Chapter Two

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="041d4c00dduajq.png"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="95" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 46 WIDTH="91"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="46" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="91" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div>             Crossing the</div> <div> Nebula </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="1" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="159" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 34 WIDTH="71"><div> Chapter Three</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="71"><div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter Three"><U><IMG SRC="06e20180.png" border=0 width="32" height="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 33 WIDTH="71"><div> <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter One"><U><IMG SRC="07320180.png" border=0 width="32" height="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="71"><div> Previous Page</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 33 WIDTH="71"><div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Table of Contents"><U><IMG SRC="07320180.png" border=0 width="32" height="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="71"><div> Table of Contents</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Teleport Instructions:</B></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800f0ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Click on white rectangles above to go to a specific page.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800f0ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Hold your mouse over a rectangle to see the topic.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800f0ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Notice that the page you're currently viewing has a "halo" and is highlighted in yellow.</div> <div> Click <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Me"><U>HERE</U></A> to give me quick and easy Feedback on this site.</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#990033" FACE="Jokerman" ><B>Crossing the Nebula</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Arial" >     |  </FONT>   <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Crossing the Nebula"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter One"><U>Chapter One</U></A>   |   <B>Chapter Two </B>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter Three"><U>Chapter Three</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter Four"><U>Chapter Four</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter Five"><U>Chapter Five</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter Six"><U>Chapter Six</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter Seven"><U>Chapter Seven</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter Eight"><U>Chapter Eight</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id50.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Art of Seduction"><U>The Art of Seduction</U></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="086644b0.png" border=0 width="100" height="75" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="087644b0.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="75" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Chapter Two </div> <div> By Trekscribe</div> <bR> <div> 0730hrs Tuesday</div> <bR> <div> Rene' placed the Doctor's rose on the table right inside her quarters' door. She didn't want to think about the Doctor's crush on her and how to slap him out of it.  It's a simple matter to handle. Once she explained to him that he's on the rebound, trying to replace Seven with her, he'll come to his senses and get a grip. It's a limitation in his programming probably, Rene' assumed. Once the Doctor's subroutine controlling whom he would fall in love with, based on the parameters that were set up, was activated it had to run its course. Seven fits his criteria. <I>I must be similar enough to Seven to meet his standards as well. You aim very high Doctor.  Wait `til I tell Kathryn, she'll get a kick out of this.</I> </div> <bR> <div> <I>Whoever programmed that subroutine was very sloppy.</I>  They didn't think about what if the Doctor's object of affection wasn't interested in him. What if they say or do something that should cause him to fall out of love. <I>Does he continue to hold on to them or walk away? The Doctor simply replaced Seven with someone else, me.</I>  <I>Well, I've had first hand experience with the good Doctor's problems, unfortunately</I>. Rene' smiled bitterly to herself. <I>I won't have any trouble rewriting his subroutines</I>.<I> Oh, yeah, he'll be able to smile and joke even when his heart should be exploding. </I>  </div> <bR> <div> She logged on to her workstation to read Email.  Reading Email was usually the first thing she did when she entered her quarters. It was a ritual she started at the Academy. While in school she corresponded with several email pals around earth and across the Alpha and Beta Quadrants; keeping up on their shenanigans, bragging about her own. Her email buds were like her, they partied hard and enjoyed themselves and of course got into a lot of trouble. </div> <bR> <div> On Voyager the Email wasn't as interesting most of the time.  She scanned the dirty jokes, mostly sent by “20Somethings.” It took some wit to write a dirty joke worth her time. <I>People with wit were sorely lacking on this ship.</I> She summarily deleted the jokes without reading them. There were the dry official ship memos issued by Tuvok, Voyager's Chief of Security Officer and Chatokay's duty rosters, she used her “infamous”photographic memory to absorb the information then discarded it. She remembered one of her instructors at Starfleet Academy who was angry that she never studied for his tests and still aced them. He decided to berate her, “Cadet Maxwell, if all of us had your memory we'd be a lot farther along than you are.” She had a snappy reply back for him, “At least I'm not going to be stuck here teaching school because I don't have the potential to be on a starship.” He knew better than to mess with her again. Not only was her memory of the written word phenomenal, she had the ability to remember <I>everything</I> she saw or heard, since age five. <I>It's a blessing and a curse</I>, she sighed.  </div> <bR> <div> Suddenly, Neelix's lame newsletter, <I>The Voyager View</I>, jumped onto her screen. It was<I> suppose</I> to be a way to learn what was happening on Voyager, what the crew members were doing socially, professionally, who got a promotion, who was getting married, etc. however it was so politically correct there was really nothing of interest in it. She tossed it into the delete bin without reading it. </div> <bR> <div> She was about to log off when another email dropped into her mailbox…<I>She</I> did have a chance to write today. An encrypted email message from Captain Janeway was posted in her personal email directory. Rene' ran the encryption code that only she and the Captain knew. They setup the encryption four years ago, passing emails to one another whenever they felt the need; sometimes once a week, sometimes more than once a day. </div> <bR> <div> Dear R': </div> <bR> <div> The Doctor told me you're considering not coming tonight. As you know, you're behavior wasn't appropriate at the last party. Do you really find this so amusing? Still, I'd like you to come tonight. Can you be objective about the situation? Seven is getting harder to resist, your thoughts?</div> <bR> <div> <I>The Captain was always to the point, not one to waste words, even when she was talking about something very intimate.</I></div> <bR> <div> K</div> <bR> <div> Rene' sighed. They had rehashed this many times. She was getting tired of the discussion but….it <I>is </I>Kathryn.  </div> <bR> <div> Rene' replied:</div> <bR> <div> Dear K:</div> <bR> <div> Resistance is futile. And..why would you want to?! You're the one who's not “objective”. But if you want me to be there, I'll come (pardon the pun). </div> <div> P.S. I don't think *I* was the one who behaved badly and neither did Seven. </div> <bR> <div> R'</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ***</div> <bR> <div> Rene' walked into her sleeping area and removed her uniform then dropped in bed. She wanted to sleep but her mind raced in triple drive. First, about the work she still had to do, then about Kathryn and Seven of Nine, former Tertiary Adjunct to Unimatrix 01, blah, blah, Borgs and the Doctor who she liked very much but…there was <I>no way</I>.  She would go to the party tonight. It couldn't be as surreal as the first party she attended. She and the Captain didn't socialize in public much which was probably a good thing judging from what happened. </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> *****</div> <bR> <div> Rene' closed her eyes and relived the first party the Doctor invited her to attend, Ensign Kim's birthday party, in the Mess Hall, 2 weeks ago. </div> <bR> <div> The Doctor was already “more than fond” of Rene' and referred to her as his “date” at Kim's party. She wasn't happy with his use of the term but she empathized with him so she let it go for now. Rene' for the most part was cordial and acted considerate to the Doctor but never demonstratively affectionate like Tom Paris and B'Elanna tended to be after they'd had a few drinks of Neelix's homemade Dresci, an alcoholic brew that packed a hard uppercut. <I>Hmmmm,</I> <I>maybe</I> <I>they need to get drunk in order to have sex</I>.  <I>I wouldn't be surprised. Should I ask B'Elanna? </I>Rene' smiled to herself.</div> <bR> <div> The Doctor's main purpose was to show Rene' off to Seven, that's why he brought her to Kim's party. His ego was still a little battered by Seven's unceremonious dumping. She had made it clear that they were nothing more than friends in her mind. Rene' initially refused, which he didn't understand but finally she gave in. Why didn't she try to socialize more with the other officers? Just another one of those things she avoided talking about. He needed to be patient with her but the need to talk to her about every aspect of her life was compelling.</div> <bR> <div> Seven didn't notice Rene' until the Captain noticed Rene'. She was surprised and dismayed to observed that when the Captain saw Rene' at the party nothing and nobody else seemed to matter. Janeway walked over and hugged her. Rene' seemed embarrassed and whispered something to her as they broke the embrace. The Doctor was rattled by the display, it wasn't something the Captain would normally do, but he didn't want to say anything, just <I>yet</I>. He was cautious; after all, if he approached this the wrong way with one utterance, Janeway could reduce him into nothing more than the walking automaton he was five years ago. The stakes were too high, <I>now</I>. </div> <bR> <div> Kathryn promptly led Rene' to a corner to talk to her alone. Janeway did most of the talking with Rene' occasionally responding, smiling at her with a smile that could launch a thousand photon torpedoes or frowning, shaking her head in disagreement. She looked like she wanted to walk away a couple of times but didn't. Rene' glanced over at Seven more than once with a look that was hard for Seven to interpret. It was something like… sympathy… but why would this woman who Seven barely noticed or talked to in all the five years she's been on the ship, look at her like that?</div> <bR> <div> The Doctor made a mental note to enhance his hearing subroutines when he got a chance so that he could listen in on Rene's conversations with others, all the better to understand her, he reasoned.</div> <bR> <div> It was apparent that Rene' and the Captain knew each other well. Too well, in B'Elanna Torres' estimation.  B'Elanna was the closest thing to a girl friend Seven had and right now couldn't believe her eyes, <I>what an insensitive</I>…, B'Elanna searched for the right word in Klingon or English and could only come up with <I>bitch </I>to describe the Captain. Flirting with someone else right in front of her date. The Captain had brought Seven to the party after all. If Tom ever tried to do that to <I>her </I>she'd fix it so he couldn't use <I>it</I> anymore.  B'Elanna could see that Seven was upset by Janeway's behavior and offered Seven what seemed to be good advice at the time.</div> <bR> <div>  Seven pickup up a drink from the bar walked over to the Captain and threw it in her face. There was a hush. The Captain's shock turned into anger but she was composed.  Rene' backed away from both of them, approval in her eyes. <I>Seven, you're too much!</I>  Rene' joined the Doctor who was staring wild-eyed at Seven and the Captain, his mouth slightly open. Rene' said in a serious voice “Anyone for mud wrestling?” Of course no one knew what she was talking about, except the Doctor who accessed it's meaning via the computer's database. “Mud wrestling, ha, ha, hmm, usually involving two scantily clad women mauling each other in a tank filled with, well, of course….mud. That's very… clever.” He laughed nervously, knowing full well it wasn't funny at all. Kim, Chakotay, and Paris and even B'Elanna were trying to ignore what just happened, their backs slightly turned away from the scene so that they could watch out of the corners of their eyes. </div> <bR> <div> Rene' watched the drama with interest and wasn't going to pretend otherwise, so did Lt. Commander Tuvok. He noted that Seven was becoming more human. <I>How unfortunate</I>. </div> <bR> <div> “Serves Janeway right.” B'Elanna muttered to Tom, making sure only he heard it. Tom couldn't find anything to say at the moment. Harry and his date were speechless as well.</div> <bR> <div> Neelix, the party's host, ran over and handed Kathryn a towel. </div> <bR> <div> “Are you alright, Captain, what happened?” </div> <bR> <div> “Yes, thank you Neelix. Everything's fine. Seven and I are leaving now. Tell Harry we're sorry.”  Her voice was even and impassive. As she talked to him she was looking at Seven. Kathryn's deep blue eyes were like icebergs. It was the <I>Look</I>. It could wither a crewman or woman to the bone.  You could tell that she was too angry to speak to Seven. The Captain grabbed Seven by the arm, pulling her toward the mess hall door.</div> <bR> <div> “Nice meeting you Seven! Drinks on me next time.” Rene' called out to them as they left. The Captain shot Rene' an annoyed glance. <I>Ok, I just couldn't resist that comment. </I></div> <bR> <div> “Well, someone isn't getting any tonight.” Rene' laugh quietly more to herself than to the Doctor.</div> <bR> <div> “What do you mean?” He asked. She truly puzzled him at times, especially her sense of humor.</div> <bR> <div> “Doctor…SEX”, Rene' shook her head. <I>Was he that slow?</I> “Sheesh.”</div> <bR> <div> “You don't really think that Seven and the Captain are …. intimate?”</div> <bR> <div> “I was joking. I guess I should know better than to try my warped humor on you yet.” She laughed.</div> <bR> <div> “Well Rene' with all due respect, most of your `jokes' wouldn't be amusing to anyone born after 2100.” He countered good-naturedly.</div> <bR> <div> “Oh really? I think my jokes are beyond you right now, but that's ok. I'll get you up to speed babe, in time.” She grinned. She watched the Captain and Seven as they walked out the Mess Hall door. “Nope, I don't think they've done the wild thang yet.”  <I>Would love to be there when they do. </I></div> <bR> <div> “Good. Seven should set her sights much higher in my opinion. Perhaps tonight she'll finally see that.”</div> <bR> <div> “What?! There's nobody on this ship better than the Captain.” Rene' smiled. <I>I should know.</I></div> <bR> <div> “I disagree. She's aloof, impersonal, a workaholic, sexless, domineering ..I will go on if you like.” <I>The Captain as a suitable partner for Seven, for anyone? That's absurd. I thought Rene' had better judgment of people that this. Besides, she should be thinking there's no one better than*me* on this ship. Oh well, I'll have to step up my courting efforts. </I></div> <bR> <div> “Please <I>don't</I> go on. That's what <I>you</I> perceive.” <I>I know better. </I> “I don't think she's any of those things, except a workaholic. Believe me, compared to some of the other Captains I've researched and heard about, she ain't `domineering.' Somebody has to be in charge around here. Be thankful it's her.”</div> <bR> <div> “I'm talking about her personal attributes, not her managerial style. Didn't you just see how the Captain handled this situation with Seven? How can you tell me I'm wrong?” The Doctor spouted smugly.</div> <bR> <div> “How one acts in public doesn't mean they behave the same way in private, dear. I think the Captain will do right by Seven.”  <I>She better do the right thing and soon.</I></div> <bR> <div> “I hope so, for Seven's sake.” He decided now was as good as time as any to find out if anything was going on between Rene' and Janeway. “Speaking of how the Captain acts in public. I don't recall her being so publicly open with her affections like she was with you tonight.”  This was the first time he ever had a reason to talk to Rene' about the Captain on a personal level. After tonight it looked like the Captain certainly was worth discussing.  “Rene', is there something I should know about you and the Captain? Are you and her… ” He tried to sound nonchalant but knew he wasn't doing a very good job.”</div> <bR> <div> The Doctor watched her intently. He'd taken on the momentous task of trying to figure out what makes Lt. Rene' Maxwell tick . Any topic that he broached or that he overheard being discussed to her he would store in his memory and her reaction to it. If it was something that made her happy he'd be sure to bring it up again. If it was something that made her upset or angry he wouldn't bring it up, try to change the subject if someone else bought it up or try approaching the subject differently. He's never bother to do this for anyone else before, even Seven. The discouragingly part about it was that she was volatile, unpredictable; what made she happy one day could irritate her the next. He knew instantly that he had made a mistake. While her face was impassive, her eyes changed from a lovely shade of light violet to a murky shade of slate blue. He wondered if she was aware that her eyes betrayed her emotions.  She examined him for a few seconds then said coolly, “Ask her.” He hated when Rene' dismissed him, her eyes cutting through him like a laser, it wasn't often she shut him down but when it happened it hurt. She was a rude, moody, complex, indecipherable woman, but … it didn't matter. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ***</div> <bR> <bR> <div> “Seven, what in god's name possessed you to do that!” The Captain asked after they exited the Mess Hall door  and were out of earshot.</div> <bR> <div> “You were behaving in an inappropriate manner with Lt. Maxwell.” Seven genuinely didn't think she had done anything wrong and that Kathryn should be apologizing to <I>her</I> right now instead of asking her to explain the obvious.</div> <bR> <div> “You don't throw drinks at people who displease you, Seven.” The Captain sighed. No longer angry just embarrassed and disappointed. </div> <bR> <div> “Go to your alcove and think about that. Tomorrow you and I will discuss more productive ways for you to deal with people or situations that anger or upset you.” </div> <bR> <div> Seven wanted to talk to her about why this incident happened in the first place but could tell that she didn't want to discuss it any further tonight. It could wait until tomorrow. Kathryn was treating her like a child again, not like a woman, something Seven hated but she did as she was told, <I>this time</I>.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ***</div> <bR> <div> Needless to say, the party ran down a little after that excitement. Tuvok, Rene', the Doctor and Chakotay pretended that nothing happened and starting talking about some of Rene's findings regarding the genetic makeup of the different species Voyager had encountered in the Delta Quadrant. Rene' as a rule, didn't like talking shop at parties. It was her only option, since B'Elanna, Kim, Neelix and Kim's date Ensign Tee Golwat, the Bolian with a fondness for Neelix's Anthraxic Citrus Peel Orange juice were still rehashing what they <I>thought</I> went on a few minutes ago and what they <I>thought</I> was going on between Rene' and the Captain. They were huddled at the other end of the bar.</div> <bR> <div> Rene' tuned out Tuvok as he pondered  why the Malon, Emck, a recent villain they'd encountered, refused Voyager's antimatter purification technology, it was illogical. </div> <div> <I>Tuvok, some people are fuckers, don't you get it? Rene' sighed silently to herself.</I> She liked and respected Tuvok but how long would it take him to get this simple premise? </div> <bR> <div> Bored, Rene' trained her notorious analytical eye on B'Elanna and the others buzzing around her. Rene's years of psychological training at the Academy allowed her to dissect them swiftly and unemotionally. Rene' was a people analyzer. She watched people; observed body language and the phrasing of words. What someone didn't say was as important as what he or she did say. She enjoyed watching people interact or not interact with each other. She had categorized and analysed everyone on the ship. Their strengths and frailties were recorded on her mental scorecard. She would have made an excellent ship's counselor, but she was skeptical of the counseling process. A counselor had to wait and hope that the advice they gave sank in and chalk it up if it was rejected. That definitely wasn't Rene'.  </div> <bR> <div> Hmmmm, Neelix hasn't had a date since Kes turned into whatever she turned into, and left him. He lives vicariously, tapping into the sexual and emotional lives of others, because it's safe and he has a strong fear of rejection. Kim wouldn't know what to do even if a naked woman fell in his lap. He passed up having sex with Seven for Christsakes! (Rene' was still in amazement about that one), She wondered what was really up with that. She had her suspicions.  Tom spends all his free time in the holodeck even though he has a beautiful, intelligent woman at home to play with; really odd behavior in her opinion. The lot of them, were just plain nuts! <I>What the hell am I doing here?! </I></div> <bR> <div> She wanted to tell herself that she wasn't a bit attracted to B'Elanna, but the reality was she was kinda cute. Too bad she's repressed like Chakotay.  Although she could certainly understand why B'E'lanna seemed tense about sex, after all Tom Paris was her only sexual outlet, the poor woman.</div> <bR> <div> Anyway, Klingon women to be too possessive and jealous to entertain any thought of being with one. They could get very violent, which was a little exciting but…she wasn't about to take her life in her hands. She roomed with a Klingon female during her Academy days, Krilka VeStaI Ongghan. Those were some wild times.  She did think that B'Elanna deserved better than Paris. Why was she settling for him? She tried to talk about Tom to B'Elanna once and of course B'Elanna got upset and angry instead of having an adult conversation about it.</div> <bR> <div> B'Elanna and the others were knitted close together talking softly. Dying for her to come over, to pump her for information. Even B'Elanna who probably thinks what happened is her fault somehow, would be nice to her for a chance to grab some gossip. God, B'Elanna loved gossip. Rene' smiled. She could easily walk over there and instantly be involved with their lives. What they didn't know was that they would end up giving her 100 times more info about themselves than she would give them, it might be fun to play around with them, get involved, but her life was a little too complicated to spare them any time right now. Besides, they were Janeway's friends and eventually because of that, Rene' would have to get involved with them anyway; God, she had put off getting involved with them for as long as she possibly  could. They were Kathryn's circle, Kathryn's problem. Rene' had her own circle, her own problems. But all that was about to change. The Ramones song, <I>Hey Ho Let's Go</I>, played in her head. </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ***</div> <bR> <bR> <div> So she went to the party that both the Doctor and Kathryn wanted her to attend this evening. A quick survey of the room showed that Kathryn, Seven, B'Elanna, Tom and 10 other guests (none of them any of her friends) were already there. This party was not nearly as interesting as the previous one Rene' attended from a drama standpoint in Rene's not so humble opinion. There were no more histrionics from Seven. Rene' was there because the Captain asked her. The Doctor had no clue about that. Her only interests at the party were the Captain of course, and possibly Seven now. The Captain had told her a lot about Seven over the course of the year and Rene' had started to like her based on the Captain's thoughts and feelings. The Captain had an attraction for bad girls it seemed.  </div> <bR> <div> Tonight, she decided to play the political game to keep her mind busy; these parties were boring, they didn't have to be. She made a point to ask Tom about his various antique car projects. She knew something about those types cars since she was into 20th century culture. She asked Tuvok about how his Vulcan Keethara Meditation was evolving and then about Pon Farr. She liked trying to get him to talk about Pon Farr. It would have been nice to get more details concerning what Vulcan's actually did when they mated but Tuvok would always change the subject. </div> <bR> <div> B'Elanna and Seven were hanging out together and the Captain made her rounds to everyone. When she came over to say hello to Rene' and the Doctor, she just smiled at Rene' and gave her an<I> I'll be good look</I> and said hello, then made small talk with the Doctor. Rene' found Janeway's restraint sexy. <I>How weird, she hugs me and I tell her to back off, she doesn't touch me and I want to rip her clothes off and make love to her in front of everybody. I'm whacked, alright. Yup, these parties didn't have to be boring. </I></div> <bR> <div> The Doctor watched Rene' and Kathryn. Rene' simply acknowledged Kathyrn's hello. He was relieved that the Captain appeared to be behaving herself.</div> <bR> <div> And Seven watched Rene' as she told yet another one of her irrelevant stories. Stories about how earth used to be during the 20th century. Seven didn't think how people lived several hundred years ago was particularly interesting.  It seemed that the woman could go on about <I>that</I> for hours, or about some alien life forms she'd encounter; or she'd start pontificating theories about space and time.  </div> <bR> <div> Seven had plenty of stories she could share if anyone was interested. The Borg had assimilated countless civilizations. Why did the Doctor, Tuvok  and a couple of ensigns she didn't know seem so engrossed? Maybe it wasn't the story itself but Rene's excitement and wonder about the subjects she talked about. There were some people that had a presence. Rene' projected that self-assured, self-aware attitude, that Seven so often admired in Kathryn. </div> <bR> <div> Seven wondered if Maxwell would become a captain one day. She probably thinks she should be one by now. Seven considered her to be very outspoken and arrogant. According to Harry Kim, Voyager's primary Operations Officer, all the officers would be at least two command levels ahead by now if they hadn't been waylaid in the Delta Quadrant.</div> <bR> <div> Actually Rene' wasn't interested in getting promotions. She understood that Janeway needed her to supervise and fill in for a variety of positions on short notice and for a crew this small they didn't need any more upper management. Rene' occasional bitched about it to “keep it real” with some of the “20Somethings” so that they wouldn't think that she had “sold out.” <I>Boy, were they in for a surprise one day. </I></div> <bR> <div> Janeway spent most of the party with Seven. They joked about Kurros an odd little alien  that wanted Seven as payment in exchange for helping Voyager fight the Hazari. “Seven if you've changed your mind about joining Kurros, I can see if we can find him”, the Captain kidded. </div> <bR> <div> “Although his intellect was impressive, I doubt that he could continue to stimulate me like I believe you could.” Seven smiled. </div> <bR> <div> Rene' observed them while Doctor continued to talk to her. <I>Seems to be going well between them.</I> <I>That's great! The Doctor was wrong as usual about Kathryn. </I></div> <bR> <div> “Rene', did I tell you I've started painting? Would you like to pose for me sometimes?” The Doctor was hopeful.</div> <bR> <div> “If I did, I'd only want to do it in the nude. Go all the way, that's my motto.” Rene' smiled. <I>Oh, I don't think so. </I></div> <bR> <div> “Whatever you feel comfortable doing, I just want to capture you at this point in time and keep your image with me forever and if posing in the nude is what you want to do, far be it from me to say no.” </div> <bR> <div> <I>Oh, brother. </I>“I'll think about it. But, first, what I'd really like to have is a painting of Kathryn and Seven nude, lying in each others arms. Kathryn resting her hand on Seven's thigh and her head resting on Seven's stomach. What do you think?”</div> <bR> <div> “I see.” Actually he didn't see. <I>How was he suppose to response to that??</I> She was acting strange again. Not wanting to talk to him about the Captain and now this sexual conversation concerning the Captain and Seven.  “It's a very interesting concept, however I doubt that they would agree to it.” <I>Why was she thinking about them, anyway?</I> He was displeased with Rene'. Couldn't she see that he was the best suitor for her? He wanted her to invite him to her quarters after the party and she was thinking about…. He had a strong urge to just ask her right now how she felt about him and not let her change the subject or push him off, but of course it wasn't the time or place. Tomorrow, she had some explaining to do.</div> <bR> <div> “Why don't you ask them to pose nude for you. Tell them I suggested it.” Rene' smiled. </div> <bR> <div> “I don't think they would appreciate the humor.” </div> <bR> <div> <I>Oh, I'm not joking Doctor.</I>  Rene' decided it was best to drop the subject. </div> <bR> <div> The party was ending when suddenly the Captain came over and invited Rene' to come to her quarters afterwards for a drink. Janeway rarely invited anyone to her sanctuary.   </div> <bR> <div> Rene' politely declined. <I>Really smart, Kathryn. I'm getting fed up with this.</I>  </div> <bR> <div> The invitation was offered in front of Seven without consideration. Rene' waited for Seven to do something out of control but Seven just looked away from them.   B'Elanna made a special point to find Seven the next day and tell her how badly she thought the Captain behaved. She also worked out a strategy to try to counteract the “Maxwell Element,” that she passed on to Seven. </div> <bR> <div> The Doctor seethed in silence. <I>Yes, tomorrow, Rene' certainly had a lot of explaining to do and I better like what she has to say, or..</I></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ***</div> <bR> <bR> <div> 01600hrs, Wednesday</div> <bR> <div> Seven wondered if she really knew the Captain or ever knew her. She'd thought that her relationship with Kathryn was moving along nicely however painfully slow it was. With B'Elanna's coaching she made herself more accessible, showing up at the mess hall when the Captain would be there, never refusing to play on the Holodeck when asked, never refusing to be with the Captain.  It seemed to be working; they were getting closer. It was only a matter of time before Kathryn stopped the pretenses. The Captain went out of her way at times to be with her, touched her more often than in the beginning of their relationship. Although Janeway seemed to be the last to realize it, most of the crew thought Janeway's interest in Seven was more than platonic and were taking bets on when/if the Captain would wake up and admit it.</div> <bR> <div> Clearly the Captain's behavior had changed toward her during the last couple of weeks. She wished the Captain would be forthcoming concerning their relationship but so far Kathryn elected not to discuss her feelings except in generalities. “A captain doesn't date crewmembers.” “A captain can't be distracted.” Kathryn had all the excuses in the world to explain why she couldn't be anyone's lover. But to Seven it was obvious that she and the Captain were dating even if Kathryn didn't want to call it that. </div> <bR> <div> It was a mystery why Kathryn would suddenly prefer Rene' Maxwell's company to her own. Especially after what Seven had learned.</div> <bR> <div> With B'Elanna's encouragement Seven decided that Maxwell could provide some answers regarding the Captain's behavior. “Personally, you're better off staying away from Maxwell but you need to know what's going on so just find out what you need and leave. She's a good officer, smart, works hard. No one has a problem with <I>that</I>, but she definitely isn't normal,” B'Elanna warned. “How many people around here just say whatever they want without thinking about it?”</div> <bR> <div> Seven thought about it then said “I know of at least one other person, me.” A wisp of a smile crossed her face.</div> <div>   </div> <div> “But no one holds that against you Seven. You don't know any better.”</div> <bR> <div> Seven was a little irritated by that remark. B'Elanna didn't notice and continued. “Maxwell had a theory about increasing the warp drive efficiency she wanted me to try. We discussed the pros and cons for a while, then out of nowhere she says, `So when are you going to dump Tom?' Can you believe that! Where does she get off saying something like that to me? Everyone can see that Tom and I are perfectly happy. Of course I told her where to go. All the while she just smiled at me! It was so bizarre. Then she said `You'll do it.' She's a lunatic.”</div> <bR> <div> B'Elanna didn't want to admit it but it was as if Maxwell was able to reach into her thoughts that day. Tom had forgotten for the second year in a row that it was her birthday and spent the day with Harry Kim supposedly tinkering with a race car hologram program. She was very upset but decided not to say anything to Tom about it. Afraid that she wouldn't be able to control her anger once it was let out, there was just too much of it. It would be nice sometimes if he took the initiative and scheduled some quality time for them to be together, why did she <I>always</I> have to be the one to do it?</div> <bR> <div> The way Maxwell looked at her with that don't-give-me-that-bullshit-I-see-through-you look, was unnerving to say the least. Of course, B'Elanna with her Klingon blood and pride wasn't about to share how she felt during that encounter with Maxwell with Seven, with anyone. </div> <bR> <div> Then there was the annoying fact that Maxwell eluded that hypersexuality of hers. She's not even aware how sexy she is or she doesn't seem to care. Neither she nor Seven seemed to care about how their sexuality affected people on this ship. Seven with that body you can't not notice, even a hetrogendered specified person like herself couldn't help noticing that body and Maxwell was a close second to Seven in looks but with the added treat of some type of animal magnetism, like pheromones, that surrounded her. </div> <bR> <div> B'Elanna remembered the day Maxwell had flirted with her. B'Elanna and Maxwell were upgrading the software that controlled the fusion reactor. She couldn't even remember what Maxwell had said, except that it was some silly come on, at least a year ago. B'Elanna was caught completely off guard by it, and acted very indignant. Rene' downplayed her reaction “ I'm beginning to think that being a puritan is a prerequisite for Marquis sympathizers. Both you and Chakotay are real uptight.” She told Maxwell to get a life, Maxwell smirked and they continued to work in silence. The next day B'Elanna complained to Chakotay about Maxwell but later told him it wasn't any big deal, knowing that he would let Rene' know. </div> <bR> <div> It took her a couple of days to figure out why she had become so upset with Maxwell. She realized that she wasn't angry with Maxwell, she was exasperated with herself because she liked that Maxwell was flirting with her. She had to accept that she was actually attracted to a woman, which was something that she had never experienced before and she had to deal with that. Then of all the women she'd ever encountered, it had to be that arrogant, over confident, conceited…. To add insult to injury, she learned that Maxwell flirts with <I>a lot</I> of people <I>all the time</I>, so it meant nothing to Maxwell obviously. Rene' never tried to do it again which was really insulting. The least Rene' could have done was make another attempt at it! <I>Rene's a real jerk! But what a sexy, cute jerk. </I></div> <bR> <div> “From what you've told me, discussing this with Maxwell, perhaps is an inefficient use of my time. I'm considering telling Kathryn that if she doesn't explain her behavior I don't want to continue our relationship. What are your thoughts about is approach?” Seven noticed that B'Elanna seemed preoccupied. “B'Elanna?..” </div> <bR> <div> “Oh, Sorry, I was just thinking about how mad I was when Maxwell told me to dump Tom. And of course there's Hickson. He's a jerk, we all know <I>that</I>, and she likes him so naturally she has to be a jerk too, right? Well, enough about that, back to your problem.  I would definitely not confront the Captain right now. You don't want to give her any ultimatums, at this point. I've known the Captain a lot longer than you and I know she doesn't react well to that. There are other ways for you to take control of this situation. The first step is finding out what the relationship between Maxwell and the Captain is, then we will find out what Maxwell's intentions are, then I'll come up with the right strategy to shut her down. Seven, I haven't been out of the dating game all that long, I still know how to play it; we're going to win!” B'Elanna seemed pleased with the prospect of engaging in a war. </div> <bR> <div> They continued to talk a bit longer about it then Seven decided to discuss Maxwell with the Doctor. He was the only mutual friend she had with Maxwell.</div> <bR> <div> She exhausted the Doctor's knowledge, or at least all he was willing to say about Lt. Maxwell. He was both informative and guarded. Seven knew he enjoyed Maxwell's company and reasoned that he was her friend and didn't want to hurt her by telling Seven anything negative but he `reluctantly' told Seven some `unpleasant' things concerning Maxwell. </div> <bR> <div> As their conversation concluded the Doctor added, “She might be more open with another woman, more likely to engage in `girl talk' with you than with me.”  The Doctor encouraged.</div> <bR> <div> “Please explain `girl talk.'”</div> <bR> <div> “Oh, it's chatting about nothing in particular for hours at a time, I've read that women enjoy that sort of thing. I suggest that you start off with a little girl talk to make her feel comfortable,” <I>Get her off guard.</I> “Then work into the conversation that you just happened to notice that she and the Captain appear to be..`friends' and you were just wondering, how friendly they really are.”</div> <bR> <div>  He felt a pang of guilt. Seven was his friend; he still loved her and cared for her. He should be open and honest about why her talking to Maxwell is important to him. Friends discuss their feelings with each other without shame. But he didn't think Seven was emotionally mature enough to deal with the complex emotions he was experiencing. Could he tell Seven that even though he loved Maxwell, there were times that he really hated her too. He didn't think he could.</div> <bR> <div> Seven was skeptical about the `girl talk' icebreaker.  He's been acting strange, edgy and nervous since he started spending more time with Maxwell, prone to say things that weren't logical in her opinion and rather asinine.  Seven found his behavior very interesting but not important enough to explore. She and the Doctor were friends but they respected each other's privacy. She left it up to the Doctor to talk about his sudden change in demeanor. “Doctor, do I strike you as the type of person who would engage in `girl talk? Talking about `nothing for hours at a time.'” <I>That's rather insulting. First B'Elanna and now him. </I></div> <bR> <div> “Oh pardon me for thinking you could talk about anything except Astrometrics or Janeway. Anyway, please let me know if you find out anything note worthy. I'm particularly interested in how she feels about me and if she is romantically involved with anyone else.” </div> <bR> <div> <I>Now he's suddenly irritated for no reason, a trait he just told me was one of Maxwell's.</I></div> <bR> <div> Seven thought his request was inappropriate. He's perfectly capable of getting that information from Maxwell directly. He certainly had been spending enough time with her.</div> <bR> <div> Even after her preparation with Torres and the Doctor, Seven still hadn't decided what she was going to say exactly to Maxwell, which was uncharacteristic. It would depend on how Lt. Maxwell reacted.</div> <bR> <div> Seven of Nine's interactions with most of the crew were not easy, despite the fact that she had been on the ship for 1 year. It wasn't because she didn't want to socialize with people she didn't normally work with that caused the tension. The crew had partitioned themselves into various groups before she came aboard. There were the officers, the rank and file, and then there was Lt. Maxwell's so called group, the “20Somethings.” She didn't begin to understand the politics of these fractions until she started searching Voyager's historical records to prepare herself for Maxwell. Maxwell was a major player in some of the tensions. The Doctor, even B'Elanna didn't want to discuss what she'd found out. B'Elanna was vague until Seven asked her pointed questions about the events that happened shortly after Voyager was lost in the Delta Quadrant.  </div> <bR> <div> All the crew was professional and did their jobs but some people didn't like each other and some people didn't like the officers. Because Seven's loyalties were obvious, she was placed into the official officer's box by the crewmembers who kept up with that sort of Cliquish stuff, which meant that some of the crew were automatically standoffish. She didn't care what anyone on the ship thought about her except Janeway and the officers who were her friends. It was disturbing that there were some people who might harbor a grudge against the Captain. </div> <bR> <div> Generally Seven disapproved of the “20Somethings.” The core group, Rene' and her friends who were officers, didn't cause much trouble, except for Hickson, but there was a small subgroup of “20 Somethings” who definitely were disagreeable. She didn't understand the concept of being rebellious for rebelliousness sake. The subgroup were too irreverent and disrespectful of others. They loved to do, dialects, slang and mimicry; especially mimicry of other crewmembers like Lt./Ensign Tom Paris and Ensign Kim who most of them felt were overrated. </div> <bR> <div> “Yes Ma'am” or a  “Hit me harder and longer Ma' am, it feels sooo good,” were their favorite impersonations of Tom Paris. “You show me yours and I'll show you mine, Seven.” was the Kim putdown. Seven didn't find it amusing at all. She didn't particular care for Tom Paris but because B'Elanna was living with him and Kim was always nice to her, she felt it her duty to chastise any offenders who made these types of remarks when they reared themselves. The guilty crewmembers would normally shrug and stop in her presence. </div> <bR> <div> The majority of the “20 Somethings” were talented, knowledgeable and innovative minds on the ship. They worked hard and competently. The Doctor frequently had to remind them to take their downtime. Whenever there was a problem that traditional approaches did not solve (which was more times than not) one of them managed to come up with a solution in the nick of time, which Seven had to admire. Their contributions earned them certain allowances, albeit grudgingly, she reasoned. She wondered if Maxwell approved of the unprofessional behavior some of them exhibited since Maxwell and Hickson were the founders of the “20Something” group and Hickson was as unprofessional as they came.</div> <bR> <div> The conversation she was going to have with Maxwell would be of a personal nature. Seven had limited experience talking about personal topics with anyone on the ship except Janeway, the Doctor (her social tutor) and B'Elanna. Did she really expect that this exchange with Maxwell a casual acquaintance, and judging from her research, a very unstable person, would come to any good?</div> <bR> <div> She exited the turbolift on deck 9. She never considered it necessary to visit Maxwell's genetics lab before and was a bit annoyed that she had to do so now. An inner voice told her to discard her plan but that was out of the question if she wanted to get some answers. From what she'd observed and learned about Lt. Maxwell, there was no predicting what would occur during their encounter. No one looking at her now would know that she was apprehensive about anything. Only her friends knew she had any emotions at all. The uncertainty of her situation made her feel out of control. </div> <bR> <div> As she passed junction 22 alpha she saw Lt. Junior Grade Michael Hickson repairing one of the Shuttles. The shuttle was suspended on a lift that allowed him to stand under it to work. He stopped to stare at her, to be more exact he stopped to stare at her breasts.  Seven had told him on several occasions that his behavior was inappropriate. After the first two occasions Hickson was reprimanded by First Officer Chakotay but that apparently didn't matter. He would lamely apology and then do it again the next time their paths crossed. She didn't bother telling him to stop anymore and only spoke to him when she had to. He was obviously mentally defective. How telling she thought, that Hickson was one of Rene' Maxwell's best friends. </div> <bR> <div> There was a time, shortly after the Doctor removed most of her visible cybernetic implants that the men stared at her blankly with their tongues barely in their mouths when they happened to see her about the ship. She found their behavior unseemly. She didn't understand why what she looked like would cause their bizarre behavior.  The Doctor explained that it meant that they found her sexually appealing. It was flattering but she still thought they should be more disciplined. Ensign Kim, the ship's Operations Officer was the only *man* on the ship who actually approached her. Strangely enough he beat a hasty retreat when she offered to copulate with him (isn't that what women and men do?) His refusal confused her but now she wasn't interested enough in having an intimate relationship with Kim or the other men on the ship to care.  </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ***</div> <bR> <bR> <div> As Seven entered the laboratory the blare of music filled the room and pounded her ears, “Roam where you want to…Roam around the world…”, it was loud and disharmonious. Lt. Maxwell was the only person Seven had come across who played music while she was working.  Maxwell was engrossed in some genetic scans and didn't notice that Seven was standing five feet away from her, staring. Despite what Seven thought about her, Rene' was physically attractive in an abstract way, she was well proportioned, young and pretty. Seven envied her apparent ease with people, situations and herself.</div> <bR> <div> Rene' compared various strands of DNA looking for who knows what, talking softy to herself, there was concern on her face.  Seven recalled reading that her ancestry was African, Native American, and Irish.  Katherine joked during one of the parties that it was nice to have a sister Irishwoman on the ship. Rene' smiled that stated she didn't really favor one ethnicity over the others. It was just as well, you couldn't tell her ethnicity by looking at her.</div> <bR> <div> Seven said without giving it much thought “Computer end music program.” The B52s were abruptly silenced. </div> <bR> <div> “Nobody touches my music, be prepared to die.” Rene' said absently without looking away from her work, when she noticed who had tampered with the music program she sighed. I really don't want to deal with this now. </div> <bR> <div> “Oh.. Hello Seven. Are we slumming today?” She normally wasn't snippy with people for no reason, but her mood had turned stormy, after reading the gene mapping results.</div> <bR> <div> “Please explain, slumming.” Why did this woman insist on using terms that no one else had a clue about?</div> <bR> <div> “Never mind, what brings you down into the bowels of this dungeon, M'lady?”</div> <bR> <div> Seven decided to ignore the question.</div> <bR> <div> “I wish to talk to you about something of a personal nature.” Seven said slowly. Then remembering one of the Doctor's lessons she added. “If it is acceptable with you.”</div> <bR> <div> “Well most people know that from 1600 hours until 1800 hours I don't like to be disturbed. I'm interrupted all the time most of the day with stupid questions and bogus stuff so this time is for me to do some real work. Of course an `A lister' like you wouldn't bother to know about that.” Rene' chided playfully. </div> <bR> <div> “A Listers,” Seven deadpanned, “a derogatory term use to describe certain officers on the ship.” </div> <bR> <div> You really couldn't help picking up some of the “20Somethings” childish terms, even if you tried not to. Seven felt mildly irritated that she even knew what it meant and that other crewmembers used the disrespectful term among themselves.</div> <bR> <div> “I mean it with affection, Seven”, “You know us “B Listers” love ya'll.” she smiled.</div> <bR> <div> Rene' was truly surprised that Seven would come down here to see her. It had to be important to her. Rene' tried to be friendly with her especially during the second party however Seven maintained a stance of polite disinterest. Hey, she still has a lot of Borg in her. I certainly know how they `think.' <I>Wrote a program on how they think, I did</I>.  What they don't find interesting, useful or a threat they ignore. Rene' wasn't important in Seven's eyes except in regards to…. Oh, this might be interesting.  </div> <bR> <div> On the other hand, it was really too bad that Seven couldn't just stand there and not say anything at all. Rene' could spend the time undressing her with her eyes. Better yet, Rene' imagined what it would be like to caress her breasts, to slowly kiss the soft place just where her thigh ends and her sweet sex begins, teasing her, licking closer, running her tongue over the outer lips of Seven's desire and then moving inside slowly and deeply. She wanted to hear Seven moan with anticipation.  It would be Seven's first time. </div> <bR> <div> Oh, well, back to the present, reluctantly. I've got so much work to do. </div> <bR> <div> “Hit me with your best shot, but make it quick. I'm like, extremely, mega,  busy.”</div> <bR> <div> Seven recognized the look that briefly danced crossed Rene's face. It was far subtler and certainly less lewd than when the crewmen looked at her. Rene' found her attractive and didn't mind letting her know it. </div> <bR> <div> She felt that unlike the men on the ship Rene' might want to copulate if encouraged. </div> <div> Seven was disappointed that Rene' moral character would not permit them to be friends or lovers if she couldn't find a way to break though the Captain's defenses. Just thinking about the possibility that the Captain might not want her made Seven's heart skip. She pushed the thought aside. </div> <bR> <div> Gathering her thoughts, she proceeded. “I find it perplexing that Captain Janeway allows you to run this laboratory and can only surmise that your expertise is so crucial that she has no choice. If I were the Captain I would sacrifice some efficiency by removing you from the position instead of risking that your erratic behavior could compromise the data generated.</div> <bR> <div>  “What?!” Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all Rene' supposed.</div> <bR> <div>  “I have also noticed that Captain Janeway has increased the amount of time that she spends with you recently. I asked her about your relationship and she stated that you are her friend.” Based on my research you are disloyal, self serving and promiscuous. Which would normally exclude you from being anyone's friend, however I value Captain Janeway's judgment of people so I am here to find out more about you.”</div> <bR> <div> Rene' had heard some of the things the Borg had said to others in the past and had witnessed the drink throwing fiasco. Most of the time Rene' got a laugh out of it, especially the Ensign Kim sex story which blew like a wildfire around the ship.  It was very different when Seven directed her particular brand of candor point blank at you. </div> <bR> <div> For a split second Rene' thought about knocking her on her ass, the arrogance and moral superiority was way over the top.  That notion quickly dissipated when she remembered that the woman was superhuman in strength, more than 5 inches taller than her and could probably kill a <I>normal</I> person with one blow if she wanted. Rene' weighed the option of attempting to throw her out of the lab or talking to her. <I>  </I><I>I guess we'll have to talk through this</I><I>.</I> She took a deep breath. Counting silently to herself. The matter-of-fact way Seven delivered the insults was almost comical. <I>Almost</I>.  </div> <bR> <div> “You're a brave girl.” Rene' smiled coldly. “Since you obviously don't know me or what you're talking about, I'll let your pronouncements pass, this time. I don't take kindly to being talked to this way. It's definitely not a smart thing to do. Just a fact for you to keep in mind.” </div> <bR> <div> “Lt. Maxwell, I'm not intimidated by you.” Seven said forcefully and she hoped convincingly. Janeway had taught her the art of buffing, during a poker game. Seven was a natural for it.</div> <bR> <div> “Then by all means, continue.” <I>Why me</I>? She smiled. </div> <bR> <div> “I discussed you with the Doctor and reviewed your Starfleet record to come to my conclusions. Seven continued. “Others filled in data as appropriate. He told me that you have a spouse, however you have copulated with others in addition to your spouse, the Doctor used the word promiscuous.” </div> <bR> <div> “Oh, he did? That's interesting.” Rene' scowled. The Doctor didn't have Seven's incredible good looks to cushion his impropriety. She would not be so forgiving with him; he should know better. “It's fascinating that a so called friend of mine would use that word to describe me.” <I>What a freak</I>. I'd love to get my hands on his code right now. Boy, does he have lot of explaining to do.</div> <bR> <div>  “He also stated that he suspected that you have copulated with women.” </div> <bR> <div> <I>How did his brilliance come up with that obvious conclusion?</I><I>  </I>She didn't broadcast her sexual lending over the ship's communications but it wasn't a secret either. Rene' decided to go with the flow of this negative situation. “By the way, I don't copulate, I fuck, you should use the right terminology with me.”</div> <bR> <div> “The word, fuck, is a vulgar term that I prefer not to use, but if you insist..” Seven pressed on, “ He mentioned that there was something in your personnel file--- ”</div> <bR> <div> “He's discussing my personnel files with you? The information in personnel files is restricted; he knows that. Only Chakotay, Tuvok and of course the Captain, have access to crewmembers personal files and even then only in case of an emergency or cases of security. He has absolutely no right to discuss my personal information with you or anyone. I can't believe this! What kind of security do we have on this ship? Commander Chakotay and the Captain are going to hear about this.” <I>He's incredible!</I></div> <bR> <div> Seven decided not to comment on the Doctor's perceived lack of impropriety yet. She felt some culpability. He didn't volunteer the information; she asked him what he knew and he told her some things and now he might be in some difficulty. Maxwell appeared to be boiling. She hadn't raised her voice or changed her expression from the mild annoyance she displayed when Seven first arrived however her eyes grew darker and foreboding. Seven actually wanted to leave but it was too late. Besides, Maxwell couldn't get any angrier anyway, she reasoned.</div> <div>   </div> <div> Seven continued, "While he did not specifically say female pairings were wrong, he never suggested that this was an option for me to pursue during my dating socialization lessons. As he was discussing it, I sensed his disapproval concerning this means of intimacy.”</div> <bR> <div> “Does that surprise you?” <I>Wow, she has no clue about how manipulative people could be, even glorified holograms</I>. Rene' felt a little protective of her now. </div> <bR> <div> “However at the same time he seemed to enjoy speculating about your relationships with women and men.” Seven then felt the need to add.  “I have researched the mating rituals and customs of earth and have extensive knowledge of other species sexual mores and customs. Same sex pairings of females and males can be found in many species cultures and races. I do not share the Doctor's disapproval of the concept.”</div> <bR> <div> “I'm sure that you don't.” Rene' looked at her with a knowing smile, her mood changed in a split-second, the anger disappear, then she turned serious. “When the Captain decided to appoint the Doctor as your social guru I told her it was a bad idea. He's certainly not an expert in this area by any stretch. He has no real first hand knowledge about dating; doing it a couple of times doesn't make him an expert.  Like you he's also learning how to interact with people, defining what's right and what's wrong behavior for him. It's like the blind leading the blinder.”</div> <bR> <div> Seven wondered how many more insults she would receive today.</div> <bR> <div> “He's writing his own code for his behaviors and emotions. I gave him the ability to modify his emotional and behavioral parameters without the assistance from Torres anymore. When he told me, he wanted to start to write his own code I thought it was wonderful. I thought he should be independent of Torres and everyone else when it comes to what emotions and behaviors he wants to express.  Unfortunately for him, he fucked it up. And he'll have to pay the price like all of us have to.”</div> <bR> <div> Rene' could never pass up a chance to analyze someone. “He's certainly shouldn't be referred to as that `lame' Emergency Medical Hologram anymore. He's a real live boy. What will Dr. Zimmerman think of his Pinocchio? There's nothing like him in Starfleet, he's completely sentient now. He doesn't give the Captain enough credit for allowing him to live…and for allowing him to fall in love.” His actions were lousy but she was impressed by how complex they were.  Wait `til he gets back to Earth and Starfleet gets a load of this.   </div> <bR> <div> Suddenly she slipped out of the objective mode. “So, it looks like our Doctor has decided that all's fair in love and war. Well, if that's how he wants to play it.” </div> <bR> <div> Seven looked confused. “The Doctor's in love?”  Yes, he's been acting strangely and likes being with Maxwell all the time and talking about her all the time. “Oh.” She'd been so caught up with her own relationship with Janeway that keeping up with the Doctor's social life wasn't a priority. Maybe she should tried to talk to him about himself.    </div> <bR> <div> “A little self-absorbed are we?” Rene' jabbed. “When he discussed dating with you, the possibility of you being involved with a woman didn't come up because he wanted to keep the competition down. Didn't you ever figure out that he had feelings for you?” She waited for that to sink in, then continued. </div> <bR> <div> “Kathryn should have been the one to teach you about dating. She shouldn't have left something as important as that to..a…to the Doctor, but I guess it was too close to home for her.”  Rene' was still marveling at how advanced the Doctor's code is. One day he might be a better programmer than Torres. “I'll have to tell Torres the Doctor can teach her a few things about programming. Of course he's still a few light-years away from my expertise but then we all can't be superstars.”  <I>He's more human than I ever could have imagined. Would Kathryn be surprised?</I></div> <bR> <div> Seven had no idea that he had felt anything except friendship towards her; she needed time to assimilate this. She heard B'Elanna's voice saying, “Keep control.”</div> <bR> <div> “This discussion is not about me and the Doctor. I am interested in knowing what else you and the Captain discussed about me.” She felt jealous that Rene' was on first name terms with Kathryn and hurt that Kathryn could talk about her to someone… like Rene'.</div> <bR> <div> “You should ask the Captain about what we've discussed concerning you. I have a feeling that she's ready to talk to you now. Yes! I predict this conversation happening in your near future.” <I>If Kathryn knows what's good for her.</I>  “Do you think I should start my own psychic network?” Rene' smiled at her private joke. </div> <bR> <div> “I think you are emotionally disturbed.” </div> <bR> <div> “And I think that's one of those comments I'll let pass.  The Doctor wanted to give you a negative impression about me. His tactics… make me very angry. I've studied about how people were treated on earth, people were scorned, killed because of their sexual orientation, their religion and race simply because they were different. I'm madder at this than his personal pronouncement about my morals. Some of my ancestors were personally affected by prejudice, enslaved and killed because they were different. I'm going to have to rethink whether I want him for a friend.” </div> <bR> <div> Seven hesitated. Then found the words.  “It's not my intention that there be any.. discord between you and the Doctor. He would be distressed if he lost your…” What was the relationship that Rene' and the Doctor had, it was confusing. “…friendship due to our discussion.”</div> <bR> <div> “Ah, but Seven, You said I'm not worthy of being anyone's friend anyway, so...” Rene' smiled slighty. She paused. “Don't worry, if the Doctor and I decide not to be friends anymore, it will have nothing to do with you.” </div> <bR> <div> “Speaking of my morals…my partner and I feel that it's not realistic to expect that human beings will only make love with one person after they are married. Our opinions and lifestyle is not the way the majority of people on Earth tend to live their lives but there is a significant sector of the population that feels the way we do. I don't have sex indiscriminately without regard for the feelings of others, or who I'm involved with at the time, that is what I would consider promiscuous. Of course the Doctor is entitled to his opinion however wrong he is.”  Why was she justifying herself to this woman. For some reason she felt the need to.  </div> <bR> <div> For some weird reason, even though she wanted to throttle her a few minutes ago, she felt more admiration for Seven. There's no restraint, no falseness about her. It was your own hang-ups and insecurities that she reflected back on you like a mirror. Rene' didn't want to look anymore.</div> <bR> <div> She just wanted Seven to leave now. This conversation was distracting her from her work. It was a wonder that anything got done on this ship with all the political and sexual intrigues. Luckily Rene' could think about more than one thing at time, she could keep different trains of thought running thru her mind without crashing them. This gift came in handy here and at the Academy. While in school it allowed her to daydream about special projects she worked on in her free time and still pay attention in the dumb courses she had to sit through. The wheels were turning in her mind about the Doctor and Kathryn and Seven and what this conversation really means in addition to confirming results on the tests she just performed. She had many things to do tonight…</div> <div>  </div> <div>  “Seven, it's been really delightful.. hearing about what a snake the Doctor can be, what a slut I am, that I'm mental and all that … however….I  need  to get back to work. It's been real.” Rene' turned away from her and starting reading the diagnostics that flashed across her workstation screen. </div> <bR> <div> Seven made no move toward the door. “Have you copulated with,” she corrected herself “fucked a woman?” </div> <bR> <div> It just keeps getting better and better. <I>And I thought this was going to be fun??</I></div> <bR> <div> “I guess the Doctor didn't give you lessons on how to embarrass people because you're really good at it. They say I'm the Queen of tactlessness, but I abdicate that title to you.” Rene' turned around slowly and looked directly into Seven's clear blue eyes. “Don't use that word.”</div> <bR> <div> “You stated that…”</div> <bR> <div> “Forget what I said, you can't pull it off. Yes, I've made love with a woman. I don't wish to discuss it with you now.” She felt the pain of answering the question shoot through her then quickly shut it down.  Seven observed that Rene' was upset by the question and wondered why the question upset her.  Rene' wasn't what she had expected.</div> <bR> <div> “Have you.  .made love with the Captain?”</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Seven waiting anxiously for the answer, what if she says yes? She felt an emotion she had not experienced before until recently, a  feeling of inadequacy mixed with anger.</div> <bR> <div> “You're really something else. Keep to the program no matter what. Tell B'Elanna you did a good job.” Janeway is going to have her hands full. “At least we're finally discussing why you're here. Unfortunately, I don't feel compelled to answer. It's another question for Kathryn. She knows you better than I do. Although I do know you too, courtesy of her….. You said I'm disloyal, etc. etc. Did the Doctor help you work this out in your sexy little head as well?” </div> <bR> <div> “No, the ship records had sufficient documentation. I assessed your complete work history. Captain Janeway is the only Captain you've served under. She requested that you be assigned to her ship the Al-Batani for your Cadet cruise.  You decided to accept an assignment on Voyager after your two year officer training.” </div> <bR> <div> “Are we going somewhere with this?”</div> <div>  </div> <div> “After you graduated from Command School, you were offered a chance to be promoted to Lieutenant, Junior Grade serving on the U.S.S Aries but you declined.”</div> <bR> <div> “Yes, look at all the fun, I'd missed if I'd taken that position.” Rene' laughed.  “Actually the Aries was scheduled for some `top secret' mission in the Gamma Quad. One of those suicide thangs, so I passed.”</div> <bR> <div> “Did you decline the position because you are a coward?”</div> <bR> <div> “A coward!? That's a silly, question. Most cowards won't admit they are cowards, even to themselves, let alone someone else.” Rene' was beyond getting angry. “I was twenty two at the time. Way too young in my opinion to be put into a position where I could potentially be ordering people to their deaths or leading a life or death mission. My grades and cruise experience were good but I wasn't ready for the job. I felt I needed more cruise experience before becoming a Lieutenant. I've always been able to assess my work objectively. That whole setup seemed a little too good when they offered it to me. The powers that be don't skip you to Lieutenant like that without a reason. Their reasoning being, `the mission is very dangerous, you're probably going to die, just in case you miraculously don't get killed, here's a reward for your noble sacrifice.' Hey, I'm the best but…I ain't<I> </I><I>that</I> good. I found out some details about that mission….a <I>friend</I>.. told me it wouldn't be in my best interest to transfer.  So Starfleet offered the Lieutenant position to someone else, they didn't come back. I went with Voyager. Where, Kathryn taught me a lot, about… <I>ship operations</I>.”  Rene' smiled.</div> <bR> <div> “Ship operations. Is that what you refer to it as?” Seven wonder what Kathryn's explanation would be about that.</div> <bR> <div> “Wow Seven, you made a joke. There's hope for you yet.” Rene' smile.</div> <bR> <div> “How did you learn about classified information concerning the Aries?” </div> <bR> <div> “Of course, the same person who told me not to take the position was able to give me enough info about what the Aires would be doing so that I could make an informed decision about my future. It wasn't Kathryn.” Rene' decided to throw that information in for good measure.</div> <bR> <div> “Since you decided to continue serving with the Captain I assume you were happy with her teaching you `ship operations' and yet, you were the instigator of the incident that occurred shortly after Voyager was lost in the Delta Quadrant. It is noted in the transcripts of your disciplinary hearing that your apparent anger concerning being marooned made you turn against the Captain. You jeopardized the crew and ship by your actions. Your acts warranted a court martial . Captain Janeway was extremely lenient with you, subjecting you to only one month in the brig and a return to your duties and rank. You may refer to my padd if you wish to refresh your memory.”</div> <bR> <div> “Gee thanks, but I don't need your padd, I was there, Duh.” Rene' was getting impatient. I guess this is better than talking about the other topics anyway.  “All I can tell you is that just because something is stored in a database somewhere doesn't make it accurate. I'm sure that goes against your hardwired Borg mentality but it's true. The information you've based your impressions on are wrong and one day, when I have the time we'll talk about it or you can discuss it with Kathryn if you prefer.” </div> <bR> <div> Rene' glanced at the digital on her wrist, I'm late for my briefing with the Captain. Sorry, but this concludes your reconnaissance mission.” Rene' said as she stood and headed for the lab door. As she reached it she stopped, “Seven, your insightful way of discussing what's on your mind and your diplomacy is very impressive…. Not.” She laughed. “Really, the only reason I've put up with you this long is because you're so magnificently beautiful and don't know anything about anything.”</div> <bR> <div> “You have complimented me and insulted me at the same time.” Seven frowned. “I don't understand what that means.”  </div> <bR> <div> “It means, I like you in spite of the fact you're very trying. I'd like us to talk again without the insults.  When I'm called names I get postal, can you relate to that?” Why am I bothering to be her friend? Because, maybe Seven could be worth it.  </div> <bR> <div> “I don't feel I've said anything to you that wasn't the truth.”</div> <bR> <div> “Ok, let's table this for now.  We can agree on one thing...we both think the Captain is all that and more.”</div> <bR> <div> Seven sighed, “All that?”</div> <bR> <div> “Sorry, that means she's great!” </div> <bR> <div> “I used to think so. Now I'm not as sure.”</div> <bR> <div> “Don't make up your mind until you talk to her. There is one more thing…Please don't mention what we discussed to the Doctor. As you can see it's complicated and I need to figure out the best way to discuss this with him without making things worse.”</div> <bR> <div> “I will not discuss this with him, yet. However, I do plan to talk to him about it in the future.” She was relieved that she could put it off. She had to figure out what she wanted to say to him.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>