The league of extraordinary ladies.
By H.W.
Chapter 5
Zani took careful aim. She knew she could make the shot, but with her target it was better to be extra certain. She made sure to make absolutely no sound as she carefully pulled her hand back... one last correction... and then she let go. Snickering when the pellet came flying right back.
"Will you stop that," Rogin said annoyed as she flung the little holographic stone back.
"Aww, don't be such a baby, I'm just testing my reflexes."
"Your reflexes!? In case you missed it, you are throwing rocks at me!"
"Sure, but I know you can catch them." Zani threw another pellet to prove her point. Only to duck when the pellet came flying back in full force.
"And that is how I'm testing my reflexes," Zani said with a grin, ducking once more when suddenly a hand full of pellets came flying in her direction. Her safe haven that she was hiding behind was a fallen down pillar of the old ruins where they were having their training that day.
Of course, all of it was just a holographic creation since they were actually in holodeck two, but that didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was that there were more than enough convenient small pellets around. Zani picked up a hand full and threw them back over the pillar, sure that at least one of them had to be able to come through Rogin's defenses.
When she heard nothing but pellets hitting the ground, Zani frowned and carefully peeked over the pillar, more than a little confused to see absolutely no trace of her friend.
"You, are in sooo much trouble," A voice behind her suddenly said. Zani swirled around, only to see Rogin standing there with a hand full of ammunition.
"Aww, crap," Zani jumped over the pillar just in time to escape the first pellet. She heard the impact of another pellet and decided that a tactical retreat was in order. She climbed into a tree and grinned down at Rogin... or at least that was her plan, but when she looked down she once again didn't see any trace of the redhead. "Damn."
"Looking for someone?"
Zani turned around to see Rogin standing on a branch of a tree right beside hers. Zani frowned. Never before had she seen a non-feline stand so securely on a branch. In fact, Rogin was walking along the branch to come closer as if she was walking across the ground.
"How do you do that?"
"What?" Rogin asked, throwing a pellet into the air and catching it again. "Moving without you seeing it, or climbing so fast without having claws?"
"Yes," Zani merely said.
"Magic," Rogin grinned before throwing the pallet at Zani.
Zani was only able to escape the little rock by letting herself drop off the branch and capture the branch again so that she was hanging below it.
"Well, magic won't make you catch me," Zani taunted before she let go and securely landed on the branch a level lower. "Catch me, if you can!" Zani shouted and ran off again.
Rogin dropped the pellets, deciding that the joke of throwing them had worn off, and instead opted for the direct hunt. She smirked. It was time to show her friend just why Rogin had been able to survive in the wild for centuries. Hunting was second nature to her. She ran along the branch and when it was getting too thin to safely support her, she used the branches flexing abilities to propel herself to a branch of the next tree. "You are sooo going to get it."
*
Half an hour later Rogin and Zani were sitting once more besides the fallen down pillar, giggling like little girls.
"That was fun," Zani finally managed to say. "I haven't been able to let go like that in months. You, my friend, are a very adequate hunter."
"Oh pluueeease, adequate my ass. I caught you," Rogin defended.
"Oh pluueeease, you did no such thing; I let you catch me just so that you don't tax yourself too much."
"What are you talking about; tax myself? I didn't even break a sweat," Rogin grinned.
Zani made a show of very deliberately sniffing the air. "Hmm, must be some strange plants around here than, cause it sure smells like sweat to me."
"That's your sweat," Rogin defended.
Zani leaned forward a little and looked at Rogin's front. "For someone that isn't sweating you sure have some interesting wet stains on your shirt. Did you know that those sweat... sorry wet... stains really emphasize your breasts?"
"Really?" Rogin grinned. "Maybe I should go see B'Elanna then... without showering first."
Zani laughed at the question. "Girl, if you go see B'Elanna like that, she will drag you off into her office and have her way with you right on her desk."
Rogin gave Zani a wink at the suggestion. "Hmm, that could be interesting." Looking Zani up and down she asked, "Don't you ever sweat?"
"Why? Are you jealous?"
"In a word? Yes," Rogin admitted.
"Well, don't be. I probably sweat even more than you. Go on, feel my back."
Taking Zani up on her offer, Rogin placed her hand on the fur that covered Zani's back. She was surprised to feel how wet the fur was. She pulled had hand back and looked at it, seeing it entirely covered by a film of water. "Damn."
"That's one of the reasons why my fur isn't covered by my uniform... why I need this kind of clothing. I only sweat on places that are covered by fur. I mean, normally I don't sweat at all. I only sweat when I'm very active, like I just have been. It's just that you don't really see it unless I lean against something, and my sweat is odor free. But when I do get a workout like I just have, I actually sweat a lot. If I wore clothing that covered me fully, I wouldn't only have sweat stains like you do now, my clothing would be all wet."
Zani gave Rogin a curious look. "Actually, I'm surprised that you aren't sweating more after that workout we just had."
Rogin shrugged. "I guess that evolution decided long ago that unnecessary sweating would be a waste of perfectly fine resources. I only sweat the absolute minimum that is needed to prevent my body from overheating."
"Hmm, so..."
"Yes?" Rogin asked.
"Care to tell me how you could push that pillar down?"
"Still upset about that?" Rogin asked with a grin. "You landed on your feet; what's the problem?"
"Oh, I'm not upset about it," Zani also grinned, remembering how the sudden disappearance of the pillar she was going to land on had caused her to drop to the ground below. "I mean, sure, I was upset that the chase was over, but not about how it ended. A drop like that is something I can cope with in my sleep. Besides, if it had been dangerous, the holodeck safeguards would have kicked in. No, I really mean that I'm wondering how you were able to do that. I know that you are far stronger than anyone else on this ship, but even you shouldn't have been able to push a stone pillar like that down. The Doctor guessed,"
"And that's the problem right there," Rogin interrupted, pointing a finger at Zani. "The Doctor guessed. He never actually asked me, nor did the captain, or even Tuvok. The fact is that I'm just a little bit stronger than you all think I am."
"There is a reason we did not ask," Tuvok's voice suddenly interrupted them.
"How did you get in here without us hearing you?" Zani asked.
Tuvok knew that most would have bristled at the way the question was asked, but he knew Zani well enough to know that she was actually worried about the fact that someone had been able to sneak up on her.
"You are running a training program and my access to the holodeck is set as an instructor. In a training program, the holodeck will camouflage any sign of the instructor; including the instructor entering the holodeck. This is done so that he or she can observe while students perform the task assigned to them unless the program calls for the instructor to be seen at all times of course. This program does not. However, once I spoke the computer knew that it was acceptable to reveal my presence."
Looking at Rogin, Tuvok added, "The reason why we did not ask you to show us exactly how strong you are is because we do not record the strength of the individual members of the crew. The only reason why the Doctor brought up that fact that you are far stronger than anyone else on this ship was to indicate differences to the Captain."
"Why not?" Rogin wondered. "Surely it must be beneficial to you as my commander to know my limitations."
"Beneficial, yes. However, your exact strength fluctuates depending whether you have eaten, how long you have been awake, and how much exercise you have had. I prefer to know general characteristics that do not change. Like the fact that your vision is not affected by changes between light and dark. Or the fact that you are the strongest person on this ship, or that you can not be killed by a phaser."
"Sure I can," Rogin disagreed. "The shot just needs to be strong enough."
"But a hand phaser, or even a phaser rifle would not kill you," Tuvok persisted.
"No," Rogin agreed. "They hurt, depending on the setting they actually hurt a lot, but no, a normal phaser shot won't kill me, or render me unconscious. It would have to be a shot from a space ship, or anything else that is large enough to have the power-banks needed. Voyager's phasers would actually pretty much pulverize me."
"Talking about shots, what's on the agenda for the next two hours?" Zani asked.
"Nothing. Classes end early today," Tuvok informed them. "I must attend a meeting to start in thirty minutes."
Tuvok looked around the jungle they were in before looking back at the two women. "You may go home, or you may use the last two hours of holodeck time for training at your own discretion."
"Would endurance training suffice?" Zani asked hopefully.
"It would."
"Cool," Zani said as she fished her pendant from under her uniform so that she could take her ring out of it. Since endurance training was next, she decided to put the pendant and necklace back under the uniform to prevent it from swirling about.
Tuvok did not object to Zani putting her ring on. After all, he had told the women that they were off duty, and off duty Zani could wear a ring if she wanted. The only reason why he had insisted that they used the holodeck for training if they remained was because the holodeck time was scheduled for security training.
"Have a good day," Tuvok said as he turned around to leave.
"Thanks Tuvok, you have a great time at the meeting," Rogin said with a grin.
Tuvok didn't reply with words, but he did turn around once more to look at Rogin with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, yeah. Vulcans don't have fun. I remember," Rogin said.
"Actually, I was going to suggest that you participate in a department meeting once and see if you would then still consider them... fun." Without another word Tuvok turned around and left.
"I can't understand people that say that he has no sense of humor," Zani said with a grin.
"Yeah, I must admit that I actually really like him," Rogin agreed before her eyes fell on Zani's ring and seeing the design made her frown.
"What?" Zani asked, also looking at the ring.
"Nothing. I just... B'Elanna wears the same ring off duty... and that pendant and chain for that matter."
"So does Seven," Zani added. "And the little mouse has a pendant and necklace as well. In it she is keeping a ring as well that she will start to wear around her finger once she grows to where she can actually wear it on her finger. The same goes for Naomi, of course with her I first asked her mother if I was allowed to give it to Naomi."
"So you gave the ring to B'Elanna? Is there a special reason why you are handing out rings?"
"There is. We felines normally choose people that we call close ones. Close ones are very special to us, even more than normal friends. I had an artifact that I had to exchange for other things before we left feline space and the expensive artifact would loose its value. So amongst other things I bought these rings for my close ones. Now, officially they are supposed to be wedding rings, but see the symbol?"
"One?" Rogin asked, able to read the symbol since it was written in the language that she had used her entire life.
"Yes. I found it quite fitting because that's what my close ones are to me. They and I are one."
Looking at Rogin's hands she noted, "You have very delicate fingers... since we are on the subject of rings, what's the ring size of your middle finger anyway in the sizes used on your planet?"
"I'm a nineteen."
"Really?" Zani asked and Rogin could clearly see the look of surprise on her face.
"Yeah, why does that surprise you?"
"It isn't necessarily the fact that you have a size nineteen that surprises me," Zani said as she took hold of Rogin's hand and placed her own against it, palm against palm.
"After all, my hand is almost double as big as yours, I kinda figured that you ring size would be a lot smaller than mine. No, what surprises me is that, when I got the rings something told me that I should get an extra ring. A ring that was size nineteen. I just find it a real coincidence that you happen to have that size middle finger since all of us are wearing the ring on our middle finger."
"Do... do you think that it's meant for... me?" Rogin asked confused.
"I don't know. As I told you before, you are something of a mystery to me. All my close ones, I considered them close ones within a day of really getting to know them. B'Elanna took a little longer before I considered her a close one, but that is because I really only started to pay any interest to her when she and Seven started to become friends. Once that started, with her too I knew within a day if she was a close one. But you, with you I actually first had to build a relationship, first had to become friends. I don't know if you will become a close one."
Zani tilted her head and smiled. "But if you do, I think I'll like having you as a close one."
"B'Elanna told me that Seven told her that you told Seven that..." Rogin stopped talking when her own sentence registered with her.
"Man, talk about hearsay," She laughed. "Anyway, I heard 'somewhere' that you actually met one of your gods, right?"
"The goddess of travelers and raiders, yes. She showed herself to me shortly before I met Seven. She is actually the one who gave me the artifact that I traded for, amongst other things, these rings. But why do you ask?"
"Well, from what I heard 'somewhere' you know more things than you should be able to and Seven thinks that this goddess gave you some knowledge or some kind of super perception."
"That is Seven's theory," Zani agreed. "Again I ask, why?"
"Well, maybe it's because I really came into your life in a roundabout way. Your personal life that is. The three times I have been over to visit it's been because B'Elanna brought me along. Maybe that goddess of yours knew that I would become involved with B'Elanna and would only come in contact with you then, on a personal level of course."
"Hmm, that's might be true. Which reminds me, why don't you come over more often? We are literally neighbors and you only have to walk down the corridor one door."
Rogin thought for a moment about how to answer that question before finally shrugging mentally and going with the truth. "I don't feel comfortable being the tagalong, someone that is only accepted because the person she is with is the one the others want to see."
"Understandable. But by doing so, you are depriving B'Elanna of the contact with her friends. Since you don't want to come over, B'Elanna stays with you and therefore doesn't come to see Seven, me and the little mouse that often anymore."
"Ouch," Rogin said while cringing. "Has anyone aver told you that you can be painfully blunt?"
"Sure. But I'm a feline, that's how we are. Take it or leave it. Look Rogin, tell me that you don't come over because you really would like to be alone, or at least not around us that much, and I promise you that I won't mention it again, no hard feelings and all that."
After a moment of silence Zani went on. "Can I gather from the fact that you didn't speak up that you actually like coming over to visit?"
"I do. I... look, here's the deal. I really like the people on this ship. I like how they welcomed me as a part of the crew, gave me more of a home than I have had on my 'home' planet in centuries. But I also know that if they knew, you know, all about me, they would fear me. I really like the fact that B'Elanna, Seven, the little mouse, and you know all about me and still treat me like a normal being. Yeah, I like being around you. It's just that..."
"You don't want to be a tagalong," Zani finished.
"Right."
"Alright then," Zani said with a nod. "Rogin, would you like to come over and visit tonight? Stay for dinner and then hang out and just... have some fun?"
Rogin frowned and then the difference registered. Zani was asking her if she wanted to come. Not them, not B'Elanna and by extension Rogin as well. No, she was asking Rogin. Plain and simple. The frown changed into a smile. "I would love to come over and spent some time. Can I bring B'Elanna along?"
"Sure, that way I can let her clean the dishes away after dinner," Zani said with a grin.
"Great, she'll love that," Rogin grinned as well as she got up and walked to the holodeck replicator. "Well, we have five more minutes of break time, I'll get myself a water. Want one?"
"Yeah, might as well," Zani said as she got up and followed Rogin. Her eyes fall on the long ponytail that reached to the middle of Rogin's back. "Don't you ever get tired of the long hair?" She wondered as she joined Rogin.
"Sure, about three times every day. But seeing that for the rest I like it, it stays."
"Did you ever have short hair?"
"Sure," Rogin said again as she gave Zani a glass of water. "Every couple of centuries I get truly tired of it and chop it all off. Of course, then I get sorry for chopping it off because I hate the way I look with short hair and let if grow right back again."
Zani drained the water and looked at Rogin, trying to picture her with short hair. She had to agree, she didn't think that short hair would look good on the redhead. "Every couple of centuries, you said. Just how old are you anyway?"
"As I told Janeway..."
"Yeah, yeah, you don't ask a lady her age," Zani interrupted. "Look, I'm just curious. I promise I won't start treating you like an old fart alright?"
Rogin grinned. She decided that by now she knew the people on Voyager enough to know that telling her real age wouldn't be any risk. "Well, if you really want to know, I'll reach the grand old age of three thousand years in two years time."
Really?" Zani asked with a lot less surprise than Rogin had expected. "Damn, you really are an old fart."
"Oh you are so funny," Rogin said, grinning.
"Do you always use the fact that people can't see you pupils so that you can stare at those people without them knowing it?" Zani asked as she replicated herself another glass of water.
"What are you talking about?"
"About the fact that you have been pretty much staring at me ever since Tuvok left, except for when you got up. You pretend that you look at other things, but you have been looking at me from the corners of your eyes the entire time. I'm just wondering if you do that all the time."
"And how would you know that?" Rogin asked before saying, "Hey, since you are asking questions, the least you can do is give me another glass of water as well."
Zani was more than willing to hand Rogin another glass of water if that meant that she could keep the redhead talking.
"Actually, I know because I can see your pupils," She said as she handed Rogin a freshly replicated glass of water.
"What?" Rogin asked disbelievingly.
"Sure. In fact, they are getting bigger right now."
"Nobody has ever been able to see my eyes... well, the eyes below the protective layer. How can you see through it?"
"I don't know. I guess it's a combination of my eyes and the sun of our Homeworld," Zani shrugged. "We felines have always been able to filter the color red out if we want. The layer covering your eyes is red, so I can actually look right through it if I want; see your pupils as if the layer wasn't there."
"Alright, prove it, are the irises of my eyes colored?"
"Yes, purple... What? You look shocked. Are you that surprised that I'm right?"
"Actually, I'm surprised to find out that I have colored eyes."
Zani frowned at that answer. "Why?"
"Because I can look through the cover of my eyes just fine, but even I can't see my eyes. When I look in a mirror I only see the totally red eyes that the others see. I always assumed that the cover was a one way viewing lens."
"Ah. In that case, let me assure you, you have beautiful eyes."
"Thank you," Rogin said a little shyly as she looked away. Her eyes fell of Zani's tail that was absently flicking against a small twig.
"What?" Zani asked when she saw that Rogin was looking at her tail.
"You always play with your tail like that?"
"When I'm not using it in a different way, yeah I like to play. It keeps my mind from zoning out."
Now Rogin looked back at Zani's face and asked with a mischievous grin, "Do you also use it when you and Seven make love?"
"Sure," Zani happily affirmed and then laughed when she saw Rogin frown. "Expected me to say that it's none of your business, right? Told you before, we felines are really open with the people we like."
Zani flicked her tail up and held it in her hand to show Rogin the tip. "Feel that."
"No way, I have no idea where that has been."
Zani rolled her eyes. "I do bath or shower at least once every day you know. Besides, you dope, with fingers like this and a tongue that has a great sense of taste, do you really think I would bother using my tail for that?"
Rogin grinned, she had only been kidding anyway. She felt the tip of Zani's tail and was surprised at how soft the fur was.
"See?" Zani continued. "When Seven and I are making slow, slow tender love, she loves it when I caress her with my tail. When I run the tip over her nipples, or the length across the bottom of her breast, or across her back... she absolutely loves that."
"That's it? Man, that could be done with a feather as well," Rogin said a little disappointed.
"True. But the neat thing is that I have this with me at all times, and unlike a feather, when I use my tail I still have two hands free to... do other things."
Looking at the tip of the tail once more, Rogin wondered what it would feel like to have the tail move over her body. Sure, she had done the feather thing in her life, several times. But somehow the idea of the tickling being done by a living, warm, appendage felt strangely... arousing.
"Should I get B'Elanna some feathers, or maybe fur duster?"
"Funny," Rogin said, looking back up at the grinning Zani. "No, that won't be needed. Besides..."
"Besides... what?"
"Besides, I know how to operate the replicator, I can get them myself."
A beep indicated that break time was over and that it was back to business. "Alright," Rogin said as she put away the empty glass. "You suggested endurance training to Tuvok. So, oh ye of great ideas, what's our endurance training?"
Zani put her own glass back in the replicator and watched it disappear before turning around, tapping Rogin on the shoulder and running off. "Tag, you're it."
"You call that endurance training?" Rogin shouted after the disappearing Zani.
"Sure," Zani's voice came drifting back. "Because now I'm not going to take it easy on you. Catch me if you can."
Shaking her head in amusement, Rogin ran into the holographic jungle, belatedly realizing that she was having more fun chasing Zani through a fake jungle than she had in the last four hundred years in real forests on her home planet.
***
"You wanted to see me?" Seven asked as she walked in to Tuvok's office.
Said office was just big enough to hold a desk with some chairs in front and behind it, and a few cabinets to one wall. The office was attached to an equally small break room for the on duty security detail. However, despite the small size it was more than sufficient for the relatively basic needs that security brought. After all, security details should supposed to be either on patrol, or guarding people in the brig, and not entertain themselves in some lavishly break room.
"I did," Tuvok agreed as he indicated the seat on the other side on the table. "Please, sit down."
Tuvok had been expecting the well known 'I prefer to stand' line and was therefore slightly surprised when Seven did indeed sit down without any comment. It seemed that the last few months had brought some changes in the personality of Seven. Privately Tuvok was glad for her. He had always liked Seven, and was glad that she had finally found a life besides regenerating and working. Even Tuvok himself had led more of a social life then Seven had, despite him being Vulcan.
"Are you aware that it is standard for all members of the crew, with exception of the senior staff, to spend a certain amount of hours every month on security standby?"
"I am," Seven said, surprised that Tuvok would suddenly bring up the subject after Seven already being on the ship for years. "However, I do not think that this applies to me for several reasons. First, I am not a Starfleet crew member. Second, if I was, the position I am fulfilling would be Senior staff level and therefore I would still not be required to do security standby."
"You are correct," Tuvok agreed. "However, I wished to ask you if you would object to participating in some security training. As you pointed out, you do not have to fulfill this duty, therefore you would have to make a request in order for me to schedule you for training."
"Why would I suddenly now be needed in security?" Seven wondered. "In fact, now that you have Zanitear and Rogin as fulltime security officers the need for training of other people should actually diminish, not increase."
"Once more you are correct," Tuvok agreed. "However, the fact that I have them as a security detail now is the reason I would like you to train as well. I would like to see how well you three work together."
"Why?" Seven merely asked.
"All three of you possess certain unique skills and abilities that no other person on this ship possesses. You know Rogin and Zanitear's abilities just as well as I do, if not better. If you add your Borg abilities to these they would make an extremely powerful combination."
"I understand your reasoning," Seven said, before asking. "However, why are you interested in that combination?"
***
"You wanted to see me captain?" Tuvok asked.
"I did," Janeway agreed as she indicated the chair in front of her desk. As Tuvok sat down, Janeway added, "I was reading the crew reports, and noticed that you had Seven in your department today; fulfilling security training. What are you up to Tuvok?"
"Up to?" Tuvok merely repeated.
"Why do you suddenly have Seven training in Security when you never asked for her before?"
"Because I wished to see how well she works together with Zanitear and Rogin," Tuvok said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Forget it, Tuvok," Janeway said, shaking her head a little. "When you asked for Rogin to join your department I most clearly stated that I considered your department full. There is no way that I'll give you Seven as well, especially since we do need her somewhere else on the ship."
"I am not asking for Seven to join Security," Tuvok assured. "However, as we are on the subject, I was planning to request that Seven be compensated for her hours in security."
"What are you talking about?" Janeway asked confused.
"Seven has agreed to spend the same amount of hours in security as the rest of the crew did before Zanitear and Rogin joined security. However, I am planning of using her four hours of training instead of her being on-call. Because of that she will not be able to cover her usual assigned duties during those hours. It should not be difficult to assign other crewmembers to cover those hours instead of Seven working an additional four hours. Since those crewmembers are no longer required to participate in security training now that we have a fully staffed security detail."
Janeway spent a moment going over Tuvok's statement and had to agree with his reasoning. Then she gave herself a mental slap and pointed her finger at Tuvok. "Nice try. 'Oh, no, Captain, I don't want Seven to work in Security, but could you have the hours she is working in security covered by someone else?' I almost went for it too. No tricks this time, why do you have Seven suddenly training in Security?"
"I believe a more proper phrasing would be that I have Seven train in Security together with Zanitear and Rogin," Tuvok corrected. "Captain, I assure you that I do not have some deeper plan here. It is simply an evolving process. This started when Zanitear joined us. I finally had someone for fulltime in Security, nothing more than that. Then Rogin joined us. Even better, now I finally had a full staff in Security for the first time. Again, noting more than that. However, then I saw how extremely well Zanitear and Rogin work together. It is really quite amazing; they form an excellent team. An extremely unique team as well. They have certain abilities, some of which we cannot even duplicate with our modern technology. That got me wondering though; just what would happen if one actually did introduce modern technology into that mix?"
"Seven," Janeway said in understanding. "Rogin and Zanitear have abilities that have been given to them by nature and that make them both extraordinary compared to any of us. Seven is also extraordinary compared to any of us, but with her this comes for the most part from her Borg technology combined with a nature given extraordinary brain. She is capable of outperforming a lot of basic computers. She can literally connect with technology thanks to her assimilation tubes. That Borg technology also makes her stronger and faster than any of us with the exception of Rogin. Makes her potential wounds heal a lot faster than the average Humanoid, and makes her in deferent levels relatively immune to a lot of stuff that could kill someone like me."
"Indeed," Tuvok agreed. "And today I tried how well the three of them would work together."
"And?"
"I must say that I am pleasantly surprised. They did not exceed my expectations, however they certainly met them."
"Alright, but this brings once more back to the question; why? Why have Seven train with them? So they work well together, great, but why does it matter?"
"It matters because I see an opportunity to form a security detail that can be used for special situations. Captain, until now when something like a boarding or a kidnapping happened, it was the senior staff that had to deal with it because besides their decision making authority, they are also the most highly trained people on this ship. I never had the opportunity to train a security detail to the point where they could take care of situations like this because of the simple fact that I did not have a security detail. Now I do; and a very potent one at that. However, with Zanitear and Rogin I have the problem that neither of them have any in-depth knowledge of technology. They only have enough technological knowledge to function on a ship like Voyager. Seven on the other hand is so technological pertinent that she could actually teach the technology instructors at the Academy, let alone the students."
Janeway chuckled at that. "That's true enough, and then some."
"If Seven were to be part of the security detail she could be the technology expert," Tuvok continued, "An added bonus with her is that she is also more than capable of protecting herself and others, so she would not be a burden to Zanitear and Rogin in that department. As I said, today I had Seven train with them to see if she was suited for what I had in mind; she is. I was planning on coming to you tomorrow with the suggestion, but it seems that you beat me to it."
"And just what suggestion is that?" Janeway wondered. "Just what are you thinking of?"
"I am thinking of setting up a Special Operation team with the focus on infiltration, repatriation, and sabotage."
"I see," Janeway said slowly as she leaned back in her chair. She looked at Tuvok for a moment before saying, "Aright, I can see where you are coming from. For those things the three of them definitely would be a good mix. Depending on what the situation is one of them would be in the lead and doing her thing while the other two are there to back her up and make sure that she can get to where she needs to be to do her thing. I'm also not denying that we could use a team like that. God knows, if our journeys have taught us anything it's that we have to deal with situations like that more often than it's healthy. One of these days our luck is going to run out. Having said that, I'm still standing by my statement that you aren't getting Seven. Tell me how you can work around that and we can talk."
"I was thinking of the security detail we have now of Zanitear and Rogin not changing as such. As much as I would like such a specialized team, the occasions where we would need it are too few to have the entire team on standby all the time. Zanitear and Rogin would continue to perform their security duties, and Seven would continue to perform her normal work. However, the four hours every week that Seven will have her security training, hours where her work will have to be done by others, she will train with Rogin and Zanitear."
"That's it?" Janeway asked surprised. She had been certain that Tuvok would be asking for more than that.
"That is it," Tuvok assured. "Captain, they all already know their abilities; I cannot train them any more in that. The only thing the training will be about is to bring them to be one unit; one team that acts as one. If then one day the time comes where we need the team, that is when the real decision time will come for you."
"I see," Janeway said in complete understanding. "When that time comes I will want Seven in both places; in the team, and here on the ship in either Astrometrics or Engineering. If I sent her with the team, I'll be short an extremely valued crew member in the time I need her the most. And if I decide to leave her here, I'll be crippling the team by taking out the technology expert."
Janeway sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Well, that might be a hard decision to make when the time comes. However, if I don't let her do the training now I'll only be kicking myself if the time comes when we need such a team. It's better to have and maybe not use, then to not have and desperately need."
Janeway nodded her head a little as if agreeing with her own statement. "Alright, if you work it like you just said, with Seven only training with them and not becoming part of the security detail, I'll agree to it. However, I'm not that sure about those four hours a week being enough."
Janeway lifted her hand to stop Tuvok from speaking up. "In the beginning. Once they are worked in as a team, yes, I think it would be enough to keep that up on that level, but in the beginning... Tell me, did you already ask Seven if she wants to be part of such a team?"
"I did not," Tuvok admitted. "However, I am certain that Seven, and by extension the others, already know the general direction of my thinking. I did tell Seven how I thought her abilities would enhance the abilities of the others and she did not ask any question after that."
"Alright, ask all three of them if they want to be part of such a team. Even though Zanitear and Rogin agreed to join Security, we did not talk about this direction of Security. If all three want to do it I'll tell Chakotay to switch Seven's schedule around some. Seven already finished the star charts of the area of space we will be traveling through for the next two weeks. If they want to be part of the team, I'll give all three of them the next two days off. After that you'll have Seven full time for one week. Use that time well. After that week I want them to be that one team and from then on Seven will only train with the other two for those four hours a week."
"Far be it for me to object to this," Tuvok said, and Janeway could swear that she had seen a ghost of a pleased expression on his face. "Thank you Captain."
"Just don't come asking for someone else after this," Janeway said amused.
"I sincerely doubt it," For this to happen we would have to come across yet another person that joins our crew and on top of that has abilities that would add to this team; the chances of something like that happening are extremely remote."
"You never know," Janeway said amused as she pointed at the door behind Tuvok. "The way things are going lately a new member for your team might walk right through that door."
And in a universal show of perfect timing the admittance chime sounded.
"No way," Janeway said in disbelief before adding a 'enter.'
"Captain, Commander," B'Elanna said as she entered the ready room.
"What is it B'Elanna? I'm in the middle of a meeting here."
"I know, and I'm also pretty sure that I know what it's about; that's actually why I'm here. I just had lunch with Rogin and she told me about the training Tuvok had Seven do, and what the three of them think it's for."
"And?" Janeway said as she indicated the second chair in front of her desk.
"And," B'Elanna repeated as she sat down in the chair, "I want to be part of the team."
"Why?" Janeway asked and immediately lifted her hand to stop B'Elanna from speaking up. "Honest answer, B'Elanna. Don't tell me what you think I want to hear because believe me; you have no idea."
"I," B'Elanna lowered her eyes and looked at her hands for a moment before looking back up. "Alright, honest answer. Captain, as you know, ever since the Vidiians genetically split me apart back then, I realize that I should not fight my Klingon side but instead find a compromise where both sides can coexist. Until now that worked fine. Though on Klingon ships there is a lot of tough talk, the system they have on those ships works pretty much the same as on a Federation ship, so I was able to fit in nicely with the rest."
"I know," Janeway agreed. She had long since noticed that since that time B'Elanna as a person had not changed, she still had her good and bad sides, but what had changed was that you could clearly see that B'Elanna was more comfortable with herself. Also taking responsibility for her actions, be they good or bad. She had long since stopped apologizing for her short temper, and instead had started to apologize for the actions that temper had caused. It seemed like not much of a difference, but to and observant person like Janeway that small difference meant a lot.
"But what does this have to do with you becoming part of this team, the formation of which Tuvok and I were actually still discussing?"
"Captain, you wanted an honest answer, here it is. I'm partially a Klingon, can you imagine how I would feel if a team of trained fighters was set up and I'm not part of that team? As a Klingon woman, can you imagine how I would feel knowing that I'm not part of the group of warrior women on this ship?"
"I have no intention of training a group of warrior women," Tuvok pointed out. "In fact, the better a mission goes, the less interaction and fighting there is. The perfect mission is the one in which the enemy doesn't even know that you were there until they find missing what you took or destroyed. Training will only be done to make sure that the team members are capable of protecting themselves and the others in case this is needed."
"I don't think that this is really what B'Elanna means," Janeway said. "Though Klingon are known for the fact that they enjoy a good battle, they also know when not to fight. 'Today is a good day to die' is a well-know Klingon saying, but the saying 'today is not a good day to die' is actually used a lot more than that, it just isn't as known since it misses that in your face flair."
"Right," B'Elanna agreed. "Look, I have no illusions. I do know that on the fighting part alone I don't stand a chance against either of the three. Zani can literally rip me to bits, Rogin can literally break me in half, and Seven had the combined knowledge of ten thousand species, so I guess she knows about just as many ways of killing me. I don't mind them being better fighters than I am; I just want to be part of the group of fighters. I want to be part of the group of people that is selected to protect Voyager when others can't do it."
"Lieutenant, while I do acknowledge that you could become a valued team member, if you would learn how to control your temper, I consider the team full and therefore you fall outside the selection, as you just pointed out yourself."
"Full?" B'Elanna repeated. "Come on, Tuvok, you have three people; you need a forth. That way they can operate as one team, but also can split in to two teams that exist out of two people so that there is always someone there to cover a back."
"I am the fourth member," Tuvok pointed out.
"But you are also my Tactical officer," Janeway spoke up. "And where I might be able to miss Seven or B'Elanna her in a crises situation I sure don't want to miss my tactical officer. As much as I was giving you a hard time about Seven being part of the team, I now must say that I do think it would be a good idea to have B'Elanna on the team as well. Seven and B'Elanna know a lot of the same things but still have specialized fields. B'Elanna is able to hack in to a computer, but Seven can do it in two seconds flat. Seven will be able to fix a damaged shuttle, but B'Elanna will be able to perform those Engineering miracles she has worked for us so often before. They can help each other on a mission."
"True," Tuvok was forced to admit.
Janeway shook her finger a little shook thinking out loud. "But even more importantly, it will give us some playroom. Can we miss all four of them, they go. Do I need Seven for something, B'Elanna can go along and there is still a technology expect. Do I need B'Elanna on the ship, Seven can go and we still have a very capable engineer in the team. Also, let's not forget another harsh reality; every time they will go on a mission there is a chance one of them gets hurt, or worse. We all know that; that's part of the life we live. But what if it's the technology expert that is taken out? If we have two technology experts at least the mission can still be completed and the wound or even death of a team member was not for naught."
Janeway was quiet for a moment while Tuvok thought it over. After a few seconds Tuvok gave a short nod of agreement to indicate that he could find himself in Janeway's thinking and Janeway looked from him back to B'Elanna.
"However, I need some things from you, B'Elanna. First off, the fighting. I know you and Seven are friends now and that the arguments between you two have turned in to some kind of fun or game that both of you enjoy. I don't have a problem with that here on the ship. However, I won't tolerate it as part of this team. Be it on a mission, or in training fighting is unacceptable. I want nothing but normal communication, got me?"
"Yes captain," B'Elanna assured.
"Furthermore, I would not even have mentioned this is Tuvok would be the one accompanying the others on missions, but since you have shown to have a few problems with Federation rules I'm going to mention this now. Let me be absolutely clear here, B'Elanna, you'll be the team's Federation conscience. Both Zanitear and Rogin are relatively new to the Federation ideals. Seven on the other hand has been shown to sometimes outright ignore them. If I'm going to allow such a team to be formed I want to make damn sure that it is guided by the same believes that Voyager as a whole is. There will for instance be situations where killing is a lot easier and less risky than trying to overpower that person. I won't tolerate such behavior because it serves convenience. You know what we in the Federation stand for, and you'll be the team's conscience. Even if you yourself would want to do it differently, you know what I will, and won't, tolerate. You act accordingly."
"Yes ma'am," B'Elanna assured.
"There is another issue," Tuvok said, knowing Janeway well enough to know that she was about to give B'Elanna the permission to join the team. "Captain, as I said in the beginning, one of the reasons we did not form such a team before is because before we did not have team members with the abilities that the other three will have. The Lieutenant here might have Klingon senses, but she falls short of even coming close to the others. The same goes for some of the other abilities we discussed. This team will be trained to perform extremely dangerous missions and I cannot tolerate having a team member that has to be protected at all time by the others."
"Alright," Janeway said slowly. "So are you telling us that you don't mind B'Elanna becoming part of the team, but at the same time don't want her to be part of the team?"
"No captain. What I am saying is that the training this team will do will be advanced training, much more than the average Federation Security training. It is very simple; as long as the Lieutenant can keep up with the training she will be welcome on the team. If however she is unable to keep up, I will drop her from the team."
Janeway folded her hands while thinking about what Tuvok had said. After a moment she rested her folded hands on her desk and looking at B'Elanna. "He has a point. All three of them are physically capable of doing a ten kilometer run without stopping if that's what it takes. And if that's what it takes they can't afford to stop every fifteen minutes so that the fourth team member can catch her breath. I agree with Tuvok on that; you keep up or you drop out."
Looking back at Tuvok she added, "Having said that, we should also keep in mind that we did not expect this level of condition from B'Elanna or anyone else of the crew until now, so it's unfair to ask her to suddenly be able to do this from one day to the other."
Janeway pointed at B'Elanna. "B'Elanna, you want this, you train until you meet expectations."
Then she pointed at Tuvok. "Tuvok, as long as she keeps improving at an acceptable pace she stays part of the team. You can drop her if the improvements don't happen in a reasonable timeframe, or if she is giving it all she has and she still doesn't meet expectations."
Pointing at B'Elanna again, Janeway added, "B'Elanna, you want this, you came to see me, so I consider getting there up to you. That means that the normal training you do with the rest of the team during work time, but any extra training that you need to meet the level of training required to stay on the team will be done in your own free time. Once you have proven to me that you can make the team and stay on it I'll switch some hours around so that you can stay on the physical level required. But as I said, that only once you have proven that you can cut it on the team. So B'Elanna, you still want to be part of the team?"
"Yes ma'am. Captain, I knew up front that this wouldn't be easy. The thing is, I have to try this. If I try and I don't succeed because my body can't handle it; no shame in it with the exception of knowing that I'm not as tough as I like to think I am. But if I don't try this I will know for the rest of the life that if it comes down to it, that if I can prove what I'm made off, I'm too scared to act and just watch the moment pass me by. I want to do this Captain, and if I don't succeed it will only be because my body can't handle it, not because I don't want it."
"Tuvok?" Janeway merely asked.
"Considering that the Lieutenant has to do her physical training in her own time, I would suggest that she and I meet in holodeck one when her shift ends so that we can do some test and I can give her suggestions in which direction to focus her training."
"I'll be there," B'Elanna assured.
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