Shadows of the Night, Part XXXV

Main Unity Shadows of the Night

Luke was sitting down in his quarters thinking about what Seven had said. He'd never really thought about it; he'd just assumed that being with her was how his life was going to continue. Having to leave her, now, made his stomach tighten up. Of course, Seven had a plan, as she always does: engagement; that way, he was technically family. But that was a pretty big shove in the other direction too, and as much as he loved her, as much as he knew that she was the one for him, it was hard not to be intimidated by the idea.

As he was thinking Seven came out of the shower; she wore her bikini bottoms... and nothing else. "Oh, that was so relaxing," she purred.

"You're gonna catch cold," Luke muttered.

"I've been working out so much, I just need to let my skin breathe." She took some deep breaths. "Oh, my back," she said as she arched it. "I've been overdoing it."

Luke shook his head. "Seven, I'm not an idiot."

"Of course you're not, sweetie; I have complete respect for your intelligence." She held her hands together with a look of excitement. "Oh look! A jump rope!"

Despite himself Luke started laughing as she made a show of it. "You think this will convince me?" he asked as she began exercising.

"It can't hurt," she said.

"Look, Seven, we can't make this choice lightly, even if it is just a legal technicality."

"Absolutely," Seven said. "This decision is very important."

"Yes."

"Very big."

"Exactly."

"Very bouncy."

"Ye-" but he stopped and really began laughing.

Seven stopped skipping rope. "Laughter is very good for the body, and do you think you'll ever find someone as sexy as me that can make you laugh?"

Luke shook his head. "Nobody makes me laugh like you do, Seven."

Seven walked over to him. "I walked away from you once," she said. "And you don't know how much I regret it. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice, Luke. I want to be with you; I'd rather it were here, but if not, then I'll do it."

"Seven, you love it here-"

"But not if it costs me what we have," she insisted. "I'm not asking for the real commitment; I don't want to marry you. But I want to know that some day I'll be close enough to maybe make that choice."

"You'd give up being chief science officer on the flagship for me?"

"In a heartbeat," she said. She wrapped the jump rope around her hands like chains and held them out. "Take me wherever you want to go, because I'm already yours."

Luke shook his head and kissed her. "I don't care what Borui says, you are crazy." Seven laughed, and he began fidgeting with her jump rope. "I couldn't forgive myself if I took you away from something you loved," he said. "I'll sign."

"I love you," she said.

"But I want this kept quiet, okay," Luke said.

"Of course," she said firmly.

"As far as I'm concerned, this situation is very personal."

"I agree."

"Very private."

"Absolutely."

"Very ticklish."

"Yea- what?" She glanced down and saw he'd tied the jump rope ends together, leaving her hands bound. Her eyes flicked up to Luke's face. "You wouldn't."

"You thought you could con me?" he asked with a sinister grin.

"Of course not," Seven said. "I was just joking, because I knew you'd see right through it, see? Ha ha."

"'Ha ha?' Oo, that's a very pretty laugh..."

"No, Luke, I'm a senior officer. This has got to break some kind of ru-ULE!" She stumbled back in a vain attempt at escape and fell over backwards on the bed. Before she could recover he was there, squeezing her flanks.

"You said laughter is good for the body," he remarked as she struggled, laughing her head off.

"STOP IT!" she managed to get out.

"Are we even now?"

"Yes!"

"You going to be good?"

"Yes!"

"Promise?"

"YES!"

"Okay," he said as he relented.

Seven laid back, panting. "Oh God," she said. "That was torture." She took a deep breath. "Are you as turned on as I am?"

"Absolutely," Luke said, giving her a few kisses on her chest until he worked his way up to her lips.

Luke started on the ropes, but Seven pulled her hands away. "No," she said. "Leave it."

Luke looked at her curiously, then he got it. It wasn't anything to do with being kinky, or some kind of weird bedroom game. After being a drone for so long -and thus not an independent person- Seven always wanted to be in control, whether it was in control of her emotions, or a situation, or anything. This was her way of saying, "I'm giving you control, because I trust you that much." He was deeply touched by the gesture. "I love you," he said slyly.

Seven smirked. "Then prove it." She screamed at the touch. "That's not what I me-heh heh heh -ant!!!"

"Oh, sorry," Luke said with an evil grin.

"Idiot," Seven grumbled with a smile. "NO!" Her cry descended into more laughter.

"See, now I think you're just provoking me," Luke commented as she struggled feebly. "I'm starting to get the feeling you actually like this."

"Absolutely not," Seven said sternly after the tickling relented. "It's terrible, and you're a big jerk for doing it, and you'd better not do it again... further to the left." She stiffened as he grabbed at her, but all he did was pull her close.

"Resistance is futile, Annika," he said.

"Oo, you know just how to melt a Borg girl's heart," Seven said. "Come on Luke; you've got a half-naked girl tied up on your bed. You know how many men would like to be in your position?" She thought a second. "And how many women?"

"Well what would you like?" Luke asked.

"Surprise me," she said. He kissed her and began moving down the side of her neck. "Oh, see... see that's much better... Oo! Yes, now you've got the- No, Luke, don't do that." She sighed. "Luke, that's a thermographic sensor and while by some definitions it could be considered sensitive all it's telling me is that the interior of your mouth is thirty-seven degrees."

"And that doesn't turn you on?"

"Sorry sweetie, stick with the fleshy things." She sighed pleasantly. "That's better. That's much..." She took a quivering breath and whispered, "Assimilate me, you magnificent Jedi bastard..."

On his flagship, Vendetta, Thrawn put down the datapad and thought deeply. His was a mind that always considered everything, no matter how trivial; for in the trivial things sometimes offered the greatest answers. This Cult of the Emperor was a trivial thing, a collection of fools who somehow had spread over many worlds, proclaiming the return of the Emperor and allegiance to the Empire. This was what was accelerating his plans, he realized; the people truly believed he was the harbinger of the Emperor, and they accepted his authority because of it.

The cult hadn't begun with the invasion by the Borg, Thrawn noted. There were several factions throughout the galaxy long before anyone had even considered the Borg a threat. Perhaps the invasion has caused the advancement of this movement? Thrawn stroked his chin as he thought. That would be quite fortunate; it's also very suspect.

Thrawn was many things besides a formidable leader, he was also quite a skilled detective. There seemed only one logical explanation, given the facts as he had them, and if it were true he'd need to prepare for any unforeseen problems that would arise from that. "Captain," Thrawn ordered into the communicator, "I'm sending you the coordinates of a planet; I wish to depart for it immediately."

"As you wish admiral," came the reply. Captain Jarrol knew better than to question Thrawn's orders, however bizarre they might seem. He mulled over the situation as the Executor-class Star Destroyer slipped into hyperspace for a distant part of the galaxy. Perhaps he was being overly cautious, but when one stands with the Borg on one side and galactic domination on the other, you were wise to step very carefully.

Dr. Crusher kept her eyes closely affixed to the monitor as she continued counting. "Eight... nine... ten."

Seven let out a controlled breath as she lowered the resistance bars back down to shoulder height for the last time. She sat up and looked over at Dr. Crusher as she tabulated the results, her breath slightly quickened, but not terribly so. "What's the verdict?"

"Your average is 227 kilograms," Dr. Crusher remarked. "Which for you is fairly normal. Heart rate, respiration, blood pressure all seem well within tolerance for a mild workout."

"That's the first good news you've given me in a while," Seven said as she mopped her forehead slightly. The past six weeks had been tough on her, but she was Borg, she survived.

"How's your nanoprobe therapy coming along?" Dr. Crusher asked. "Have you gotten any faster?"

"Yes," Seven said. "But it's tricky. I had to switch to practicing in one of the labs after it accidentally went off in my quarters." She pointed her hand at the floor and concentrated, and a plasma discharger formed in under ten seconds. Seven held it up for the Doctor. "Though I must admit, it never stops giving me a thrill," she said with a grin.

"I'll bet." Dr. Crusher reached over and took hold of the weapon. "Detach," she ordered Seven, and the weapon came free, allowing her to carry it over to the examination table for analysis. "Anything to report on the biological front?"

"I slept three times this week," she said with pride.

"You're getting quite good at that," Dr. Crusher remarked as she looked over the device. "You still regenerate?"

"Yes, but not as frequently."

"Have you been eating?" The structure of the device seemed fairly well intact, but greater magnification might reveal any flaws that could be dangerous.

She heard Seven sigh. "I told you, I don't like eating."

"You eat when you're with Luke," Dr. Crusher commented.

"Yes, and I stand at attention in front of admirals, that doesn't mean I like it."

"Well, physically you don't need to, but you might want to develop the habit for social situations."

"Your opinion is noted," Seven replied. "How's it look?"

"Microfissures," Dr. Crusher said. "There was a significant decrease in accuracy when you speed it up."

"I'll keep practicing," Seven said as she took the device back into her hand, staring at it as it melted back into her palm. "Am I ready to go back to full duty?"

"I'd say you're ready," she said, completing the notes for Seven's permanent file. "But I'd still suggest that you refrain from any away missions for at least a couple more days."

Seven laughed. "Well, I'll try not to overexert myself in the hostile territory of Bajor."

"It is a bit odd," Dr. Crusher admitted. "Last time we docked for this long was during a major refit."

"If I could figure out Starfleet," Seven remarked, "the universe would be a piece of cake to understand."

"No argument here," Dr. Crusher said. "Seven, I'm thinking we should work on a dietary supplement for help with your nanoprobes. I think it might help with your generation speed and accuracy. I doubt the Borg devised them with your abilities in mind."

"Good point," Seven said. "Give me a day to think about it and we can compare notes, okay?" She nodded to Dr. Crusher and stepped out of Sickbay, turned and proceeded towards the turbolift. "Deck Ten," she said as the doors closed. When they opened she stepped out and passed through the double doors to Ten Forward. Crewman Davis was manning the bar this afternoon, she noted as she looked about the club.

"Commander," said Davis. "Mr. Skywalker wanted me to tell you he had some urgent business to take care of."

Seven took a seat, rather disappointed. "Did he say what?"

"Wasn't much time, he seemed pretty rushed," Davis said as she put a tall glass of ice water in front of Seven. Like countless times before, Seven took the lemon slice off and set it down on the bar; why Davis insisted on including it was beyond her.

"I see you've graduated to the hard stuff," came a familiar voice.

Seven turned around. "Harry," she said with surprise, "What're you doing here?"

"I've been giving a briefing on Voyager's Astrometrics modifications on DS13," he said, taking a seat next to her. "I'm surprised you weren't asked to do it. You were probably more responsible for the new technology than I was."

"Your attempt at flattery has failed," Seven said with a bit of a smirk. "You've taken the technology in a lot of new directions, from what I've heard. Anyway, I've been a bit... preoccupied."

Harry nodded. "The Doctor said you were in pretty rough shape after the coma. I must say," he said taking a drink, "You certainly don't look it."

"Thanks Harry."

"'Thanks?'" Harry said. "So the rumors are true."

"What rumors?"

"B'Elanna says someone died and left you their personality," Harry said with a smile.

Seven looked at him with a dismissive laugh. "Tell B'Elanna to stick it in her warp core and punch it."

Harry almost choked at the answer. "That'll certainly take her by surprise." He looked over at her again with that thin smile of his. "I can't believe you're the same person who threw me into a security officer to try and escape Voyager."

"Well," Seven said as she put her drink down, "I still can't believe you said 'The Borg must meet a lot of people.'"

Harry rubbed his forehead with embarrassment. "I did say that, didn't I. How stupid."

"It was charming," Seven said with a smile, "In a stupid way."

Harry set down his empty glass. "Things sure have changed," he said distantly as he looked out the window.

"I know. Believe me, I know."

He turned back. "Want to talk about things? Say, over dinner?"

Now it was Seven's turn to cough as she set down the glass, trying to get some of the water out of her lungs. "And Beverley wonders why I hate eating," she mumbled.

"'Scuse me?"

"Nothing."

"Am I to take this," he said, gesturing at the dripping remains of the glass, "as a 'no?'"

"Harry," Seven began, and sighed. "Human beings should come with a manual, so we know how we're supposed to act." She paused. "Harry, I'm engaged."

"What?!" Harry said in shock. "For real?"

"I wouldn't make up a lie like that to say no to you, Harry," Seven said with a smile.

"It's just... Wow, I can't believe it. That is, I can believe that someone would - It's just kind of surprising."

"Well, sometimes life works that way," Seven said.

"He must be special."

"He is," Seven said.

Harry nodded. "But, can he play the clarinet?"

"No," Seven admitted. "But he can manipulate objects with his mind."

Harry shook his head. "That's a pretty tough act to follow. Must be pretty exciting."

"You've no idea," Seven mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing," she said. "I have to get changed for my duty shift. I hope there're no hard feelings."

"Of course not," Harry said, standing up with her. "It was good seeing you again." He watched her walk out, and sat back down, alone. The bartender walked back. "How are you doing?" he asked. She put another glass down in front of him and walked back without a word. "Right," he said, picking it back up and taking a sip.

Luke, Han, and Chewie took a seat in the security room on DS13, waiting. "Sure hope this is worth it," Luke remarked. "This was supposed to be our official 'we're a couple' thing; I don't want her mad at me for skipping out."

"Hey, you think I'd drag you down here if it wasn't important?" Han asked. "Besides," he said with a smirk, "we all know she can take care of herself in a bar."

"Ah, funny," Luke remarked. He still couldn't believe Han and Chewie had told Barclay about the fight in the Cantina to help "add to the realism."

"So," Han said, "you and she really are engaged?"

"Just as a legal technicality," Luke said. "Not to say she's not special to me, Han."

"Say no more," Han remarked. "She's family as of now, right Chewie?" The Wookiee growled an affirmative. "See?"

"Speaking of family, how's Leia doing?"

Han grinned. "Twins."

"Get out!"

"Doc back on Earth just confirmed it," Han said, holding his hands and putting them behind his head. "Yep, when you're good, you're good."

"Yeah, great work Han, we're all real impressed."

Han gave a half-shrug. "It's a hell of a feeling," he said. "Course, at the rate you and Seven are going, you'll probably have a little one on the way too," he jibed.

Luke kept his face even. It was Seven's secret; it would be a betrayal to tell it to someone else without her permission.

"I assume by now you've... serviced the Collective?" Han offered a smirk.

Luke smirked right back. "What do you think?"

"Have her put the Borg suit back on?" Han joked. Luke answered only with silence as his grin deepened. "No," Han said quietly. "No, you didn't! You didn't!"

"Nearly put my eye out with her ocular implant," Luke said, his smile only growing.

"You-" Han looked stunned. "I'm taking back some of the things I've said about you, Luke. I do have one serious question." He cleared his throat. "You're not worried about... ya know..." Han grimaced. "The nanoprobes?"

"They don't work that way."

"You sure?"

"By now, I think I'd have noticed," Luke said with another smirk.

"Just, ya no, try not to get assimilated."

"Well, technically, haven't I been?" He caught Han's look. "I mean the engagement," he said with exasperation.

"I'm sure you did," Han said as only he could.

Before anything more could be said, the door opened and station security came in. Chewie got up from his seat and took a position behind Luke and Han, looking as menacing as possible, which wasn't very hard. Garak was led inside in restraints, followed by more security personnel and Colonel Kira. "Gentlemen," she said to the trio as Garak was put into a chair opposite Luke and Han. "Mr. Garak's been offering to cooperate with us for some time over what's been going on on the station," she said. "He has only now, after negotiating for some supplies for his faction of the Cardassians, agreed to give us the final point we've been missing."

"Yes," Garak said. "First, let me apologize Mr. Skywalker for any grievance I've caused you. Believe me, it was never my intent-"

"Shut - up," Han said, overemphasizing each word. "Get to the point."

"Some time ago using the Quark hologram, I purchased the services of the bounty hunter, Mr. Fett," Garak continued. "He has quite a reputation, but I'm afraid even he failed in his mission." He placed his bindered hands on the table in a pleading faction. "You must understand how desperate we were," he said. "That's the only reason I gave the information to the Empire about your Borg project; they had the information we needed for him to find his target."

"What target?" Han asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Garak asked. "The one man whose presence can re-unite all of Cardassia."

"Who?" Luke asked with an uneasy feeling.

Garak looked at him. "Your father."

Go To Part XXXVI
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