A/n: Thanks to Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay for requesting a new chapter for this, I needed to be spurred on to get this finished.
"Next up is Engineering, where the three of you will be working most of the time." Chakotay explained as he continued to lead the newcomers on an, admittedly short, tour of the Valjean.
"We actually go down to reach Engineering." Seven commented from up ahead as she pulled open the hatch in the bulkhead and then promptly stepped down the small flight of steps which led down into Engineering.
Chakotay saw the nervy, questioning glances which passed between B'Elanna, Hogan and Seska and knew they were wondering if Seven was really that literal. He wondered for a second whether to tell them that at one point, when he'd first met her, she had been but now it was just her way of teasing him. He decided against it, opting instead for his own wry reply as he and the others joined her. "Remember the principle of a figure of speech Seven?"
"Perfectly." She answered, quick as a whip, while reading over the diagnostic readings from the nearest console, "But that doesn't mean I can't correct such misleading phrases." She added, glancing over her shoulder to catch the smile he was trying to hide from her before purposefully heading straight for the warp core which towered over the otherwise cramped space. Seven couldn't help but suppose that the Borg would have categorised this place as a basic engine room rather than a full Engineering station, but she was gradually learning to accept what was available to the Maquis was basic and she had to adapt accordingly.
"Well, it comforts me to know that you at least can handle her." Seska told Chakotay approvingly while glancing pointedly at Hogan, who flushed, obviously the panicky reaction he'd had to the drone wasn't about to be forgotten.
Chakotay nodded, the sultry tone of her voice obscuring the nature of what otherwise may have been considered condescending words from his consciousness. "I guess you could put it like that." He responded awkwardly, watching as she walked off to study the different console, a slight but definite swing to her hips. He then caught B'Elanna staring at him with markedly raised eyebrows and felt his cheeks colour, "What?"
B'Elanna's gaze shot between him and Seska before she answered with a non-committal shrug and moved on to her own concerns, "I guess I'm also relieved your drone listens to you…" She sent an uneasy glare in the direction of Seven's back, "…to an extent…"
Chakotay's lips curled in amusement. "Are you saying you're going to obey my orders without question 100% of the time B'Elanna?" he queried, trying to lighten the mood.
B'Elanna bit her lip in frustration; she didn't appreciate being compared to some resurrected Borg drone! "Probably not…" She admitted, having the grace to be sheepish, "But I still don't understand why you're protecting her, why she's here at all! It's not as if the Borg are repressed by the Cardassians…"
"She lost the only home she knew, just like we both did B'Elanna." Chakotay interrupted seriously. B'Elanna saw a glint of quickly disguised grief, something she'd long since learned to recognise in others, pass over his eyes as he that and so bit back her incredulous retort, letting him continue. "I trust her B'Elanna, and if this is going to work you need to trust me."
"I do trust you Chakotay, completely." B'Elanna immediately assured him, feeling hurt that he would think otherwise.
"That's always good to hear." He admitted softly with a small smile before a sigh left his lips. "You are going to have to work together with Seven though, she's been the only what I would call qualified engineer we've had on this ship since we started this."
B'Elanna's jaw clenched. "Is that your way of warning me that I'm going to have to deal with a territorial Borg?" she asked him through gritted teeth, her eyes narrowing in distaste.
Chakotay allowed himself a laugh at that. "That's not how I would put it exactly but…" He gave her an emphatic look, "…if that's the case you'd better get started, she's almost as stubborn as you." B'Elanna's only reply to that was a snort before she stalked off towards the warp core.
"Let's get one thing straight first off…" B'Elanna began darkly as she stopped just behind where Seven was working. "I'm the boss here and I'll keep this ship running my way, got it?"
Seven studied her coolly. "I believe that is the definition of the occupation of Chief Engineer." She replied levelly, unperturbed.
"I'm glad you understand." B'Elanna replied in the same tone before bending down to peer into the inner workings of the bulkhead Seven had opened up. "What's the problem here?"
"The warp core's plasma injectors are seizing up, lowering warp core efficiency by 35.1%." Seven reported as she picked up several new, or to be more accurate used but functioning, components. "I am going to replace them."
B'Elanna took back one of the components, polyrubber casing. "We don't need peak warp efficiency right now, we're only returning to base." She pointed out, holding out the casing. "This could be used to reline the wiring to the malfunctioning replicators and sonic showers everyone is complaining about on the Bridge." She then picked up the spare iso-linear control chip. "And this can be used to recalibrate the short range sensors. You can't justify the use of so many parts just to get to your perfect Borg efficiency targets."
Seven's brows furrowed, irritation flashing through her pale eyes. "You deny the importance of a fully functional warp core?" she asked icily.
B'Elanna snorted, "We're going at warp now with no problems aren't we? We have to prioritise. Beggars can't be choosers."
"I chose to maintain the warp core as much as possible." Seven muttered.
"Maybe." B'Elanna conceded with a shrug, "But I'm ordering you to go recalibrate the short range sensor array."
"Understood." Seven agreed somewhat grudgingly, snatching up the control chip.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Chakotay asked Seska quietly as he approached where she was standing by the warp core, leaning on the rail with an unreadable look on her face.
Seska gave him a questioning smirk, "The Borg is right, you do come out with some strange sayings Commander." She sighed and propped her elbows up on the rail, noting with satisfaction how his eyes lingered unconsciously on her décolletage. "I'm just thinking of how far I've come, I've finally met people who see things the way I do, are willing to fight for what's right."
"I like to think that's true." Chakotay said with a modest smile, captivated by her pensive expression. "Do you mind me asking where you started from?" he asked gently.
"In a refugee camp on Bajor." Seska replied bluntly, "Delora." She clarified without batting an eyelash as Chakotay winced. Everyone knew that Delora was one of the most deprived camps on Bajor, and they were all considered hellish. "I know I degraded your ship earlier…" She said softly, in an apologetic tone, "But it really is a palace compared to what I'm used to."
"It's your ship now too remember." Chakotay reminded her, feeling new warmth rising in his chest as she smiled gratefully at him.
Before he could bask in that smile for long however, Seven stalking past them caught Seska's attention. "Doesn't look like her and B'Elanna have gotten off to the best of starts." She observed passively.
Chakotay sighed heavily, "I didn't expect them to, in some ways they're too similar, but that means that they have the capacity to understand one another, if they back down a little." He replied with more hope than he felt.
"I have a feeling that will take a lifetime…or two." Seska mused as she studied his thoughtful, undeniably handsome face appreciatively.
Seven meanwhile had also returned their interest as she walked past. She felt her hackles rise inexplicably at the sight of their intimate tête-à-tête, although the more dominant logical side of her acknowledged that it was better for Chakotay to interact with the woman in order to judge her attributes, but was it really necessary for the Bajoran to flaunt her physical attributes to blatantly by practically draping herself over the rail in front of him? This tiny, but seething, thought stayed with her as she passed them and reached the console. She was so absorbed she jumped when Logan Pullman's voice hit her ears, "So Seven, how do you rate the interlopers?" he asked, seeing her evident unease as she met his eyes.
Seven gave a controlled swallow before answering. "They're…acceptable…for now." She conceded reluctantly.
"Just waiting for them to adapt around you then huh?" Logan teased her gently.
Seven gave a small laugh, by now aware of her own flaw. "An accurate conclusion." She admitted wryly.
"So, what do you…" Seska trailed off as she realised she no longer held Chakotay's full attention. He was watching Seven and the strapping young pilot out of the corner of his eye, bristling momentarily as the Borg laughed at something the other man said, his eyes narrowing as his jaw tightened. "Chakotay?" Seska probed, irritated by what she read in his reaction. "Is something wrong?"
He blinked at her words, shaking his head slightly as if coming out of a daze. "No, nothing." He said easily, as if unaware of his own distraction. Seska had been around men long enough to understand what he didn't seem to, he was protective of the drone, perhaps even possessive! He certainly didn't like that pilot being around the blonde. He probably wasn't even aware of the subconscious jealousy, men often weren't, but Seska felt a violent spark of jealousy fire up within her anyway. She was viciously competitive, a large part of why she'd risen through the ranks of the Order so quickly, and she'd be damned if she'd leave a man in the grip of some frigid mutant Borg!
A/n: PLEASE REVIEW! :D If anyone has any ideas for a Valentine's Day fic, please let me know!