperated sigh. Seven would have been amused by the sight of the self-controlled Alliance Marshal, standing half-naked in a wood, bare shoulders set with her customary determination, except that humour was the last emotion the ex-drone was experiencing.
"In what way is their situation different from ours?"
"This is their home," Janeway exclaimed impatiently, hunting for her shirt in the bracken and then irritably shaking dead and rotten vegetation and small insects from the creases. "Their people are here and they have to forge some kind of future for themselves despite the imperfections. I'm sure Kraal would agree that it would be better if his children were not born to this war and could grow up in peace but the Parath have little choice. They have been fighting for many years and they have developed great skill in hiding their families and keeping them away from the conflict."
"And could we not also hide our children and protect them? Do we not deserve a future?" Seven inquired quietly. She sat up slowly, wrapping her arms around herself.
Taken aback by her lover's sadness, Janeway paused in her search for undergarments and answered in a more moderate voice.
"We have a choice about our future Seven, a responsibility, and in my view it would just be incredibly selfish to have a child at this time. He or she would be isolated from others of their kind, alone ... without contact with other human children. Dear God, even we are not fully human. And what if we were both killed? What would happen to our child?"
Seven could not disguise her impatience with this human-centric line of argument. It was written in her face and voice as she spoke.
"We have good friends who would care for her and protect her with their lives, perhaps better friends than she might find on Earth. She would have the companionship of other children. She would not be alone." Seven's blue eyes hardened. "Is it not true that many children in the Federation grow up within cultures that are different from their genetic inheritance? I thought the diversity of the Federation was something of which you were proud."
"I am proud of it," Janeway asserted, "but don't underestimate how hard it is for children who are isolated from their own people."
"I do not underestimate it. My parents separated me from the rest of humanity and risked my very existence to chase the Borg. For three years I knew no other beings except my parents and the drones they brought aboard for study." Seven's clear, blazing blue eyes, held her lover's gaze. "Then I lost everything," she enunciated slowly.
"Then you of all people should see why we have to be careful ... " Janeway shot back, breaking the eye-contact and prowling round the ex-drone, who was now sitting-up, propped against the ancient tree-trunk. Seven shook her head and disagreed.
"That is not my conclusion. I did resent my parent's foolish arrogance toward the Borg and their utter carelessness towards my interests; their actions were indeed selfish and reckless, Kathryn. However, I do not regret being born or being brought to this quadrant." The ex-drone rose to her feet, towering magnificently over the smaller woman. Kathryn could barely hide an appreciative smirk. Seven was not to be diverted. "Nor do I regret being forcibly separated from the Borg collective by another person who acted 'in loco parentis' and against my expressed wishes at that time," she stressed.
Janeway stopped hunting for discarded garments and faced Seven. The former captain was still at last, totally serious.
"Do you resent me ... for that?" Uncertainty gripped her voice.
"No. I love you. How can I resent you rescuing me, even if I did not realise that I needed to be rescued? If you had not done so, we would not be together now" Seven said gently. Janeway relaxed a little too soon. The ex-drone resumed her verbal assault with unwavering intensity. "But sometimes I resent your obvious belief that you are the sole arbiter of what is right for me and what is right for us. You discount my opinions and my feelings. While I was a frightened and inexperienced drone such behaviour may have been necessary. That is no longer the case."
"I am not trying to say what is best for you Seven. I am trying to be sensible. We are talking about another life."
"You are afraid of the responsibility," Seven pronounced firmly.
"I'm afraid of responsibility?" said Janeway disbelievingly, outrage lowering her voice and darkening her eyes to a stormy grey. "You must be thinking of someone else Seven."
Seven was not intimidated or deflected. Kathryn's subordinates might scurry for cover when the Janeway voice rumbled and threatened. Seven was not a subordinate.
"You may be able command a starship, a fleet and even a civilisation but in your personal life, you are afraid that you will be insufficient. I do not know why you believe yourself inadequate. I have simply observed it to be true. It was apparently necessary for you to be exiled from your companions, lose your command, then be thrown into prison, tortured and nearly lose your life before you would risk allowing yourself a partner. I do not wish to experience similar deprivation in order to overcome your prevarication about expanding our family."
"Seven I didn't mean we could never have children, just that this is not a good time ... "
"That is demonstrably untrue. As a Free Alliance marshal, you are powerful, independent and more than capable of providing for and protecting a family; as indeed am I," Seven countered relentlessly. "It is true that there is some danger inherent in our lives; unfortunately I do not foresee any future with you in which that would not be the case, unless you intend to wait until we are both so old that having children would be impracticable?"
"Wait up a little Seven, let me turn this around. You've discounted my reservations without providing any reasons as to why you want a child now."
Seven dismissed the question. "Such reasoning is irrelevant."
"How can knowing why you want children be irrelevant?"
"The argument is circular. I wish to have a child because I wish to have a child. Beyond that I do not have any special understanding of human psychology or the urge to reproduce. I do not believe there is a logical rationale. It simply ... feels right."
"You can't just dismiss the issue like that, it's a serious decision."
"Yes it is. And we have agreed that we are in an adequate material situation and that we would be able to look after a child in a satisfactory manner."
Janeway's head shot up and she started to protest, "I haven't agree..."
Seven cut in brusquely, not wishing to cover the same ground again.
"Do you have some tradition or belief that would prevent you from having a family? Or is there some other ritual consideration that determines the timeframe for such events?"
Janeway shook her head. Numbed by the barrage, she couldn't remember her initial reservations.
Seven gently took her captain's hands.
"In that case the only question that remains is do you want to have a child with me?" The ex-drone then threw her former captain off balance by saying very wistfully, "I do not expect an answer now."
Holding her lover's gaze, Janeway pondered how it was that these arguments with Seven always ended in her total defeat. She opened her mouth to speak ...
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Before the captain could answer, a sharp pain skewered Seven's skull and ripped her from her memories.
"Good afternoon Seven of Nine. Though I suppose that the time of day is irrelevant really - it's always the same in here. How many days is it now that you have been here?"
Seven didn't bother to open her eyes to look at her tormentor. Kashyk formerly of the Devore Inspectorate and currently self-employed often visited the lab. He liked to keep her up-to-date.
"182 days 14 hours and 23 minutes," she replied. Her voice was a cracked whisper, broken by many hours of pain.
"No word from your wife for... let me see... 43 days. Do you think she has abandoned you? It would make sense. She has been unable to find you and the only way she can save you is by surrendering herself and that damned ship and crew. I expect she has decided that you are not worth the exchange."
"Perhaps," Seven acknowledged quietly. Kashyk snorted.
"Then again perhaps not. We both know how stubborn Kathryn can be. Even if she does not love you enough to give herself up, she will not want to be defeated by me. She'll come. I know it."
"And then she will kill you." This time Seven opened her eyes and stared into the madness of her captor.
Kashyk laughed delightedly and gripped Seven's human hand with the pincers on his wholly Borg arm and squeezed until Seven screamed at the pressure inflicted on her already broken fingers. Kashyk didn't seem to notice. He was daydreaming aloud with a blissful expression on his still handsome face.
"She will see her family, her friends and her partner tortured until she begs me to kill them. As she looks for you, so I look for your children. Very beautiful little girls are they not? My men will enjoy them. I wonder who will find whom first?"
Seven said nothing. There was nothing here that she had not heard before and it only excited her captor if she showed emotion of any sort. He did not have her children or Kathryn and for the moment that was enough for her.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Many thousands of light years distant in her former ready room aboard the Federation Starship Voyager, Free Alliance Marshal Kathryn Janeway had completed retelling the story of her imprisonment and escape from the Devore five years earlier. Her former crew were staring at her. Chakotay couldn't hold back any longer.
"Kathryn, this is an amazing story but you have not explained to us why you need our help. What could we do for you - we are relatively small and powerless. We almost certainly know less than you about fighting the Borg or the Devore."
"I told you that Seven of Nine had been captured six months ago."
Chakotay nodded, still not seeing where this was going.
"There is a price for her release. Me...and...you. Voyager and all of her crew to be exact."
There was silence.
"Why would anyone in the Devore Imperium be interested in us?" exclaimed B'Elanna Torres.
"It's not the Devore Imperium that has her. It's the Borg or rather I should say it's an agent of the Borg."
"An agent," muttered Neelix. "The Borg don't use agents."
"The Borg have learnt that sometimes co-operation yields better outcomes than assimilation. You could say that this ship pioneered that tactic with them. The Borg remembered us and remembered working with us. When they were approached by a man who promised that he could deliver me they took a chance."
"Kashyk," said Chakotay grimly. Janeway smiled bleakly.
"You are very quick Captain."
"But I thought you had killed him..."
"No. I just mutilated him and gave him another reason to hate me. From what our intelligence services have established, I believe that part of the deal with the Borg was a new pair of arms."
"You're asking us to surrender to the Borg in exchange for Seven of Nine."
"I want you to make the deal look real. Kashyk will never release Seven even if we did give ourselves up to him. He wants the whole thing. We have to get close enough to rescue her and the only way to do that is to fly in with Voyager under a flag of surrender. We know where she is. He is holding her on a planet just inside Borg space. It's close to Devore space but it might as well be on the other side of the galaxy."
"You want to use Voyager as a trojan horse."
"Yes."
"How do you even know she is alive still?"
"He likes to send me recordings." Kathryn clenched her fists and breathed slowly. "We have verified the dates of those recordings and as of three weeks ago she was alive."
Chakotay looked his former leader in the eye. He knew that expression. Nothing was going to get in her way.
"Do I have any choice?" he asked already knowing her answer but wanting his crew to hear the words.
"No. You have no choice Captain Chakotay."
TBC
TITLE: Janeway Redux AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: R CODE: J/7
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her? This part opens in the same time frame as where we left part 14, five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5.
SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
To all those readers who against the odds have kept on at me to finish this - keep going a little longer.
===Voyager's ready room===
Chakotay watched Janeway carefully; she had confirmed his suspicions. He and the crew of Voyager were pawns in a game between two poker players with everything to lose. Janeway had risked Voyager many times before but at least then he had never doubted her commitment to her crew and her determination to bring them home. This time it was different. This woman was a stranger almost. He needed to know her better and to get some understanding of her new allegiance.
"It's a remarkable achievement for an outsider to climb so high within an organisation like the Alliance. Revolutionaries are usually extremely suspicious of anyone new, jealous even. It must have been very difficult for you in the early days."
"Actually after a few misunderstandings I progressed reasonably rapidly in the Alliance ranks." She grinned almost mischievously. "I had some advantages."
Kraal snorted. "Insanity being one."
Janeway shrugged and smiled. "Some people might have called it that. Good luck and good friends would be my explanation and there was the opportunity - I had skills and experience that were in very short supply - but mostly circumstances were on my side."
Nithqref shook both heads and gently, so it almost came as whisper within the minds of all those present, added 'The brave make their own good fortune Kathryn.'
"Very true," said Chakotay. "So how were you received by the Alliance?"
Janeway demurred and shook her head "But I would like to hear some of your adventures first," she said with a charming smile. "I have talked enough."
"There's plenty of time. After all we will have your company for the next two weeks, I think everyone here would very much like to hear more about your journey and adventures," Chakotay argued equally pleasantly.
"I would very much like to know more about Seven of Nine and your children," Neelix agreed enthusiastically.
Janeway smiled warmly at the small Talaxian but there was now a sadness in her eyes.
"It has been probably the happiest time of my whole life but I shall begin at the beginning. Kraal and Nithqref, I am sure will correct me if I get things wrong."
==Five years earlier==
The Fearless lay in high orbit above the light side of the barren cold planet, a tanned brown rock glowing in the light from its distant star.
Janeway regarded the small dead planet on the view screen.
"It doesn't look very lively."
"On the surface there is nothing. Surface temperatures are 100 degrees below zero. The Alliance headquarters are located in caverns fifty miles beneath the surface and heavily shielded from the curious."
The speaker was a tall, middle-aged, well-built humanoid male of mixed Devore/Brenari origin. Janeway knew a little of his history from her discussions with Nithqref. Dafed had no telepathic abilities but the laws against miscegenation in the Devore Imperium were absolute and his parents were imprisoned as a result of their liaison. Their fates like most other people taken by the Devore were unknown but death could be presumed. Dafed had escaped with a sympathetic Devore uncle and been brought up in a remote part of the Imperium where folk were more interested in your bank balance than your heritage. As a baby, Dafed was adopted by a wealthy Alliance family of the Malinko clan and had found his way in that half world of rebellion, insurgency, terrorism and plain old organised crime. He was now a senior ambassador within the Alliance which was a testimony to his intelligence and his survival instincts.
"We must send a identification signal or they won't send the transporter co-ordinates," he advised. "The safe transport areas are changed daily. Old transport zones are filled with supplies and garbage which can lead to very nasty transporter accidents."
"Do it," said Janeway. She betrayed neither by look nor gesture any of her concern about the upcoming contact. Nithqref and Kraal had briefed her as fully as they could on the shifting political sands of the Alliance but the Borg invasion had destabilised the old structures of command and control. Several major political leaders had died or been assimilated leaving dangerous power vortices within what had been a fairly chaotic structure to begin with and the fact was that no-one on board the Fearless could be sure of what awaited them here. The Alliance was a loose consortium of a few dozen free worlds whose systems of government ranged from democracy to dictatorship and a much larger group of factions that came from worlds occupied by the Devore.
The free worlds had ususally remained free for three reasons. Firstly they were extremely distant from the Devore centres of power; secondly they were unremarkable in terms of resources; and lastly they had not given the Devore any excuse to invade. The last factor meant that the involvement of the free world leaders in the Alliance had to be very circumspect, so in practise the soldiers and active leaders in the Alliance were drawn from the peoples whose worlds had already been occupied and who had little more to lose.
Refugees from the Devore conquests had spread out across the sector in a great diaspora. Living hand to mouth on many of the more lightly occupied worlds or trying to carve out an existence on much harsher formerly unoccupied planets, these refugees provided the backbone of the Alliance recruitment. They survived because the area of space occupied by the Devore Imperium was enormous and hard to control even for the mighty Deveore adminstration and the actual status of the occupied worlds varied enormously. Some worlds were completely under Devore control with big local Devore administrations and regiments of soldiers; many more planets were garrisoned by the Devore but the local adminstration was carried out by the native population under the control of a Devore military governor; an even larger number had notional autonomy as long as they paid their taxes. Devore representation on this latter group of worlds was restricted to 'ambassadors' who reported any signs of rebellion or resistance to Devore rule. If the situation on any planet got too out of hand the Devore would send in their 'inspectors' to crush any resistance. Nonetheless many illegal and stateless people were able survive and even prosper on these worlds. Additionally, many planets and moons off the 'beaten track' were uninhabited and could be used as bases by the Alliance. Some of these bases, like the one that the Fearless was orbiting, lay quite close to Devore occupied space and consequently had to be extremely well hidden. A casual scan wouldn't see anything and a more detailed look would probably only suggest wildcat mining. There were hundreds of thousands of such small operations constantly shifting between planets, moons and asteroids and the Devore could not investigate more than a small percentage.
A beep from the communication sensor indicated that Dafed had received a reply from the Alliance base.
"They want to board us," reported Seven.
"Not unreasonable," Dafed confirmed.
"Signal back that we will accept a welcoming committee," Janeway ordered.
"They will be very suspicious," said a dark skinned, softly featured woman standing next to Dafed.
Ertha was another very senior Alliance ambassador. She came from H'ronor, a world now destroyed by the Borg and even to the two humans it was clear that this dignified old woman was hanging onto her composure by a thread. She moved as though a great force opposed her and every step taken and every word uttered was a painful labour.
"Hopefully they will accept your word and Dafed's that we are genuine," Janeway responded reassuringly.
Ertha gazed at Janeway and her dark eyes seemed to allow no light to escape as though her sadness would swallow everything.
"In these times I would not hope."
Janeway had to put aside her sense of compassion as seconds later, six armed persons materialised on the bridge. They were all from the same species of weedy rattish beings. Kraal grunted disapprovingly and Seven of Nine's eyes narrowed as she recognised them as like the beings who had betrayed her to the Devore.
"What are these Cantori scum here for?" Kraal growled at no-one in particular. One of the Cantori stepped forward, waving his weapon dangerously at Kraal who didn't blink or move.
"Shut it!" yelled the boarder staring up at the huge Parath who towered at least four feet above him. "Parath pig. Everyone will drop their weapons and return with us."
"Who is everyone?" enquired Janeway.
"Everyone on the ship," yelled the apparent leader turning his attention from Kraal. There was a touch of relief in his voice as he took in the less intimidating physical presence of Captain Janeway.
"All of us! Are you sure?" asked Janeway coolly. She wasn't impressed by the boarding party. If this was the best the Alliance could field then Ertha was correct and there was little hope. However now was not the time for critical appraisal. "There are about ninety people in our crew and we have some two hundred Devore personnel and marines under guard in the hold. We can't just leave them here alone. We have only just captured this ship - it would be a shame to hand it back - and of course the Devore would destroy your base which wouldn't make your commander happy."
"Someone has to stay here and fly the ship" added Arrin the pilot, grinning. "You boys don't look space-worthy to me."
The boarding party gaped stupidly at the assortment of creatures around them and then at each other. It was obvious that they didn't know what to do. There was some hurried scuffling and muttering together before their leader mumbled into his communicator.
"Er Colonel. It's me. Umm it's a little more complicated up here than we was told. There are quite a few more than we thought...like a hundred or so of the buggers and they claim to have a couple of hundred Devore prisoners." He hesitated looking around and then said "and Colonel...some of them look like they might be with that new lot, the Borg." After a few seconds listening to his commander the Cantori escort snapped off the communicator and spoke with more authority. "The boss says you are to kill the prisoners and your leaders will accompany us to the surface to be interrogated by the representatives of the mighty Remo."
"No," said Janeway firmly. "We are not killing anyone and if your commander wants to meet me then he will have to come up here first." Responding to internal prompting from Nithqref, Janeway then said "If you don't agree, we will take this ship to the headquarters of the Helfi and see if they are interested in defeating the Borg and the Devore Imperium. And why are clan Remo deployed in this base. Where are the council of the Alliance?"
"We are providing security for the council. You have to be cleared before you can meet anyone important..."
"We. Are. Important," said Dafed emphatically and stepped foward. "I am Ambassador Dafed and this is Ambassador Ertha. We have vital information and we must speak with the Council soon. Instruct your commander to arrange an immediate audience. If anyone wishes to verify our identity before we disembark then would they please send a security officer with the appropriate clearance. You may go."
Before the Cantori had a chance to argue the six rattish beings found themselves back on their base transport-pad in front of a rather irritated looking colonel.
Back on the Fearless, Janeway smiled at Seven. "Nicely done Seven."
"This vessel has a superior transport technology Kathryn. You should congratulate its designer. The sensors locked on to the source co-ordinates when they transported aboard."
"Next time they will send someone senior," Dafed announced and smiled tiredly. "They would not risk anyone valuable the first time with an unknown force such as this ship."
He was right. Ten minutes later the colonel in charge of base defences beamed aboard and after a few minutes of introduction he politely requested that the two ambassadors and Captain Janeway should accompany him back to the surface.
"We should go," said Janeway impatiently as soon as the colonel had withdrawn from the bridge.
"Kathryn do you not think we should leave this to Nithqref," Seven suggested quietly.
Janeway frowned and said slightly petulantly, not liking the idea of being sidelined, "No. I want to meet them myself. I will go with our ambassadors."
"I was not aware of being your ambassador Captain Janeway," said Ertha slowly with a hint of the steel she must once have possessed.
Janeway knew that she needed Ertha and Dafed's support if she was to get any hearing. She stepped forward to take one of the older woman's hands. Ertha was clearly unused to such familiariy and pulled away slightly but Janeway kept a firm hold of her hand. Janeway ignored Nithqref's urgent warning as she lifted their joined hands so that everyone present could see the faint tracery of metal lines threading away from the small implants. A few glanced at their own marks and scars as Janeway declared "If I seem presumptuous ambassador then I apologise but all of us here are now of a brotherhood, a brotherhood which we did not seek but which has chosen us. We are going to change history together ambassador. There are worlds to save and civilisations to rebuild and this ship and this crew will be the start."
After a moment of silence Kraal thrust his fist in the air. "The Alliance and Janeway."
A second later the rest of those present, apart from the more dignified Ertha and Nithqref, duplicated his gesture and cry. Janeway acknowledged the salute. She was getting the hang of this world. Ertha nodded at the captain and the old lady's body seemed to straighten a little as though losing some of her burdens. She took her place next to Janeway and Dafed moved to also stand beside the human.
"I will go with you," stated Seven unexpectedly.
"Not this time Seven. I need you to stay with the Fearless - but if anything happens I'm relying on you to get me out of trouble," Janeway responded with a disarming grin successfully not giving in to her irritation.
Seven was not disarmed.
"I will not comply."
Janeway did not hide her shock well. She turned to her companions who were variously amused or disapproving. Kraal was snickering openly.
"If we may have a moment please," Janeway said calmly though her face betrayed her irritation. Seven followed Janeway into the adjacent briefing room. When the door slid shut Seven spoke immediately.
"I will not change my mind Kathryn. I will go with you."
"Seven, nothing is going to happen to me down there. These people will be falling over themselves to get our help. There is nothing to worry about."
"In that case there is no reason for me not to accompany you. Surely they will be 'falling over themselves' regardless and I can ensure no harm comes to you."
Janeway fell back on being captain. "Seven I am not asking you, I am giving you an order."
This tactic was worse than useless which Janeway realised almost before she finished speaking. Seven raised her eyepiece and pronounced haughtily.
"Kathryn, you are not captain here."
"I may not be captain Seven..." Janeway stepped closer and lightly held onto Seven's elbows. She looked steadily into the Borg's blue eyes, "...but do this for me. I need you to follow my orders at least in public."
"Why?"
"Because you're right. I'm not really the captain and because of that I cannot afford to be diverted, nor to show weakness. There is nothing holding the allegiance of this crew except the perception that I am the leader on this ship - they have accepted me as 'The Captain'. Without that acceptance, you and I have no protection and I would have no power to keep you safe."
Seven eyes were troubled. "Does the same need not apply to me, to keep you safe. I cannot endure losing you again Kathryn. I could not function."
"Nothing will happen I promise."
"You cannot promise that."
"You must trust my judgement Seven, that I will do the best I can to keep us both safe. We have to win these peoples' trust both here on Fearless and in the Alliance at large. If they betray our trust then you have my permission to come in all guns blazing to save me. Is that a deal?"
Seven considered the offer. "It will suffice but if the circumstances dictate I will stop at nothing Kathryn."
"That is the most comforting thing I have heard in weeks." Janeway smiled warmly up at her Borg and was more than a little surprised to find herself suddenly pinned against the wall of the briefing room to say goodbye.
"Damn you learn fast," Janeway gasped when she was able, grateful for Seven's strong arms supporting her as she was pretty certain her legs would not be any use at all.
"I do not want you to forget to be careful so I must remind you of what you might lose."
"Lesson learned Seven. Now I don't want to go..."
"...but you must."
A few more heated seconds and Seven released her captain. Janeway straightened her clothing and led the way back to the bridge to rejoin the landing party. A few very amused and curious faces and an abrupt silence greeted them, suggesting that there had been some quickly halted discussion.
"Whipped!" Kraal coughed loudly to disguise his insult.
Janeway scowled at him but was unable to reply as Seven stuck to their bargain and the hum of the transporter removed Janeway and the two ambassadors from the bridge.
Janeway re-materialised to see the same rag-tag group of Cantori guards aiming disruptors at them. Several other persons were standing behind them. Janeway stepped forward and raised her hand peaceably but the Cantori started yelling and screaming.
'Not again. Seven will never let me forget this,' was Kathryn's last thought as the blast of a disruptor caught her in the chest.
==A prison cell==
When Janeway woke up lying on her side on some kind of bed, she drew a shuddering breath and groaned at the pain. After a few moments of just lying breathing, trying not to make any noise she carefully opened her eyes, and without moving, tried to make out where she was.
'Standard issue cell,' she concluded taking in the small empty room, gray walls, low ceiling, single light and forcefield emitters framing the space where a fourth wall should be. 'I'm alive then.'
"You are awake," stated a possibly female voice.
"That depends on who is asking," Janeway replied.
"I am your interrogator."
Janeway could just make out a shadow standing beyond the force-field, behind a bright light that effectively prevented her from seeing the features of the speaker.
"Where are Dafed and Ertha?"
"Not your concern. Are you Borg?"
"No. Where have you taken them?"
"You are a spy of the Devore or a Borg spy."
"Are those my only choices?"
"Your ship has been captured and all your crew killed or taken for questioning. Several have confessed to being spies. You will confess also."
Janeway did not react, hiding the fear that clutched at her as she remembered the words of one of her trainers from Starfleet Academy. 'Torturers will lie to you. They want you to believe there is no hope. Believe nothing they say.'
The ex-Starfleet captain replied strongly "We are not spies. We captured a Devore ship and came here to help the Alliance."
"The ship is not Devore in design and you bear Borg markings. You are lying. You are Borg or an agent of the Borg."
"The Borg don't use agents. Our ship is a Farini design, built for the Devore. It is a prototype...as am I. The Devore are experimenting with new weapons and new armour for their soldiers to fight the Borg. We escaped from a Devore experiment - I and the rest of the escaped prisoners on the my ship are the experiment. Let me speak to your council - we can use this technology to help you defeat the Borg."
"You will speak to no-one except me until you have confessed to being a spy and fully revealed all relevant information. Then you will be tried and executed."
"Not much reason to confess then is there?"
Her interrogator did not reply. Moments later Janeway had the strangest sensation as though a thought had flittered through her mind but she couldn't quite catch it, like a tune you can almost remember but can't quite hear. Then she realised what it was - the interrogator was probing her mind but trying not to be noticed. Remembering what Nithqref had taught her, Janeway relaxed and allowed the foreign contact although part of her wanted to resist the subtle invasion. It would speed things up, she mused grimly though the delicate presence creeping through her mind, almost below the level of consciousness, was akin to the sensation of insects crawling on her skin.
Her interrogator sniggered. "That thought is most unpleasant," she said aloud. Several long uncomfortable minutes passed before there was a little gasp and then a stronger unfamiliar curse.
"You are telling the truth." The interrogator sounded almost shocked.
Janeway did not bother to speak, assuming that the telepath would know what she was thinking anyway. The telepath's next words confirmed this belief.
"I apologise for your treatment but we have to be careful initially. Some Devore are specially conditioned to resist telepathic contact. The element of fear makes it easier to enter the subject's mind. You have to admit Captain that your story was a little hard to swallow."
"When can I meet the council?"
"I will have to take this to my commander and it will be his decision."
"Not acceptable! Surely you can see that this is vital information. There's no time to lose."
"Captain Janeway you should understand one thing about the Alliance - it is like a very large rambling mansion with many hundreds of rooms. Not all the rooms have connecting doorways and sometimes you must go the long way to pass from one room to another."
Then her interrogator was gone, silently leaving her mind and the room.
"I don't believe this," Janeway fumed aloud to the unyielding grey prison walls.
For the next two hours Janeway complained in vain. Occasionally she heard footsteps and voices but her calls to be heard were ignored. She was dozing fitfully on the spartan prison bed when a disturbance brought her to complete consciousness. A loud familiar voice was berating someone. Janeway strained to hear the words.
"Are you an imbecile? Does the Alliance now depend on fools and half-wits for guarding prisoners? This borg prisoner is an absolute priority and you must find room for her now! There will be no excuses at your court-martial."
After a short discussion, in which the unfortunate jailor had to hear his mental health, maturity and competence unfavourably compared to various specimens of invertebrate as well as threats to his future career and child-bearing capabilities, Janeway heard a hiss, probably the sound of a force-field deactivating, then a thud and a yelp.
Kraal's familiar voice then said with booming cheerfulness "Very sorry old chap but you do remind me of a particularly nasty crab my Aunt cooked up and that's a little more nostalgia than I can stand."
Seconds later Seven of Nine was standing at the entrance to Janeway's cell. She took one hard look at the captain still seated on her bed apparently seeking an explanation. Janeway shrugged resignedly. Before Janeway could say anything Seven had jammed her assimilation tubules into the control panel and the force-field went down. She covered the distance to Janeway in two strides and raised the captain from the bed, kissing her thoroughly. After a moment the ex-drone relented.
"We are here to rescue you however blazing guns were unnnecessary. We used covert methods," she stated with a touch of smugness.
"So I see. Thank you," Janeway gasped breathlessly, "but we are not yet out of here."
Seven seemed unconcerned by this and Janeway again found herself unable to speak.
"Come-on ladies," growled Kraal, "and can you desist from such public displays of affection until after I have had my breakfast."
Janeway and Seven followed Kraal out of the cell and along a row of similar cells until they passed the unconscious jailor who did look remarkably like a crab.
"Is everyone safe? Dafed and Ertha?"
"Everyone is in an acceptable condition. The only exception was you. The representatives of the Remo clan would not disclose your whereabouts even to the Alliance council."
"Why me?"
Seven looked at her and Janeway was surprised to see the Borg's expression was almost amused.
"Apparently you are unique and worth a substantial ransom plus several political concessions."
"They must have been disappointed then."
"I was impressed by their perceptiveness."
"Very funny Seven."
Kraal snorted. "The truly amusing part was that some people actually did think your skinny ass was worth paying for. Dafed had already raised the cash from another clan leader who can't wait to meet you."
"So why the rescue?"
Kraal counted on his fingers: "We didn't think you would be too pleased to be purchased; being indebted to a particular clan might be a problem and who's to say that the new lot wouldn't auction you off again; we have a war to fight and Nithqref thinks you might be of some use; the Remo might not have stuck to the deal even if they got everything they asked for, and they asked for a lot, and finally Seven decided that she was going to get you herself with or without our help."
Janeway felt her eyes mist. She took Seven's hand ignoring Kraal's disapproving glare.
"I don't deserve you Seven of Nine."
"I believe we have covered that in previous discussions. That is a false assertion Kathryn which I do not think you truly believe."
"Maybe but I love you and nothing makes me happier than knowing that despite my faults you seem to love me too."
Kraal was now making gagging gestures.
"I think that Kraal wishes to leave Kathryn," said Seven but the ex-drone still took her captain back in her arms again. Kraal groaned.
"Ladies we really need to escape now."
The two women drew apart and followed the grumbling Parath away from the detention area. Minutes later Kraal was hailing the Fearless.
"We have her. Tell the Helfi they can save their paltry ransom."
"The council of the Alliance want to meet Janeway now. Ertha has arranged a safe conduct and we will beam you directly to the council chamber."
Kraal looked to Janeway for confirmation and she nodded her agreement. After the tranport had completed Janeway at last found herself standing in front of the Council of the Alliance.
==Voyager five years later==
Kraal broke into the Marshal's narrative at this point.
"We realised that something had happened to Kathryn within a few minutes of the transport. The Remo clan are some of the most self-serving and dishonest scum in the entire alliance and one of them took it on himself to demand a ransom almost before Janeway's molecules had left The Fearless. No doubt he wanted to be paid ahead of his fellows." Kraal snorted disapprovingly. "The Remo are a disgrace but this one was a greedy fool and made a bigger mistake than usual. He contacted us twice and the second time Seven of Nine latched onto him and pulled him aboard The Fearless where he was interrogated by old Nithqref there."
"It didn't take us above an hour to track down where they were holding her and the only real problem I had was preventing Seven of Nine from disembowelling the little toe-rag."
"Seven is very protective," Janeway said sadly. "She has never let me down."
==Five years earlier==
"Welcome Janeway," said a tall unearthly beautiful woman who extended her hand gracefully towards the human. Janeway wasn't sure if she was meant to take it or kiss it. The woman smiled brilliantly.
"I have been waiting for this moment," the woman continued, "and if not for the intervention of your friends I was prepared to pay a substantial fee however perhaps this is for the best. You are rather shorter and less impressive than I imagined." Janeway withdrew her own hand sharply. Sniggers and gasps from onlookers did not improve the captain's mood.
The alien woman grinned cheekily obviously not in the least concerned about Janeway's reaction. "Nithqref made you sound like a super being. But I should introduce myself first before I am rude. I am..."
"...Maefen, leader of the Helfi and the current president of the council," Janeway interrupted and held out her hand again with an almost friendly smile, still irritated but determined to show that she was not ignorant. "I am sorry to disappoint such an important representative of her clan."
Maefen smiled and briefly brushed her fingers against Janeway's. "You are not responsible for your stature. I must..." The alien woman's voice trailed off as her gaze fell on Seven of Nine and whatever she had being going to say was forgotten as she looked the former Borg up and down, her eyes running shamelessly over the contours of Seven's body.
"Who are you?" breathed Maefen. Janeway scowled furiously. The Captain really did not like this woman.
"I am Seven of Nine, formerly of the Borg Collective" the ex-drone replied unhesitatingly as she raise her eyepiece expressing her curiosity at the intensity of the stare. There were several gasps from the assembled council members and a few stepped back defensively, their hands going to their weapons. Maefen was surprised too and could not quite hide it.
"I..I had not quite realised that the Borg could be so attractive."
"My physical appearance has reverted to my original human form. I retain little of the outward appearance of being Borg, though unclothed it is…"
"Thank you Seven," Janeway interrupted before Seven could begin describing her unclothed form. "Seven was a valued member of my former crew and is a good friend. She has severed her link to the collective. She is no longer a Borg."
Janeway was aware of both Seven and Kraal starting to speak and having no wish to be contradicted about any of her statements she hurried on. "I am extremely anxious to know about the current status of the war. I believe we can help you." Maefen was still staring at Seven in a way that grated on Janeway's last nerve. "The current status of the war?" she prompted again while trying to resist the impulse to punch out the glamorous alien.
Maefen seemed to hear her at last. She stared down at Janeway from her intimidating height. "The war goes badly," she admitted. "The Borg are overwhelming the sector though they are mainly concentrating on the Devore systems at present but we have lost many worlds too. We will be able to gather our forces while the Devore are trying to defend their main systems. The Borg fleet is heading for Devore Prime where most of the Devore fleet is now waiting. With luck the Devore will weaken the Borg sufficiently and we will be able…"
Janeway shook her head. "It will not be enough, if the Devore with all their resources and military might cannot manage it, the Alliance cannot defeat the Borg alone. And with every victory the Borg grow stronger as they acquire more drones, ships and resources."
"So how or perhaps more importantly why are you going to help us? Perhaps you enjoy lost causes. Or perhaps you have a price."
"I want to stop the Borg. The Fearless is just one ship and although we have technology that might defeat the Borg we need to implement on it on a very wide scale. I cannot do this alone nor with just the help of the Alliance."
Maefen stiffened. "What are you trying to say?"
"You must help the Devore," said Janeway.
"You are mad!" Maefen's deep blue eyes darkened angrily.
"It is the only hope. The Devore are the only people with the resources to defeat the Borg. You need them and they need you or more specifically they need the Fearless and the crew of the Fearless. With our technology and the combined forces of the Alliance and the Devore, we might be able to win."
Maefen laughed but she was still angered. "You are certainly arrogant little one and presumptuous. However you do not understand the situation. Our many peoples will not join the Devore under any circumstances. The Borg give us our chance for freedom from centuries of oppression. At worst we will simply be replacing one oppressor with another."
"No. You don't understand the Borg. They do not oppress or subjugate peoples, they assimilate entire species and remove them from the Universe. Your people would not exist as subjects or slaves, they would become Borg. All of them. There is no resistance to this."
"What about your friend here, Seven of Nine. She has escaped the Borg."
"I did not choose to escape," Seven interrupted. "Captain Janeway liberated me by force."
"She took you against your will."
"I had no will," Seven explained starkly. "Just the will of the collective. I could not decide to escape any more than your hand can decide to leave your body."
Janeway decided not to argue any further. "Do you know of any individual Borg cubes in this area that we can use to demonstrate what the Alliance can offer to the Devore. Even a small defeat might slow the Borg down and give us time to negotiate with the Devore."
Maefen was obviously reconsidering her view of the human though whether favourably, Janeway could not tell. She was watching Janeway with the fascination that you might show when confronted with an exotic, if repellent, insect. A long moment stretched out
"Bring up the tactical display," she said suddenly. A minion standing at a command console swept his hands over the controls and a very pretty three dimensional graphic showing about forty star systems expanded in the centre of the room like a firework exploding in slow motion. Maefen led the way towards the display. "We are the red dot at the centre. The green dots are the last reported location of Devore ships while the blue represent Borg vessels. The arrows represent their vectors of movement."
"How recent is your information?"
"Between two and six hours. Our movement maps are a mixture of direct observation and information stolen by our spies and then the information is extrapolated until new information is received."
Janeway considered the display. A large group of blue dots was heading away from the red dot towards a large group of green dots. There was one other group of green dots and blue dots in close proximity and then a small sprinkling of dots at a variety of locations. She considered the single blue dot closest to the red dot, separated by a large cloud of stars.
"Can we look closer at that one," she asked, pointing. The technician nodded and the display shifted to zoom in on the lone blue dot. A distinctive triple star could be seen . Kraal gasped and swore.
"What is it?" Janeway asked.
"That Borg ship is closing on my home world which is unfortunately also a major Devore military stronghold. There are several hundred million Parath on that planet and many millions of Devore. The Borg ship will be there in less than one day. Where are those lily-livered defenders?"
As if to answer his distress two green dots appeared near the triple stars.
"How many hours travel from here?" Janeway asked, a sudden sense of urgent and manifest destiny was overtaking her as she watched the stuttering blue dot not apparently moving at all in the representation of the vast spaces of the Devore empire although she knew in reality the cube was moving at many times the speed of light.
A white line appeared, tracing a route from the Alliance HQ to the triple star. Kraal groaned.
"Nearly five days at warp eight, even in the Fearless we would not catch them."
"Why could we not take the more direct route?" Seven asked pointing at the cloud of stars.
"That is the Haroun nebula."
"Yes I realise it is a nebula."
"It is not a nebula, it is the Haroun nebula," Maefen corrected. "It has only been traversed once successfully in a hundred years. Many ships have been lost there."
"How was the one successful?" asked Seven.
"No one knows. It was a prison transport ship that had been attacked and gone off course through the nebula. The crew were in stasis and the instruments were too badly damaged to reveal what had happened."
"Could we reach the Parath home world in time if we took that route?"
"Technically yes but actually no because as I have just told you no-one survives the nebula." Maefen was impatient with her guests.
Kraal took in Janeway's set mouth and wrinkled brow as she concentrated on the tactical display. "Kathryn you cannot be serious. It would be suicide."
"I agree with your friend," said Maefen. "We would be wasting a valuable resource even attempting a traverse."
"I am something of an expert in nebulas, badlands and uncross-able wastes. Voyager attempted several traverses which we were told were impossible." Janeway looked up from her study and smirked. "We can do this. I have seen something exactly like this before." She took in the varying degrees of disbelief, anger, resentment and fear that was drawn on the many faces looking at her.
Seven of Nine was studying the detailed astrometric data about the nebula that the efficient technician had displayed. "A traverse is feasible," she said bluntly and looked into Janeway's eyes without a trace of fear or doubt. "Kathryn will succeed." Janeway felt her heart swell. Seven believed in her and Seven loved her and with that knowledge Janeway could do anything. Janeway turned back to face Maefen with confidence.
"This is our chance to make a difference: to give both the Borg and the Devore pause, to turn the tide of the war and we can save Kraal's home world too. Is that not worth some risk?"
Maefen shook her head, "if you wish to lose your life Captain then go and find your way across that nebula but we cannot risk a single warship including yours."
Janeway raised an eyebrow. "I am not asking you to risk a single warship. We would need three to engage a Borg cube."
"You are both insane and impertinent! I have no time for this nonsense now. I will decide your fate later and if you can serve any useful purpose though at the moment I can see none. In the meantime you are not permitted to leave this base. Now leave before I have you all imprisoned."
"I guess we know who is small in stature now," sneered Kraal drawing a large and ornate broad-sword. Janeway's people had already flanked their leader, silently directed by Nithqref who stood either side of Janeway and Seven.
Ertha, the elderly H'ronor ambassador who had been standing off to one side now moved to intervene and no-one attempted to stop her or interrupt and for the first time there was respect and deference in Maefen's posture. She even bowed a little to the old lady.
Ertha was angry. Her usually dark eyes glowed like red coals against the black skin of her face. She did not pull her punches. "You worthless child. We are losing everything. You have seen the reports: whole planets, species and cultures not merely decimated as is the practice of the Devore but lost wholly and completely without hope of survival. You are afraid to risk three ships. Maybe you hope that if you hoard every ship that perhaps you can protect your own pathetic and seedy little empire and count everyone else well lost. Maybe you think you can bargain just as the Alliance has bargained for years. Give away a little here, a little there. Do you think the Borg are like you or like the Devore? Cutting deals, making accommodations, trading with the devil, surviving on expediency? I wish I had died with my race rather than witness our final defeat at the bidding of our own cowardice."
"Ertha, you know I respect you but…"
"If you respect me then trust me. I knew your parents Maefen and neither would have hesitated to try and save that world. It may be that we will not succeed but there is no alternative but to try. Many Parath families live in slavery because many sons and daughters have taken up our cause despite knowing what will happen to their families. You must not reward their suffering with forgetting them at the time of greatest need because you would not risk three ships!"
Janeway kept her face immobile despite her desire to grin at Maefen's discomfort and humiliation. Kraal was showing no such restraint and his smirk near split his face in two.
Maefen knew she had lost but how to concede without all loss of face remained. "I will consult with my colleagues in private," she said quietly. "You will have our decision in one hour. In the meantime I suggest you prepare for action in case we decide to attempt the rescue."
==Five years later==
Kraal was grinning again at the memory.
"It was splendid. That woman had no choice but to concede even if she did pretend to consult with her colleagues. It was well known that her colleagues on the council did exactly as Maefen said at all times."
"I take it," said Chakotay, "that the crossing of the nebula was a success."
Nithqref inclined both heads. "Thanks to Seven and Arrin our pilot although the remembrance of Arrin's face is still to be treasured when Seven explained to her exactly how she would pilot a ship at high warp speed, through a star field and ion storms, without sensors and with most of the crew in stasis, towing two other ships with a tractor beam."
"And the battle with the Borg?"
"Was magnificent!" crowed Kraal. "I have never enjoyed anything more including my wedding night. Though that may be because I do not remember my wedding night. Those poor little Borg didn't know what had hit them. That was the first time they had a taste of their own medicine. We boarded their cube while our sister ships distracted them. We took them apart. Literally. We even captured the cube. The Devore lost a ship but that was before we arrived."
"It was interesting and very effective," Nithqref commented more restrainedly. "Kathryn used the Devore Controller Goff to negotiate with the Devore commander and handed over all the Devore prisoners as a gesture of goodwill which neither the Alliance nor the Devore could quite understand. But Goff knew a good thing when he saw it and he was quite a loyal ally to us after that. A truce followed between the Devore and the Alliance. While the Devore and the Alliance negotiated and rebuilt their forces using the technology we had obtained,the Fearless and her squadron continued to mop up small Borg forces and it was enough to make the Borg hesitate. When the Borg came back the Devore and Alliance legions took them apart. We didn't lose a single ship. And that was the end of the first Borg war."
"Did the Alliance and the Devore keep their truce after the Borg war."
"On and off. The war had weakened the Devore and they did not have the political will to take back Alliance gains. Kraal's home planet and several others came back under Alliance control and remained with them. Also many of the free worlds openly joined the Alliance after the war. The Alliance fleet was hugely strengthened by the large number of Borg cubes we captured and the Farini also managed to get over their hatred of Janeway at least to the extent of equipping the Alliance with more vessels like the Fearless.
"What happened to the Farini," Chakotay enquired, curious about the fate of the designer of the Fearless, Morvius and his daughter Atara.
Janeway avoided his gaze for a moment. "I'm afraid it did not end well but I must attend a meeting on the Revenge in twenty minutes so that story will have to wait for another day Captain." She at last met his eye and her grey eyes were bleaker than moorland in winter. "Morvius betrayed me once too often."
TBC
After Counterpoint (Season 5) Janeway is arrested by the Devore and taken from Voyager. Five years later, remade and rather different, she returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her? Part 17 reveals more about Janeway's life away from Voyager.
This part may appear to be a diversion from the main story line but it really isn't ;-)
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
I hope that this part and part b when it is posted will go some way to rewarding loyal readers.
===The bridge on Voyager===
While Janeway was describing her rapid ascent to power, B'Elanna Torres found herself being escorted to the bridge by a couple of Janeway's thuggish looking crew. The doors opened to reveal a tall dark woman leaning back against one of the consoles. She watched impassively as B'Elanna was pushed in through the doors.
"You are?" asked the stranger in the tone of one accustomed to immediate answers.
"Chief engineer, B'Elanna Torres."
"An engineer! Is there no-one more senior with whom I can discuss this...vessel?"
B'Elanna folded her arms and glared at the woman. "Who are you?" she asked trying not to give into her desire to punch the arrogant woman. Janeway had impressed on them that the Voyager crew had to appear compliant.
"Arrin, Commander."
"Commander of what?" B'Elanna asked with a sneer of her own.
"Second Battle-group."
"How interesting. Well I am the third most senior officer on Voyager. And since you've got Captain Chakotay and Commander Tuvok in chains..."
"...you'll have to do." Commander Arrin curled her lip in what was obviously an habitual sneer.
"I suppose I will," growled B'Elanna.
The two women locked eyes neither wanting to back down. After a long moment, B'Elanna folded her arms without dropping her gaze and Arrin's hard face twisted with a smirk.
"At least you're not a man though I would have preferred to talk to a warrior rather than a technician."
"You don't know anything about Klingons," B'Elanna stated.
Arrin shook her head, looking even more amused by the shorter woman.
"We emerge from the womb as warriors. If ever the opportunity arises you will find out the truth of that at my own hands."
Arrin's smirk became a grin.
"I may take you up on that challenge Engineer but let's get on with the work at hand. I need a complete understanding of the tactical and technical capabilities of Voyager."
Several hours later Arrin and B'Elanna had completed the review. Arrin surprised B'Elanna by producing a small flask and offering her a drink.
"Well it seems that two good things came out of this ship. You know your ship Chief Engineer."
B'Elanna took a swig of the bottle and didn't flinch at the burning liquid inside. Arrin's eyes widened. B'Elanna made a mental note to try out some blood wine on the visitor.
"What's the other good thing?" she queried, pleased to have at last surprised the invader.
"Seven of Nine of course."
Arrin sounded defiant and B'Elanna tried hard to hide her surprise behind a determined scowl. She had expected the invader to name Janeway.
"Seven is a good and courageous friend," Arrin explained earnestly, taking another drink from the flask. "She has told me a great deal about you B'Elanna Torres. She thinks well of you and I can see she did not exaggerate but then it would not be Seven if she had."
Arrin had become melancholy and B'Elanna surmised that it was because of the missing ex-drone.
"Do you believe she is still alive?"
"I have to. Until I see her body I will never accept that she is no longer here. We should be there now, saving her, not chasing about here. Nothing would stop me. No Borg or murdering bastard Devore. I would kill them all to save her."
"Does Captain Janeway know how you feel about...this mission?" B'Elanna asked with some unexpected delicacy and an even more unexpected feeling of comradeship. Arrin was a woman after her own heart.
Arrin smiled her twisted grin but there was no humour this time just banked up anger.
"Oh Janeway knows how I feel alright but as always she has more 'important' things to do. There is always a larger game for her to play."
"I think Captain Janeway would do pretty much anything for Seven."
"Maybe 'Captain' Janeway would have but Marshal Janeway is different."
"If you feel this way why do you follow her?"
"Because Seven asked me to," Arrin replied baldly.
==Three years earlier==
"Feet down," ordered Seven. Arrin who had been resting on the couch with her feet up, grinned cheekily though she did sit up and swing her legs round, slouching on the couch instead. It was only just in time. Kathryn Janeway, the most important leader in the Free Alliance of Worlds stomped into the room and glared blackly at her.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be away on leave for a few days."
"I am away on leave here," Arrin responded arrogantly.
"Arrin is visiting me," Seven interceded looking up from the chair where she was seated.
"But we are going away." Janeway protested weakly.
"Arrin is to baby-sit while we are gone." Seven stated coolly.
"Arrin! I thought Makela was coming over...Seven I hope you are not serious." Seven simply looked at her spouse and Janeway knew she was wasting her time though that knowledge did not remove the Janeway command glare entirely. Although she found it hard to maintain any real anger while watching her wife cradling their first-born, Catriona, in her arms.
Mother and daughter closely resembled some medieval dream of motherhood rather than an ex-Borg drone holding a ten month old baby that owed her existence to advanced scientific intervention. Apart from her shock of red hair, Catriona was clearly the daughter of Annika Hansen, thanks to a very talented geneticist and DNA recombination expert, a woman of H'ronor, who had declared that everyone was the same in a test-tube and that at least Janeway and Seven were more or less from the same species and of the same size and were hardly therefore even a challenge though she had never encountered humans before. Janeway carried the baby since the Borg had removed Seven's womb to make way for 'enhancements' but after Catriona was born it was quite clear that she was 'Mom' too.
Seven was explaining why Makela was unable to babysit.
"Unfortunately Suinaal and Nilka are unwell. They have contracted something called red swine pox - it is not usually too serious but Makela cannot leave them. Balaan and Greka and Margil are coming to stay with us while their brother and sister are in quarantine."
Arrin sat up sharply and her glare was as dark as Janeway's.
"What! Whoa! Seven, you didn't mention that there would be more than Catriona."
"You fear you will be unable to cope?" guessed Seven, opening her blue-eyes wide as though surprised.
The ever-proud Arrin's mouth opened to deny any fear and realised she was walking into a trap. She closed it again. Her obvious discomfort certainly cheered up Janeway who was smiling now. The relationship between Janeway and the senior pilot of her flagship was always tense and at the current time while Janeway was on edge with her second pregnancy it was worse than usual. Arrin narrowed her eyes.
"I simply did not know. It will make no difference."
Janeway had to voice her own doubts then.
"Does Arrin even know how to feed or change a baby? I really don't like this Seven. And the piglets can be a handful too."
"Still in the room..." Arrin muttered darkly. Seven regarded them impatiently. She loved Janeway with everything she was but sometimes the sometime leader of the Free Alliance Forces was irrational. Arrin was Seven's best friend, and a courageous, loyal and skilful warrior who had been with them from the beginning. It was completely beyond Seven's understanding as to why Janeway disliked her so much.
"You trust Arrin to fly the Fearless un-harmed through a legion of Borg cubes; I do not believe she will fail to change Catriona's diaper. I have left complete instructions and we are not cancelling this trip Kathryn. You will go to the Doctor."
Both Janeway and Arrin were looking mutinous so Seven brought out the big guns.
"Kathryn if you are really troubled then Arrin can take you to the Doctor and I will remain here with the children. I will see you tomorrow."
Janeway's face fell comically. Seven knew she had been planning this time away with Seven for weeks and it would crush her to leave Seven behind. Arrin didn't look any happier at the idea of spending so much quality time with her boss. Janeway conceded gracelessly.
"I am sure even Arrin can cope for 24 hours."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence Marshal Janeway. I am sure that I will survive this test," Arrin growled, insubordination flowing from every molecule of her body so that she almost vibrated.
"Don't betray that confidence" Janeway replied smoothly but with a raging undertow of menace. "I do not expect to find anything untoward on my return Arrin. And no visitors - male or female. The security detail will be instructed to keep everyone out who isn't me or Seven. Clear?"
The ill-tempered exchange was interrupted when three of Kraal's piglets barrelled into the room, squealing excitedly. Balaan had grown considerably and was nearly as tall as Janeway now. He was still several years from adulthood (or his parents' girth) but he was stronger than most human adult males. He was fearless, strong and stupid. Greka who was from the same litter and nearly as large as her brother had all the brains and a great deal of ambition - her poor brother unfortunately spent most of his time in trouble after following his sister into perilous schemes. The third, much smaller piglet, Margil, came from her parents second litter. For a Parath she was a quiet artistic little girl, thoughtful and intelligent, oddly wise. Kraal adored her though he couldn't quite understand how such a child could be his or Makela's offspring which was the subject of dark and completely unsubstantiated allusion to infidelity when the adult Paraths quarrelled (which they did often).
Seven and Janeway greeted the children warmly before the latter charged out of the living room and could be heard thundering up the stairs of the two storey house. The piglets spent as much time with their adopted human relatives as they did at home and needed no instruction on where to bunk or put their bags.
"We must go," Seven declared after hugging and kissed Catriona who protested sleepily at the disturbance. She handed the sleeping baby to Arrin who was bouncing nervously on the balls of her feet. Catriona promptly woke and started to cry. Arrin bounced her ineffectually and ignored Janeway rolling her eyes as Seven handed Arrin a list of instructions.
"We will see you tomorrow at 8.30am. You have two platoons of marines deployed as security but they will not trouble you. The commander knows our requirements exactly. You will be more than adequate Arrin." Seven hugged the pilot and kissed her on the cheek while Janeway stood back and glowered angrily at the shamelessly smirking pilot. Before Janeway could start any trouble Seven took the Marshal's hand and led her briskly out the door to the waiting transport.
They were going by road to the nearest town where a shuttle was to fly them anonymously to an inter-planetary space port. Seven had banned Janeway from using transporters while she was pregnant although the baby was not yet showing. The whole trip was being done without any formal support because Janeway wasn't ready for anyone to know that she was pregnant again - not after the kerfuffle last time.
When Janeway and Seven had told their friends that Janeway was pregnant it had triggered an avalanche of celebrations. The irritated Grand Marshal Janeway had found herself and Seven of Nine having to shuttle from planet to planet for endless parties, civic receptions and diplomatic functions honouring the new addition to the Janeway/Seven of Nine household until it reached a mad crescendo when Catriona was born. Janeway had found herself exposed to a blizzard of interest in her private life. Journalists, reporters and columnists from a hundred worlds besieged her. It had been overwhelming and the last thing that the family needed as they adjusted to their new life. Janeway had finally declared herself off limits and had informally stepped down from her duties (at least temporarily) so she could spend more time with her family on Parath where they had settled. While the Parath regarded Janeway and Seven as heroes and saviours and had honoured them as such, they had no culture of celebrity which allowed a level of privacy that would have been impossible on most other Alliance planets. The traditional Parath country house they were gifted by a grateful Parath government was a haven of peace; the local villagers jealously guarded their much honoured neighbours' secrets and any non-Parath intruders were kept at a distance by Janeway's personal guard, so apart from her over-stated concerns about Arrin, Janeway left her home without fear.
It was a slightly nervous Arrin (holding a very unhappy Catriona in one arm) who watched the transport disappear down the road, heading for the main highway. Arrin glanced down at the red-faced child who was crying with a determination that reminded Arrin uncomfortably of Marshal Janeway. Arrin muttered quietly 'I love your Mom little one but I have a feeling that you are going to test me to the limit.'
Arrin was surprised when a small hand wormed its way into her free one.
"Hello, I'm Margil," announced the small Parath girl who had appeared beside her. "Can I hold Catriona?"
"Erm. I'm not sure that…she…"
"It's okay. I help Seven all the time. I feed her, change her and play with her."
Arrin hesitated for a moment before finding Catriona being taken confidently from her arms and to the pilot's utter amazement the baby immediately stopped crying and smiled up at her new protector.
"See. She knows me," said Margil.
As Catriona gurgled and waved her arms at Margil trying to grab the girl's small snout while Margil expertly jiggled her as she walked up and down, Arrin realised that some goddess had smiled on her and salvation was at hand. She grinned as she guessed that maybe Seven of Nine was the goddess in question.
The older Parath kids appeared in the door.
"Hey there. Greka. Balaan." announced the girl pointing at herself and then her brother.
"I remember you," Arrin said, "as much smaller children. The escape from the Devore with Marshal Janeway?" The Parath kids stared at her, then Balaan shook his heavy head.
"Nah," he mumbled. "Sorry don't remember you."
"Arrin, Commander, Second Battle-group."
Balaan was unimpressed by that. "My Dad's commander in the First Battle-group. The Elite. They're the best soldiers in the universe. I'm joining them as soon as I reach height requirement. Maybe two years."
"If they'll have you," Greka sneered. "There's an IQ test. Maybe the kitchen brigade will take you."
"Ha Ha Ha. Very not funny." Balaan shouted angrily. He punched his sister who grunted but seemed to shrug off the heavy blow easily.
"The Second Battlegroup is also elite" Arrin said, slightly peeved by the kid's attitude.
"Sure," said Balaan with adolescent superciliousness. "Can I go fishing?"
"I..er..guess. Um what time do you kids have to be in bed?"
Both the older children looked at her as though she was insane.
"When we're tired?" Greka suggested in a bratty drawl. Before Arrin could retaliate and attempt to assert her authority, the girl's face brightened and she said excitedly "We could all go to the river and have a cookout."
"I dunno," Arrin hesitated. "I can't leave Catriona."
"It's okay," piped up Margil. "She can come too. We often go out with Seven into the woods. I know what to take."
"I don't…"
"What else can we do?" Greka asked innocently. "Something that's not boring," she added less innocently.
Arrin was nonplussed. She had no idea what two adolescents, a kid and a ten month old baby would not be bored by. Greka and Balaan were both smirking in a way that reminded Arrin exactly of their dad.
"Alright. We'll go. But if the baby isn't happy or anyone gets out of line then we come right back and you can do something 'not boring' in your rooms."
The Parath children high-fived each other and then in a flurry of activity that would have put a battle-group call-to-arms to shame, the kids assembled all the essentials for the outing: fishing rods, frying pan, carry-cot, baby-food, diapers, swim-suits, an axe for fire-wood, milk-warmer, milk, towels, toys, hunting knives, back-packs, food, drinking mugs, an assortment of soft drinks, baby-wipes, baby-cup, baby-plate, baby-spoon, blanky, a blaster…
Arrin gaped in bewilderment at several huge piles of gear.
"Why in Hezmana do we need a blaster? And why is Catriona's pile three times bigger than anyone else's? And who is going to carry all this?"
Balaan, Margil and Greka all answered at once.
"There are trogs and baggers in the wood. If the fire goes out...we may have to scare them off. Maybe even kill some."
"You don't know much about babies! They just need everything!"
"You carry of course. You're the 'grown up'."
Arrin's eyes narrowed and she stared them down with a look she reserved for subordinates who were really in trouble. After some seconds they all squirmed, even Greka who mumbled "Just kidding."
"Okay squad," Arrin relented - treating them like squad members might be easier - after all they were Parath with a strong military tradition. "Pack up your back-packs and lets get going. Balaan, Greka and I will take turns carrying Catriona. I'll take the blaster." Balaan looked disappointed at this but perked up when she asked "Where's the best fishing?"
"I'll show you. It's about thirty minutes walk."
Arrin took five minutes to talk to the head of security to let him know they were going out and just to have five minutes time with an adult before she plunged into her new job as child-minder. When she returned the bags were packed. She shouldered her bag and winced; she suspected it contained everything that was heavy, bulky and/or had uncomfortable knobbly bits and judging by the knowing smirk she suspected Greka had packed it. Arrin lifted Catriona's carry-cot in which Catriona was now sleeping soundly despite the racket around her, and they all set off for the river.
~~~
Some hours after leaving home Kathryn at last relaxed and began to anticipate the evening. Seven had just called Arrin and had a good report - the pilot and all the children were down by the river, fishing and swimming, and they were having a cook-out before bed. Catriona was asleep in her carry-cot and had been fed and changed by Margil. Kathryn snorted at that news. Typical of Arrin to delegate what she did not like. Seven had just smiled mysteriously.
Kathryn's trip to the doctor had been uneventful too, the pregnancy was proceeding normally and the foetus was thriving. So with the serious part of her trip resolved satisfactorily, Kathryn was looking forward to having Seven all to herself for the evening and the night. She smiled lasciviously at the thought. It had been many weeks since she and Seven had had any time together that did not involve their extended family. In fact the last occasion had been the evening of the artificial insemination. Kathryn grinned at the memory. If she had half such a good evening it would have been worth the aggravation of seeing Arrin today and watching her lust after Seven.
The second artificial insemination had been a much more romantic affair than their first when they had both been too nervous to refuse the offer of medical assistance. For this second time however Seven had insisted that they do it themselves as the process was quite simple and she felt able ‘to improve on the experience.’
What she meant by this was mind-blowing sex and inseminating her partner with the artificially created sperm while Kathryn sobbed helplessly in her arms. Compared to the clinical experience of the first time, Kathryn had to agree it was an improvement. Kathryn wondered occasionally if the difference in their conception might affect how she viewed her children subsequently but she didn’t actually believe it was possible to love anyone more than she loved Catriona.
Kathryn was not looking forward to the latter stages of pregnancy; it hadn’t been too physically uncomfortable last time but it had not been easy either. The early morning sickness had faded fairly quickly and she had been in robustly good health otherwise but the weight-gain, clumsiness and tiredness seemed endless and attitudes amongst Devore and Alliance to pregnant women were equally annoying and right back in the dark ages. That she stayed on duty almost until the birth caused a scandal. It had taken all her self-control not to hit Maefen, the Alliance president when she had firmly suggested that Janeway should perhaps not attend meetings when her pregnancy became really obvious. The Devore were even worse and actually averted their eyes when she was in the room. Regardless Janeway had soldiered on, determined to see a proper cease-fire agreement in place and a joint military agreement before Catriona was born. It had taken a great deal of pressure to persuade all the parties that the Borg would come back and they had to be prepared and had to be united on at least that one issue.
After the birth, Janeway was sufficiently happy with how things had turned out politically to take a long leave of absence to at last enjoy married life with Seven of Nine and to escape from life in the public eye. It had been ten blissful months and far from being bored as she had feared, Kathryn had thoroughly enjoyed family life and learning to live in an often strange place with unfamiliar customs. Apart from her personal guard who lived in a small barracks several miles from the house, they had no entourage and they did everything for themselves. Kathryn had learned to cook, mastered local plumbing, planted vegetables, acquired the local equivalent of chickens and had developed plans to build a summer log cabin for hiking trips in the very beautiful mountains that they could see from the bedroom window. Kraal had thoroughly mocked her for becoming such a bumpkin but he and his family were frequent visitors.
Seven had also enjoyed their time on Parath, although she was rather more a child of technology and had ensured that adequate technological facilities were installed in the house to meet modern standards of cleanness and comfort. It also fell to Seven to engineer the security and communication systems required to protect the person and family of a Grand Marshal and to install her own regeneration unit salvaged from the old Starfleet shuttle. She had even begun the design of a small holo-suite which she was going to program with languages, information and simulations of places, cultures and peoples in the Federation. Kathryn had been puzzled that Seven, who had no memory of the alpha quadrant, was making such a point of this until she realised that Seven knew better than most how it felt to be rootless and that she was also trying to insure their children’s future by familiarising them with the Alpha quadrant in case the Borg finally succeeded in overrunning the sector, or if the girls just wanted to try out life somewhere different.
Kathryn collapsed back on the enormous couch in their hotel suite and then heaved herself up on her elbows to look at the room. She sighed in mock despair at the extravagance. It was ludicrously over-appointed: marble floors, vast fur rugs made from vast furry animals, a holographic open fire, a floor to ceiling window of utterly transparent glass curving around most of the space with panoramic views across the city. And that was just the living room. The bathroom was so overwhelming that she half-expected to find Queen Cleopatra wallowing in asses milk and she feared that the bed was so large they would both get lost or be smothered in its soft depths.
The management of the hotel had insisted on giving them the largest and best suite when they realised that the two women trying to book a room were no less than Kathryn Janeway and Seven of Nine. The director of the hotel had laughed when Kathryn suggested that the suite was too expensive and immediately offered it for free. He would, as he explained, be able to charge twice the price when he could advertise that Grand Marshal Janeway had stayed there. A couple of acres of flowers had just been delivered and were now adorning every shelf and table. They looked and smelt very beautiful but Kathryn was painfully reminded of why she had fled to the woods and rivers of Parath - this kind of celebrity treatment made her very uncomfortable.
Seven of Nine was in the bathroom or perhaps in seventh heaven given the uncharacteristic glee the ex-drone had shown when she saw the opulent and enormous sunken bath. Kathryn wondered how long it would be before Seven had built a smaller version of it in their home.
“Kathryn,” Seven called in a voice that demanded her spouse’s presence.
Kathryn pushed herself to her feet and ambled into the bathroom. Any smart comment about decadence died on her lips. Seven was just lifting herself out of the foaming water of the vast hemispherical pool and water ran in easy streams down her fair skin; she shone in the artificial sunshine like a beautiful bejewelled statue from some ancient Roman fountain. She began to dry herself in a towel whose size and fluffiness did not disgrace the luxury of the rest of the apartment. The ex-drone carefully towelled each elegant leg and foot, bending to reach, revealing each perfect curve from hip to ankle as she stretched. Kathryn’s breath caught as she glimpsed the swell and swing of her lover’s breasts. Seven lifted her head and their eyes locked.
“I need your assistance to dry my back,” Seven said matter of factly but there was a slight gruffness.
“I..er..will..umm..yes of course.”
Kathryn knew this was not a moment to quibble that the room was fitted with a superb warm air drier that would evaporate the water from every orifice while perfuming your skin with any one of a thousand different aromas. On slightly unsteady legs she began to walk around the sunken pool.
“No,” said Seven suddenly. “Undress first.” Her tone was definitely rougher and lower than normal. She had dropped the towel and stood like a Viking queen, blonde hair loose about her shoulders, haloed by the artificial sunlight; even her Borg implants shone like pagan armour. Kathryn felt her throat dry up as her gaze drifted over firm breasts and down the hourglass curves to the smooth skin at the juncture of Seven's legs.
“I…don’t...”
“Undress for me Kathryn.” The ex-drone was almost growling now. “Undress for me. I want to see you. Be efficient.”
Kathryn’s heart stopped for a moment and then began to beat again painfully. She bent down to remove her shoes.
“Take your upper garments off first” Seven interrupted again. “After that you may remove articles in any order.”
“Is that more efficient?” Kathryn almost squeaked. Seven’s ice-blue eyes had darkened to the shade of a rough arctic sea on a summer day. She shook her head very slightly.
“No. I merely wish to observe your neck and shoulders and breasts in motion and imagine them moving under my lips as you remove the rest of your clothing.”
“Why just observe?” Kathryn asked shakily, her fingers fumbling as she tried to unclasp her bra, her top already discarded on the floor. Seven's eyes hungered and her voice was harsh with desire.
“Because you are not yet fully ready Kathryn. I am. As I washed myself, I visualised you, spread out for me on silk sheets, naked, the skin on your chest and shoulders blushing pink, your nipples demanding attention, your arousal glistening in the candlelight, ready, waiting. It required substantial self-control to not slide my fingers inside myself and..” Seven shifted a little and licked her lips. “But that would not have been as pleasing as waiting for you.”
Kathryn violently threw aside her last article of clothing, a shoe, and started towards her beautiful wife, all shyness forgotten.
“Stop.”
“Believe me I’m ready Seven,” Kathryn half-yelped although she did obey and stood waiting as Seven’s eyes devoured her.
“You have not bathed,” Seven observed relentlessly.
“Seven! What the hell!”
“I will wash you,” the ex-drone offered lightly though her blue eyes still burned. Kathryn hesitated, torn between her desire for Seven and her desire to be pampered by Seven. The latter need won out for the moment.
Kathryn gracefully stepped into the pool where a set of shallow steps ran down into the water. She walked down the steps into the deeper water enjoying the warmth of the water that was heated to just a few degrees below body-heat. She waited.
Seven slid straight into the deep water and swam, just two easy strokes, to arrive where Kathryn stood immersed to the top of her thighs. She rose up, beautiful and naked. They stood facing each other, challenge meeting in their eyes, not touching, just inches apart, looking. Kathryn smiled slowly.
"What are you waiting for Seven?"
Challenge accepted. Seven took Kathryn’s hand and led her deeper into the pool until the water lapped at Kathryn's waist. A small soap dish paddled over to where they stood and floated beside them.
Seven smiled a little, taking the scented soap and an ornate little cleaner like a sponge and lightly soaped Kathryn’s shoulder. Kathryn moaned. The soap foamed gently as it came in contact with her flushed skin and Seven began to move her hands gently over her wife’s body, soaping and washing her. She carefully avoided more sensitive regions apart from an ‘accidental’ brush of stiffening nipples, or a few misplaced strokes of the sponge that slid high inside Kathryn’s inner thigh. Each time Kathryn whimpered and tried to get more contact but Seven held her off.
After five minutes of this torment Seven finally pulled her wife’s quivering body against her own, turning her around, holding her close, fitting her body against her own. Kathryn’s eyes closed and she moaned again at the exquisite contact, revelling in the contrasting textures: the soft suppleness of her lover’s breasts; the taut pressure of her nipples; the delicate strength of her hands; and the hard but smooth press of her Borg implants.
“I have to wash your back now,” Seven whispered. She supported a shaking Kathryn with one arm as the other slid the soapy sponge through the crystal water and down her back and over the smooth rise of her ass.
“You’re evil,” Kathryn croaked. She bit her lip as Seven kissed her neck; it was all that she could do not to plead for mercy. As Seven’s arm encircled her and her hand squeezed and stroked her breasts, Kathryn knew she’d had enough.
“Please,” she begged. “No more.”
“You wish me to stop?”
“I want you to fuck me.”
She didn't have to ask again. Seven hissed in response and turned her wife to face her. She bent slightly and slid her arms around her spouse's backside and lifted her. Kathryn immediately wrapped her legs around Seven's waist and groaned as she opened herself to her lover and the warm water washed against her aching clit. She opened her eyes and stared lust-struck into Seven's blue-eyes. Carefully Seven walked her backwards, smiling slightly at the need she could see in her lover's face, until they reached the wall of the pool and she could rest Kathryn on the edge.
Kathryn bent her head slightly to kiss Seven and moaned into her mouth as Seven's tongue and fingers invaded her simultaneously.
"Oh God. Please."
"So wet," whispered Seven in her ear. "I can feel it even in the water…"
Kathryn was beyond words now. She clutched at Seven's shoulders hard enough to leave marks. The ex-drone moaned too, in appreciation of her lover's abandon and thrust more firmly, at the same time brushing Kathryn's clit with her thumb.
Moments later Kathryn came in Seven's arms, her small body arching and shaking until the final climax allowed her to collapse.
"Damn," she whimpered helplessly, her weak legs unwinding from around her spouse. Seven gently lowered Kathryn into the water, holding her up. Kathryn's head rested against Seven's chest. She turned her face to place her lips against the top of Seven's breast and kissed her lightly. "Give me a moment love," she murmured against smooth skin.
"I believe we must go to to dinner," Seven whispered softly and unexpectedly. "You booked it for 07:30."
Kathryn raised her head and stared into Seven's face dumbfounded. "You're kidding. I can un-book it,"
"You require regular nourishment. The Doctor felt you were under-weight."
Kathryn smiled at Seven's concern. "Dinner can wait but I don't believe you can." She ghosted her hand down Seven's spine and the ex-drone shuddered in a very un-borg way but she shook her head.
"I would prefer to wait as I do not believe that anxiety about your nourishment will enhance the experience for me nor do I wish you to hurry because you have suddenly realised that you are in fact hungry."
Kathryn glared at her but was fatally undermined when her stomach rumbled loudly.
"We will resume later," Seven instructed firmly and lifted Kathryn up and out of the water to place her again on the edge of the pool.
"You're impossible," Kathryn complained.
"The wait will be enjoyable," said Seven firmly and Kathryn gave up and reluctantly began to dry herself in the opulent towels that had presented themselves to her as she left the water.
~~~
Back on Parath, in the woods by the river some thirty minutes walk from home, Arrin was marshalling her squad of children to return. This was not easy. Balaan was still fishing, trying to make his twentieth catch, Greka was still eating the eighteenth and cooking the nineteenth and Margil had fallen asleep in Arrin's lap. The only obedient member of the party was Catriona who was asleep again after her evening feed and change. Margil had proved very able as a baby-handler and had even taken it on herself to train Arrin in the finer points.
"Why can't we camp here?" Greka whined. Arrin glared at her.
"Because we have nothing to frelling well sleep in."
Greka and Balaan exchanged sniggers at Arrin's profanity.
"I thought you were an elite unit commander," Balaan sneered. "Dad's unit sleep outside all the time without any equipment - they have to learn survival skills."
"Not with a ten month old baby and a small girl. I am not arguing Balaan. This is an order. And if you wish me to report favourably to your father on your readiness for military service you will obey this order, and Greka, stop stuffing your face. You and your brother are to wash the dishes and then pack up the gear and this time you get to carry the heaviest bag."
"We can just take the dishes home and put them in the washer…"
"You heard me. I will not repeat my order. There will be no similar outing tomorrow if you do not obey."
"We can come back?" Greka said hopefully.
"Only if …" Arrin raised her eyebrows and Greka finished for her.
"… we follow orders. Yeah, yeah, yeah," Greka intoned feigning boredom.
Arrin smirked and nodded as Balaan and Greka started the clear up with a lot of heavy sighs. She looked down at the girl asleep on her lap.
"Margil, you must wake up now . You are too heavy for me to carry." The small girl stirred and smiled sleepily up at her.
At that moment they all heard a noise that even the children recognised. The sound of a Devore search-copter. Arrin knew that the local security team were not equipped with search-copters. Ground-based heavy-phasers made them suicidal in combat but they had been used on prison planets to search for escapees. The copter was flying low over the woodland as though searching - but no vehicles were allowed to fly over Janeway's home or the surrounding land - Seven had programmed the ground based phasers to shoot down anything . If this was an attack then where was the security fire. The copter should never have got past the perimeter. Arrin swore again and this time none of the children laughed. They were too frightened.
…TBC in Chapter 17 part 2