AN: Here we are, another piece here.
I hope you enjoy! Please don't forget to let me know what you think!
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"I would like to go down with the away team," Janeway said to Chakotay. "If you'll permit me, I'll lead them. You stay with the ship."
Raffi saw a half-smile come to Chakotay's face before he cleared his throat and wiped away the expression.
"You outrank me, Admiral," he said. "If you want to go with the team for first contact, the only thing I'll tell you is the same thing that I'd tell anyone. Be careful."
"We'll do our best," Janeway said. "I'll assemble the rest of the team. Do you have any recommendations?"
"I believe you'll make the best choices," Chakotay offered. "As my wife—I just want to say, be careful, Kathryn."
Janeway smiled at him. She had always been a stickler for protocols and appearances when it came to certain aspects of Starfleet, and she'd practically thumbed her nose at others. Raffi knew that, during her time aboard Voyager, Janeway had always kept some distance between herself and Chakotay because of Starfleet fraternizing rules and regulations. Upon their return, she'd spoken about the undue amount of stress that caused on ships—particularly when they ran the risk, at any moment, of unforeseen circumstances such as the one that befell Voyager. Starfleet had relaxed those regulations following Voyager's return and, on the ship they were calling a dream ship, overflowing with families and the spirit of togetherness, those regulations seemed to practically be entirely forgotten. Raffi, for one, didn't mind the change at all.
She didn't look away, either, or do anything except smile, when the admiral kissed the captain goodbye on the bridge.
Raffi slipped her hand into her own wife's hand as they followed Janeway away from the bridge. With Chakotay staying behind, it would be naturally assumed that Raffi would be going. Soon, Raffi would be saying goodbye to Seven, who would probably see them all the way to the transporter pad.
Janeway gathered the rest of her crew, hand-picking them and ordering them to the transporter room. Seven held Raffi's hand the entire time, not attempting to shake her off. Even though Raffi knew that prolonged hand-holding while going about her business wasn't Seven's favorite thing to do, Seven knew that Raffi needed the connection, so she gave it to her, this time, without any argument.
In the transporter room, an ensign brought the weapons that Janeway requested—fully charged phasers with an extra power pack for each person. The scientists going down with them also carried tricorders for recording data about the planet and the species.
"I'm going too," Seven said, finally freeing her right hand from Raffi's hand and offering it out to Janeway to accept a phaser.
Raffi was grateful for the expression that Janeway made—a clear indication that she wasn't going to have to fight this fight because Janeway would do it for her.
"Seven—the Nerobians have promised us a peaceful visit," Janeway said, "but that doesn't mean that's what we'll get. I believe that, in your condition, it may be best for you to wait for us here."
"My condition is irrelevant to the mission," Seven said. "What matters is that I am the only one who possesses any understanding of the Nerobians. I know their strategies, their weaknesses—intellectual and physical. Admiral—I am a logical choice for this away mission."
"If I wanted logic," Janeway said with a hint of a smile, "I would have chosen Tuvok."
"You're at an extreme disadvantage," Seven said, "without any knowledge of the Nerobians."
Raffi could hear herself—the word "no" had escaped her lips in varying volumes since Seven had first reached for a phaser—but it appeared that nobody else could hear her.
"Tell me everything that we need to know," Janeway said. "Everything you haven't told us."
"There isn't time," Seven said. "Chakotay agreed to beam down immediately. The Nerobians are extremely suspicious, probably owing to their own frequently deceitful practices. If we take too long to arrive at the coordinates, they may attack us outright—with ships, and on the surface—simply out of suspicion that they need to attack first. I don't have time to tell you what you need to know. We don't have time to argue, either. We need to go. I need to go with you, in case the knowledge and understanding that I possess will be beneficial."
Raffi thought the "no" that issued from her lips was more profound than before. It certainly felt more desperate. It was as equally ignored, however, as every one that she'd previously uttered.
"B'Elanna—can you extract the information from Seven?" Janeway asked. "Is that possible with the new system you developed to connect with her mind? Given permission, of course…I would never suggest otherwise. It could be a method, Seven, of giving us all that information via personal device while you remain safely aboard the ship."
"I've never attempted anything like that, Admiral," B'Elanna offered, walking over. She shook her head. "It's absolutely not something I'd attempt under these circumstances."
"Admiral…" Seven said. Enough seemed to be behind the word that Janeway understood everything that Seven didn't say. She accepted with a sigh and a nod of her head. She sealed the deal by passing Seven a phaser.
"No…no…no!" Raffi said, loudly, and with enough feeling behind it that she was just barely able to stop herself from stomping her foot in protest like a petulant child. She drew the attention of everyone around her. "Seven…" Raffi started, but she felt like she'd already lost.
"Commander Musiker," Janeway said, her voice purposefully gentle for Raffi's benefit, "would you prefer not to go down with the away team? I would understand if you'd prefer another officer to take your place. It wouldn't be a problem, and I wouldn't take it personally."
Raffi recognized that she was being given a choice that wasn't all that uncommon, she knew, when people served alongside their loved ones. If she felt like she couldn't keep her wits about her because of her concern for Seven, she could remain on the ship. Raffi knew that, down there, she'd at least know what was going on. On the ship, blind to it all, she was likely to only accomplish wearing out the flooring on Deck 7.
"No, Admiral, please…" Raffi said. She caught herself. She purposefully pulled back and straightened herself out. She didn't want to sound too desperate or too emotional. "I would like to accompany the team on the mission."
"Very well," Janeway said. "I'm happy to have you with us—both of you." She turned her attention to finishing up the final preparations.
Raffi looked at Seven. Seven was searching her face for something—approval? Raffi offered that to her, just in case it was what she needed. She gave her the best reassuring smile she could, and she nodded at her before catching her hand. Raffi raised Seven's hand and kissed it.
"Just—promise me you're going to be careful," Raffi said.
"Of course, I'm going to be careful," Seven responded.
"Because…because…it's not just you, Seven. And it's not just about you and me. Not anymore," Raffi said. "There's her and Elnor to worry about."
Seven laughed.
"Elnor would be fine without either one of us," she said.
Raffi nodded.
"Yeah," she agreed. "He would. But he wouldn't be happy, and we want him to be happy."
"What about you?" Seven asked.
"Me?"
"Are you going to be careful? You seem to think that I require reminding that I should be careful. Do you need me to remind you of the same?"
Raffi smiled in response, pleased to hear Seven's words but, more than that, to see that there was sincerity there despite the fact that she was attempting to give off the air that she was teasing. Raffi squeezed her hand.
"I don't need a reminder," Raffi assured her. "Nothing could tear me away from this little collective. Not even bears."
Seven smiled softly. She squeezed Raffi's hand in return and tugged her toward the transporter pad so that they could head down to the surface with the others.
111
The most alarming thing to Raffi about the Nerobians was their sheer size. The Nerobian patrol pilot that had hailed them had appeared large and powerful through the viewscreen. However, standing next to the Nerobians was something entirely different. The two guards that met them to lead them to where they would meet the Alpha were both easily two feet taller than Raffi, and the Alpha was still taller than both of them.
While the Alpha introduced himself and talked to Janeway, Raffi found herself examining him. As she often did in these situations, she listened with only partial interest for what she considered key words, and she focused most of her attention on taking in the details around her. The Alpha was, as Seven had described these aliens, very much like Earth's bears. He reminded Raffi of a grizzly bear—or at least her image of a grizzly bear, since she was suddenly asking herself if she'd ever actually seen one of those bears in person. She eyed the large paws—she had no idea what vocabulary the Nerobians might prefer for describing themselves—and large, sharp teeth of the Alpha. She noticed that these bears, unlike the bears in her imagination, didn't look cuddly at all. There was nothing cute about Nerobians and, up-close, they smelled to a point that Raffi had to concentrate on looking pleasant and not wrinkling her nose.
She noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that Seven was not doing as well with hiding her response to the smell. She looked like she was struggling to keep a neutral face, if a pleasant one wasn't possible.
The Nerobians seemed to move about on four feet or two as they pleased, and there seemed to be no social rules surrounding their choice. They wore clothing, though it wasn't very covering. Most of their clothing consisted of sashes and capes, from what Raffi could see. She was sure that there was some meaning to the markings on the capes and sashes, but she hadn't had time to figure out what distinguished one Nerobian from another. It was, clearly, also acceptable not to wear anything at all, and Raffi started to wonder if the clothing was simply something akin to a uniform.
Things were calm and diplomatic, and Raffi was thankful for that, since they were clearly outnumbered and, just as clearly, outpowered. They'd been told to hand over their weapons before they were allowed in to meet the Alpha. Nobody had liked the idea, and Seven had suggested against it, but Janeway had finally told them that they had to trust a little, if they wanted to be trusted. It was clear that she hoped that a little trust would go a long way toward buying trustworthiness.
Inside the chamber with the Alpha and his council, things had been fairly relaxed. The initial introduction to the Alpha, and the calm exchange of introductions that followed, weren't remarkable in any way. The Alpha was welcoming. He wanted to offer a gift of local food in exchange for the diplomatic gift Janeway brought from the ship, and he wanted to sit with her and hear more about this Federation. He suggested that she meet with him in private, and Seven had readily spoken against the idea.
Raffi could have sworn that she saw irritation flicker across the features of the Alpha, though the bear-like faces of the Nerobians almost always seemed to look angry. The Alpha had recovered by telling Janeway that she should choose someone to accompany her so that she felt more comfortable, and then he'd made it clear that the rest of her people would be left together in the chamber—all in the company of his council. Janeway had finally accepted, assuring Seven that she'd be safe—that she trusted the Alpha, especially since he was listening, Raffi was sure—and took B'Elanna with her.
She'd hardly been gone a few minutes before a large Nerobian from the Alpha's council loudly suggested that various people from the away team should go with Nerobian representatives to truly experience the grandeur of Nerobia. He suggested they might be divided by their particular interests to better enjoy their time there.
Raffi felt like there was very little actual organized sorting that took place, though, and she started to grow uncomfortable. There was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that made her think that something wasn't quite right. Raffi felt like their people were practically being herded by the bear-like creatures, pushed to move in one direction or another at a speed that didn't leave them much time to think about what they were doing. Seven had also been herded by one of the bear-like creatures, and Raffi chose to quickly invite herself along with the bear that guided Seven toward one exit of the Alpha's meeting chamber.
They walked hallways that wound in one direction and then another. Raffi felt lost, and she was usually quite good at keeping her bearings. She couldn't be sure, either, if their companions were nearby, thanks to the twists and turns, or actually quite far off.
She felt a cold, icy feeling run through her veins, but she did her best to swallow back her fear—afraid, perhaps naively or even stereotypically, that the Nerobians could smell the emotion. She caught Seven's eye across the hallway where they walked with a Nerobian that they'd been introduced to as having the name Derram. Seven's eyes told her that Seven was unsure about this practice, as well.
Derram, a Nerobian of at least seven-and-a-half feet of height on his back legs, stopped in front of a door and opened it. He waved Raffi and Seven inside.
"The Grand Nerobian Library," he offered.
"The Nerobians are not known for their dedication to the arts," Seven said.
When they hesitated to enter into the grand library—or wherever the hell they were and would be, once they entered the room—Derram reached out a large paw and caught Seven with it. Raffi could tell that the hit surprised Seven, and Derram put enough strength behind it to propel her forward. She had no choice except go into the room or be thrown into it. Raffi rushed right in behind her, without thought and without hesitation.
Derram stepped in behind them. The smell of him turned Raffi's stomach slightly. His breath was hot and sour—and it seemed capable of filling the poorly lit room. There was no friendliness in his face. There was no emotion except, maybe, anger or irritation—and Raffi didn't even know if the species was capable of showing any other emotions.
Beside Raffi, Seven straightened, clearly putting herself to her fullest possible height. She spread her legs and flexed her shoulders in such a way as to make herself appear as large as she possibly could. Raffi followed suit, instinctively understanding what Seven was doing.
"The Nerobians are known for their preference to pick off members of a group," Seven said.
"Isolation eases the strain of hunting," Derram said, his voice growling in his throat.
"The Nerobians are not known for their diplomacy," Seven said. "Or their honesty."
"But they are known for their dislike of the Borg," Derram growled. "And their enjoyment of lively game."
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AN: Admittedly, I am not much of an action/adventure kind of writer. I do my best, though, so please forgive the plot holes and accept this for what it is…fortunately or unfortunately, there's more to come. LOL
I hope you enjoyed! Please don't forget to let me know what you think!