Disclaimer:
Please keep in mind that since this story is a work in process, so is the disclaimer. Where/if you see this XX then this doesn't stand for a number or the likes; it stands for things I don't know yet.
VERY IMPORTANT
When I started to write this story I had never, ever, heard of a Feline species in Star Trek. When I had already four and a half chapters written I came across a mentioning of a species called the Caitian. Seems that I was wrong, there IS a cat like species in the Federation, tail and all. While on one hand I'm glad for that because it does set the precedent and makes it easer for me to have such a species in a relationship, on the other hand it nullifies some of the things I say in the story. So, what I'm going to do it continue this story like there was no such species in Star Trek. I just felt that I had to point out that, yes, Star Trek does had a feline species in the Federation.
And now the disclaimer so far.
Alright, here's the deal people. When writing my story 'Princess,' the idea came to me to have a species that evolved from cats. Now, just think about it, Klingons are a different species from humans, so are Cardassians. So why not a species that has clear cat traits? Why not show such a 'cat' in a loving relationship with another person?
Beside this, another character will get introduced that is... a little bit different from humans. Alright, let me just spill it. A second character will be introduced that will be easily recognized as a vampire. But unlike the most common route I'm taking a route of this character having evolved from a parasitic species.
So, in this story you will see a 'cat-woman' and a 'vampire'. If you think that both are too far fetched for a Start Trek story... then I wonder how you can believe in Klingons or the founders (shape-shifters) or other beings like that. But either way, you are free to just give this story a miss.
Violence and all that.
All in all this will be a light story. I don't know yet if some bad guys will die, but if they do I sure won't be describing the how in any kind of long detail.
HOWEVER, let me warn you, there is a conversation in which the dying of a newly born baby is talked about. Not only did the baby die after just a few hours, but the death certainly wasn't pretty, even though it was quick. However, I made that part of the conversation as short as possible.
Having said all that let me also warn you about a couple of other things.
1 Cross-species relationships.
Yep, there are those. Several in fact.
2 A B/7 story, but not ONLY B/7.
(This paragraph contains a spoiler.)
And this, ladies and gentlemen will finally be the story in which I tackle the 'more than one' angle. While eventually B'Elanna and Seven will be lovers, that doesn't mean that from then on they will only sleep with each other. There are actually four main characters in this story, all getting equal airing time... and all eventually being... very close. Catch my drift?
3 Sex in relationships.
I believe (if you are lucky) that making love is a big part of a relationship, and all the ladies I show in relationships love to love their partner. I think for them making love about once every day, once every two days at the most, is normal. (Yes, I know, but it's called fiction for a reason. :) ) So don't be surprised is they get some on a regular basis and act as if that's normal.
4 Open about info.
I like to change my approach to the subjects in my stories. In one story B/7 are very private about their love life, in another story B/7 actually like to be watched by friends that they trust with the fact that they won't tell anyone what they saw. In this story the ladies are very open about talking to each other about sex, and what they like, but when it comes down to the act... eh, the lights go out. But yeah, sex will be mentioned in different ways thought-out the story.
While there is a lot of talk about sex, and conversations that happen before or after sex are shown, I'm not planning on actually showing any sex scenes in this story. This might change, but at the moment I'm more in the mood for a talk about sex story and not for a show sex story. But there will be some R rated stuff at one point that leads up to sex that we won't see.
5 Children will grow up.
In This story there is talk about (potential) relationships of underage children. Know that at no point will there be a sexual relationship of a child in this story. However, this is Star Trek, and we have alien species in it. If nothing else, Naomi is growing up two times as fast as a normal Human. So I felt that it would not be too farfetched to talk about the fact that two children will probably enter into a sexual relationship before what is considered legal age here on Earth in the Western world. But once again, in this story it is talked about but won't happen. The only relationship you will see is that children becoming friends... for life. And what will happen with that friendship in the future, well, that is for the future.
6 Style.
This will definitely be different from my normal story style.
Title:
The League of Extraordinary Ladies.
Pairings: 7/f B/f B/7 f/f. (And any combination of, depending on their mood. :) )
The League of Extraordinary Ladies.
By H.W.
Prologue.
After being alive for 173,000 years, she possessed a wealth of knowledge that only an omnipotent being could possess. She knew the answer to simple questions like the meaning of life, or why the universe existed. She knew the answer to difficult questions like why things liked to fall in places where you just can't reach them. She also knew that she was going to die in another three hundred millennia, and she knew how. But that was alright, nothing in the universe was endless, not even the life of the Mother Goddess.
But at the moment the Mother Goddess didn't need any of that knowledge. At the moment she only needed the knowledge of a concerned mom. She knew that her youngest child was getting restless again.
Her youngest child, the fifty-second child she had, had been the last born of her tenth and last litter and therefore always had held a soft spot in the hearts of the Mother Goddess. She still was the Mother Goddess' baby, despite being fifty thousand years herself and being a beautiful young female that could break the hearts of males and females, Gods and mortals alike.
The Mother Goddess always had tolerated, and even encouraged her youngest eternal youthfulness and playfulness. For she knew what none of her other children, the other Gods, knew; eventually her youngest would take the Mother Goddess' place as the undisputed ruler of the godly family. So until that time came in ninety thousand years, the Mother Goddess wanted her youngest to have a carefree youth.
In ninety thousand years the Mother Goddess would transfer her special powers to her youngest so that the Mother Goddess could take on the role of god family matriarch, and her youngest could rule the family with a knowledge and insight that only a new generation could bring. The Mother Goddess already knew that when the time came, her youngest would outshine the Mother Goddess herself; the day would come that her youngest would be worshiped by six times as many mortals as the Mother Goddess herself will be worshiped at the height of her power, a day that has still to come.
But all of that really wasn't important right now. What was important was that right now, her youngest was bored stiff.
"Why don't you just go?"
"Because I'm just back."
"You have already been back for two hundred years. Just go, my child. Your followers know that you travel; that is the very reason they pray to you. They know that you can hear their prayers and grant their wishes no matter where in the universe you are."
"But mom, it just doesn't seem fair. All my bothers and sisters have things that keep them here. They rule over the water, the air, the trees, the... it just doesn't seem fair that they stay here while I go wandering the universe for centuries, only to come back and leave on my next journey not long after coming back."
"We are what we are, my child. There is a very good reason why you have the urge to travel; don't fight it but go with it."
"So you won't hold it against me if I go?"
"Have I ever?" The Mother Goddess asked patiently. "Has any of your brothers and sisters for that matter? Don't worry about us, my dear. We know that you can be back here with nothing more than a thought if you hear any of us calling for you. We know how to find you if we need you. Do you already know where you'll go?"
"No. I do know that I'll be leaving this planet though. There are strangers on this planet, and there are two that I feel a certain pull to, I just don't know yet which one of them I will get close to."
"If you leave the planet," the Mother Goddess said, stopping with talking when her youngest spoke up.
"I know, mom, I know. I'm only allowed to use my godly powers for self preservation. Once I leave feline territory I can only use my powers for the protection of myself and my close ones, unless I'm called back here to give one of my brothers or sisters some help. And of course, I'll always be allowed to fulfill the things that my followers pray for... if I want to fulfill them of course."
"Alright then, then go, my child. Go with my blessing and live. Be carefree and cheerful, for there will come a day that you will treasure those memories of your travels more than the powers you have."
Her youngest came up to her and rubbed her head lovingly against the Mother Goddess'. "I love you mom. I'll probably only be gone for a couple of centuries, until I get bored with following the family tree of the mortals I'll choose as my close ones. I don't know, for some reason I normally lose interest in the family tree after ten or twenty generations."
"Because the children of the children of the children... are not the mortals you chose as your close ones. After so many generations, they are just... mortals," The Mother Goddess said, answering the question that her youngest had asked without using the words.
"Be well, mom," The youngest said as it ran out of the Mother Goddess' temple and down Mount Feline to the world of the mortals below.
"Be well, my child," The Mother Goddess said to the empty room. "For the close ones you chose this time will be nowhere near the ones you played with before. These... you will truly care for. You thought that you cared for the other ones as well, but these you will care for so much that you won't be willing to let them go."
A smile came to her lips "And boy will that bring an uproar." The smile turned into a laugh. "And the person that you will meet on this trip that is going to be your mate, will liven up Mount Feline for as long as you will rule it."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter one.
"I must admit that I'm a bit confused, Captain Janeway," The First Minister of the Liathen said as he scratched his beard thoughtfully. "We seemed to get along so fine, and all of a sudden you want to cancel the shore-leave you were planning to hold on our world. Would you mind giving me an explanation for this? Not that you have to, of course. It is just that I might be able to use that knowledge with other races that visit our planet."
"First Minister, please don't get me wrong. I really do appreciate your help. If your ships hadn't shown up then those pirates would have captured, maybe even destroyed Voyager; they were powerful enough to do so. We will be making repairs for the next two weeks as it is, and I really do want to thank you for still allowing us to land our ship on your planet despite the fact that I have to cancel our shore-leave. Having the ship grounded will make the repairs a lot easier. It is just that we have certain rules we have to live by, and while we are allowed to take help from pretty much anyone, there are stricter rules about the shore-leave. One of the rules is that we are not allowed to have shore-leave on a planet or star base that is under the control of a species that forces its will on another sentient species on the planet."
The First Minister shook his head slightly. "I'm afraid that I don't understand what you are talking about. We don't use anyone. In fact, we proud ourselves on the fact that we never had slavery in our history, something none of our sector neighbors can say."
As an answer Janeway let her eyes drift to the person that was lying in the corner of the room looking at them with an air of total un-interest.
"You mean the felines?" The First Minister asked surprised.
"You might not have slavery, but you do use them. I have seen dozens of them while coming here from the shuttle pad."
"But Captain, we don't use them; they are here out of their own free will. They are pets, we feed them, we give them a warm home,"
"And let them lay on the floor, naked," Janeway interrupted. While she really did want to be polite to the people that were helping Voyager, she could not believe the indifference these people showed to the other race living amongst them, even going so far to call them pets.
The First Minister shrugged his shoulders a little. "He really likes his corner, and felines don't care much for clothing. Sometimes they wear them, but they prefer not to. Captain, you have to understand, they evolved from cats, we took them into our homes when our ancestors were still living in caves walking around naked. When they were really nothing more yet than apes that learned how to communicate by language and hunt in a group. They always have been our pets, but they evolved with us. They can talk, if they want. They can walk upright, they can sit at this table, and frankly they are far more evolved than us. But they like being our pets. They like being cats and never saw a good reason to fully let go of it. They can do whatever they want, why give that up to live in confining rules?"
"You call them your pets, yet you people use them for sex, have sex with them," Janeway pointed out, having heard two men talking how they hoped to have sex with one of the felines. Janeway had blocked out the rest of the conversation after hearing that remark.
"If we are lucky; yes," The First Minister agreed. "But once again, Captain, it's them that make that choice, not us. Bevi over there has lived with my family for the last ten years now; none of us had sex with him. But I can tell you if he were to initiate sexual contact with me, or with my wife, we would consider our family blessed. You see, Captain Janeway, it is considered a blessing to be allowed to have sex with a feline."
"You don't use them?" Janeway asked to clarify. She had been so certain of what she had seen, yet she had to admit that the feline that was lying on the floor looking at her, did seem very able of simply jumping out of the open window and disappearing into the night.
"Most certainly not," The First Minister assured. "In fact, you could actually say that they are using us. They don't work. They don't do anything in return for the food that we give them. If they want to play we have to drop what we are doing and play with them. We take them to the doctor if something is wrong with them; we get ignored by them if they don't feel like coming to us. All they do in return is give us company, and protect us."
"Protect you?" Janeway repeated.
"Captain, allow me to give you a quick history lesson. Maybe it will clear a few things up for you. Over one hundred thousand years ago we were still living in caves; only just a little bit more advanced than the apes we evolved from. For as long at our ancestors could remember there had been another species that we shared the jungles and forests with; predatory cats. Cats that just like us had learned to communicate.
Then something happened that scared our ancestors almost into extinction. The cats started to evolve, and their evolution happened at a much faster pace than ours. So much so that grandparents could still remember that the cats were different when they were young. Our ancestors started to fear the cats, assuming that we would be considered easy prey. That is until dead animals started to show up in front of the caves we lived in. Our ancestors were hungry and ate the meat, not caring where it came from.
Then one day one of the cat people came into one of the caves that our ancestors lived in. Walking up to one of the pregnant women, and lying down at her side as if protecting her. Nobody dared to do something against the cat person that could kill them with nothing more than a sweep of its claws. The cat would disappear when it became dark, only to come back at dawn and lay down beside the pregnant woman. Our ancestors quickly realized that the meat in front of the cave always appeared when the cat man came back. The cat man was feeding us. It was showing us that we didn't need to fear it.
The word spread to other people in other caves, and soon more and more cat people were allowed into the caves. They hunted for us, and since we didn't have to go out and face dangerous prey, we thrived. Thanks to the help of the cat people we evolved at the same pace as them. Since our basic need, food, was being taken care of, we could concentrate on other things. We learned the secrets of technology; they protected us as we came out of our caves and started to build homes outside.
Eventually we reached the stage where we didn't need the cat people to hunt for us anymore. But we had become accustomed to their presence, and apparently they had become accustomed to us. They followed us into our by then built houses and now the roles were reversed, we took care of them.
But don't make the mistake to think that they didn't evolve anymore. If Bevi wanted to he could join us at this table and put us both to shame with his brilliance and intelligence. Though they still have retractable claws in their fingers, they also have opposable thumbs. They could build space ships if they wanted to... but they don't want to. Why build a space ship when you can lie in the sun and watch us do it?"
"I must admit that I hadn't expected that," Janeway said. "But doesn't the fact that they don't do any work at all cause friction with your people?"
"Not at all," The First Minister assured. "We have never forgotten that they kept our ancestors alive. And as I said, if needed they protect us. The latest example is sixty years ago. A group of those pirates had stolen a weapon from someone that rendered our weapons and planetary shield useless. After using it they landed on our planet triumphantly, hell-bent on looting our planet and killing us in the process. They hadn't taken the felines into account. The pirates had weapons, but there are only so many shots that you can fire before you drain the energy cell. They couldn't defend themselves against wave after wave of thousands on thousands of felines coming at them claws extended. Claws that can rip through body armor and that can most certainly rip through the soft flesh of a humanoid body. Once the felines were done avenging our fallen and the fallen felines, the pirates were shredded into bits, the biggest part still fitting into a child's hand. We have never forgotten what they did, and what they still do for us."
The First Minister indicated the Feline once more. "Forget about what I just told you, and you come down to the basics. They grace us with their company, and we take care of them. But they make the decisions. They decide if they want to stay with a family or not. Normally they stay with a family for life once it accepted the family as its close ones, as such I am pretty certain Bevi will grace us with his presence for the rest of his life. However, they can decide to leave a family if they are not treated right, and there is nothing the family can do against it."
"You could always lock the door," Janeway pointed out, but by now she was simply having a discussion, and no longer thought that the felines were used.
The First Minister shook his head at the question. "That would be a very unwise thing to do. The felines are protected by law. Hurting one can get you a sentence in jail, keeping one against its will; will get you a life sentence. Kill one, and you yourself will die as a punishment."
"But don't they misuse that power?" Janeway asked. "If they don't like someone, they just have to say that this person tried to kill them and this person goes to jail."
The First Minister shrugged. "Why would they do that? They don't strive for material things, so they wouldn't gain anything by accusing someone. If they don't like that person... they just leave."
"Hmm, well, maybe I was a little bit hasty by canceling the shore-leave," Janeway admitted. "I'll talk it over with the senior staff and unless they can bring up arguments that still prevent the shore-leave; our people will start the shore-leave schedule tomorrow afternoon."
"Please, Captain Janeway, I want you people to feel comfortable and welcome on our planet. Why don't you and your senior staff walk around some in our city, ask some people. Ask some felines, maybe some will answer you. Visit our library and read up on the history I just told you about. I am sure that once you did, you will have no further objections."
"I think I will do just that," Janeway agreed.
"In fact," The first minister said when an idea struck him, "why don't you join me for evening Mass? The temple in only two blocks away. I think that it will assure you of our good intentions."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you certain, Kathryn?" Chakotay asked.
"I am. If you look for a moment past the obvious you see that nothing is as we think it is. The First Minister took me to a Mass last night. Did you know that the Liathen don't even have gods themselves? They pray to the Feline's gods. There also were about forty felines there; front seats in the temple are reserved only for them. The Liathen then take up the places that haven't been taken by the felines. During that Mass I also saw the difference. The way the felines all got up or kneeled at the same moment when the Mass expected it, made it very clear that they are sentient beings that know what's going on. I also heard them sing, so they do know how to talk. You should have seen with how much respect the non-felines, as the Liathen prefer to call themselves, treated the felines in the temple. No, I'm certain; both of the races are living just how they want it."
"Alright then, I'll set up a shore leave schedule starting this afternoon."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
Seven of Nine, former Borg drone, now Astrometrics officer on the USS Voyager, was annoyed. Here she was, the person who was guiding Voyager through space, the person that could create stellar maps simply from the information she had in her head... and she was lost. She had asked some people for directions to the central museum, but having followed those directions, she now found herself in a part of the city that clearly didn't see much tourism from people that didn't live in the city. It was one of those strange places that gave a feel of an isolated village, despite being in the middle of a city.
From the corner of her eyes she saw someone approaching, but a quick look told her that it was one of the felines. She had tried to ask several of them for directions already, but they refused to answer.
This feline was by far the most beautiful of the felines that Seven had yet seen. She... for it was very clearly a she; something that would also have been clear if she hadn't been naked... had a mane of head hair that was almost shoulders length and which was in the same beautiful gold and white blotches like the fur on the other parts of her body were.
Just like all felines Seven had seen so far, this feline had the telltale eyes one could only find in cats and species descended from cats. Eyelids set in a slight diagonal, and mysterious light green eyes were looking back at Seven. The pupils in those green eyes were nothing more than black vertical slits now, in compensation for the bright afternoon sun that was shining directly in the feline's face. She had eyebrows that existed out of sporadically placed hairs which were about two and a half centimeters in length.
Besides the eyes the nose was also in the well-known T form of a cat, and the tips of pointed ears were just peaking through the mane-like head hair. Seven had to admit that she found the face of this feline the perfect mix between beautiful and cute.
Unlike the longer head hair, short fur that looked very soft started just below her jaw and then moved to her sides to cover her upper arms. Seven knew that all the felines had pretty much the same part of their back also covered by fur; a roughly triangular shape starting from shoulders and neck, tapering off into a point that just barely dipped between the beginning of the buttocks. Leaving her face, throat, breasts, middle, sides and buttocks bare of any hair at all; only to start once more just above the apex of her legs. Where humans had pubic hair, the felines had a patch of the soft fur. From the pubic area the fur moved back to the outside of the legs, stopping just below knee height; leaving the thighs and lower legs bare.
The feline's legs were more prominent than those of a human. But because those legs existed mostly out of the sleek powerful muscles that enabled the felines to jump heights several times their own body length, the legs actually accentuated the delicate lines of the feline's body. Of course, there was also the little distracting fact that these naked people had a tail starting just above their buttocks that was so long that the tip of it almost reached the ground if they were standing. And that they kept flicking that tale carelessly in a most distracting way.
Unlike most feline and feline species, this feline species only had two breasts, located in the same area as where Human breasts were located. Seven knew, from what she had learned about the history of the planet and its inhabitants, that this had always been the case. One thing that was changing over the last couple of centuries was that the breast size of the females was slowly increasing. Of course, compared to the average Human female their breast size was still quite small. In fact, this particular feline that the biggest breasts Seven had yet seen on a feline, and yet her breasts size was what Humans liked to call 'a hand full'.
One thing these felines also clearly missed was the sense of shame that Humans had about the sexual zones of their body. Besides the breasts, felines also left their genitals bare, male and female alike. Even now while Seven was taking in the looks of the feline, the feline sat down on the street; clearly not bothered at all that anyone that wanted to look could see part of her vulva.
Trying her luck one more time, Seven stepped up to the feline. "Good afternoon. Could you tell me where to find the central museum?"
The feline merely tilted her head a little while looking up at Seven.
Seeing that the feline wasn't going to answer, Seven tried another approach. "Could you at least point me in the direction of the city center?"
The feline flicked her tail up and started to clean the tip, using her fingers to pick off small parts of leaves and twigs as she started to purr softly.
Seven sighed once more and decided to move on, knowing that she wouldn't get an answer from this feline either. She had only moved down the street a couple of houses when she noticed that she was being followed. Turning around she didn't see anyone, but she still had the feeling of being followed. She noticed movement above her and saw the feline she had spoken to only a moment before, jump from one balcony to another. The feline paused and looked down at Seven, letting out a soft meow.
Seven had heard several of the felines meow already, but she hadn't heard one talk yet. A question to someone before she had lost her way had made it clear to her that the felines were very selective in who they talked to outside the people the considered 'close ones'. To actually have one of the felines that didn't know you have a conversation with you was considered an honor.
Seven turned around once more, continuing down the street, and once again she could hear the feline following her. The following half hour she asked three different people the way to the central museum, but apparently it was not a place commonly visited by the people in this part of the city. For Seven had gotten three different directions, all three of them had led her nowhere but yet another clearly wrong street.
She had contemplated more than once to simply contact Voyager and beam to the ship, but unfortunately these people didn't know about Voyager's transporter capabilities, and Captain Janeway preferred to keep it like that. She only allowed them to use the transporter in severe emergencies. Somehow Seven didn't think that losing her way would be considered an emergency. Besides, she could never do that anyway. Just thinking of people finding out made her uncomfortable. She could easily imagine the next confrontation with Lieutenant Torres and then having the Klingon commenting on Seven being so intelligent that she couldn't find her own way in a capital city of a planet. No, Seven could never give the Klingon that kind of ammunition.
Hearing the sound of many voices coming from further down the road, Seven decided to try her luck there.
On entering the building she noticed that it was one of the many roofless establishments that were common in the city; a side effect of the capital city being built in a place where there were on average only ten rainy days a year.
Seven walked up to the bartender and randomly picked a drink off the list pinned on the wall behind the bar. She knew from previous shore-leave that bartenders tended to be a little bit more forthcoming with information if you bought a drink first, and paid more than the listed price for it. Once the bartender put a glass with a slimly green substance in front of her, Seven paid the man four times the price and told his to 'keep the change'.
"Could you tell me where I can find the central museum?" Seven asked a minute later when the bartender happened to walk by again.
Remembering that this blonde stranger had just given him a very nice tip the bartender decided to have some mercy on her. "You must be new to our city, aren't you?"
Since Seven looked nothing like the planet inhabitants, she assumed that he was speaking about her having visited the planet, but not the capital city before. "Indeed. This is my first visit to the capital, why do you ask?"
"Because there is no such thing as the central museum. It's a little joke we play on newcomers. If you ask someone for a place that you just have to see while being here, they will mention the central museum. Then they will give you directions, but those directions will usually take you to a store instead. There you want to be polite and buy a little something before asking once more for directions; once again you get directions to yet another store, and so on. All the while people keep telling you how great the central museum is so that you keep looking for it."
"I see," Seven said, not at all amused about the fact that she had spent her first day of shore leave looking for a place that didn't exist. She lifted her glass to take a sip, but was stopped by the bartender putting his hand over the glass.
"You don't want to drink that, it's a drink popular with the felines. Their stomach is a lot more... robust... than ours. I also haven't seen a stranger yet that didn't get violently ill from drinking it. I sincerely doubt that you could handle that."
"And what is something you think I could handle?" Seven asked.
The bartender took a bottle from behind the counter and poured a glass of red liquid. "Here, that should do. It's mostly just fruit juice, but has just that little bit of alcohol to give it that special taste."
Seven took the drink and paid for it, once again paying a little more than the listed price. "Thank you for you help, you were very forthcoming. Since there is no central museum, could you tell me how I can get to the governmental part of the city? My hotel is located there." Of course Seven didn't have a hotel, but she knew how to get to Voyager from that part of the city.
"You know, it's actually quite easy to navigate in our city. Just walk down the street, either way. Eventually you will come to a crossing where you find blue pavement, As soon as you find one of those blue streets, stick to it. Eventually you will come to a stop of the free public transport. That'll take you to all the interesting places in the city. Next time someone gives you directions to this 'have to see' place, ignore them. All places worth seeing have public transport stops. As long as you stick to the public transport, you can't go wrong. The worst thing that can happen is that you take the long route and take an hour longer to get to your destination. But even than it's not a waste because you get a nice sightseeing trip out of it."
"I see. Thank you again." Seven took her drink and decided to take a little rest before going to look for the public transport. She was just about to walk away from the bar when she saw a little girl sitting in a corner. Seven knitted her brows a little while looking at the girl, while nothing went on in the establishment that wasn't suited for children; it still had a feel as if children weren't really welcome there.
"That's the little mouse," The bartender said when he saw what Seven was looking at. "I never see her coming in, but as soon as I open up and have some people here, she's sitting there."
"Why do you call her 'little mouse'?" Seven wondered.
"Because just like a mouse, she steals food. Whenever someone has something to eat, she waits until they are finished and then cleans up the table. What most people don't see is that she doesn't throw away the uneaten food. She brings the dishes to the rack over there and then scrapes the food onto one plate and goes and eats it."
"But she can not be much older than four years."
"Yeah, that would be my guess too. My guess is that she has lost her parents and doesn't have any other family. Otherwise I couldn't imagine her running around the streets like that. She has also been coming here for the last six months or so. So I would guess that she's been on her own since about age three."
Seven had seen a lot of children already in the city. She knew that the children became officially adults at the age sixteen, but that they were considered young adults for some years before that. In fact, they could already sustain themselves at age two.
The young adult stage started at age ten and from then on they were allowed to work for a living, have sex, and start a family. Of course, like always where such age borders were set by government, it wasn't unheard of for girls to have their first child at age eight. But then again, Seven also knew that for the little research she had done that at age ten, the Liathen children had bodies and urges comparable with the average human seventeen year old.
Seven always found it interesting how species could be similar, yet grow up so differently. For instance, Ktarians lived on average about just as long as humans did. Yet Naomi, who was half Ktarian and was growing up at the same rate as full Ktarian children did, would become of 'legal age' in only four more years.
Seven could not picture Naomi as a young adult in only four years, but she had to admit that in the three years that Seven now knew her, Naomi had aged a lot more than what a Human child would in three years. And Seven would never have guessed that Naomi had only been born seven years before. If she had to guess and looked objectively, she would say that the person looked like about twelve or thirteen years old.
If Seven continued the cold logic calculations she knew that that it made sense. Naomi was born only seven years ago, yet she looked like a Human twelve year old child. If Seven continued that rough two to one years ratio, then Naomi would look actually eight years older in four years time. So in four years time, at age eleven, Naomi would look just like a twenty-two year old Human... save for the little horns on her forehead.
Seven came to the conclusion that it were actually the Humans who got the short part of the deal. Ktarians had grown bodies and mentalities at age eleven, and lived just as long as Humans did. The Liathens were considered adults from the age of sixteen but already had fully developed bodies at the age of ten, and sometimes even already had children before that time. They developed their 'grownup' mentality from age eight. They too lived as long as Humans.
Yet with Humans themselves, their children had to be take care of for a far longer time. The Liathen children could sustain themselves from age two; at age two Human children still had problems with sustaining something as basic their bodily functions.
She wondered just what Humans got out of the deal. What was their benefit? She had to admit that for such a slow and relatively weak producing species they sure were a prominent factor in the Federation. Even the enemies of the Federation focused most on how Humans would react.
Maybe the extra time was actually the flip side. If it took eighteen years to raise a child to young adult stage, well that sure were a lot of years to teach them things. Things like how to survive, like how technology could be used to give an edge, like how to explore space safely.
"Why is she not in an orphanage?" Seven asked, deciding to put her musing aside for the moment.
The bartender shrugged his shoulders at the question. "That's her choice. The orphanage is one of the stops on the public transport network, and as I said; public transport is free. So she knows how to get there is she wants to. My guess is that she doesn't want to live in such an impersonal space. I lived in one for a couple of years when I was young. Sure you get what you need to survive, and you even get an education. But you never are an individual; just one of the group. You never have someone who truly cares for you; praises you. Which is why I went out at age ten and started my own business." He chuckled. "And talking about business, if you excuse me, people are getting thirsty."
As the bartender moved away, Seven took her drink and headed in the direction of the girl, not seeing the person who happened to walk into the establishment at that moment behind her back.
Seven had just reached the girl when a man who had been standing at a table talking to a seated person stepped up to the girl. "Hey, mouse, get off that chair, I need a seat."
The girl got up, but apparently not fast enough for the man. He pushed her away, making her fall to the floor. Seven reacted without thinking, she closed her hand around his arm and squeezed until he let go of the chair.
"There are enough chairs in this establishment; take another one and let the girl alone."
Apparently the man didn't like to be told what to do. He swung around with his free hand, trying to hit Seven. Seven caught that arm as well and pushed the man away. Unfortunately he landed on another table, spilling drinks over the four men sitting there.
Things quickly went downhill from there. All that the other men had seen was Seven pushing the man that had landed on their table, so they came at her as well. Soon there were too many people coming at Seven for even her to defend herself. She knew that she couldn't win this, so she turned around and crouched over the girl, shielding her with her own body. Only to be surprised when the blows she was expecting never came.
Looking up she saw another person standing above her, treating people to left and right hooks as if she had done it her entire life. Seven could not believe what she saw. Here was Lieutenant Torres, of all people, protecting her.
Knowing that the Lieutenant would not be able to defend herself from the onslaught of people for long, Seven got up and took a defensive position at the Klingon's side. They looked at each other for a moment before concentrating on the men that kept coming. Seven wondered where they were all coming from. There had only been about thirty people in the establishment when she walked in, now there had to be at least fifty surrounding them.
"Word is spreading that there's a fight here," The Klingon said, noticing just like Seven that the number of people was getting bigger instead of smaller. "We have to get out of here!"
"I agree," Seven said as she ducked a fist and treated the owner of the fist to an uppercut that broke his jaw. "Do you have any suggestions?"
B'Elanna was about to answer when she noticed the look in the eyes of several of the men. She knew that they had reached the stage where nobody really knew what they were fighting about, all they knew that it was 'them' against 'the strangers'. "Aww, crap, Seven, we aren't going to win this."
Seven could only agree and prepared herself to 'go down fighting'. Seven had once heard Lieutenant Torres say that, and now she knew what the Klingon had meant.
A wave of men came at them, only to stop when suddenly, apparently out of nothing, a feline dropped down into a squatting position in front of the two women, also facing the men. Seven recognized the feline; it was the same one she had tried to talk to before. The feline slowly straightened up into a standing position, both arms at her side with the palms towards the men. She extended her claws before lifting one of her hands and made a 'come here' gesture towards the men.
But apparently none of the men was brave, stupid, or drunk enough to get into a fight with a feline that had its claws extended. The group that had gotten bigger so mysteriously, now mysteriously got smaller again until only a few of the men were left standing to face the women.
"Come on, let's play, I'm in the mood to kill tonight," the feline said, once more gesturing the men to come closer.
Seven was surprised by the soft and delicate sound of the feline's voice. She had a beautiful voice, and Seven wanted to hear her speak again. Somehow she felt herself drawn to it.
"You have no business interfering in this," One of the men said, thinking that he was a safe distance way.
With one smooth motion the feline crouched a little and uncoiled her leg muscles, jumping over several of the upturned tables and hitting the man square in the chess, tackling him to the ground. A swipe of her claws left the man with four heavily bleeding parallel lines in his face, lines that were bound to scar if not treated by a doctor.
"You are lucky; I lied, I'm not really in the mood to kill tonight." The feline put her hand against the man's second cheek and slowly pulled four more lines down his face.
"There... just a little reminder of the beautiful night we had together."
Despite the man's screams of pain, nobody made any move to help him. It was Seven who finally stepped forward and placed her hand on the felines shoulder. For some reason she knew that she didn't have to fear this person. "Let him up please, those wounds need treatment."
The feline turned her head to the side and rubbed her head softly against Seven's arm before getting off the man. She moved to one of the benches fixed to the walls and sat down, tucking her legs under her body. She looked for a moment at the little girl who sat huddled together on the floor, and then moved a little down the bench until she was sitting defensively above the girl.
Seven looked at the feline for a moment before looking over at B'Elanna. "I think we need to contact Voyager. This is bound to reach the captain's ears."
"I think you are right," B'Elanna reluctantly agreed, wondering what kind of trouble she had gotten herself into now.
Seven looked over at the bartender who had never left his place behind the bar. "I apologize, this was not my intention. I,"
The bartender waved off the rest of her apology. "Don't worry about it, there's a fight inhere about once a week. That's why I have tables and chairs that are almost impossible to break. I've learned to just stay out of it and let them fight off their aggression. They never went for the mouse before though. Now what do I do with her? I can't leave her coming in here anymore, not with a good conscience."
"I have a feeling that for now she will be coming with us," Seven said as she indicated the door where several security forces finally had shown up.
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
"Believe me Captain Janeway; I am not holding this against you. In fact, I am glad that you aren't holding it against us," The First minister assured. "The bartender confirmed the statements your crew members gave, and that in fact your crew members were only acting in the best intentions; protecting an innocent child."
The First minister looked at Seven before assuring, "We had no idea about that little trick the entrepreneurs in our city are playing on guest to our city. Believe me; I will put a stop to that."
"In that case, why don't we put all of this behind us?" Janeway suggested, mindful of the fact that they still needed to be on the planet longer. She didn't want to lose this opportunity to work on the ship while it was landed on a planet that could pretty much provide all they would need for some long overdue repairs. "I suggest we chalk this up to a misunderstanding, and I will make sure that the people going on shore-leave are well informed about how to find their way the city."
"That sounds like a good idea," The first minister said with a smile. "Now, that only leaves me with having to find a place for Shanzia here."
While saying those last words, the First minister gestured to the child that was sitting quietly to one side of the room. They had asked the girl for her name and 'Shanzia' had been the girl's only reply.
"Actually, no," the feline spoke up.
She had followed the group and nobody had even dared to suggest that she didn't enter with the rest when they went to see the First minister. From then on the feline had just quietly lain on the floor and looked at the activity in the room. Now she finally stood up and moved closer. "You don't have to look for a place for her. The little mouse will be leaving with them when their spaceship leaves... as will I."
"With all due respect, I'm the one deciding who stays on my ship," Janeway said a lot more politely as she would have liked to. It rubbed her the wrong way that this woman was simply telling them that she and the child were coming along; as if it was her decision to make. But Janeway also knew how the Liathen revered these felines and didn't want to offend them by being short to the feline.
"Captain Janeway, if you could excuse us for a moment? I'm sure we will have this settled quickly," the First minister assured.
Janeway dipped her head and let her two crew members out of the room. Leaving the First minister alone with the feline and the girl.
"Honored one, as much as you grace me with your presence, surely you will understand that I can't just ask the Captain if she will take you along, let alone the child. I,"
"Find a way."
"It is not that simple. I mean, I can't just allow a child off this planet. Who would take care of her? She would be all alone on that ship full of strangers."
"The little mouse can take care of herself, and I personally will make her safety my interest."
"She would be blessed with such interest from you. But,"
"I find it interesting," the feline suddenly said, for the first time looking him straight in the eyes, "that someone who is praying to the goddess of travelers and traders every night that his still unborn son will be allowed to enter the traders training... is objecting to another child living a life of travel."
"What?" the First minister said in a shocked whisper. "How... how would you know that?"
He had told nobody, not even his wife, what he wished for their unborn child. Such was the tradition. Husband and wife would do their prayers alone, this in the belief that by doing this they had two chances of the gods hearing their prayers.
"A little voice told me," The feline said, not giving any further explanation. "The little mouse and I will leave on that ship; take care of it. And yes, the little mouse wants to leave. She will find her destiny on that ship... the little voice told me that as well."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
"I have to admit that I'm surprised that you allowed the child to come along," Chakotay said, not really sure whether he liked the crew expansion, and wishing that he hadn't taken Janeway up on the offer of having shore leave on the first rotation. It looked like he missed some very interesting developments.
"Actually, allowing Shanzia to come along was the easy decision. I mean, true, there is a risk of her getting hurt or even dying, but it's her choice to make. She assured me that she wanted to come along, and we have to take into account that she has been taking care of herself for two years now. Someone that has lived her life without help for two years deserves the right to make her own choice in what direction to continue her life. Besides, I have to admit that my thinking was also colored a little by thinking of Naomi as well."
"Naomi?"
"Yes. Chakotay, Naomi is growing up on this ship as an only child. Until now her mother and the friendship she has with Seven had her interest. Other things were taken care of by the extra holodeck time that Samantha has so that Naomi can play. But Naomi is seven years old now. She needs a real friend of her own age, not some mindless holographic projection which would have acted exactly the same if you or I would have walked in there and asked if the projection wanted to play. I looked into how the Liathen children develop, and this child is pretty much at exactly the right age that she can 'grow up' with Naomi. They will become 'official adults' pretty much at the same time. True, Naomi reaches the legal age in four years, and Shanzia in six, but mentally they will be in the same age group."
"You know, same age doesn't automatically make you friends," Chakotay pointed out. "It can very well be that they will end up hating each other's guts."
"True," Janeway said with a smile that showed Chakotay that the thought had crossed her mind. "But it's still better. How many children don't hate other children, but when they grow up they are able to put it behind them and work well together? Even if they do hate each other, at least they have someone of their own age to hate, not a grownup."
"Of course, there is also the chance that they will get along very well, in fact much more than Naomi's mother might like," Chakotay pointed out.
"What do you mean?" Janeway asked, confused by the cryptic statement.
"In a word? Sex."
"What?"
"Well," Chakotay started to explain, "Shanzia is at an age that in six years she is considered a young adult by her people, and it's not unheard of for Liathen children to have children themselves at age eight. Which means that an even bigger part of them is already sexually active at that age. Naomi on the other hand is seven, but has a body that can be compared to a human child of twelve year old. And then you get the same thing only on a different subject. They will be the only two people on this ship that are of the same age, and at that time probably also filled with hormones and very horny on a regular basis. A friendship can become a lot more very fast under such situations; even if it stays only a friendship but extends into the 'with benefits' area. Even in this time and age people somehow seem forget how they themselves were when they were young and assume that kids will never do certain things. Yet, tell me, Kathryn, when you were twelve and you were still that sweet innocent little child to your mother... did you ever think about sex?"
Janeway cringed when she realized that suddenly the simple idea of a hoped for friend for Naomi had gotten a complicated side. "I don't think that my mother ever thought me to be a sweet innocent child," Janeway finally said with a smile. "But I also sincerely doubt that she ever suspected that I lost my virginity at age sixteen. I think that she still believes that Mark was the first man I was ever intimate with. I think I understand what you mean. In about four years they will be both old enough that 'because you are too young' won't wash with them anymore."
"Right."
"Well, I guess we just wait and see then."
Janeway smirked when she saw Chakotay's face. "No, I'm not ignoring a potential problem away. I'm just taking a few things into mind. First, it's still some years, who knows if we even are still on Voyager then. Second, it isn't even sure yet that they will like each other, let alone like each other enough to start a relationship. Third, with both the Ktarian and the Liathen, on average only two in ten are interested in same sex relationships. So there is only a chance of, what, two percent that both Naomi and Shanzia will be interested in a relationship with another woman. Double that to cover for the fact that they would have preferred opposite sex partners, but that friendship deepens to sexual feelings as well, and you still only have a four percent chance that they would be sexually interested in each other. If you add all of those factors up, the chance of them actually becoming romantically involved is rather small. No, I don't worry about Shanzia; I'm more worried about that woman."
"Then why allow her to come along?"
"As the saying goes, they made me an offer I couldn't refuse."
"Care to let me in on the offer?" Chakotay asked.
"Well, remember all the things we had negotiated for, and still wanted to negotiate for? They simply gave it all to us... if we agreed to take her along. Of course I told them that it wasn't that simple, and they offered me the real clincher. Something that would make me take her along even if all she ever did on Voyager is sit in her room and twiddle her thumbs."
Chakotay didn't take the bait and merely waited patiently for her to continue.
"They offered us their booster technology," Janeway said, clearly surprising him. "Once implemented it doesn't change much in the top speed and maximum cruise speed, but, Chakotay, their booster technology will move our standard cruise speed from warp eight to warp nine. No more finding something or another that advances our journey a few extra light years. No; we will have our advantage built into Voyager itself."
"That's some incentive alright," Chakotay agreed. "So much so that it's making me a little suspicious. There is a chance that something will happen that suddenly means that they can't give us that technology."
"I had the same thoughts," Janeway agreed. "Which is why I had B'Elanna and Seven take a look at the technology, and B'Elanna assured me that it's 'duh' technology."
"Duh technology?" Chakotay asked.
"That's what she called it. It's the kind of technology that seems so obvious and simple... once you know how to do it. B'Elanna assured me that now that she has seen how it's done, she can come up with a workable booster system herself in less than a month. Of course, not that I don't trust B'Elanna's capabilities, but I much rather have the original Liathen system. If nothing more than for the simple reason that it's a trialed and tested technology for them."
"But is she sure that it can be incorporated into Voyager's systems?"
"She is, they both are. Seven actually called the technology 'impressive by its simplicity', and B'Elanna said that this booster system is so perfect that it seems as if it's supposed to be part of Federation engines."
"But it doesn't increase our top speed?" Chakotay asked. He knew that Janeway had said that it didn't make much difference there; he just wanted to know that 'not much' was.
"Unfortunately not. The booster technology doesn't really make the engines faster; it allows engines to be run hotter without causing damage. And since Voyager can travel faster than warp nine-point-nine, the booster system can lift the cruise speed from warp eight to warp nine without causing any damage or using more dilithium or antimatter. But still, if we find no other way of getting home, that difference alone will shave off twenty-five years of our journey home."
"So from now on it's no longer fifty years to get home, but twenty-five?"
"Doesn't that sound a lot more interesting?" Janeway asked with a smile.
"It does," Chakotay agreed. "It also gives you reason to once again plan. You can plan start planning for when you get back, not for if... sorry Kathryn."
"It's alright, Chakotay. I know that the mindset of the crew changed some years back already from 'when' to 'if'. But even beside that, it will make planning for the here and now easier. We no longer have to hope for some way of getting home faster. We can now start to assume that it will take us twenty-five years. People will know that plans that will affect the following ten years or so still can be acted upon since the journey still will last fifteen more years after that."
"Of course, knowing you, you won't stop trying to find a faster way to get home," Chakotay said amused.
"Of course," Janeway readily agreed.
"You know, this would make 'problematic' encounters easier to handle as well. You can say that most races we have come across have a warp capability of about warp eight or a little higher. This is why we eventually always had to stop running and fight since we could only move faster than them for so long before the engines wouldn't be able to take more."
"But now," Janeway said, seeing what Chakotay meant. "Now we no longer have to run away, we can 'walk' away with a speed that the engines could run at theoretically for the entire journey to the Alpha Quadrant. You are right. It would be a nice change to not always having to fight our way home."
"That's definitely worth having someone tagging along, doing nothing."
"Right," Janeway agreed. "But that doesn't mean that I'm just going to give her that. I will make it clear that everyone on this ship fulfils some task, and that I will expect her to put in her share. Besides, I promised to take her along, but if she continues to give me the attitude that she has been giving me until now, I won't hesitate to have her accompany us on our journey by sitting in the brig."
"Is she being difficult?"
"That's putting it mildly. She doesn't talk to me, totally ignores me actually. At the moment I have Seven being some kind of go-between. It seems that she likes Seven and does talk to her."
"Well, assuming that there will be some agreement and she won't be traveling as a guest in the brig, where do you want to place Shanzia and... what's the woman's name anyway?"
"I have no idea; she hasn't told me yet," Janeway sighed. "As for where to put the child, at first I thought about asking Samantha if she wouldn't mind watching a second child for some time. But I then decided that it wouldn't be fair to Samantha, and not to the child either. As strange as it sounds to us, we have to remember that this four year old has to be treated as an adult in some ways. She has been taking care of herself for two years and has proven that she is able to do so. It wouldn't be fair to her if we started to treat her now as if she is too young to make decisions herself. So I figured, seeing that she and that cat-woman are around each other all the time, and apparently get along fine, I'll put them together in one of the V.I.P. quarters for now, seeing that those have that extra bedroom. That way they can live together, but they still can have their own separate bedrooms. When down the line some quarters free up by other people moving in together, I'll move them there."
"Why not simply leave them in the V.I.P. quarters?" Chakotay asked reasonably. "That way Shanzia will only have one home to get used to, and that will leave the normal crew quarters for me to shift people back and forth depending on relationship statuses. Remember, quarters may free up by people moving in together, but I still need a certain buffer in case some people break up. Right now we have a good track record of people that break up still working together well, but I don't want to force the issue by having people that have broken up still living in the same quarters."
"I can see your point on that, but don't you think that it will give friction with the rest of the crew if I give them V.I.P. quarters for good?"
Chakotay shook his head a little. "I don't think so, especially not once the crew finds out just what we got in return for taking them along. They will have the same mindset as you do; not caring in the least if cat-woman, as you call her, would stay in the V.I.P. quarters for the entire trip home."
"Hmm, you might have a point there as well. Well, I'll think about it and let my decision be guided by how she behaves on the ship. And talking about her, the doctor should have finished his exams and I'm expected for negotiations with cat-woman."
~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~
"Of course, I would welcome if you were to do some kind of job while living on our ship."
Janeway sighed when she got no response. "Seven, would you please tell her what I just said?"
Seven did so, and also added that on Voyager there was a strict chain of command, and everyone had to fit into that chain somewhere.
"We felines don't work," Was cat-woman's reply. "And a chain of command only works so long as everyone follows orders. Since I'm not planning to follow orders from her, I guess that I fall outside the chain of command. Besides, let's not kid each other, we all know that the only reason she even lets me onto the ship is because the Liathen bribed her with all kind of goodies."
"True, that is the reason why I allowed you to come along," Janeway admitted, not at all happy about the word 'bribe,' especially since cat-woman's words were in fact true; Janeway had been bought. "But I never made any deals with the Liathen about how exactly you would come along. The brig is always an option, but I'm fully prepared to treat you like one of the crew members, giving you quarters and access to replicator and holodeck rations. But in return for that I want something from you. You get something, you have to give something; even your ancestors did that. They fed the ancestors of the Liathen, and in return they got a home and companionship. I ask of nothing more, you get a home, and in return you help us out."
"Hmm, true," The feline said, for the first time reacting directly to something Janeway had said. The feline hopped onto the conference-room table, lay down, and stretched her body to her full length while yawning. Then she crawled a little closer to Janeway until their faces were only a hand width apart.
"Alright, mighty Captain Janeway. Tell me what you want, but be reasonable. There is nothing like greedy people to make me not want to deal with those people."
Janeway looked at cat-woman's green eyes for a moment before tilting her head a little and looking down the feline's naked body. "How about clothing for a start?"
"Why? Do you find me ugly?"
"Far from it," Janeway was forced to admit. "But we have regulations on this ship, and walking around naked is against those regulations, even for non-Starfleet people that live on the ship."
"I have found clothing to be constricting; they limit my movement."
The Doctor chose that moment to speak up. "I have designed Seven's clothing, and I'm sure I will be able to come up with something for you as well. Something that is designed for your specific needs, including the fact that it doesn't limit your movement."
The feline ignored him and continued her conversation with Janeway, but her next words clearly indicated that she had heard the doctor. "No shoes."
"Captain?"
"Yes Doctor?"
"I would have insisted on that even if she had not asked it. She has the pillows on her feet that you find in most feline species, if she was to wear shoes this would actually decrease her stance and also result in medical problems for her legs and back in a short time. And then there is of course the matter of her claws. Shoes would restrict her abilities to retract or extend them. In comparison, it would be the same as me giving you gloves in which you can only ball your fists and not stretch your fingers."
"Alright no shoes it is."
"I'm not confining my tail."
"Doctor?" Janeway asked, wanting to get his input.
"Again, I would agree. You have to take into mind that her tail is an appendage that she can move consciously. To use the example of clothing again; restricting the tail would be comparable to me giving you a shirt with only one sleeve and expecting you to leave your second arm inside the shirt at all times."
"Would a hole for the tail be enough, or would you need some kind of sleeve for it?"
"Actually, Captain," The doctor said before the feline could. "With your permission I would make her clothing in such a way that the parts of her body that aren't covered by fur are covered by fabric, and the places where there is fur would be left bare of fabric. I'm thinking of using strings or mesh with wide holes in those places to complete the clothing. This would take care of the tail problem since it starts at the bottom of a fur covered part of her body, and it would also stop other medical problems from forming. If she had to cover her fur for eight hours every day, I foresee serious skin problems. I would prefer that the fur of her pubic area would also not be covered, but I know that you would not agree to this, Captain. So I'm thinking of covering her pubic area and then have some 'ventilation holes' directly above her pubic area."
"I will try the clothing when it is finished," the feline relented.
"Very well," Janeway agreed. "Beside that I would also appreciate it if you were to follow the ways of behavior we have on this ship."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning, there are chairs around this table because we normally sit around a table; not lie on it. Now, in the privacy of your quarters it will be up to you how, and if, you use the furniture. But on other parts of the ship, I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't lie on a table during a meeting, or also not on the floor for that matter."
"Because you asked so nicely," the feline said, moving off the table and sitting down in one of the chairs. She had folded her legs under her and the back of the chair was actually more to the side.
Janeway decided to not point out that she still wasn't sitting like it was normally expected; she had a feeling that doing so would be pushing it. "Also, it is your choice as to who you talk to or not, but as Seven said; we have a chain of command. I do expect you to follow orders and not decide to ignore a commanding officer."
The feline seemed to think about that for some time. "As long as you do so reasonably. I'm prepared to play your chain of command thing, but don't have me doing stupid tasks. I'm not going to clean up corridors or something simply because I don't have anything else to do."
"That is not how we do things. Orders are orders. When I,"
"Make an exception. Remember that I'm doing this willingly, and that I know only too well that you get for taking me along. I'll do the orders thing, but they have to be reasonable orders."
"Captain, I believe that she means that you should treat her the same as you have treated me," Seven suggested. "Because I am not a part of Starfleet you do not give me the orders for things that are normally done by lower level personnel."
Janeway nodded. "Alright, since she also won't be part of Starfleet that sounds reasonable. Now, what kind of job would your prefer to do?"
"None?" The feline asked with a smile. "But since you insist that I do some kind of job... I don't know what kind of job I would prefer; I never worked before."
Janeway thought about it for a moment before offering, "Well then, I would suggest that we rotate you though the different departments in the beginning and a month from now I'll ask you again which department you would prefer."
"Alright. I will start in Seven's department."
Janeway sighed. "Those are the kind of decisions that fall under the chain of command thing." Then she smirked before suggesting, "Why don't you start in Seven's department? Since you two get along so nicely she can show you around the ship and introduce you to people."
"Why that's a wonderful idea," The feline said as if she had heard the idea for the first time.
"Alright then. Seven, why don't you show our guest around? By the time you are finished, the Doctor should have her clothing finished... Um, doctor, does she need bio-suit technology in her clothing?"
"Not at all, Captain. Which is also one of the reasons I suggested leaving her fur bare. Her species is used to not being covered, save by their own fur. She has a tolerance that is far superior to any of the species in the Federation. She feels comfortable in temperatures from five degrees Celsius to forty degrees. Her species have a kind of natural 'antifreeze' in their blood that allows them to sleep at temperatures as low as ten degrees under freezing and they will be fine. It is only at temperatures lower than this that they reach the stage that they could die from freezing to death."
"Alright then. Seven, why don't you start by showing her and Shanzia the way to V.I.P. quarters two; that's where they will be living from now on."
Janeway looked at the feline before adding, "If you want anything changed in the quarters feel free to contact engineering. Lieutenant Torres will send some people to rearrange things to your liking."
"Seeing what kind of furniture I have seen so far, some changes will definitely have to be made."
"One more thing," Janeway said as they were all getting up. "Now that you are staying and will be part of Voyager, could you please tell us your name?"
"Zanitear. You might want to let people know that I insist on the use of the entire name. I only allow my close ones to use any shortened version of my name."
"I will make it known."
Zani stood up and joined Seven at the end of the table. "Oh, one more thing, Janeway. Just for future references. I react a lot better to a 'please' than an 'or else'."
"I will keep it in mind, and I'll let the senior staff know, since they are the people you will be getting commands from. Oh, one more thing from my side as well."
"Yes?"
"I respond a lot better to Captain Janeway than just Janeway. My first name is Kathryn, but I only tell my friends to call me that."
Zani smiled. She actually kinda liked the woman. "I will keep it in mind."
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