Chapter Nine

Kathryn sat back in her command chair as her people ran the tests. Harry was the first to respond with any news.

"Captain, all systems are at 100." He said incredulously. "The ship has been completely repaired. Relays, conduits, manifolds, hull damage, all of it."

Engine Room to the Bridge.

Kathryn sighed. "Go, ahead, B'Elanna."

Captain, I'm getting some strange readings from all of the EPS relays, bio-neural gel packs, conduits and manifolds. I'm sending Carey and a couple of others into the jeffries tubes and to look at the gel packs to see if they can find anything.

"Do it." Kathryn said, feeling a headache forming.

More reports started filtering in, and Kathryn's headache blossomed into a full blown migraine. I'm gonna kill that brat, she thought to herself. "Chakotay, I want this ship examined from aft to stern, and I want that report as soon as it's finished. You three," She pointed to Buffy, Willow, and Faith. "in my Ready Room, now."

She stalked through the door off the side of the bridge, and everyone watched in bemusement as the three girls followed meekly behind her. In her Ready Room, Kathryn moved immediately over to the replicator and ordered a coffee, black. Taking it over to her desk, she pinned Buffy with an annoyed glare. "What the hell has your sister done to my ship?"

"She said that she had gifts for you." Buffy shrugged. "I don't know what she has done. She's more than my sister here, remember?"

Kathryn took a deep breath. Then another. Forcing herself to calm down and think about this clearly. She knew that Dawn wouldn't do anything to harm her or her ship. She'd wait until she got those reports before she did or said anything that should would later regret. Instead, she focused on another issue. "We need to talk about this mating situation."

Faith and Willow looked at Buffy, who suddenly looked uncomfortable. She had been thinking about it since Dawn had told her. With a glance, she sent the other two across the room to give them some privacy. "I know that the one you loved is out there now, and available. If you don't wish to pursue the mating, then I won't pressure you."

Kathryn studied the blonde, who refused to meet her gaze. She recalled what Dawn had during their conversation. "You know that she will let you go if you require it. You are now in a position to have the one that you let get away. You know what your life will be like if you let her go again, but what about Buffy? I know that you still love her, and we both know that she will always love you. What are you going to do?"

What, indeed?, Kathryn asked herself. She realized that she had started this needed conversation off completely wrong. Moving around her desk, she stood in front of the younger woman and cupped her cheek. "I haven't made any decisions yet, but I have to take in account my people, not just yours. Dawn told me of the changes that non-S'Terran mates would endure if they accept. Genetic abnormalities, new strengths and abilities, not to mention, the mating needs. This is not something that can be taken lightly."

Being this close to Buffy made Kathryn's body react in familiar ways. Without thinking, she leaned down to kiss the blonde, but was stopped by a gentle finger against her lips. "We can't. Not until you're sure that it's what you want." Her voice lowered so that her friends couldn't hear her. "I want you so bad that I could take you on that desk and let them watch, but the next move has to be yours. We'll stay in that holodeck place if you need us."

With that, the girls left, leaving Kathryn staring at the door after them, speechless. Her heart pounded as images of what Buffy had just said so casually bombarded her thoughts, and her body shivered in helpless arousal. Moaning low in her throat, she forced herself to move into her ensuite to splash her heated face with cold water. Just as she was grabbing a towel, her badge chirped. "Captain, sensors are picking up an M-Class planet a few light years from our present location. I'm reading high levels of dilithium and mercurium ore in the mountain areas and it looks like the planet is uninhabited."

Kathryn considered quickly. "Head in that direction, Chakotay. Run further scans and once we're close, send down an away team. I think we could all use some shore leave and we can take a good look at Voyager at the same time."

"Aye, Captain."

"Tuvok, will you please join me in my Ready Room." She requested.

"On my way." Came the expected answer.

When he joined her a few moments later, she was staring out of the viewpoint into empty space, sipping a cafe con leche. He studied the troubled look on her face and her tense posture and stepped further into the room. "Is there a problem with our guests?"

"In a way," She glanced at him. "but not what you're probably thinking. The conversation with Dawn brought to light some interesting information and possible future problems."

She told them about S'Terran mating. The S'Terran use of kissing and the special enzyme in their saliva can be 'tasted' by a potential mate. She told him what would happen if the mating was accepted. Then, taking a seat on the couch and taking a deep breath, she informed him that she was a possible mate to Buffy.

"I'm afraid that I need some advice, my friend." She finally admitted. "I love Buffy, but I love Seven as well. I have not only the opportunity to make different choices to get us all home, maybe even with more survivors, but I also have a second chance not to let her slip through my fingers. At the very least, Faith, Willow and Buffy can have more than one mate at a time. What does that say? Is their libidos so intense that one person would not be enough to satisfy them? What if their mates don't like having the competition? This whole situation could explode in our faces like the ancient nuclear bomb."

Tuvok's eyebrow had climbed nearly to the top of his head at the barrage of information. He too could see the potential complications that could, and inevitably would, arise. He ordered his thoughts as logically as he could with the information that he had. "Logic would suggest that any and all mates would be compatible with each other, therefore minimizing the chance of contention. One can also assume that, since the mating is obviously voluntary, that it can be denied by either party. I would suggest that you tell the S'Terrans to make any possible bed-partners, whether they are mates or not, aware that monogamy may not be a possibility for them. If they are upfront with it from the beginning, it will head off many of the problems that would arise from betrayed or jilted lovers."

"And my situation?" Kathryn asked.

Tuvok held her gaze. "Only you can sort out your own situation. Did Seven of Nine return your affections? Was she given that opportunity? Will she be given the opportunity this time? Can you give up the love that you know you already have, for the possibility of one that will reject you affections? These are questions that only you can answer. At the same time, it is possible that Seven of Nine will also turn out to be one of Buffy's potential mates. There are many variable at work, and only by 'taking a leap of faith', will you be able to make your decision."

Even for a Vulcan, he almost sounded disgusted with himself for advising her to take that leap. It was the complete opposite of everything that Vulcan's were taught, but he knew that Humans were prone to do this when logic no longer applied. Kathryn knew this and was grateful because, as much as she hated to admit it, he was right. This was something that she had to figure out and deal with on her own.

- - - BtVS - - ST: Voyager - - -

Five hours later, Voyager was completing a rare planetary landing. The away team had verified that the planet was uninhabited except for a small variety of indigenous animals, but they were happy to report that, not only were the mountain ranges full to bursting with dilithium ore, the planet itself hosted an almost tropical climate, although the water was coral pink and the sky was a pale lavender color during the daytime. Tuvok quickly devised a working shore leave roster, as well as a team for mining the ore and shifts for Voyager's in depth examination. The captain remained on the ship, but did concede to relax enough that she could be seen in causal clothes, even on the bridge. She retreated to her Ready Room when the reports started filtering in. After reviewing them, she recalled the senior staff for a meeting.

"All right, people." Kathryn took her seat. "What's going on with my ship?"

"It appears that our shielding capabilities have been upgraded." Tuvok stated. "I am reading a modulating variance that we have never used before. We also have a full complement of weapons once again. The defensive shield emitter, phaser emitters, navigational deflectors, sensor arrays have all been strengthened by nearly 50. I have also discovered that the circumference of Voyager has increased by almost 20 percent and there are at least 5 additional decks located below deck 15. The new deck number 16 is showing all of the sensor readings of an M-Class planetary surface."

"Are you serious?" Tom sputtered.

"Quarantine it off until we can check it thoroughly." Kathryn ordered, well aware that a large portion of the crew would react just like Tom did. "I don't want anyone on any of those decks until we can get internal readings and verify that it's completely safe."

"We've scanned every inch of this ship and run every test I could think of," B'Elanna reported next. "Whatever that green light was, it changed every piece of tech that is used to pass energy throughout this ship from ordinary hardware to some sort of bio-organic technology. I startled Carey as he was scanning one of the conduit lines and he dropped the scanner on it, scraping it pretty good and almost yanking it out of the wall. I'm telling you, captain, we could actually see the conduit line repairing itself. We were also getting strange readings beneath the hull plating. I removed one of the plates and found what looks like new conduit growths. It's filled with some sort of bio-technic organisms. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it almost looked like blood. It's the most advanced thing I've ever seen."

"Is any of it dangerous?"

"Not that we can tell. It should actually run better. It's almost as if the ship itself has been given the ability to repair its own damage without external help."

Kathryn considered the pros and cons of that. If the ship could repair minor damages on it's own, that would take care of a lot of their headaches and free up her peoples time to concentrate on bigger concerns. "What about the doctor?"

"His matrix was altered exactly like he said it was. It was done so seamlessly that we can't tell where the alterations were made, but everything about his matrix has been upgraded."

"Keep an eye on it both the Doctor's matrix and Voyager's systems. Log everything. Seven?"

"The starmaps in Astrometics have become more detailed. All of the M-Class planets have been marked in the sectors that I have already filled, along with which ones had the ore deposits that Voyager needs to function efficiently."

"Well, that's helpful." Harry said.

"Indeed." Seven said dryly. Kathryn suppressed her smile. "I have also adjusted the internal sensors as you requested and scanned the crew. There has been a significant genetic changes to every crew member, with the exception of Neelix, Naomi Wildman and myself. It seems as though everyone's genetic structure has been enhanced more... efficiently. I have submitted the information to the Doctor, and he has concluded that everyone's genetic structures have been healed, for lack of a better word, and regressed by approximately four point five years."

"Are you saying that we've reverted to the ages and shapes that we were in when we first arrived in the Delta Quadrant?" Chakotay asked, startled. "Everyone?"

"Yes, Commander. Everyone, expect for Neelix, Naomi Wildman and myself." She looked at him as if he were hard of hearing.

Looking up from the Padd in front of her with Seven's official report, Kathryn's attention went immediately to the implant over Seven's eyebrow. Her eyes widened as she stared at it. "Seven, come here."

"Captain?" The implant that held her attention began inching up the woman's forehead.

"It looks like your implants have also been altered." Kathryn said, turning everyone's attention to the ex-drone. Instead of waiting, Kathryn rose from her seat and moved to stand next to Seven. Tilting the young woman's face up, Kathryn examined both the implant over her brow and the one on her jaw. They no longer stood out. It looked like they had been melded into her skin, moving flesh-like with the rest of her skin at the unconscious facial twitching. "Doctor, I want you to take Seven to Sickbay right now and examine this. I want to know how this is affecting her nanites."

"Yes, Captain." Seven and the Doctor answered. Then Seven continued her report. "I must inform you however, that you, Captain, have somehow acquired an extra genetic sequence in your DNA. It is similar to the unknown 10 that is found in the S'Terrans, although it seems to be incomplete."

"Seven has also submitted that data to me as well, Captain." The EMH interjected. "I would like you to report to Sickbay for a complete, in-depth examination as soon as you are able."

After they were gone, Kathryn returned to her seat. Kathryn looked down at the PADD in front of her. When she had finally returned to her quarters after Dawn's leaving, she had found a message waiting. Not having time to read it immediately, she had downloaded and brought it to her ready room. She finally read the message shortly before the meeting, after she had brought herself up-to-date with the reports that had been sent to her. It was a message from Dawn. She looked up at her officers still talking amongst themselves.

"Good work, everyone." She praised. "Go ahead and take your shore leave. We'll come back to this after I've had a chance to go over all the reports."