A History Lesson
The first night passed without much incident on Voyager. Neelix ushered Jadira, Cadi and Sabra back to their quarters, Naomi fast asleep in his arms.
"You girls have a good night, now."
"Bye," the said in unison. Sabra tugged on Neelix' sleeve.
"Tell Naomi we had fun."
"I will. Good night." Once he was certain the girls were where they needed to be, he headed for Samantha's quarters. He was about to reach to open the door when Naomi stirred. She rubbed at her eyes and gazed up at him.
"Where's everybody?"
"They went to bed. They had a fun time playing with you." Naomi smiled sleepily. The door slid open and Neelix cross the threshold. The room was empty as Neelix set the child in her bed.
"I'll stay with you until your Mom gets back, ok?"
"Ok."
"So, it sounds like you had fun today." Naomi nodded.
"They were fun. I got to teach them how to play hide and seek." Neelix smoothed a few wisps of hair from her face as the doors behind him opened and Samantha walked in. Naomi gave her mother a half-hearted wave. Neelix bent over to give Naomi a kiss on the forehead before leaving her to fall asleep.
"Thank you, Neelix," Samantha whispered before he left.
That night, Laili fell asleep with images of Seven of Nine dancing through her subconscious. She knew she shouldn't be attracted to this woman but she couldn't help it. Perhaps if she kept it to herself, she wouldn't get in trouble? She let out a soft breath as she rolled over, clutching the blankets loosely around her. She would worry about it in the morning.
In her own quarters, Kathryn sat up into the early hours of the morning, a pot of coffee on the table next to her. She stared out the window at the passing stars, zipping by her with a quickness she'd grown accustomed to in the Delta Quadrant. She'd been sitting there for some time, trying to gather all of her thoughts together. There was so much she wanted to learn about Radella and her people. Kathryn let out a yawn and reached for the pot beside her. Nothing came out when she tried to pour.
"Damn." She stood up, gathering her nightgown around her body as she reached for her robe. It would seem a late night visit to the Mess Hall was in order. When she arrived, she found she was not alone. Radella sat, admiring the stars passing them by.
"Couldn't sleep, either?" Kathryn asked after she'd replicated herself another cup of coffee. Radella looked up and shook her head.
"First night in a new bed, I'm afraid."
"I understand. We've all had those nights."
"What about you, Captain?"
"Please, call me Kathryn." Radella made a mental note to remember that.
"I just have a lot on my mind."
"Anything you'd like to talk about?"
"Actually, yes. I'm curious about your and your people. I'm afraid we don't have anything in our ship's database." Radella leaned back in the chair, getting comfortable.
"Well…there's not a lot to know about us. We're a peaceful people. We don't have much need for things like war."
"Not to sound rude but…what exactly is your species called?"
"It is a bit confusing. Our people call themselves Dreagan." Kathryn listened carefully to the pronunciation, committing to memory. Radella took a breath before continuing to recount her people's history.
"Saylon is the first of six planets in our system but it's the only habitable planet in the region. It's also relatively colder than your ship's internal temperature."
"We can fix that if you like."
"That's kind but we can adapt well enough for a week. Your crew would no doubt need to wear several layers of clothing to keep warm in our temperatures."
"I'll keep that in mind." Kathryn paused for a moment before asking her next question.
"Now, what do your people do?"
"We're merchants mostly. We have a fairly stable government structure that usually has some sort of position open. Our transport was on a mission in a neighboring system, taking over a trade agreement."
"You seem like a very self-sustaining people."
"We like to think so." Radella watched the Captain's eyes carefully. She saw the curiosity in them and tried to keep the smile off her face. She had an idea of what had sparked her curiosity.
"This may sound extremely silly and I apologize…but where are all of the men?" Radella gave a small laugh as Kathryn toyed with the handle of her coffee mug.
"Did I say something?"
"No, no. It's just we get that question a lot from travelers and new trading partners." She took another minute to calm herself before explaining further.
"And don't look so concerned, Kathryn, I'm not offended. You see…there aren't any men on our planet. We're a homosexual species." Kathryn looked surprised and a little embarrassed for asking. Somehow it seemed obvious now that she'd heard the words spoken out loud.
"I see."
"We get that reaction quite often."
"It's unfortunate but we have encountered a few species that have refused to trade with us because of what we are."
"Intolerance is like bureaucracy. It's always there, no matter how much we like to pretend it isn't."
"Well said."
"I hope you don't mind if I share the information with my crew?"
"Not at all. They deserve to know who they're bunking with."
"Oh…not because of that. We like getting to know different cultures. To be honest, learning about new cultures is what has kept us from going crazy being stranded in this quadrant for so long."
"I can understand your desire to learn. I'm sure my people would be willing to share their experiences."
"I'm sure the Doctor would have a field day with learning about your physiology."
"That may prove a little harder. We tend to be a private people when it comes to our sexuality and our families."
"Of course." Kathryn held up a hand to reassure Radella that she wouldn't take the topic any further.
Their conversation turned to lighter topics and before either of them realized it, the doors opened and Neelix walked in.
"Good morning, Captain. Here for an early breakfast, I take it?"
"Is it really breakfast already?"
"Yes Ma'am. 06:00 hours." Kathryn shook her head and looked at the now cold cup of coffee sitting next to her. Neelix maneuvered around in the galley, getting pots and pans out to begin preparing breakfast. Kathryn turned back to Radella.
"Join me for breakfast?"
"That would be lovely, thank you." Neelix popped up from behind the counter.
"What will it be?"
"Guest's choice." Radella thought for a moment.
"I believe I heard someone mention that your omelets are quite good." Neelix grinned.
"Two omelets coming right up."
Kathryn and Radella shared the meal in companionable silence. They finished just as the first wave of Dreagan and a few Voyager crew members from the night shift wandered in.
"If you'll excuse me I should head to the bridge."
"Of course. It was good to talk with you, Kathryn."
"Likewise."
A short time later, Kathryn walked out of her quarters, fully dressed and somewhat awake. Sometimes she could swear that the sonic shower was a gift sent from heaven. She stepped on to the bridge to find Chakotay sitting in his chair.
"Morning, Chakotay."
"Morning, Captain." He noted the circles under eyes and her demeanor.
"Long night?"
"Yes…but productive. Radella and I have a long chat. I've learned some very interesting things about her people."
"I look forward to hearing about it at the briefing."
"Do you have anything to report?"
"Nothing new. Unless you count the fact that Seven has almost completely reconfigured the astrometrics lab in under two days."
"She's certainly efficient."
"I can't disagree there. Although it sounds like Harry would"
"He hasn't asked to be reassigned again, has he?" Chakotay laughed.
"No but he has reported that he feels obsolete."
"Tell hi to keep his chin up. Everything will be fine."
"Yes, Ma'am."
A few decks down, Laili pulled on fresh clothes and headed out to find the nearest turbolift. She found one and one of the children held the door for her.
"Thanks." The lift ascended to the Mess Hall and Laili took a step back. Perhaps breakfast could wait until the room was less crowded. She turned back around and caught the same turbolift before the doors slid closed. She stood in the tube for a brief second before she spoke.
"Deck Eight." The computer beeped at her and it began to descend through the ship. She hoped that she didn't find the lab empty. After all, she had enjoyed herself the day before. She couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend time with Seven of Nine. Laili stepped off the turbolift and made her way with confidence down the corridor to the astrometrics lab. The doors slid open and she walked in to find just Harry in the room. She let the doors shut and leaned against the wall.
