=/\=
Seven looked up from her console as Icheb entered Astrometrics. From the expression on his face, which was contemplative, almost grim, she came to a logical conclusion about the outcome of his first Kal-toh match with Voyager's Chief Tactical Officer. "I'm certain Commander Tuvok was gracious to you after your defeat."
To her surprise, Icheb shook his head slowly. If not for her enhanced Borg hearing, she doubted she would have heard his soft reply. "Not exactly."
"I have never known the commander to be anything but conciliatory after a victory in Kal-toh."
"He didn't win. I did."
Seven stared at her protégé and soon-to-be adopted son. "You beat Commander Tuvok in your very first Kal-toh match?"
She'd attempted to expunge any incredulity from her voice, but from the way he answered her, apparently she had not succeeded. "You told me you beat him once, in a single move," he said mildly.
"Did you apply the principles of elementary spatial harmonics to the game? That was how I succeeded. I must admit the sound strategy Mr. Kim had followed prior to my intervention was of great assistance to my victory." Seven realized she'd never given Harry any credit for this at the time it happened. She doubted he'd want to be reminded about the incident now, after so much time had passed.
"If I did, it was my subconscious that accomplished it. I took what I thought would be a productive preliminary move, and Harry started hinting that I should do something else. The commander told me to ignore any suggestions from Ensign Kim, because he'd never succeeded in beating him even once. He sounded quite confident, but when my next move created a perfect sphere, he looked as shocked as I was. At first, I suspected he had deliberately let me win, the way Brax told me his mother let him win games sometimes to encourage him to continue playing, but the commander seemed quite perturbed by my victory. I assured him it must have been beginner's luck. Then I told him I had to come here. I think Harry was going to challenge him to a match, thinking he'd have a good chance to beat him, but I heard Tuvok in the corridor behind me. He must have declined the ensign's challenge."
Seven was silent for a few moments. "I doubt the commander would ever throw a Kal-toh match to encourage you to continue playing, the way Dexa apparently does with her son. Commander Tuvok would never admit to feeling pride in his ability to play the game so well, but I'm quite sure he does feel it. Too much to let a novice player win, certainly."
"I thought as much. If it wasn't my subconscious accessing elementary spatial harmonics, it must have actually been beginner's luck!"
Seven smiled at her son's modest reaction. "I'm quite sure it was your subconscious guiding your placement of the t'an piece. Unless you had changed your move to one Harry Kim had recommended . . . "
Icheb smile was broader. "No. It was a move I'd planned on making."
"A wise decision," Seven agreed, smiling. "You realize, of course, that the only other time anyone on this ship has beaten Tuvok at Kal-toh was when I managed it."
"I am aware of that," Icheb said, and began to chuckle a little. "Now, what did you want me to do today?"
"Will you finish setting up your gravimetric sensor array and begin scanning for wormholes? I believe your most recent refinements to the device will make it even more efficient than it has been up to now."
"I will be pleased to do so, Seven."
Seven looked at him for a moment, her smile broadening. "Perhaps you have been spending a little too much time with Commander Tuvok lately. You're beginning to sound like him."
"There are worse role models for me to follow, don't you think?"
With this, she heartily concurred.
=/\=
When Icheb entered the mess hall to get his dinner that evening, he was immediately surrounded by a group of his ship mates, led by Ensign Freddie Bristow. While the Kal-toh match between Tuvok and Icheb had taken place in the mess hall lounge area, and therefore had not exactly been a secret, the number of people congratulating him on his victory astounded him. Because of the number of salutations he received, Icheb was barely able to choose his meal from Gerron, who was on dinner duty that evening. He was reminded again about Naomi's frequent comment about how quickly gossip circulated among the crew. Voyager was a very small ship, indeed, to judge from the evening's events.
When he was finally able to sit down at a table to begin consuming his food, Icheb quoted Naomi to Freddie, who had taken the seat next to him.
"Ah, I guess you don't know about the betting pool," Freddie sagely replied.
"Betting pool? About my game with Commander Tuvok?"
"Of course! I won more than fifty replicator ration credits from Engineering alone! No one else there thought you had a chance to beat him, let alone during the first match. Ensign Kim must have played the commander at least a hundred times in the past four years without ever getting even close to managing a win!"
Icheb smiled ruefully. "Then why did you take a chance on me?"
"Well, I admit, I didn't exactly go crazy with my wagers. I remembered that Seven beat him in one move a couple of years ago, so I figured you'd be able to do it at some point, too. All my bets were that you'd beat him in less than twenty matches. I never expected to collect right away. Way to go, Icheb!"
He wasn't sure how to respond to Freddie's praise, although he was able to mumble something about being glad to improve Freddie's replicator ration balance. Icheb still couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling Tuvok had allowed him to win. At the very least, Tuvok must have made an uncharacteristically careless move, which Icheb had been able to take advantage of. After taking several more bites of his dinner in silence, Icheb casually remarked, "I haven't participated in the betting pools yet, although I know they exist. I am considered a minor, and I'm not supposed to be gambling. That's what Seven's told me, anyway."
"This isn't that kind of gambling. It's pretty innocent most of the time. The main one going on right now concerns the date and time Chief Torres will deliver her baby. The maximum bet for that one is only ten credits per person, but since just about everyone is participating, the winner will take in a decent haul. I think Ensign Wildman put in one for Naomi. Even the captain's taking part. I heard she just placed hers, through Commander Chakotay. You should be able to put one in, too."
Shrewdly, Icheb asked, "Has Seven put in her wager?"
"Um, I'm not sure. I don't think so. Is it against Borg rules or something?"
At that, Icheb had to chuckle. "I don't recall the Borg having any concept of betting on anything. That takes free will, which no drone has! Maybe the Queen might indulge, but who would be brave enough to meet up with her to accept her bet? The surest outcome would be one more drone for the Collective!"
Freddie shook his head and laughed. "I guess that was a really stupid question! It isn't even something to joke about! You don't have to tell Seven about this, do you? I mean, you manage your own credits, don't you?"
"Oh, sure. I have quite a few credits I don't plan to use anytime soon - certainly more than that maximum allowable bet. And if Ensign Wildman has allowed Naomi to take a chance, I guess I can do it, too. I wouldn't want to be the only one on board, other than little Aimee or Seven, who isn't taking part."
"That's the spirit. And maybe you can get Seven to do it, too. Then the only other person who isn't in it would be Lieutenant Torres herself. I don't think anyone has been brave enough to tell her anything about it."
Icheb sipped the last few drops of his Nutritional Supplement Five shake before asking Freddie how one went about placing a wager. "Just go see Chell. He's been keeping the tally. Tom wanted to do it, but we told him he was too close to the situation. He had to put his guess in really early, before he could have any real inside information about when it would be."
"Lieutenant Paris bet on when his own baby was going to be delivered?"
"Are you kidding? Of course! The pool was his idea in the first place."
=/\=