The two women sat quietly looking out on the ocean, this time from the beachfront instead of from the cottage. Neither had spoken more than a few words since the outpouring that afternoon.
Janeway refused to be any nosier until Seven broached the topic, and she contented herself with waiting and listening until that happened. The silence in the meantime was deafening.
Fading over the horizon was the hot sun, partially hidden beneath wispy clouds. The waves calmly reflected its light back to the heavens.
"Let's go race hoverboats, Seven," Janeway found herself saying, still gazing ahead. The thought had occurred to her earlier, in her burst of adventurous energy, and she had never acted on it because of the excursion to Seven's. Maybe Seven needed an adventure, too.
The other woman paused, uncertain as she watched the horizon. "Night is approaching, Admiral…"
Janeway pushed herself off the sand and glanced down at the ex-Borg with a cheeky smirk. A taunt rose to her lips.
She playfully held Seven's eye as she walked backwards. "What's the matter? Afraid you'll lose, Seven?"
Much to the Admiral's relief, an old fire reappeared in the blonde's eyes as she rose to the challenge. "You are the one who should be afraid, Admiral."
"We'll see about that," Janeway shot back.
"Indeed."
Their beach clothing fluttering in the wind, they strolled down to the nearest rental place in competitive silence and selected their compact, aerodynamic boats. They were hardly boats, Janeway mused, examining the smooth lines and long bow. More like little open-top, pointy capsules. You had to sit forward into the controls, almost kneeling down, head tucked behind a sleek windshield. The space was devised with a single pilot in mind, and despite the pilot's pitched-forward position, it was also designed with ergonomics in mind.
Dropping her eyes to the PADD that the owner had handed her, she read through the specs. It never hurt to check.
The information was clear: the engines packed plenty of impulse power to propel you at very high speeds, while the boat's compact shape also allowed for maximum maneuverability. Sound construction from an engineering standpoint. It was almost like renting out a high-performance stunt craft.
Seven noticed the fiery red of Janeway's boat and compared it to her cool blue one. She enjoyed the yellow lines etched across the bow of this boat; the pattern was striking and aesthetically pleasing to her. Nodding to the owner, she paid for an hour's worth of time. The price was too steep, but as she'd done little else except sit in her place during this vacation, she had more than enough currency to spend.
Janeway paid her share as well, and the boats were primed to go outside. After a quick rundown of the controls, they each stepped into the bodysuits provided by the shop, and then outside onto the dock that harbored their boats.
"Wait," the owner called, quickly running up the short dock with two items in hand. Glasses, Seven noticed. "These are required," he explained, "just to protect your eyes. They're for your safety."
Both women nodded and easily placed the slim glasses over their eyes. They were clear and contained circuitry that kept fogging to a minimum and water off the lenses, as well as nightvision and infrared programming.
Seven hopped into her boat gracefully to familiarize herself with the controls. They were user-friendly—intuitive—and therefore efficient. She approved. Revving her engine loudly, she gave Janeway a stare, and shot off into the ocean. Janeway roared behind her, grinning to herself. This impromptu adventure seemed to be putting Seven back at ease.
She banked the boat hard to the left, following the wake left by Seven's boat, and accelerated rapidly to catch up. The other woman's engine lights loomed in the distance.
The taste of salt on her lips was welcome and the cold spray of the water through her suit soothed her skin after such a scorching day. She could vaguely feel air hurtle past her limbs, and it only added to the vivid sensation of flying across the water. Her boat cut smoothly through the waves, even in the choppy areas, which made the ride considerably more comfortable.
She pushed the engine harder, racing up alongside Seven. They grinned mischievously at each other as they matched speeds.
Janeway darted ahead, daring Seven to come after to her. Her boat slid to the right and carved a graceful arc through the glassy waves as she nudged the bow towards deeper waters. Seven seemed to hesitate as she noted the direction, but dogged after the red boat, unwilling to cut back. Here the water became colder, the spray more chilling and less refreshing. Her blonde locks were already soaked, whipping behind her.
She gunned the engine, senses sharpening as she read the water ahead and unconsciously gripped the controls more tightly. One mistaken cut into a wave, or into Janeway's wake, could mean being thrown from the boat…and losing the competition with her former captain.
She was suddenly struck by an old memory of playing velocity with then-Captain Janeway, the adrenaline pumping through her veins as they competed, flashes of acrobatic saves penetrating through her concentration. Their rivalry had been…intense.
Victory would be sweet, as humans sometimes said.
Janeway glanced back in time to see Seven's boat fly past hers, and she cursed loudly, pressing harder to catch the younger woman. It did not take more than a few minutes for her to pass alongside Seven, motioning for the blonde to slow down. She braked hard, stopping quickly near the red boat.
Their engines warm and idling now, Seven could make out Janeway's smile as the Admiral ran her hands through the hair splayed across her face, bringing it back off her face and turning to Seven.
"Look at the map on your navigational display," Janeway yelled across. "See the far marker? Arrow Rock Point?"
Seven glanced down to locate the marker and nodded.
"There and back to the dock, what do you say?" Janeway added several bursts of revving to accentuate her meaning.
"Get comfortable with my wake," Seven replied, feeling immediately pleased by her ability to come up with a witty retort.
Janeway chuckled. "Let's see who'll be getting comfortable!"
After adjusting their glasses, they took off.
=A=
=A=
Admiral Janeway hated losing—hated it—but she forced herself to let Seven win. Their race was close anyways, to the point where they needed to pull up and stop in a matter of meters from the dock, spraying the hoverboat owner with a shower of salty water in the process. (He was none too pleased by their antics, so they tipped him a ridiculous percentage of the hourly fee as compensation.)
Janeway had faked a momentary break in concentration to allow the blonde to pull ahead just outside of the docking zone. It was classy, of course, but…she still hated seeing the look of triumph on her opponent's face. She hated it even more when Seven made it clear that she would not hear the end of it any time soon.
"The question of hoverboat skill is settled, Admiral," the other woman remarked, practically crowing—for a Borg. "You may pay homage to the victor now."
"A rematch is in order," Janeway muttered, despite her secret joy at seeing Seven's happiness once again. As much as she hated it, losing was worth the loss of pride if this was the result. "Don't get too cocky."
"I think it was you who exhibited overconfidence, Admiral. What is the human expression…" Seven thought for a moment, her face lighting up as she recalled the idiom. "I believe you must 'eat your words' now."
Janeway grinned and shook her head at Seven's use of the phrase. "Alright. But you do realize, of course, that good sportsmanship requires the victor to buy the loser a drink, don't you?"
"One cannot put a price on defeating Admiral Janeway. It has been said that you are indomitable," Seven continued, rubbing it in. "Except that I have now proven otherwise."
Janeway smacked the younger woman's arm playfully. "Shut up and buy me a drink, Seven," she grumbled lightly. "Let me get over my disgrace in peace."
"Is two days from now agreeable?"
"Deal. The bar at my place, 2100."
They parted at Seven's cottage. It was only after taking a quick shower and checking her messages before sleep that Seven realized she had not thought about Chakotay in hours.