STAR TREK VOYAGER:

Chapter 1

Voyager plowed on through space.
Time was still measured in years to get out of the delta quadrant.
They were still very far from home. Once they reached Federation space, if they reached Federation space, they were still far from Earth. Captain Janeway looked out her quarter's window as she usually did.
The ship was holding up well. It was never designed to last so long and travel so far with so many aboard. She'd wished over and over for a bigger ship. But alot of the scrapes they'd gotten out of were credited to thier small agile little Voyager. Such a fitting name she thought putting down her replicated coffee.
Most of their success was attributed specifically on the excellent crew.
There were NO rookies aboard voyager. Each saw the Borg and countless other perils in the last couple of years.
The lights of her den were dimmed as usual. She was supposed to be going over reports again.
And again, and again, and again.
The idea of rotating roles so that people wouldn't get so bored with thier duties had worked with some posts. Unfortunately there was no replacement for a captain position yet.
She wondered about bringing a holographic version of a famous captain to the bridge to let them handle things for a while. That James T Kirk fellow might fit the bill.
She shrugged it off. There was only one mobile emmiter on board, the doctor's. He'd be needed in sick bay if anything happened. Reading logs from other captains to keep her keen on the dangers of space travel was taking up most of her time. If for no other reason that to thank her lucky stars they HADN'T encountered some of the things.
The things she could tell them though!
She picked up the little report roster and began scrolling through the screens looking for something interesting.
As usual, a bunch of things were happening, the fact that none of it was interesting was making her want to cry.
Harry Kim was doing something to further boost their maximum warp speed. They'd already worked miricles, yet there was nothing else for him and B'ellana to do.
Seven had taken it upon herself to further modify the holodeck so that each deck could have multiple 'rooms' running at once in people's quarters. That way they could spread around the holodeck to the crew to further relieve some of the stress in waiting for holodeck time.
'Good idea.' was all she could say to the formerly enemy Borg woman. How nice it was to have powerfull allies.
Janeway finished off her coffee and went to get another cup. It was going to be another long watch in a sea of long watches.

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'Captain.' Chakote's voice came over her comm badge. Janeway was on the toilet, but she took it anyway.
'Go ahead.'
'Seven of Nine is requesting permission to activate the ship wide holodeck system.' her number one executive officer sounded tense, as usual.
Janeway was more interested in getting done with her current 'business' she tapped her badge again. 'On my way.'

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They were in deck two mess hall with a semi formal ceremony. The Borg inspired console that Seven had built would interface with the ship's computer and allow the transporter to work as a mobile emitter of sorts. Janeway was impressed, but skeptical about power loss. It was all explained in short that the holodeck didn't take much energy, and neither would the shipwide holodeck. She granted Seven a trial run and then they would compile data about it's effectiveness.

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Tom Paris was in his quarters. He was to be the first guinnea pig.
Seven came over his com badge with the melodic and thought inspiring words of encouragement that he needed 'proceed.' she said tersly.
He began to activate the system and run the program he liked most.
Of course it was Captain Proton.
His quarters melded and spun and became the set of his black and white classic thriller.
He was awed.
The system had worked in his very own quarters! Now he could absoluelty eat sleep and breathe in black and white!
He reported back that everything went as planned.
Seven was pleased as she got several pats on the back, even by the captain, but tried not to let it show. Only her eye brow raised every few moments as more favorable comments came her way. The work had paid off.
More people were given the go ahead, meanwhile Seven and Tuvok were monitoring the whole event through the Borg inpired station. The ship was using minimal energy once the emmiter properties were used in conjunction with the transporter.
Janeway asked if she could activate the system in her quarters, and the answer was a wholehearted yes.
She spun at the idea giving Seven another pat on the back.
The fact that she'd relinquished most of her holodeck time in lieu of letting the overworked crew have it was a strain on her as well. Now she'd be able to be in a holodeck without anyone knowing any wiser.
She wouldn't have to be afraid of looking like a holodeck 'escapist' or 'junkie'.
The inner smile in Janeway was spreading around the room. 'Seven, you've really outdone yourself.' Janeway commended. She turned to Chakotay. 'Inform the crew that their quarters is now a functioning holodeck. Call everyone and have them activate to test the whole ship. I want to make sure the capacity is available under testing.'
Janeway was the kind that liked to push it to the max to make sure it wouldn't be a short lived idea. Like revving up a car when you buy it to make sure the engine doesn't explode the first time it's pushed. Chakotay informed the crew and soon everyone was flocking to their quarters to try out thier new private holodecks.
It was a smash success.
After a few hours of running Janeway allowed herself to go back to her own quarters to activate and test her own pivate 'world' where she could really relax.
It appeared that Voyager would be alot more livable from now on.


Chapter 2


The usual skirmishes still arose. People late for thier REAL duties. People accusing each other of breaking private engagements. She'd overheard B'ellana pecking at Tom relentlessly about him always prefering Captain Proton to their 'dates'. Of course it was happening everywhere. The crew had been looking at each other for so long, they were escaping to new worlds of new people. Janeway herself was sitting in a jungle looking over the troubles. A long cascading waterfall was splashing nearby making pleasant sounds as other colorfull birds sung in the air.
Soon Janeway was ready for another change and put her deck on an elegant restaurant. It didn't matter which one, just something large so that she wouldn't feel as if she was in her little room. There were many new people, she wanted to chat with each and every one. But alas, they weren't very conversational.
With a sudden idea, she wanted to bring up some of the famous captains now.
With the mass of information about these people, they could be rendered alot better than some of the simulated people that the holodeck seemed to have an enending supply of. She was about to suggest one of her earlier captians that had explored unknowns much the same as she. What was his name? Kirk. That was it!
Then, her com badge rang.
'Capain, there's been...' it was Seven's voice.
'Seven?' Janeway's eyebrows immediately knitted.
'Captain, you are requested in astrometrics.' her voice was shaken.
Janeway gulped. It was difficult to shake Seven. She wondered if it was a personal problem, or if the ship was under Borg attack. Those were the only two events that could shake the ex-borg commando. She cut off her private simulation and began out the door.
'Captain! Medical emergency in sickbay.' the doctor's voice reported.
'ON my way!'
Janeway was taking a short cut through the bridge to the tubo lift when she saw ensign Valla staring at the floor.
'What is it?' Janeway asked, but she saw at the same time.
There was no one else on the bridge.
Odd.
It was the middle of the second watch. But there was a little toy action figure on the floor. It was moving. Janeway stopped dead in her tracks. She wasn't the best eagle eye at the academy, but she could see features. She got on her knees to verify.
It was Tuvok. About one fourtieth his normal size.
She couldn't believe it. Her com badge was going nuts wanting to report to her.
Janeway suddenly had an idea of what was happening.
She had to pat ensign Valla on the cheek to snap her out of her trance. She was afraid it was going to happen to her.
'Ensign! Collect up the crew. Get as many as you can find and report back to sick bay.'
'Aye, Captain...' the young ensign reported weakly. She'd just been assigned to the bridge, and now this. She'd much rather be doing low level systems scan back in the safety of level six if this is what it was like on the bridge.
Valla bit her lip as she picked up the tiny vulcan in her fingers. Tuvok was yelling up to her, but she was already spotting more moving 'dolls' on their seats and on the floor. She was very careful where she stepped.

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Janeway had to get to the bottom of this. Ignoring everyone else, she went directly to see Seven. She found the tall blonde Borg at her console doing hurried calculations.
'Seven! Report!' Janeway needed to get a lid on this before the rest of the crew was gone.
'Captain.' Seven turned and was flustered beyond any other emotion she'd had and her face was pale as a ghost. The two women stared at each other for long moments as is Seven was talking, but she wasn't.
Janeway had to get her started again.
'Report.' she said in a direct yet quieter voice. Seven seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment.
'Captain, I've...' she turned to her console. Seven coulnd't look the captain in the eye while speaking. It was what she often did when human contact had become uncomfortable. 'I've made an error. The system wide holodeck protocol is a failure.' she concentrated on the console trying to tune out the captain alltogether.
Janeway wasn't going to let her do it. She pulled Seven's arm to make her face her. 'What is going on?' she demanded her tone had to stay professional, a failure is when you blew a fuse. When you shrink half of the crew, that's something else!
Seven's lip quivered for a moment as if the truth were an option. But clearly with the fiesty red headed captain, it wasn't. She would find out the truth sooner or later, there was no point in hiding it.
Resistance was futile.
'I.. I couldn't get the ship's computer to multitask as was required for the system to work, even with the computer I designed, so I selected a group of my nanoprobes to handle the ship's multifunctioning deck simulations.' she seemed to be admitting something from the soul. Yet Janeway didn't see the connection with the problems.
Janeway wrinkled her brow further. Her eyes cast in stone.
'Seven. I just saw Tuvok on my way here. He was this tall.' she indicated with her fingers.
Seven seemed to become nervous about that as well. She had to come up with the full explaination quickly. Perhaps she would only get demoted to toilet cleaner and not thrown out the air lock?
'Captain, I accept full responsibility...' she began again. This time Janeway could just keep knodding. Seven was not to stop untill she was done with her explaination.
'The holodeck protocol covered the whole ship, and my nano probes linked it to my brain...' again the long pause was kept alive by Janeway rolling her hand on her wrist. Keep going. Keep going.
'And the ship was affected when I... when I dreamed.' Seven had let the cat out of the bag. Janeway had to take the explaination as gospel. But it was a far shot explaination.
'You dreamed that Tuvok was three inches tall and he is? What did you dream about everyone else?' Janeway was frowning with disappointment. Safety was supposed to be the number one factor here. She could have slapped herself for not making sure everyone knew the 'risks' and had everything double checked by the other technicians before she let Seven go ahead with the project.
There would have been alot more skepticism if they'd found out that Seven herself was the data processing hub for the ship.
Seven was sort of releived having said the most destructive of the things to admit to. 'The dream was that the men on board voyager were... small. I shall reverse it at once.' she went straight to her borg charging station and went to 'sleep'. Janeway was digging her fingernails into her palms.
She'd had to turn off her com badge. There was too much chaos on the ship, and here she was watching Seven SLEEPING!
Within a few moments Seven re awoke. 'There.' she announced and went back to her console. Evedently whatever she was looking at was still wrong. Janeway called back to sick bay.
'Janeway to sick bay. Doctor?'
'Captain, my mobile emitter has become smaller for some reason, but I've rerouted myself through the still functioning ship wide holo emmiter system. The crew seems to be affected by something that has made them smaller as well. There seems to be no explaination...'
'I've got the explaination. Computer, all deck announcement... Attention crew: This is the captain. Attention: all hands. This is Captain Janeway. There's been an... error in the shipwide holographic system. I'm ordering the... women of the crew to collect up all the men untill they are all accounted for and report to sick bay.' she was about to call Chakotay when she realized her number one would also be affected. She tried anyway.
'Commander Chakotay this is Captain Janeway. Commander?' no answer.
'Computer. Locate commander Chakotay.'
'Commander chakotay not loacated aboard Voyager.' the computer reported back. Of course he was aboard, just smaller than the ship recognized.
'Computer, what was the last known location of commander Chakotay?'
'In his quarters.' it reported back. Janeway was on the move. She had to find him quickly. She was hoping that eveyone was looking before anything terrible happened. Before she left Seven she warned.
'Don't sleep!' she accused alot more venomously than she'd intended. The already vulnerable blonde was shivering.
'Aye, captain.' Seven promised with her large lips tight as a drum.


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'Chakotay?' Janeway looked into the doorway and saw an elegant restaurant with exotic dancers and seveal different races dining. 'Chakotay?' she looked around on the floor. If he was in the simulation, then she might just end it and find him. But if he WASN'T within the simulation limits, the computer would 'erase' him if it was terminated.
That would be VERY bad. She had to find him within this world and keep him with her as she disenguaged the program.
It was more frequent now for people to lose small items on holdecks if they left them in a place and then bagan walking far enough away. It was especially difficult now that the main focus was a small quarters. She looked around some table legs and in the shadows of plants.
Chakotay could be anywhere by now! She fumed.
He may have taken a walk down the city street in front of the restaurant. She bit her lip as she looked. A waitress came by. 'Ma'am. Can I help you?'
'Yes, I'm looking for Commander... I mean. I'm looking for a man. He's about this tall.' she indicated with her fingers. The tall waitress just shrugged.
'Aren't we all!' she strode off as if the red headed captain were the crazy one. Janeway had to keep looking.
She suddenly got another idea.
'Computer, what was the last location of commander Chakotay in this room?'
Off to her right, a red blinking computer cursor was above a table with a woman sitting at it.
Janeway hurriedly went to the table and looked around. 'Miss, have you seen a man.. he's about this tall?'
The lady had her hair swept back tightly on her scalp and was drawing smoke off of a long stemmed cigarette. She looked too stuck up to speak to her. 'Maybe.' she pulled the white bola around her white dress as if she were queen of the universe. Janeway had no time for this.
'Look.. lady. If you don't answer me, I'll run you through!' she balled her fist in the woman's face. She seemed to get knocked off of her pedestal for a moment. Uppity holograms weren't going to stand in Captain Cathrine Janeway's way.
'Well!' The woman's eyes bulged but she settled back in her chair wincing at the fiesty red head. 'All men here are only this tall,' she indicated the same thing with her fingers that Janeway did, 'So you may as well look for yourself!' she squirmed away and run into the ladie's room.
Janeway looked around, and sure enough, of all the people she saw, they were all women.
She hadn't noticed so much before because some of the different alien's were hard to tell gender appart. She looked at a Klingon woman sitting at her table. She had a group of male Klingons on her dining plate. She picked one of them up by his foot and dangled him over her face before dropping him in her mouth and chewing on him.
Janeway's blood turned to ice. She ran over and grabbed the Klingon's arm before she could eat another male.
'Have you seen a human man about this tall...' she began with the description, then remembered it was all males. 'Never mind. He had a tattoo on his face?' she was sweating bullets imagining the sharp toothed grill forehead woman eating her number one officer. The Klingon just pushed Janeway off.
'I do as I please. This place pleases me!' she picked up another male from her plate. 'Vach mallll!!!' she smiled and threw him in her mouth to begin chewing happily.
Janeway backed away and looked even more frantically.
He'd been at a dining table, but there was no telling who was sitting with him. The woman that went into the ladie's room MIGHT have him. But she didn't seem to know anything.
Janeway was going to need help.
The whole ship would be in termoil if there were more lost men like this. She reported for all unaccounted for men to be looked for. And to remind everyone not to disenguage the holodecks before looking. She was already assuredly too late for some. She got everyone's attention at once by drawing her phazer and shooting into the air.
'Listen up! I've got an officer on this deck. If he's not returned to me at once...' Just then she saw a woman at the bar with her white gloved hand up. Janeway went over directly and saw Chakotay on the bar next to a couple of wine glasses.
'CAPTAIN!? Are you real?!' the tiny Commander asked.
'I'm real.' she reasured and tried to grab him. The blonde kept herself between Chakotay and the captain.
'Uh, Captain. Meet Vareche. She's from the Beregone system.' Chakotay introduced. The large busted blonde offered her hand to Janeway, but the captain was much too busy.
'How do you do, my ship is in an emergency...' she tried to reach for Chakotay again. This time Vareche didn't have to block her. Chakotay ran behind Vereche's gloved elbow and peeped out.
'Let her take me wherever you want me to go. Her program works on the whole ship you know.' he said looking up at Janeway as if he were scared to death of her.
'I'm gathering everyone in sickbay.' she began then got even more irritated that he was afraid of her. The very woman that was trying to rescue him from the likes of the Klingon Valkrie! 'What's gotten into you. This is an emergency! I need you be be rational!' she didn't know what was wrong with her exec. Perhaps seven hadn't told her everything...
'Shall we?' Vereche stood with Janeway putting Chakotay in her small leather purse.
Janeway shrugged and lead the way to sickbay. The holographic woman folowed just as real as the doctor ever was.
Janeway didn't know what to do about it. It would be one thing if a hologram was interfering, but Chakotay WANTED to be with the fictitous woman. He'd need psychological evaluation when all of this was over.

Chapter 3


'Captain. Tom was almost killed when the monster robot tried to step on him!' B'ellana was saying when she entered.
'I know it's dangerous. The whole situation is dangerous.' Janeway was better prepared for a Borg attack than this. She found the doctor still going over each tiny crewman as if he'd find something new with his tricorder.
'Nothing Captain. Nothing to explain this.' he was completely stumped on this one.
'It's got something to do with the ship wide holodeck. If all the men are accounted for, we'll shut the whole thing down.'
'Captain, I've barely got half of the male crew here.' the doctor reported. That was the good thing about being computer generated. He'd recognize the tiny people and their records. The ship's main computer still couldn't locate them.
'B'ellana. See if you can recalibrate the ship's sensors to detect the tiny men... I mean... the men that are...' Janeway looked at the table and saw that there were quite a few men there. But not all of them. The whole thing was like a nightmare.
Then she remembered it was Seven's nightmare. Or was it?
She had to get the blonde Borg to reverse the madness, and she had to make sure the men were rescued before anymore cannibal Klingons in other simulations got ahold of them.
'Captain, what about her?' the doctor complained about the woman Chakotay had hooked up with. Janeway wasn't in any mood for distractions.
'Just stay out of the way.' she ordered the civilian fictitious woman. Chakotay was on the medical examining bed with the rest of them. But the blonde bombshell was hovering over him like an overly protective hen at all times.

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Janeway found Seven sitting in the corner with her arms around her knees. It was the scared little Annica position she'd kept from her childhood. Janeway felt sorry for her, but angry at the same time.
There were probably fatalities in this one, and the only Borg aboard Voyager was erronious on more than one occasion trying to be 'better' than everyone else. This was just more of her big headed mishaps that could have been avoided.
'Seven. Can you reverse it yet?' she asked already knowing the answer.
After a few moments of vulnerable silence she murmured, 'I've failed captain.'
She said bitterly and sincerely. She wasn't crying though. Seven of Nine never allowed herself to do that.
'Everyone's got a job to do. Your job is to find out how to reverse this Seven.' Janeway pressed. She crouched down to get close and personal with the blue eyed borg. Seven was feeling alot like Annica right now. Her early human emotions were the only emotions she'd had left when the disconnected her. Now she was frail and uncertain again.
'I can't... it was triggered by my dream, and my dream became the event. I cannot order my nanoprobes to reverse an event. It's like ordering the water back into a dam.' she still wouldn't let herself cry. But she was very close. 'I... can only go back to sleep and dream them back to normal.'
'That's too dangerous. Anything might happen. You might dream that the ship is made of cotton candy or something. We'll have to get the doctor to see if we can control you dream.' they both knew that was highly unlikely, but it had to be done. 'Untill then, you need to help us find everyone. There's alot of my crew still missing or lost in thier quarter's programs. We need to move quickly Seven.'
'I cannot.' she wasn't prepared to go searching. Janeway knew it was the only way to get her to face her nightmare.
'That's an order Seven. ON YOUR FEET AND FOLLOW ME!' she took her hand and lead her out into the corridor.
'Computer. Report a crewman's name that is missing that no one is presently looking for...'
'Ensign Donner.' the computer reported.
'Last known location?'
'Quarters. Level four cabin 32.'
'Let's go.' it was not a request to Seven.

Chapter 4


'B'ellana. Good job in getting the computer recalibrated.' Captain Janeway was sitting in the ready room with a different looking view than normal. Alot of seats were empty.
They'd found nearly everyone. One of the crew had been squished under the feet of dancing holograms.
One had been eaten by a creatures in their program. They found the tiny com badge with a tri specially calibrated tri corder.
Only a couple were still un accounted for. They must have been wiped out when some of the holograms were disenguaged to do the 'search'.
Janeway knew the stress was going through the roof on the ship. Everyone wanted answers, including herself.
Janeway looked at Chakotay, Tuvok, Top Paris, and Harry Kim. They were standing by her hand. Seven and B'ellana were in their chairs looking on with interest.
'The shipwide holodeck program is scrapped untill it can be perfected.' Janeway announced to what was left of her high staff. Of course, it wasn't a big surprise. It had been off for a day already. The women of the crew were going nuts with new duties since the men were all but gone. Even the doctor was now 'tiny' since his mobile emitter was shrunk as well. Janeway went over her hand held roster and decided that alot of the routine chores would have to wait while pressing matters were done by the remaining crew.
'As a bit of irony to the subject, Seven, you're now promoted to Commander.'
'Captain?!'
'And B'ellana. You're now chief engineer, AND chief science officer.'
'Captain?!' the half Klingon beauty was about to fight about that promotion.
'Don't worry. I need you two on the bridge now. And I'm giving promotions among the rest of the crew to fill in the gaps. We need to keep the ship running untill we can fix... the other problem.' she looked at the tiny men next to her hand. They were still living breathing human beings, but at their present size, they just weren't considered 'warm bodies' to put at a post. They were effectively nueutralized. No other attack on Voyager had immobilized so much of the crew. Ever.
But the tiny men WERE mobile. Now that the computer recognized them, they could beam to any part of the ship they wanted, and their communicators worked as well so they could talk to their large female counterparts.
They just couldn't DO much.
Janeway really wished it hadn't happened, but there was a positive side.
'And, since the size of the crew is... I mean. Since the demands on the ship's resources is lowered, we can now put more energy into the engines and we're now traveling home faster. We can use the extra replicator energy to cut months off of our travel time. So there is some good news.' she looked at the tiny men again. They were standing more or less at attention, but they were dismayed by the whole situation. She was hoping none of them would suffer a nervous breakdown or go into shock.
She was trying to be as nice as possible.
'As for the assignments. I'm leaving it up to the men of the ship which crewmember they'd like to be affiliated with. With each of them so incapacitated, they'll need an assigned guardian to look out for them and keep track of them. We don't want any more casualties.' Janeway made sure that Seven and B'ellana were paying attention to that order. They would be the ones enforcing it for her.
'We can be with anyone we want?' Chakotay was the first to speak up. Janeway thought it only fair because they'd been dealt such a raw hand.
'Yes, anyone.' she swelled with pride. She just KNEW he'd ask her to look over him. They'd had so many intimate encounters that it stood to reason he'd want her support in this time of need.
'Then I'd like to have... Vereche look after me on the holodeck. She could run in the background while other people are using the holodeck for other things.' he looked up hopefully.
Janeway's mouth droped visibly at the slap in the face.
Her eyes popped further open as if she'd just been dumped right before the prom.
'I... uh. Request granted.' Janeway said with her little hope smashed.
It shouldn't matter. But somehow it did. She watched Tom Paris go to B'ellana's hand and ask her to take him. The ex-marquis took him in her half Klingon hand and pressed him to her chest lovingly. It was the closest thing to a teddy bear she'd had since a child. And it was her boyfriend at the same time.
Feeling that the session was at an end, Tuvok, Chakotay and Harry beamed out of the room.
Evedently none of them wanted the captain to look after them either.
The captain had to readjust her collar for her deflating head to fit back in her uniform. She'd THOUGHT the whole crew would swoon to her. She'd have to be turning them away in droves... Or AT LEAST Chakotay...
Janeway made sure that the announcement was to go out ship wide and that each man was to log into the computer who their guardian would be just in case any one of them might go missing. There would be someone who knew where they were.
Janeway went to her cabin and sat thinking how painfull it was that Seven's idea was flawed to begin with. She would have loved to have a beautifull paradise in her cabin at all times, but knowing that Seven might dream about alien monsters and kill everyone was a big detourant.
She sighed again. The computer was reporting each man's choice of woman.
It made her a bit angry with herself. Perhaps if she'd been nice she might have gotten someone for herself. Then she mentally slapped herself. She wasn't supposed to be thinking of her cursed crewmen as property. She should just be greatfull that nothing worse happened! Seven may have dreamed that they all turned into dust.
Or that the ship was a borg ship. That could have been disasterous.
With a shiver she thought of all the bad things. That was the downfall to having a mind that could calculate many possibilities.
Janeway was sharp, and the possibilities for bad things seemed more vast than good.
She poured herself a coffee. She'd be going to bed soon and she would be wondering what the crew men would be doing at this time. Would they be sleeping in sock drawers? Would they be sleeping WITH their women?
Exhauseted she got up to shower before she turned in. More possibilities indeed.

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Seven regenerated long enough to dream. The captain had been correct not to allow her to try to dream the crew back to normal. She'd dreamed of some sort of fairy tale where there were magical creatures frolicking and fighting in the woods. Nothing about Voyager at all. She snapped her eyes open and was ready to go to her new extra duties.
She was greeted by a sight that stunned her mind. At her feet there was a huge gathering of tiny men all looking up at her.
She gripped the sides of her sleep chamber. She must still be asleep. But she self checked herself and stared at them. They were real, and they were there waiting for her to awaken.
'State your business here.' she would have backed away from them if she hadn't already been in her alcove.
They all tried to talk at once, but it was clear that they wanted HER to be their guardian. She was horrified suddenly that she might have gone mad, she wanted to make sure she wasn't still asleep.
She stepped gently around the gathering on the floor and went to her station. She checked and double checked herself. The men transported themselves up onto her console. There must have been thirty of them including Tuvok and Harry. She was perplexed that they had chosen her. Even the very logical Vulcan!
'It was my failure that caused this problem. It is irrational for me to look after you.' Seven said to them. Tuvok spoke up.
'Since you did indeed cause the problem, it is in out best interst that we work with you and help you to reverse the process. The captain has assigned our duties elsewhere, we may be able to assist you in undoing the problem.'
'Plus, you're the best looking woman aboard, I'd much rather be here with you than Isara in the lab.' Harry admitted of he usually grouchy girl friend.
It seemed to surprise the other guys, but they were there for the same reason too.
Tuvok was the only man that wouldn't admit it.

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'Naomi Wildman. How are you?'
'Neelix?!' the young girl hurried to her dresser where Neelix had appeared. He'd been wearing his liesure clothes when the whole thing had happened and he'd been in the kitchen. He'd been found by the first woman to come along. Now he was sort of stuck in the same clothes.
'I came to check on you.' Neelix tried to be cheery at all times.
'Check on me? You're the one that needs help! Are you okay?'
'Of course. I'm just fine. Is your mom here?'
'No, she's got alot more duties than usual.' Naomi shrugged. 'Since there aren't any boys any more, the girls have to do everything now. I'm supposed to start cooking in your place!'
'And you'll be the BEST cook ever!' Neelix said as cheerily as he could. But he was a mess inside. It would be VERY difficult to be a sucessfull diplomat the size of a pickle.
'Thanks.' Namomi beamed. The little bumps on her forhead were shining with her youthfull glossiness.
'I was wondering if your mom would be my new guardian. The captain wants each of us men to have a guardian now.'
'Hey! I could be your guardian, and you could teach me how to cook like you!'
'But Naomi...' Neelix had remembered the other guys getting together and discussing which women aboard would make the best 'guardians' in tems of which would be a good girlfriend.
Neelix found a bit of reason in what she said. It would be a chance for him to 'work' again. At least as a teacher. He was hoping the other guys didn't take this the wrong way. 'Of COURSE I'd like that alot...' he wondered if it was best, but it would be good enough untill her mom got home. He hoped dearly that his life wouldn't become 'teacher' because of his new height.

***********************************************************

'You're being unreasonable. If I were full blooded Klingon I'd never have a mate that couldn't best a brave in battle, all I'm asking from you is a little cooperation.' B'ellana told Tom who looked like he was ready to burst.
'All I wanted was a replicated flier. You could make on if a few moments...' Tom wanted a delta flier 'toy' to play with. B'ellana was trying to get him to sit still so she could make clothes for him instead. She didn't want to admit it, but now that he was so small, she couldn't keep her hands off of him.
She felt like the poverbial kid in a candy store.
Only, the candy was more intersted in crawling into a shuttle to see if he could pilot a tiny replica around the room.
B'ellana finally agreed only if he'd sit still for her the next day.
He whole heartedly promised his cooperation later. B'ellana knew it was a piece of cake. She went to the computer terminal and asked it to access the blue prints of the delta flier, and then to have a 1/40 scale model created on her food replicator. The computer did as asked and soon Captain Proton was flying again. B'ellana just let him behave like a kid as she went back to her work station in engineering. Sitting around with a flying rodent in her quarters wasn't her idea of a good time!
Tom could be SUCH a pest she fumed.

***********************************************************************

Janeway crawled out of the tub and toweled herself dry. Screw the sonic sanitizer when she had real tension to soak out. Even the smell of the soap was a heady fragrance that kept her mind off of the ship around her. Her communicator buzzed on the clothes lying on the floor. She tapped it with her toe to actuate it. 'Janeway.'
'Uh, captain... I'm here about... uh...'
'Who is this?' she asked not recognizing the voice.
'Uh, lieutennant Shroder. I was with you on last away mission?'
'Shroder?' she tried to jog her weary mind.
'I ran the transporter!'
'Oh, yes. I remember now. What's your message?'
'You gave orders to find a woman for a guardian...' he prompted.
She toweled off her red mop of hair briskly while speaking. This was obviously someone in despirate need of some holodeck time. She was going to try and make it as easy as possible. 'The orders are for everyone's protection. If you can't find one, I can appoint someone for you.'
'I mean. I was wondering if you had any room left, ma'am. Captain.'
'Room?' she looked at herself in the mirror.
With bags under he eyes and all her makeup washed away, she was a mess.
She had company? Was she hearing it correctly?
Why was she so suddenly bent out of shape for the idea of a tiny man being in her quarters???
She hurried the dressing ritual and came out to see that her visitor was already inside the door of her quarters. Janeway stopped as if moving quickly might scare him off. 'Lieutenant Shroder?' she asked the tiny being by her door.
'Captian.' the three inch man looked more lost than anything. Janeway decided to take her diplomatic route (as uaual) and try to get him to stay by example.
'You wish to stay with me as your guardian? Well, I'm flattered. I feel as if I've been guarding all of you since we launched anyway.' she finally sat on a lounger she'd always used for guests. It faced her working desk, but also was mid way between it and the door. She looked at the tiny man hoping that this was going to go well.
'Uh, yes captain. Where are the others?' her guest suddenly asked.
'Others?' she realized that he must have thought most of the men aboard would be flocking to her. Just as she'd thought so.
She'd already seen the report of Seven's success but didn't want to say anything of it.
'There are many women aboard Voyager, most of the men probably have sweethearts they'd rather see. Come now. Let me look at you.' she motioned him over. She felt guilty as hell.
This was just flat fun for her.
She'd never felt the sensation. She should be kicking herself or feeling guilty for his present state. She was responsible after all, yet she also felt like it was a gift. Everyone staying an arm's lenght from each other every day because they were in the heart of danger, and aboard a federation vessel. Now it was like her male crewmen were civilians again. Fragile and weak like children. Beings to be cared for instead of ordered around.
Yet she liked to order them around. The millitary always felt superior to civilians. And she was a Federation Captain! Jackson Shroder came forward untill he was beside her foot looking up at her. Her hair was still a damp array around her head as her eyes began to glimmer with emotion. Her only 'admirer' aboard Voyager. Her own fan.

Chapter 5


Seven looked at her 'admirers' as unpredictible humans. But their faith in her was what disturbed her most. She tried to detour their idea that she would be a good guardian by pointing out her flaws. Unfortunately, her flaws were what men found most desirable about her. She told them all to wait there. She went to the doctor, her only 'mostly human' advisor that she trusted in such manners. Seeing him as a tiny version of himself was also disturbing.
Her quick walk was more tribute to her fine body tone. Nothing bounced more enticingly than Seven's body in a hurry.
'Doctor. I require your assistance.'
'What's wrong?' the doctor appeared and kept a tone for Seven that he didn't use with the rest of the crew. Even though he was a program, he could 'feel' something for her. It was something he couldn't explain, and it did NO good what so ever that she was now magnified by her immense size compared to him. She brought her face down low to speak candidly as she often did when distressed about human manners.
'The men aboard the ship... They think I should look after them untill they can be returned to normal.' she said as if it were the most dire crisis. The doctor was surprised and a bit jealous. He wasn't required to seek out a female guardian, he wasn't a human mortal man. Seven would be his choice if he were though.
He sighed. 'I can see why.' was all he could conjure. Her face was even more beautiful and exotic up close like this. Her hot breath blew over him from beautifully formed large lips.
'There is an error in their judgement. I am responsible for their condition. Therefore, they should seek someone else to protect them for this time.' her lips stayed tense, but her confusion made her all the more lovable. Even her borg implant on her forehead looked like exotic jewelry as he looked up at her from the medical station console. He tried to let her know how he felt through his actions, not just his words, but all the subleties in the cosmos would never pierce Seven of Nine's armor she'd managed to guard herself with.
'It's captain's orders. They can go to whom ever they wish...' he looked at it as an open and shut case. Seven pursed her lips and steadied herself. She was always ready to 'argue' the borg way. Fighting with a three inch doctor would be futile though. There was no physical challenge.
'Their presence will hinder my work on the matter. Thier minds must be changed. Perhaps there might be a psychological problem they aquired during the transformation? If so, you should examine them. At least long enough to give me time to think...'
'That doesn't sound unreasonable, but I've ALREADY scanned them for any signs of damage. I'm afraid they've come to this conclusion on their own.' the doctor was none too happy about it, but he'd rather have Seven all to himself like he did at present. Her eyes began to beg even though she didn't allow her voice to convey it.
'There must be an explaination. They should hate me.' she let her voice drop to almost a whisper. It was music to the doctor. He felt the same swell as when they sang together in perfect harmony. Seven was a work of art as well as a natural beauty.
'The explaination is here.' he indicated her face. She was confused and felt of her face wondering if he was pointing at any particular Borg implant that might be showing signs of activity. 'No, I mean. YOU! You inspire trust in the crew... men that is. Your confidence and skill is what lead them to you. That's not a dillusion.' he was trying his best to show how HE felt about her as well.
She didn't get the connection.
'If they were looking for strong traits, they would have all chosen the captain. She has more than enough confidence for all of them.' she said as if countering an attack. It did nothing but convince the doctor that Seven had no idea what a force she was. It was a shame. He suddenly had an idea.
'Do you remember your first date?'
'On the holodeck?'
'Yes. You dislocated your date's arm?' the doctor tried to pace a bit closer and further so he could look at her eyes and lips closer without looking like he was swooning as much as he was.
'I... remember.' Seven said distastefully.
'Is he one of the men that has come to you?' the doctor asked knowing that Seven would have all of the details memorized whether she wanted to or not. Seven knodded thinking with her photographic memory.
'Yes. He was. Further proof that the men are under some sort of dillusion.'
'No. Further proof that when they think of a capable and honest guardian, they think of you.'
'Engineering to Seven of Nine.' B'elana's voice came across her badge. Seven had to dismis her personal problem for a few moments. She stood abruptly to attention leaving the doctor reeling on his heels. Her face was so inspiring!
'Seven here.'
'We've got a problem down here, I need your assistance.' B'ellana usually didn't let Seven TOUCH the warp core. There must have been more than a little problem. Seven had to hurry out with minimal glances back at the doctor who just shook his head and returned to the 'invisible' realm of cyberspace.

**********************************************************

'State the emergency.' Seven burst into engineering. She was actually glad for a distraction from what awaited her in astometrics.
'I've got a level two breech contained now, but we've lost some of our efficiency untill I can patch it up better. Can you help?' The half klingon beauty was a very competant engineer. It must have been killing her inside to have to ask, but her usual 'assistants' were now no bigger than her finger and could do little in the way of repairing heavy duty problems with the warp core.
'I will assist.' Seven went straight to an engineering console. What B'elana never realized is Seven's 'do good' attitude was in no way directed at making the half klingon half human woman feel inferior. On the contrary, being efficient was the only way Seven knew to reach out and try to befriend someone. The women on board Voyager didn't see it that way. They thought she had a 'better than you' attitude from the start.
Now, if Seven could understand humans, she'd have her efficiency adjusted to the real world.
'I'm detecting several fractures on the secondary housing as well. I suggest shutting down immediately.'
'I can do this...' B'ellana started. But she'd need help to do it active. The chief engineer was now the chief pissed off resident Klingon engineer. Seven was going to make her report the failure to the captain and take the warp drive off line. 'Whatever!' she blew up at Seven and made the report to Ellana Jensen who was flying the ship in the other helmsmen's absence.
The captain was also informed as Voyager dropped out of hyperspace.

*****************************************************

Her wakup call was just in time. The computer announced that the Forlocci planet was within scanning distance. Janeway almost forgot Voyager was to rendezvous with a Forlocci trading vessel. Voyager's storhouses were getting critically low on a few things and they would be picking up supplies that they needed to survive. Ironically, after their 'incident' they wouldn't need them as direly as usual. She shrugged to herself. It was better to have over rather than under kill.
'Captain. This is Ellana Jensen, first gunnery officer at the helm. Engineering has informed me the warp core is shutting down for repairs.'
'Copy that. Scan for a Forlocci trading ship in this sector.'
'Captain? What does it look like?' the confused voice asked.
Janeway was not used to an inexperienced crew. But times were hard. 'You'll know it when you see it. Get as close as you can before the warp core is shut down.'
'Aye, Captain.'

*******************************************
Several hours later, Janeway dressed in her best Star Fleet regulation colors and prepared for the Forlocci embassador to beam aboard.
She told her tiny charge good bye and made her way to the transporter room. She didn't want to leave him, but again, she knew wher he was SUPPOSED to be at all times. And fist contact could be rough.
The Forlocci weren't that much different than humans. One tall pock faced man and woman beamed in with gastly white skin and huge silken robes. The captain greeted them with a smile wishing Neelix was by her side. Diplomacy was a bit rusty after having someone to do it for her for so long. The transporter officer was a non descript woman who'd been pulled from some other task to sit in at the station temporarily. Captain Janeway shrugged to herself internally. She hoped the traders wouldn't see them as some sort of matriarchal society.
'I am Celina of the Ferlocci, this is my consort Rubion.' the pocked faced woman announced. She looked neither young nor old, just characterized by her race's facial formations.
B'ellana would feel like a 'smooth queen' of beauty compared to them.
'I am Captain Kathrine Janeway. This is my ship, USS Voyager. Welcome aboard.'
'When shal we commence our negotiations?' the placid faced woman asked with her forehead moving up and down with no eye brows. It must have designated an earnest gesture because her consort was doing the same thing.
'As soon as you wish. My ship is open to you. Feel free to visit as long as you wish.' The captain already guessed that they were in for a long haul. It appeared that the Forlocci WERE matriarchs. It would be an interesting negotiation as well. She hoped the crew kept their 'men' safe diuring the visit as they were ordered. If nothing else, the Forlocci APPEARED to be monsters of some sort. Sharp fangs and claws instead of fingernails.
They'd dealt with worse, but she'd been hoping for so much better.

***************************************************

'It's not the same B'ellana. Don't!' Tom was fighting B'ellana's attepts to get him out of the Delta flier. She wanted to carry him with her, and it was simply not something he'd let her do. 'I'll follow you...' he offered.
'I made your Delta flier replica, you said you wouldn't stay in it too long. Now, come here.' she had to grab him by his foot and drag him from the toy sized flier. He used his com link to beam himself out of B'ellana's hand and back inside the flier so that he could escape. She saw him dematerialize and grabbed for the flier as it was about to take off. The engines fought her for a second, then Tom activated the shields and B'ellana got a jolting shock.
'Ough!' she slapped her hands together to make the numbing feeling go away. 'You! I'll get you for that!' she lunged after the delta flier. Now Tom was trying to get away. He was going to have the computer beam him and the delta flier 'toy' to another part of the ship when B'ellana hammer fisted the shuttle to the floor of her room. She immediately was sorry for doing it, the Delta flier was destroyed.
'Tom?!' she picked it up and saw him unconscious at the controls.
She immediately beamed to sick bay still holding the delta flier in her arms like a sick baby. Fortunately the doctor was his size, and Tom was treated immediately.
Janeway had to leave the conference room to see to the medical emergency.
She was pissed when she got there.

*************************************************

'What happened?'
'I can explain...' B'elana began. The doctor had a miniature bed for minature Tom Paris as he fixed him up. Tom was at least conscious now. The doctor butted in with the details.
'It seems that Mr. Paris was blasted from the sky by our hot headed engineer here.' he began with the common aloof tone. Janeway looked at B'elana.
'He was getting away in the Delta flier...' she had the small broken ship still in her hands to show to the captain. It clearly had alot of damage to it. The captain set her heels and leaned forward.
'Tom. Can you hear me?' she asked quietly.
She guessed her normal talking voice was more than enough volume for such tiny ears. He knodded weakly. The doctor had healed the flesh, but the concussion was still weighing on his mind. 'I want you to hear this: It was foolish for you to run from B'elana after she's accepted looking after you. Don't ever do it again. Is that clear?' her voice could take on a deadly tone that meant business so quickly it was no wonder no one aboard wanted to be her enemy.
Her thin lips got even thinner as she squinted to make sure he knodded his reply.
'Good. B'elana is to care for you. And you shall act like a Star Fleet officer no matter what size you are. You take orders from her...' then the captain got the idea to make sure NO more screw ups occured.
She'd order the REST of the men to do the same.
For the time being, the men would be demoted for their own protection. That way no one would be defying their protectors. She chatted with the ship's computer on her way back to the trade negotiations to make sure it would be so.

******************************************************

'I don't understand Romulan pastries!'
'Naomi Wildman. You've only begun the basics. Perhaps you should let the replicator prepare things by program for a while.'
'NO! You're supposed to be teaching me!' she pleaded. Her big eyes were the size of serving trays to Neelix as he stood in front of her frustrated face. It was time for him to call on all of his 'diplomatic' capacities again.
'I'm SURE you'll do fine when you get the hang of it. Let's try it again...'
Just then the next watch took their dinner break and Naomi along with a tech from sensors lab began dishing out food for the largely diminished crew. It took alot less food than usual. More than one passing woman looked at Neelix with Naomi and just shook their heads with knowing disgust.
'What's wrong with them? What did I do?' Naomi asked a bit hurt. She'd felt the same knowing that she wasn't completely human all along, but the officers never scoffed at her this way before. Neelix was highly hesitant to tell her the 'REASON' so he tried to brush it off. Naomi's mother was the last to come in. She was a bit surprised to see her daughter there, and surprised the Neelix was now her responsibility. Of course, she KNEW Neelix. It was fine with her, but she was a bit wary of the situation with the NEW orders.
'Have you read the latest on the news line?' she asked Neelix as he stood on the counter next to an old fassion pair of salt/pepper shakers. He just shrugged. He'd never been one to monitor the ship's news at any size.
'The captain has just made a new order...' she began. She patted her daughter on the head as she quoted the order verbatim. Neelix was trying to take it well.
'Naomi will be... my superior?' he asked a bit confused.
'Every male that selected a protector will be under their protector. It seems Tom Paris was nearly killed trying to get away from B'elana Torres and the captain wants everyone to be safe.' the middle aged woman looked just as serene as ever even though her duty watch had been increased 30%. Naomi was perky about it.
'I've never been promoted over anyone before.'
'Well... I'm in good hands!' Neelix gulped as Naomi accidently dropped the mixing bowl of Romulan pastry batter.
'Oops.'
'Oh... frag.' Neelix gulped again.

****************************************************

Seven had been so wrapped up in the repairs that she forgot what awaited her in her rejuvenating chamber. She counted, and there were exactly 21 of them now. She wished silently that the doctor WOULD commit them to sick bay. She had no time for further distractions. She HAD to get a handle on the nanoprobe function that did this.
'I require time alone to think.' she told the men as they looked up at her. They'd been having the computer replicate them a few miniature items and beam them to the work bench. They had temporary quarters already set up like the ones used on planets where science teams camped out. The little white spheres and tubes were familiar to Seven, but it reminded her that her 'problem' was there to stay untill she fixed it.
Tuvok stepped forward. 'I've made a preliminary study of the computer log. It appears that your dream was successfull in manipulating matter through the transporter conduits...'
'I'm highly aware of how the situation occured.' she snapped at him. But was sorry again. 'I require time alone. Please leave.' she told them all and went to work at her customized console. The men looked at each other and back at her. They had read 'the latest'. Harry Kim spoke into his com badge.
'Computer. Beam clip roster to Seven of Nine's console full sized version.'
A clip board type data interface appeared in front of Seven. She looked at it as if it were another nuisance. But as she read the text her jaw dropped a bit and she turned to face them. They COULD NOT leave. They were ordered to be with her. And she was now every last one of their superiors. It was a bit of a blast. From girl, to Borg, to half human half borg, to commanding a crew of men that had all out ranked her just a few months ago. She put down the tabulator and resumed with a bit of relief in her voice.
'You may not leave my presence. You will stay on that work bench and do not disturb me. That is all.' now she didn't have to ask them to do any thing. She could simply order them to do anything she said. The punishment if they disobeyed (also stated in the new orders) was a direct reprimand from the captain herself. She knew none of them wished to disobey her now. She continued on with her research with no further distractions.



Chapter 6



'I'm certain there is a commodity you'd like to trade for dilithium. Perhaps some power converters?' the captain knew that the Forlocci would by dying to get their hands on some real technology. She had to make sure that it didn't happen.
The matriarch was in charge of the negotiations from beginning to end, but had to confer with her consort on the value of each item. She did not 'bother' herself with details such as how her ship worked. Her consort eventually had to go 'see' what was worth trading for since he didn't know what thier power converters and biaxial conduit could do. She called the duty watch security guard chief to conduct the 'tour' for him.
This left Celina alone with the captain for a while. Again she wished Neelix was there. The pointed teeth of the monsterous Forlocci female was as sharp as her mind. As soon as the doors closed she began a new discussion. 'You're completely without males aboard?' she asked noting the captain herself was testimony to the 'female' position in their society. Janeway had to recover from this strain of thought.
'The Federation is our leader. It is comprised of men and women from all over the Alpha quadrant. This is but one vessel.' she tried to detour the sallow faced trader wondering to whom she could trade her off to for the time being. B'elana and Seven would have their hands full about now, and the rest of the female crew was spread paper thin throughout the ship already. 'Shall we adjourn to the cafeteria?'
'Captain? Ah, food.' the forlocci understood that subject very well. They walked to the mess hall with Celina looking around to confirm her suspicions that there were only women aboard.

***********************************************

The Forlocci consort looked puzzled. The technology was unlike theirs. There was little chance of it integrating Federation parts into their own systems. But the stand alone units worked well. He was especially interested in their weapons.
That was always a gray area. They had phaser type weapons already, but theirs were bulky, too big to be carried by a person. Yeoman Richards had to confer with the captain, but phasers were allowable for trade. What the Forlocci didn't know was that they would be replicating the weapons using power drawn from the dilithium they would be trading for. Thier replicator technology and computer technology were STRICTLY off limits.
'Your beaming technlogy. We would like to have it as well.' he said as if asking the young blonde officer for another slice of pie or cake. She shrugged.
'Sorry. That is not permitted.'
'May I at least know how it works so that we might build on one day?' he asked. His forehead kept bobbing up and down faster and faster.
That may be allowed. She had to confer again. She was NOT in any position to do the task at hand. If it was up to her, she would have let Neelix show the male Folocci around.
Funny, she'd never thought of Neelix as 'valuable' before. If and when he got back to normal size she vowed to be nicer to him in the future. Babysitting foreigners was far more difficult than she'd ever dreamed.

************************************************

B'elana was sorry for what she'd done to Tom. But she was not sorry for what the captain had ordered. She now had Tom litterally in the palm of her hnad. If she played her cards right, when he was returned to normal, he'd be alot more attentive to her, and he'd have a FULL understanding of NOT pissing her off. Her temper was something that she'd been working on for years and was unable to correct. Now it was nice to know that Tom would have to ADAPT to survive. She didn't want to giggle in front of him, so she walked in silence back to engineering.
'I suppose since you're not to leave my side, I'll have to cary you everywhere.' she knew that would be a new inconvienience. She had alot of work to do now that the warp core was cold and was about to go back on line as soon as the 'trade negotiations' were over. She was going to put him on her tabulator.
She realized he'd probably just fall off. Not an option.
She next tried to just lay him on the console. But he still looked out of place. He could slide off of it, or might get punched instead of a button if she got in a hurry. Not advisable.
'Here.' she finally allowed her little charge to see her grin. She'd discovered the best place. The kneck line of her uniform was snug fit. A tight fit almost. She could put him under her keck band and wear him like a chainless pendant. He was stairing at her hands still working with his arms lying over the front of her uniform. B'elana didn't mind having someone watching her work knowing that she could watch over him at the same time. He tried to look up at her a few times, but her face was above his head and his little kneck was sore from the crash. She knew the new arrangements would be 'adequate'.

*********************************************

The research itself turned out to be a horrifyingly difficult task.
Seven worked into the night watch. The problem was more complex than she'd anticipated. The transpoter was not even designed to do what it did. It was designed to transport things, not to change their size. It was like trying to get a cargo vessel to manufacture things. It was not apparently capable. Yet it did what it did with astonishingly accurate results. The Borg menace was worse than she'd ever imagined every time she learned something new about them and about herself.
She shuddered to think that her mistake may be a permanent change for several beings she'd begun to see as her family. She would have given her life to save theirs, now it appeared she'd taken their well being and lives and could do nothing to repair it.
She'd began to wish they HAD just died. At least then, they wouldn't be there as a tiny constant reminder. She would have prefered death to becoming a tiny worthless being herself.
She was finally exhaussted and forced to rejuvenate. She went to ther charger and looked at her hopefull audience.
She felt guilty all of the sudden knowing that they expected 'something' from her. She didn't know what it could be, she'd have to think of something later. Perhaps she could make them a traditional meal? Is that what men expected of a female that was supposed to nurture them? That would be a human thing to do? 'I shall speak with you soon.' she told them. She would confer with another woman, perhaps B'ellana about what she should do with so many men to look after.
'Will we be allowed to move about the room now?' Harry asked respectfully. Evedently he had more in mind than sitting in the little temporary shelter. Seven couldn't blame him for that.
'You may.' she regretted not being able to tell them something more. Good news later maybe? She'd been confident that she'd be able to return them by now. There was no luck with that train of thought.
She went to a troubled rejuvenation. She dreamed, and it was more of the same human conceptions creeping up on her. She dreamed that she was captain of the ship and everyone swooned to her whim, and that she loved it. It was perhaps the most guilt ridden dream she'd had since she had flash backs of melding the minds of the other three drones just before she was first separated from the collective.
She was confused why it 'excited' her to torture her freinds in her dreams.

*******************************************************

'The food is adequate. Is this all you eat?' The Vorlocci asked with dismay in her voice. The captain knew better than to divulge their replicator technology.
'Unfortunately. The Delta quadrant has been slim on food stuffs.' she had chosen something for herself that would keep her figure. She didn't like to discuss it, but she could VERY EASILLY be the biggest captain in the delta quadrant if she gave into her eating urges. She'd kept them down, and having a male prospect practically GIVING himself to her. She'd KEEP her figure a while longer yet.
'If we reach a suitible agrement, we would also be willing to trade food. You must hate having to eat dead things.'
'Excuse me?' Janeway wasn't prepared for their eating habbits and had never asked. The Verlocci proclaimed that they ate live foods mostly. The conversation went around and around about different views and cultures. They were one of the more advanced races of their region of space, yet they were more wicked and vile than even Klingons! Janeway would be glad to leave these people alone, and soon!
She was relieved of the conversation by a little twill noise from the Forlocci's communicator.
While the embassador was busy, Janeway got to take a good look around Voyager. The monsterous female spoke quietly into her small transmitter as if everyting else in the universe ceased to exist.
This was the first time Janeway really looked at her crew.
They LOOKED pathetic.
She'd seen depleated and decemated crews before, the crew of the Equinox was less than what Voyager had, but it began to tear at her esteem how few people were left aboard for ONE mistake. One big mistake.
She spotted Marla Gilmore sitting in the corner by herself. She'd been aboard Voyager for most of a year now, and it didn't appear that she was making any freinds. Janeway remembered the Equinox all too well and slipped over to Marla while the Forlocci was occupied.
'Marla, is it?' she asked. She remembered her last name well, but didn't want to call her by that.
The thin blonde knodded quickly as if surprised the captain remembered her at all.
'Where's Angela?' Janeway would have guessed that she'd at least have a freind from the old Equinox.
'She's on the other shift.' the sheepish quiet voice remained. Janeway was sorry they all had to be stripped of rank. But she had to treat them the same for their actions.
She'd felt sorry for Marla. She'd been the most traumatized by the horrifying time aboard her ship.
There were only two twelve hour shifts now, and they were overlapping at that. Janeway knew it was necessary for the time being. 'So, how have you been coming along?' the captain wasn't making herself comfortable in her seat just in case she had to return to the monsterous diplomat. Marla was seriously considering what she would say to the captain as if her career in the Star fleet depended on it. Janeway was again sorry for stripping her rank.
'I've been doing everything they ask. I try to help any way I can.' Marla was so intimidated by the captain she could barely talk. She'd been thinking of how easilly she'd been stripped of rank, stipped of status, stipped of the ability to walk around without someone to watch over her. She'd thougth of Janeway every day since... Janeway almost forgot Gilmore's name.
She'd proven herself long enough in Janeway's reasoning. A crisis always helped pull people together.
'How about a little promotion...' Janeway let herself smile. It was causing Marla's jaw to drop as well. 'We're short handed now, as you can see, I'm making you an officer again.'
'Rea.. really? Captain?' Marla almost choked on her dinner. Her eyes grew wide as if it might be a trick. Too good to be true. Janeway just knodded conveying her confidence in her. Janeway knew she would NOT to be betrayed this time. Only her previous captain had allowed her to be lead before.
'The others too...' Marla asked biting her lip. Still thinking of her crew mates. Janeway shrugged.
'Sure.'
They shared the elation of the new orders. Marla could go about the ship to do better tasks than cleaning the holodecks. Janeway would be gaining a much needed engineer to help out B'elana.
Suddenly Marla slipped a tiny figure out from behind her ear. One of the men left from the Equinox crew had chosen her as a protector. He'd been listening the whole time. Janeway should have guessed but it surprised her all the same.
'Did you hear that James? We're being re-instated!'
Janeway had to hurry to recover the fumble. 'Actually, the men won't be...' she fretted seeing that the three inch man was thinner than the other tiny men. Even since Equinox, he had it so rough he hadn't completely filled back out to a normal man's stature. He weighed nothing in Marla's fingers.
Janeway continued for both of their benefit since they hadn't heard. 'All men aboard Voyager have been dropped below the rank of their chosen protector untill the crisis is over. Watch over you man safely 'Ms. Engineer'.'
Janeway patted the still unbelieving blonde on the shoulder. She made note to notify the others that Angela Tassoni was to be promoted as well.
The Forlocci was approaching now.
'Remember, hide him.' Janeway didn't have to tell Marla twice. As the monster approached, Marla put her hands to her lap. Without another word Janeway was intercepting the sallow skinned monsteress.
'Captain... my consort has just informed me that you have suitable goods to trade for dilithium. We are prepared to make the deal now.'
'Good. Then we should meet again in the conference room.'

************************************************************

The deal was simple.
Easy even.
Janeway was glad the Varlocci didn't know the true value of dilithium. They were using it for precious jewels and money. It was almost comical that it had TRUE uses like traveling the stars.
Janeway went back to her quarters in record time to find that her new 'friend' was in a replicated tiny shelter on her desk asleep. She looked in on him. He'd left the front of it open. Evedently he knew that there weren't any varmants that would be after him aboard the ship. She sat in her chair and he awoke to the sound.
'Uh, captain! I...' he got up. He was still wearing his uniform and trying to stand while throwing off the covers.
'At ease. You're not on duty. Remember?' she reminded. He still felt silly for being caught sleeping by the captian.
'Reflex I guess...' he gulped.
She looked tired as well.
'It looks like I'm the only one that came to you.' he said looking around the room to make sure. Janeway looked around the room as well.
'I guess.' she seconded. 'Now. I hope I'm not disappointing you so far.' she lowered her face right down to him. He gulped looking up at her eyes.
'Ma'am?'
'Did you read the order I had to give after Tom's accident today?' she asked. He shook his head no slowly. He was very scared of the all mighty powerfull captain. It was worse now that she was bigger.
Her new rule wouldn't affect him much anyway.
She gave him the details.
'I had to order the men to follow their protector's orders. As of now, all men aboard Voyager are demoted under their protectors. I hope it's temporary, but it is necessary.' she looked at him as if he'd be running away. He wasn't. 'Don't you think I'm being unreasonable?' she asked him raising one eye brow. In the absence of her number one exec, she had no one else to confide in.
He gulped and shook his head no.
Janeway's eyes softened. He was adorable. She knew he was either too afraid of her to tell the truth, or actually used to having a woman over him anyway. How long had she been his captain? She didn't remeber him hardly at all.
She made herself a cup of milk before bed. Her tiny companion said nothing untill spoken to. She was sure there was a way to 'fix' his apprehension around her. Chakotay had been the same way, at first. Then she'd gotten him to come around. How had she done it? She was trying to remember.
She decided to give him a task to do. Duties almost always got people motivated.
'Allright then. Now that you're my... personal assistant. I'd like for you to go throutgh the records.' she hesitated for a moment. 'Computer, replicate a hand held roster at Mr. Shroder's scale.'
'Transfer complete.' the computer replied after a sliver sized unit appeared.
Janeway continued. 'Go through the roster and make a note of each man and his whereabouts. Then have the computer guide you to them and make SURE my order is being carried out. With your size, you'd be the galaxy's best spy you know.' she was as encouraging as possible. 'And if you get done quickly, I'll have a little reward awaiting you.' she could be charming at times. This was one such time. He gulped and went about his task as soon as the computer would transport him.
The captain shrugged and got ready for bed. If his personality was any indication, he'd be faster at this task than Seven. Then she'd KNOW that he wanted her to reward him. Instead of her regular toggs, she looked through her clothing droor for something more appropriate. There were things that hadn't been disturbed in her drawer since they left Earth but still fit.

***********************************************

'They are hiding many things.' the male Vorlocci told his matriarch. She knodded solemnly.
'Did you spot any men?'
'No. Not unless they look just like the females.'
'Unlikely. I made sure and saw picturs in their computer. Did they suspect anything?' she asked him knowing that he wouldn't be able to lie to her. All males knew that one lie would mean their death.
'I detected nothing. I found their females were still wary thougth. It was if they didn't know thier own jobs.'
'Unlikely. They claim to have been in this ship for years. They are covering something up. The weapons?'
'Very usefull. They carry charges like ship lasers and have different settings. They could be used to heat food, or vaporize and enemy.'
'Good. Anything else?'
'Much else. They won't speak of their transporter. We should have it.'
'In time. I shall stall so that we may stay aboard for a while. We should be able to get their computer to download what we need to know. If only we had a spy here.'



Chapter 7



B'elana was ready for her eight hours of sleep. The maintenance schedules were falling behind for once since they'd launched. They were just too short handed and running the ship too hard. At least they weren't due back into long haul mode for some time. She'd have to probably call Seven again for help.
As she was giving the next officer her report, a familiar yet disturbing face showed up. Marla Gilmore from the old Equinox. B'elana figured she'd lost her way and was wandering the ship.
Her jaw dropped when she was handed Marla's new assignment authenticated by the captain.
'Well... welcome aboard.' B'elana still could not believe it. The willowy blonde had been 'scrubbing' the floors with a particle broom just last week. Now she was again an engineer, second class at least. 'I hope you remember everything.' B'elana gave a slate full of authentication codes and duty parameters to the 'new' woman.
She would be reporting for duty directly under B'elana.
The Klingon beauty worried. She aslo caught Marla smiling at Tom still hanging just above her kneckline. That was TOO much for her klingon blood. She gently put Tom just out of reach in her octigonal tool box. She slammed the lid putting him in sheer darkness and stood on her tip toes to look the blonde in the eyes.
'Don't even THINK of putting the move on Tom. He's mine!' she made sure her point was clear. It was all it took to put Marla in her place. She slumped her shoulders and backed up.
'Yes, ma'am.' she'd only been trying to be freindly. Her happiness was going to be short lived if she had to dread going to work day after day. It must be slated in the stars she was going to hate every last second of her existance. Diandra, the duty diagnostics officer, took Marla aside and gave her the low down on the current status of the warp core.
B'elana shouldered her tool box and took it to her quarters not wanting to let her 'precious' cargo out. He was being punished for being 'too cute'. B'elana didn't understand why she was so angry with Gilmore and Tom. She just was.

******************************************************************

Seven's dream continued until her Borg implants told her brain that it was time to wake up. The proper allocated amount of time for sleep was reached. Seven became awake whether the dreams were over or not. Her eyes snapped open and she was first greeted with her human feelings and senses coming back as if a switch were turned on. She wanted to have a bed to fit in like the other humans, but she simply did not need one. Gravity was irrelevant when it came to sleep orientation and rejuvenation.
Her eyes focused and she saw the flicker of Borg implanted eye socket technology around her field of vision. She didn't need them to be human, but they were forever there anyway. As was her singing voice that the Doctor loved so much. Another gift. She inhaled deeply letting herself embrace the sensations that came to her. Her individuality.
Then she saw them. Her eyes squinted, but her vision was perfect enough to see what she was looking at. It was simply that her brain denied what her eyes were reporting.
There were several men on the floor around her feet. Seeing that she was awake, they stepped back out of the way as if awaiting her next move.
'State your purpose.' she asked curiously down at the tiny beings.
Leonard Smitherman, the weapons tech maintenance man stepped forward looking up at her as if she were the largest building in the universe. 'We saw that your... your shoes were dirty. We cleaned the computer, and the alcove here, we were just finishing up.' He gulped as if it might be a sin to have touched her in her sleep. The men seemed to be holding their breath. It made no difference to Seven. She checked her foot wear to validate the claims.
'My shoes are indeed cleaner, except the bottoms.' she lifted each. The sides and top were shining as promised.
'Uh, may we...' Leonard asked holding up the sonic particle projector used primarily to clean debris from shuttles after away missions. It was replicated to his own scale for use.
Arching her eye brow she didn't deny the request.
She raised her foot and three men shot under it quickly to get the job done. Two were hauling the big thermal energy pack. Leonard used the nozzle to clean the bottom of her shoe to perfection. Then they repeated when she lifted the other shoe.
Seven inspected the job. 'You've done a thourough job cleaning my foot wear. However. It was a waist of time and resources since the cleanliness of my shoes is irrelevant.' she'd let them do it against every strand of logic in her brain. Yet, it made her angry that they'd done it because it was even FURTHER confusing her. She hated to be confuesed more than anything. Why was she ENJOYING their efforts to clean her shoes? They were just shoes!
'Sorry,' is all they said and beamed themselves back to the little villiage they'd built for themselves on the work bench. Seven looked at them all looking at her and didn't know what to do.
Instead of resuming her work, she practically ran out the door to get away from everything.
Very seldom did Seven wander the ship with no particular destination. But the walls moving gave her the feeling of not standing still. She had to get some air. When all other human emotions escaped her, there was always tension to fall back upon.

******************************************************************

Jackson Shroder appeared on her desk only an hour after he'd left.
He nearly shit a Romulan cruiser with extra engine nacelles when he saw the captain.
She was wearing blue. All his eyes could see was the curves and arcs of lacey blue.
It set off her hair in a disturbingly primal way. Her eyes were sparkling as she looked at him. Light headed music played in the background of some long ago sensual melody.
He gulped back the ideas he'd been thinking about since he'd been aboard the ship. Screw winning her approval as a Star Fleet officer! He'd LOVE a chance to just kiss her.
'Report.' she lifted her hand palm up to display her elbow length fingerless gloves. He was CERTAIN he'd accidently beamed aboard the holodeck, or a Vorgonian pleasure cruiser, but this was REAL! It was captain Janeway in the flesh.
And UNIVERSE!
What flesh!
'I...' he'd forgotten all the crap he'd just been though as he looked at her.
He had to fumble with his thoughts to put it all together into sentences again. 'I looked in on all the guys. They're settled in just like the roster said... but.' he had something to report. He wasn't used to reporting to such an elegant and aluring superior. Janeway decided to make it easier on him.
'Shall we?' she lowered her upturned palm to the desk level. He looked at the texture of her flawless hand trying despirately not to have an 'embarassing' accident. He stepped toward her hand.
'Step on it?' he asked gulping.
'Unless you'd rather beam yourself. Don't worry. I won't break. I assure you.' she smiled with the most sultry eyes. She'd done her makeup differently and everything. Her red hair was lusciously clinging to her face as her perfume filled his being with awe.
He was at a loss for words as he gently stepped onto the captain's hand hoping he wouldn't hurt her.
When she began to move, he held on for dear life. He finally realized that beating her hand with all his might would have accomplished nothing but a minor finger message for the immense beauty.
'Let's just relax and talk about it. I'm interested to know how the crew is doing, without them knowing it for once. I don't usually pry into their personal lives, but I am interested in the safety of the men. What did you see? Off the record.' she layed back on her couch pulling her legs up so that her knees were eye level with her, then placed him on her knee as she lounged back. It had the desired effect on him. He could not hide the embarasing rise any longer as he stood on the island of her knee cap looking down her bare legs at her lingerie that was cut like a skimpy one piece bathing suit. It was stransparant in the most ENDEARING places.
'I, um. I saw... some things. I'm...' His face was now the same color as her hair and he was sweating like a Vulacan sand weasel.
'Come now. One at a time. How are B'elana and Tom doing?'
'Ah, they were. Well. B'elana was threatening the Equinox lady, Gilmore. But Tom looked okay, sort of. I couldn't see Mr. Morrow so I had the transporter beam me right next to him. He was in her hair. He said that Marla was treating him quite favorably. So next I had the transporter beam me next to Tom. He was in pitch blackness in B'elana's tool bag. He was afraid to transport out, but had the transporter make a shuttle with buckle in seats. We talked in it for a while, he's... well... kind of afraid of B'elana. You know?'
He was rambling, but it was calming to the captain.
Yes.
She knew exactly what it must be like to be at B'elana's mercy. But she ALSO knew her defected Marquis was full of love. He'd be on pins and needles trying to sweeten up from now on.
'And Seven?' she asked. She'd glanced over the roster herself and was quite surprised by the number of men that went to her. But the jealousy was mixed with pride. She'd seen Seven come A LONG way indeed. She was PROUD of her accomplishment.
'Bad.' Jackson said with his fear overcoming his sexual drive for a moment. He was worried abou the whole thing. He didn't want to report the truth, but it HAD to be told. He hoped that it wouldn't bring Seven down on him later.
'Bad?!' Janeway had NOT expected it. But anything was possible with Seven.
'She won't even talk to them like people, I talked with them and they're afraid she hates them. They tried EVERYTHING to be nice to her, even cleaned her alcove and shoes, but she stormed out and left them there... alone.' He was almost choking on his own words not wanting to have to say anything.
Janeway lost her mood too. She took Jackson in her fingers. He was bracing himself to be killed instantly. Her fingers were stronger than any star ship drive (to his scale). He quivered. It was the end. He'd be squashed like a grape. The captain wouldn't even feel his bones breaking.
But he wasn't dead. Her fingers closed and he was lifted as if he was in a sky bucket. Her hand was closed all around him like a Venus fly trap. He could her her voice as she took action.
'This is captain Janeway to Seven of Nine. In my quarters on the double!' she ordered.

*********************************************************

Celina had gone out to get another meal. Her 'escort' was called to other duties.
Selina was left alone aboard Voyager. Exactly the opportunity she'd been looking for.
She KNEW the ship was intelligent. She'd seen the people talking to the ship and getting answers. She tried it herself.
'Computer? Do you hear me?' she asked aloud. Ordinarilly she'd think herself going mad. But the new opportunities were opening up all around her too much to pass them by.
'Affirmative.' an automated voice replied.
'Can you show me back to my quarters?' she asked aloud where no one else could hear. She had to chose her words carefully.
'Corridor six to turbolift shaft. Deck four, block 41.' it announce dutifully.
'Am I allowed to go anywhere else besides there?' she asked looking around to make sure no one else was watching her talk to their computer.
'Minimum access granted.' the computer replied. As long as she wasn't under arrest, she had freedom to alot of areas.
'Tell me where's the first place from here I may go...' she followed directions wishing she had one of the little personal units the crew had. She felt like a crocidile in the school yard having to talk to the walls for guidance.
Very obvious. But also very convinient.
But it was the same 'obvious' stance that let the other very busy crew ignore her as if they'd seen the monsterous offworlder walking about on the ship all their lives. She was lead to a cleaning closet. It wasn't locked. It lead her to a maintenance storage room. There were pleanty of goodies in it, but Celina wasn't here for petty theft. She didn't know what any of the strange things did anyway. She went next to another storage room that had parts for repairing the ship's interior. Paint and plastisteele plating. The next room almost made her want to scream success.
The door opened and she was standing an a strange storage room with a hiddeous machine unlike anything else aboard the clean ship running in the corner. And right before her was a table with tiny men on it. They were moving about as if they weren't real, but Selina had a very heightened sense of smell. A hand me down from the 'bad old days' on her planet. She could smell that they were very real. And she could smell their fear when she was spotted by them. She had to do something quickly.
'Hello. I was just touring your ship and got lost...' she had to again select her words carefully.
'Computer! Construct a level three forcefield around this work bench!' Tuvok said quickly and sharply. As quickly as the opportunity had come, it was gone. Celina knew nothing of forcefields, but the ship's computer would be able to make something that could stop her. She was at least THAT smart. She had to play her cards VERY carefully, and try not to let them see her mouth watering. Maybe she could get force shield technology from them as well.
'I've never SEEN such small people before. The women must hide you VERY carefully so that UNtrustworthey intruders don't steal you away.' she jestured with her hands and realized her mistake. Her claws further frightened them. There may have been a forcefield around them, but several men, even tiny, sweating badly put off a powerfull scent to Celina's delicate sense of smell.
She knew none of their names, but recognized them by tiny traits. A medium skined man with slanted eyes and black hair did more talking than the pointy eared dark man. The dark skinned man with pointed ears had saved thier lives, but it was all for the best. Selena would have SURELY been executed for doing such a thing. With such a smart ship she'd have been caught immediately. She had to THINK her way through this.
'You shouldn't be in here. We cannot help you...' the medium skinned man was about to call for real help.
'Please, I mean no harm. Just one question and I'll be on my humble way...' she tried to hide her teeth as much as possible too.
'Yes?' one of the men stepped forward. He was bigger than the others, but not by much and had a wisp of blonde hair that made him stand out even further.
'Our race has a TERRIBLE problem with transporting things. Is there anything you can tell me about your transporter? I mean, as long as I don't get anyone into trouble? The others aboard seem too busy for my stupid questions...' she leaned against the wall. It was the most un intimidating stance she could take.
The men bought it. One of them beamed himself outside the containment field onto a crate that was right beside Selena's elbow. It was all she could do not to grab him and devour him like a grub worm. But she COULD control herself if there was a bigger war to be won later. The tiny man was SOOOOO vulnerable she couldn't believe it.
Did he actually believe his trusty computer would save him if she pounced upon him? One jerk of her talons and the tiny man would be a whisp of meat on her finger. She shrugged to herself. It was a test of course. Life was full of tests.
'We probably can't tell you EVERYTHING about the transporter. That's federation law. But we do give some theory to other civilizations that are helping us. You're the Forlocci trader right?' he asked reading off a tabulator that had all of the information that she so despirately wanted. It was funny. All the information that could make her world a powerhouse (and herself fabulously wealthy) fit in a chip less than the size of the tip of her talon. She craned her kneck further away so that he wouldn't be looking down her throat when she spoke.
'Anything you can tell me, I'd be MOST greatfull, but I'm just a STUPID diplomat you see. I'd have to record it so my engineers could hear it.' she indicated her communicator hanging off her her robe like a decoration.
'Sure, no problem.' the tiny blonde man began reading off some formulas and gave the composition of the materials that would have to be combined to make a basic no frills transporter. She waited patiently all the while wondering what all the drivel meant. She was sure it was useless blabber to her people. But she knew that any one of the tiny men could bring the whole ship against her at any second.
'And that's about all I can tell you.' the tiny man concluded.
'I'm eternally greatfull. And now, I'm VERY tired. I haven't slept in two cycles during these negotiations.' she could stay up for a straight month with no side effects, but these 'humans' didn't have to know that.
'Well, if you're lost, we could beam you back to your quarters, or I could just go with you and show you?'
'I could NEVER repay your kindness. Would you please?' she extended her hand with her claws tucked into her fist. He stood on the back of her hand and held on to the cuff of her robe as if it were a hand rail.
'Straight out the door, go left.' he began. Celina could hardly contain her excitement. She'd found what she'd wanted all her life. Tiny sentient beings that could be spies, or servants, or food all wraped into one. And they were incredibly intelegent! One of the other 'gifts' from her ancestors was steady hands. She held out her downturned hand like a platform for her tiny passenger. She doubted any of the human females could have kept such a steady hand while walking. He didn't even have to hold onto the cuff.

*************************************************************

B'elana got out of the shower and made herself a quick snack with her replicator. It was late any way she added it up. She'd been up for 18 straight hours. The mental fatigue was already set in. She was simply going to crash on the bed when she remembered she'd WANTED to do something with Tom.
'Tom?!' she looked at her tool box and remembered tossing him in it. She hurriedly pulled it open and gently dumped the contents onto the table. She was afraid she'd see a beat to death tiny corpse in with the tools, but to her relief she found Tom inside a non descript shuttle. He was secured into the pilot's chair and awaking from his sleep.
B'elana felt like the villian yet again.
She dug her thumb nail into the top of the shuttle and ripped it open like a cheap toy. She then tore the chair out with Tom still attached and crumpled up the rest of the ruined shuttle like a piece of aluminum foil to toss it into the garbage. 'Tom. I'm sorry.' she said meaning it. He was still awakening and began to unbuckle from the ruined chair before she decided to crush it as well.
'Tom, I don't want to fight. Can't we just talk about it tomorrow. I'm really tired. Aren't you?' she knew he was. He'd slept in her tool box that must have battered him around like the inside of a crashing star ship.
He was still grumbling and rubbing his eyes. She knew he would be very sore from his ordeal, and it was still her 'fault' she layed him down flat in her palm and crumpled the tiny empty chair in her hand to toss into the trash with the crumpled shuttle.
Tom gulped as B'elana walked them to her bed.
It would be the first time he was invited 'in for the night', but it was for all the wrong reasons. She'd imagined their first intimate night together, on the holodeck, with a huge Earth designed bed. Candles, maybe a Klingon sized swirl tub.
Instead she was cupping Tom in her palm and rubbing him gently with one finger tip hoping not to 'break' him any more. Of course all the nice couldn't overcome the discomfort he was in now.
She was hurting inside. Their relationship had ALWAYS been the same. Him becoming smaller was just a way for her to recognize it even more. Except now, he was afraid to argue with her. She could too easilly hurt him, whereas before he could at least defend himself from her anger.
In her half asleep/half awake conscious brain she began to cry looking at him. Perhaps the Klingon side of her brain was asleep. Perhaps she was losing touch with reality now that reality had drastically altered the only man she could even begin to love. He was still awake as her finger went up and down his body gently. It was one of the very rare 'gentle' B'elana Torres moments.
'Why are you crying?' Tom asked looking up at her. He was definitly NOT going to cry and show weakness to her. But seeing her cry made it too difficult to hold back anything from her. Her huge brown eyes were even more expressive as they moistened.
'Please don't stop... loving me?' she asked. He could very easilly hate her for the rest of his life now. She'd quickly became his enemy and hadn't even tried to. Tom wasn't prepared for her to be in pain. He thought she'd be gloating about her power over him. Ready to push him to the limit just to see if he'd snap. But she was even more caring than she'd been to him at his normal size.
He despirately wanted to put his arms around her. Right now the best he could do was hug her finger. He got an idea and whispered into his mike. B'elana was momentarily startled when he dematerialized in her palm.
'Tom?' she was about to get up and look for him, but he was definitely with her. She felt his tiny presence on her kneck. He began whispering in her ear.
'If I never grow back, if I get killed tonight. You must remember I won't stop loving you. I know you won't stop loving me.' hugged her ear lobe. It was exactly the right thing at exactly the right time. The well of tears over flowed and she slept with Tom nestled in her hair keeping a warm spot that warmed more than their flesh.


Chapter 8


Janeway was steady as Seven came through the door. She hadn't bothered changing her clothes. Such things were 'irrelevant' when dealing with the half Borg beauty anyway. Her posture was straight, her lips tensed. She didn't know what to expect. Was Seven in a rage, or was she confused again? She decided long ago to never try and out guess a young woman struggling with her emotions. She knew first hand!
'Captain?' Seven asked. Her posture was also straight, but her hands were writhing together. Something that Seven just simply didn't do unless stressed out.
'Where are your men?' Janeway asked realizing the taller blonde had forgotten the 'order'. She gulped.
'They are... safe in my alcove storage room.' she tried to say confidently.
'And what about your orders to watch them. There is a Forlocci on board you know.'
'I had to get away...' Seven began.
'I don't give orders unless I expect people to follow them.' That was the blunt of Janeway's ass chewing. She wouldn't even have to take it further for her 'point' to be taken to heart. Good leadership sometimes meant not punishing for every mistake.
'Will they be taken away now?' Seven asked with hope in her voice. Janeway knew better. She sighed and let herself relax into her usual cool posture.
'Coffee?' she asked.
Seven looked at her puzzled. She wanted to know what the punishment would be.
'No.' Seven never drank the stuff. After her bout with alcohol during one of the celebrations, she'd decided body altering chemicals were strictly NOT for her.
'Well. Why did you leave them?' Janeway sat and realized that her evening wear WAS a bit more revealing than she'd remembered. She'd seen Seven's eyes wandering a bit. Perhaps she was curious because she herself had never worn lingerie.
Janeway crossed her legs and hoped no one else showed up unannounced. At least she knew it WOULDN'T be Chakotay.
'I had to. I had to think.' Seven looked at the floor. It was shame again. Janeway had seen it a hundred times now. She felt the same compassion as always. She'd had the luxury of growing up around humans. Anica Hansen didn't. She had Seven be seated beside her so they could hold hands. Such a trivial gesture. It meant ALOT when talking to the tall curvacious blonde who seemed to struggle with anything resembling human emotions.
'What happened?'
'The men... some of them. They became difficult to understand.' she began. She was looking at her shoes. Janeway noticed that her shoes looked brand new. Not an odd thing, but with Seven notable. She supposed she'd been wearing the same footwear since she'd received her fist star fleet uniform. She was the type that considered anything 'working' as efficient.
'What were they saying? More human slang?' Janeway wondered.
'They cleaned my alcove during my sleep cycle... And they cleaned my shoes.' she now pulled her foot up to show the captain better.
'Well. Remind them if they get too bored they can come and shine my shoes anytime.' it was a releif. At least they weren't trying to beam into her uniform or anything. It made Seven more puzzled.
'Cleaning footwear is a useless gesture. A waist of time. They should NOT have done it.'
'C'mon, Seven. They were trying to be nice. They don't have duties any longer. They were just trying to look after you. Maybe they felt like they weren't getting anything accomplished, so it was their way of thanking you.' Janeway could already guess their real motive. She'd been couped up in star ships long enought and been an explorer at heart to know a few things.
'Nice. Nice is also irrelevant. I am the reason they are reduced in size. They could have stayed at their new shelters. They could have...' Seven didn't know what was wrong.
She was lying to the captain.
That was something she vowed not to do. She tried again. 'It was wrong because I enjoyed it.' She said flatly.
'Enjoyed it? I'd enjoy it too. What's wrong with that?'
'Captain?!' Seven could NOT believe her ears. The captain, the one who TAUGHT her human compassion was now saying that she would relish having the crew beneath her foot. It made her the most confused Borg in the sector.
If the Borg queen ever got wind of this, she'd be using nano probes on every enemy ship to shrink the whole crew and crush them beneath her own Borg foot. Seven shuddered at the mental image of several humans looking up at the Borg queen's foot and screaming as it came down to crush them into paist.
Janeway could see the pain Seven was in. She quickly put her hand to Seven's face. 'Why is it wrong? They were trying to be nice. I'd clean your alcove too if I had the time.' she offered.
'Then I must get back at once and repair this problem.' Seven said trying to stand.
'Never mind them. Computer. Check on the men at Seven of Nine's alcove.' she waved away the order in lieu of Seven's discomfort. 'We'll have the computer do the baby sitting...'
'All accounted for except one.' the automated voice said emotionlessly. Janeway's spine began to tingle.
'Report the location of the missing man...' she ordered.
'Lieutenant Smitherman is with the Forlocci diplomat in her quarters.' the computer barely had time to finish the sentence when Janeway sprung into action.
'Computer, my clothes!' she ordered. She usually didn't use such resources for changing clothes. It was indeed a waist of energy, but she couldn't go around the ship in her underwear.
She took her phaser and Seven toward the Forlocci's room. The tingling in her spine had grown to a full case of the willies. She imagined somehow Smitherman getting caught by the nightmarish creature, and knowing that the Forlocci ate their food live!? She walked faster than ever before. She'd seen the holographic Klingon eating... horrible! Seven had trouble keeping up with her.

***************************************************

Marla was still glad to have duties again. She was familiarized with a console not unlike the many consoles she'd seen aboard the Eqinox. She pondered the functions for a moment and remembered James. She reached behind her head and dug her fingers into her hair. 'James, come out. I've got a question.' she felt him cling on to her finger and took him out. He was tired from taking naps on and off all day.
'Are you okay?' she asked noting his grogginess.
'I'm okay. Could I get you to carry a purse or something though? Sleeping in your hair is killing me.' he tried to keep his spirits up. Marla was incapable of being a tyrant bitch, he knew it wasn't her fault he was sore all over. She thought a moment.
'Okay. I could tote an away bag and you could have the replicator make anything you wish to go in it.'
'Yea! That's wonderfull!' he knew she'd tote the bag. He just asked so he wouldn't seem as cranky as he felt.
'This console has the upperfunctions locked out, I don't have full access yet. I forgot how to get to the lower level diagnostics...' she began. The console was still unfamiliar. It was a dedicated unit that was integrated into the power grid for the defences.
Within a few moments she and her tiny charge had it figured out. He just sat straddling one of her fingers and rode it like a horse pointing out keys for her to press. 'Thank you.' she kissed him like a lucky charm, and then realized what she'd done. 'I mean, sorry.' she was embarassed having kissed him like that.
He was startled too. 'Uh, you just surpised me is all. You, uh, kiss nice Marla.' he didn't feel 'wet' at all. She'd popped her lips though and it left his ears ringing.
'I wasn't trying to, you know?' she was trying to think of a way to change the subject.
'Uh, I liked it. I was hoping we'd get closer aboard Voyager here, I just didn't know it would be THIS close.'
'I'm sorry.' Marla said looking around to make sure no one saw her exposing her man to anyone.
'Don't be sorry! I'm just lucky you're so nice! Did you see what happened to Tom?'
'Yea, poor guy.' Marla didn't mean to speak against B'elana. But it was hard to imagine being only a few inches tall before the hot tempred engineer. For the thousandth time she was glad she wasn't one of the people shrunk.
'Someone's coming...' Jame's could also hear better at his current size. The footsteps sounded like a lumbering heard of elephants to him. Marla closed her hand on him and tucked him in to her heart hoping she wasn't spotted and reported. The slightest reprimand would be devastating after only being reinstated for a few hours.
It was the duty watch engineer. And she was headed STRAIGHT for Marla.
'Here's the next list of functions to be checked. And we're running a containment field FULL diagnostic before we go to warp again.' the part asian engineer was handing over a full roster of chores. She felt James slip down the front of her uniform.
'Great. I'll start right away.' Marla put her hands out to take the orders and begin now that they'd figured out the console. Marla was biting her lip as she worked.
The asian engineer would NOT leave.
James was stuck in her top for a while. All Marla could think was, 'it's a good thing I took a shower at the beginning of the watch.'

**************************************************

All James could think was 'How wonderfull' as he slid against soft nice smelling flesh and tight starfleet issue fabric. He noticed Marla had freckles all around her cleavage. He didn't dare move for fear that the movement would be noticed. He gulped each time Marla moved her arms above her head to access another panel. He slid down further each time she did this. He was trying to stay as still as possible, but her body was extremely hot and he was sweating making it even easier for him to slide. Would he be detected?

**************************************************

The door swung open. The first one through was Seven of Nine. The next was captain Janeway along with two other security officers that were also technicians. The four women had phasers drawn as they found the Forlocci. She was sitting on her bed and on the table was a tiny blonde haired man.
'Stand down...' Janeway said reflexively. But the pale faced monsteress was already sitting.
'Captain?' she asked shying away from the weapons aimed at her.
'Captain! No!' the tiny man insisted putting his arms up to get their attention better.
Janeway stepped closer. 'What happened?'
'I was just chatting with her. We were comparing home worlds!' It was funny. Janeway could see that Smitherman was alot more afraid of her and her phaser than he was of the fanged monsteress. She waved the guards away with a sigh.
'I owe you an oppology.' she looked at the Forlocci diplomat, she holstered her phaser immediately.
Seven did not.
Janeway didn't notice Seven anyway. 'We were worried when the computer found one of our men missing.' Janeway explained. The wrinkles on Celina's head began bobbing up and down as they did during their trade agreement.
'No appology necessary. I would equally be alarmed if I had such an asset go missing.' she bowed a bit to Smitherman. 'And I was just about to ask him to let me sleep. I am VERY tired and need to rest.'
'Yes. Of course. I'll see you again at your liesure.' Janeway indicated that Seven should 'get her man'. The tall blonde Borg looked at him pensively, then finally took Smitherman in her palm as if he were an egg and dropped him in her empty phaser pouch.
Janeway and Seven made their getaway together. The Captain felt super relieved, and annoyed at the same time. If everyone had just followed ORDERS, none of this would have taken place! She said not another word to Seven as they parted ways on the turbo lift.

***********************************************************

'C'mon Neelix. How do I make the icing ripple like you do?' Naomi was trying to texture the icing with her fingertip with disasterous results.
'Oh, no. You coat the cake like so.' Neelix had a tiny duplicate of a cake to show her his cooking class. He expertly messaged on icing with a rubber spatula. 'And then, the frills.' he was ever so happy teaching food to such an eager student. He had the computer make him a copy of his favorite icing gun. 'Now you select the shape, and voila!' he began ridging the cake with the desired ripples.
Naomi took her rubber spatula and cleared off her previous efforts, and found the real life size icing gun to load and trim her cake.
Namomi was also covered in chocolate before her first cake was done.
'Yes, that's right.' Neelix said just as Naomi knocked him off the counter with her elbow. 'Aaahhh!!' He fell face first into her new cake.
'Neelix? Neelix, where are you?' Naomi pushed the cluttered cooking tools into the big pot sink and came back to look for Neelix, and found him face down in her fresh icing job. 'Neelix! You can't have any yet! I was going to show it to my mom!' she huffed and pulled him out. But she could see that he didn't JUMP in. He was tring to get icing out of his mouth. If it was one thing that the Talaxian had never been, it was athletic.
'Uhgh! No. Aguh.' Neelix finally got a breath and scooped away icing with his hands as if it were the most vile of mud.
'Oh, Neelix.' Naomi licked his face and removed a huge portion of the chocolate goo. The Talaxian wasn't sure if he appreciated the help, then another voice interrupted.
'Well, well.' it was Lieutenant Gaines from the armory. She'd been forced to help out in the kitchen in a pinch before. Now she was coming in early for the next meal time and found Neelix in his current 'predicament'. 'That's not how you do it, here.' Susan took Neelix from Naomi and put him inside her mouth and closed it.
'Neelix?!' Naomi was shocked. The tall dark haired woman rolled him around and finally spit him out into the dish water. Neelix couldn't swim in the bubbly mirth, but Susan was there to pester him, not to do him harm. She scooped him out and presented him back to Naomi Wildman. He was completely soaked and degraded.
The exact effect Susan wanted to put upon him.
'OH! You get so DIRTY playing with KIDS you know.' she scoffed at Neelix evilly and strode to the back to put on her apron.
'Why is she so mean?!' Naomi wanted to hit the adult, but that was something she simply couldn't do. She had to do nothing. Neelix was cold and wet in her hand.
'Mean just to be mean I suppose. I'm going to beam home if you don't mind.' he was shivering but at least he'd been thoroughly cleaned. Too thouroughly. He'd been bounced around like a leaf in the wind in Susan's mouth. Now he was shaking like a leaf thinking how easilly she could have messed him up. He dematerialized in Naomi's hand and she took off home to try and beat him there.

******************************************************

The main scanning lab was quiet.
Lieutenant Tania Morris was all by herself for hours. She'd kept everyone in her department at arm's length during her the whole delta quadrant ordeal. She had made sure that her 'reputation' was untainted. She'd made sure that absoloutely no man aboard would choose her to look after them. Pete and Mark were now with Seven of Nine somewhere else aboard the ship as she sat and looked over the scan logs for anomalies.
Her mind wasn't on her job.
It was payback for all the times she'd 'turned down' any friendly contact with the men. She was a good looking women, no one would deny it, but it also meant that she would have to work overtime not to have a tainted reputation for being easy. She was actually tring to be just like Seven of Nine. And in the end, Seven still got the men. It just simply was not fair!
Tania couldn't smile as more orders came down from engineering. They wanted to use a sensor array directed toward the warp core. She switched over an auxiliary system and watched the data go by. All of the ohter women she even knew aboard the ship had a man of their very own. Or in Seven's case, her own harem.
Again her brain screamed that it just wasn't fair. She got up from the console and took a walk. Somewhere aboard ship there had to be something going on.
Of course, there wouldn't be any male chauvinism what so ever.
That was awkward.
That was the only thing she was geared to deal with.
Tania saw only women as she walked. Most of them smiling to themselves as they traveled, even though their duty shifts had been doubled. She sighed to herself and on a whim began walking toward Seven of Nine's lab. Perhaps she'd get a few pointers in case this ever happened again, she might have a boyfriend by then that she could look after.
Then she remembered that the possibility of all the men on board the ship shrinking to a few inches tall was almost overwhelming. A once in a lifetime deal. Once in the lifetime of the UNIVERSE deal. And she'd missed out.
She came up with an excuse to see Seven as she walked.

**********************************************

Neelix was disturbed and confused as he washed again. He'd talked with some of the other men with his communicator and found that they were having temporary shelters replicated at their scale. He did the same and was cleaning up. He felt extrememly shot down. There was no news that they might become full sized again.
He could be this way for the rest of his life.
To him, it seemed as if he should have just been killed. Going on like this seemed more and more unacceptible. He'd just been totally humiliated by a woman that could care LESS about his feelings. And he was powerless to stop her. The Telaxian had never considered himself a male egoist, but what male ego he had was lying in pieces at the bottom of the pot sink in the kitchen.
Neelix was hardly ever one to contemplate suicide, but it was becoming too much to bare.
He looked out the window of the temporary shelter and saw Naomi Wildman's teddy bear. It was nothing but a toy, and it was ten tiemes bigger than Neelix himself. He sat on a fold up chair and wallowed a bit in self pity. He didn't know if he could wait. If news came that it was permanent after waiting so long...
He heard footsteps. Naomi was upon him. The ribs of her forehead appeared in the window. 'Neelix? Are you in there?'
She was innocent. None of this was her fault.
He was contemplating ending it all. But he'd have to do it in such a way that it wouldn't effect Naomi when she grew up. He'd have to do it quickly and quietly.
A mystery disappearance. At his present size, he could just go down a garbage chute and be ejected into space. But that might take too long, and the computer would know where he was. He'd have to take off his badge and jump off of something.
'Neelix?' Naomi asked again. Her hands wraped around the little structure he was in. He felt as if he were being attacked by a giant sea serpent in a ship in the ocean. He was swayed around as it was picked up and Naomi tore off the door with her fingers and dumped Neelix out onto her palm. He fell with several other items including the fold up chair.
'Neelix! Why didn't you come out?' she peered down at him. He was so tired.
'Naomi Wildman. Please just give me time to think.'
'Are you still thinking about Susan? I wish she was your size, I'd make SURE she never hurt you again!'
'I appreciate the concern Naomi Wildman, but I think I just need some time alone.' Neelix was about to blow his cool. Naomi shrugged and put him down to go see her mom who was in the living room reading a real paper book. Neelix walked back into the temporary structure dragging the chair behind him. 'Woe is me.' actually had a meaning to him as he tripped on a single strand of Naomi's hair that had wrapped around one of his feet. He could use the single strand of hair to hang himself. He began coiling the single strand around his arm to take it with him. It was funny how he couild use a single strand of a child's hair to end his life. 'Woe is me.'

***********************************************

Janeway was thouroughly exhausted when she returned to her quarters. In her haiste, she'd ALSO left her man unattended. She shrugged to herself. 'Captain's Privilage.' she was too tired to care at the moment. She went in and found her tiny man asleep on her desk. She didn't want to bother him so she slid onto her bunk without worrying about changing. She was so used to the uniform, she often slept in it without a second thought. In her sleep she dreamed of strange things and giant monsters that sometimes had human heads. They weren't nightmares, but visions to be looked at as art.
Even Janeway's dreams had class.

************************************************

Seven didn't have to dump the tiny man out of her phaser holster. He'd beamed himself out.
'I shall resume my work.' she informed the men. Niceties would have to wait for later. She went to work on her console when one of the sensor array technicians came in. Seven remembered interacting with her on several occasions. None of the talking they did was considered remotely freindly. Seven turned to face her.
'How may I assist you?' she began. It was an odd sort of thing that she tried to do now that she was learning human formalities.
'I was going to give you the sensor logs that happened during the tragic... I mean. That was recorded during the incident.'
'The exterior sensor logs are irrelevant. The incident was triggered by internal problems.' Seven said coldly. Tania shrugged. Her plot had hit a stone wall.
'Well. While I'm here. May I speak with my partners from the lab. I have a few questions.' Tania was twirling her shoulder length brown hair around one finger as she kept shifting her weight back and fourth.
She wasn't haluscinating.
The guys were actually looking at her instead of Seven!
Seven didn't even look away from her work to reply. 'Proceed.'
Tania leaned close to the console she'd been examining since she came in. Many men aboard the ship were there. They had all come out to see her now. She felt like she was on a podium giving a speach she had so many people's attention. 'Uh, Pete, Mark? Were the last logs updated before you were... shrunk?' she asked trying not to be at all like her usual self. She'd never called them by thier first names before.
Pete Sheldon thought a moment. 'We entered everything in the computer, didn't it come up?'
'Oh, I'll double check when I go back. So, how are you doing?' she asked. The two of them were in different temporary shelters, but she could look back and fourth as if browsing ripe tomataos. All of the men fit on the small square bench top along with their houses with room to spare!
'Doing? I suppose we're okay.' Pete shrugged said looking up at her. Mark knodded too.
'Well, if you want to come visit I'm sure the captain wouldn't mind visitors. Right?' she smiled down at them. Her big brown eyes were expressive as she begged with her voice.
It made no sense to the two men that knew her. The other men were looking at each other wondering what they were doing with Seven, the ice queen of space. Mark had always thought Tania would stick a man his size in a pencil sharpener and grind him to bits. Instead, she was warm. Her full lips pursed as if she were sorry for them.
Suddenly Seven was behind Tania. 'A visit would be appropriate.' she encouraged.
Tania was surprised.
'You don't mind if they come and visit with me?!' she was expecting the Borg lady to refuse to even let her talk to them. Now she was allowing her to get her two freinds, IF only they would agree to come?
'So what about it guys? We could all eat in the mess hall?' she was asking Pete and Mark, but Seven suddenly came around carrying a shuttle in her hands designed to carry alot of passengers. She'd replicated a copy of a Federation planetary ferry.
'This should be efficient. You shall all go with Lieutenant Morris. Board now.' Seven held the shuttle to the edge of the work bench. The men began thier trek to board it and leave their new homes. Tania couldn NOT believe her eyes. She was getting ALL of the men!!!
'I'll bring them back as soon as possible.' Tania promised.
'Do not bother. My work does not require their presence.' she turned back to her console and entered in that the men were now attended by Tania. The brunette looked at the shuttle as if she were carying the whole ship in her hands. She walked to the mess hall and had the current cook make them the nicest meal possible. Her smile wraped around to her ears she was so happy.

**************************************************

B'elana awoke to her alarm. She was in a daze for a few moments as she looked around and found her com badge to pin on. It was a daily ritual for years now. She suddenly rememberd Tom and found he was no where to be found. 'Tom?' she rubbed her eyes and when she opened them, there was a luxuruious breakfast before her face giving off luscious smells. She looked it over in disbelief, then Tom re-appeared beside the tray on her night stand.
'Breakfast is served!' he announced. B'elana was surprised.
'What's all of this?! The captain would have a fit!' he'd even replicated a silver tray. It was a blatant misuse of energy. Tom shrugged.
'I don't eat much now, and I didn't use any power to run my Captain Proton simulation. So, I guess YOU should recieve the amount of power I would have used, and I KNOW you like Rhodorian eggs?' he pulled the kerchief off off the egg platter as if he were pulling the table cloth off of a table. B'elana was impressed. Tom was feeling down, but not for the count. He had a smile for her.
'How thoughtfull!' was all she could say. She'd gone from tyrant, to loved one. B'elana would chose the latter any day. The food was scrumptous and Tom was charming as she relaxed a bit before another of the grooling long shifts. 'Soooo. You're feeling okay?' she asked. He was still moving his shoulders to turn his head.
'I'll survive.' he took a corner of french toast and began eating it. It would fill him up and it was merely a crumb to B'elana. 'And, I've got an idea.' he was posing it as a question more than an idea. B'elana knew it may be another of his crazy ideas, like having that old wreck of a ship 'Alice' aboard that nearly got him killed.
'Oh?' she asked hoping it would not ruin the moment.
'If we're going to stay this way, I could. Well. We could alter the controls to the Delta flier, and I could still pilot away missions.' he suggested hopefully.
'If anyone could fly it, you could, but what if we hit some turbulance? One little zap of radiation and...' she indicated POOF with her fingertips.
'But I could fly untill I get killed, and then someone else could fly...' he reasoned. He couldn't deny that there were always dangers in such a small ship as the Delta Flier. It had almost killed several people already in it's short career, but it had saved several lives as well. His reasoning had gone sour. B'elana wasn't even listening to him now.
'Here. No more talk of that. We've got a long day, and I don't WANT you to get killed. Understand?' she got up to visit her restroom and changed uniforms into a different cut that had a front over hanging panel. She took Tom and put him in the breast sash and patted him. 'Better?' she asked. Tom gulped. B'elana wasn't wearing certain articles of under clothing and a few things were showing from inside her uniform top. He slid down to be held to her belly by the large flat belt tied snugly in place. Tom looked up in awe at what was filling her top so nicely.
'Uh, I'll be okay...' he had pleanty of room with her breasts holding the fabric out in an inverted teepee. He gulped again. They giggled above his head as she began to walk back to engineering. WHAT A VIEW!!!

***************************************************

Marla couldn't believe how long the complete diagnostics were taking. They were scanning the warp core at the atomic level looking for stress fractures or cracks that might lead to failure later. They had to double check all welds and patches for integrity. She was afraid that James was going to slink all the way down the front of her suit and....
'Check the mounts as well.' the beautifull asian engineer prompted her. Marla's fingers shook. She had to reach over her head again. She bit her lower lip and reached up. She felt the slip, and just like that James was falling in the loose material around her belly. Marla quickly sat on the edge of the console and began reading off the data again as if nothing were wrong. Diandra selected a program sequence and sat beside her.
'So... where is he now?' she asked. Her beautifull brown eyes were peering down Marla's front trying to look down her top.
'Excuse me?!' Marla asked suddenly even more self conscious and sweating.
'Isn't that one of the men from the Equinox?' She asked pointing at Marla's lap. There was a small squirming beneath the fabric visible to them both. Marla hadn't looked at what a large lump James made or she would have KNOWN how obvious he was.
'I... uh...' Marla was in pain now. She would get demoted again for sure, but the raven haired engineer just smiled.
'My Matt has been too afriad to go there, haven't you sweetie?' she talked to her cleavage, but a voice answered her that was NOT coming from a communicator.
Marla was stunned. Of course the women were having to hide their men. With the snug fit uniforms, the hiding places were VERY limited. The tall blonde gulped as Diandra Cohen brought her man out from between her orange sized perfect breasts.
Now it was Marla's turn to 'show and tell' she had to unzip her top and reach down the front to feel for the stuggling tiny man that slid so close to her crotch. He was releived to be extracted, but still nervous about the Asian beauty looming over him like a sky scraper.
'And he's so cute. Perhaps we could trade? I like an adventurous man!' the asian licked her lips looking at James.
'Uh, maybe some other time.' Marla said with her cheeks redder than an klingon torpedo. 'It was an accident.' she said defensively.
'Oh. He doesn't look as if he disliked it. Do you?' she brought her exotic eyes so close to James he could practically see the scolara at the back of her eye.
'I like Marla. I'd like to stay with her.' he gulped. The engineer wasn't trying to argue. She looked at the little man in her hand.
'It looks like you could take lessons from this man. He's not afraid of a woman.' she suggested and tucked him back down between her breasts. Then with a little sigh she began to go about her routine diagnostic boards.
Marla sighed a bit deeper. That was too close. She looked at James with real appreciation. He'd handled the situation by sticking with her. Just like they'd done on the Equinox so many times. Only, captain Ransom was not here, and the situation was a bit different. She was warmed all over knowing how much she could count on someone. Even if they were smaller than her finger.
'Er...Do you... want to go back?' she asked looking down at her own body again. He'd admitted that the hair idea was uncomfortable. He had to shake his head to check his senses.
She had offered it.
He knodded yes and looked around to make sure the other engineer wasn't watching. Marla took him in her palm and dumped him back where he'd been and zipped her uniform back up. She waited for him to quit moving and realized in his current position he didn't show up at all. She went back to her work and tried REALLY REALLY hard to think about checking the warp core components.

****************************************************

Selina could not believe her ears. The men of her ship had taken the formulas and techno babble and made sense of it. They were actually going to build a transporter using components they already had! The parts were being altered to be used even as they spoke.
She could NOT believe it. Once she had the capability of transporting things... she quit speaking over her communicator wary of the ever present ship.
'Computer. Did you hear my communication?' she asked.
'All subspace frequencies are being monitored.'
'I was wondering if I might get you to delete my transmission, it was private you see?'
'Access denied.'
'Is anyone going to punish me for my transmission?' she asked. If they were coming for her, it would be the end. The computer was unemotional, but assuring.
'Transmissions are only monitored for hostile intent. No one is monitoring scanning at this time.' the voice brought relief to the fanged woman. She now only had to bide for time and make sure that no secret transmissions were made by her people. As long as they were open with these Federation people they were safe. She was beginning to wonder if she shouldn't just TELL them that she was going to kidnap their men. It didn't get any more open than that! The sarcasm was deliscious in her mind.

***************************************************

Seven's feet became tired. She tried to override her body's discomfort, but as she pressed further and further she realized that the task at hand was going to take more than just a quick fix. She had to studdy her own nanoprobes. The things were in her blood and brain and she didn't understand their full potential. She HAD to. She decided to study them further by doing something she rarely did. She took a small Borg device from her alcove and waved it over her arm.
Her hand began to shake.
She'd activated the nanoprobes.
She was still in control however. She was experimenting and scanning, but she was not stupid. She set the computer to make sure that the probes would only be live for a short period of time. During that time she was running diagnostics on them.
She suddenly blacked out and fell to the floor.

*******************************************

(commercial break with the trumpets and external view of Voyager) (input beer commercial here and here)

*******************************************

Seven awoke in a Borg sphere. She was in a dream state. But not dreaming. She'd been kidnapped by the Borg before. It was terrifying to her. She wasn't re-assimilated before. The Queen had said she was using her to expand the Borg collective with her emotions.
Seven shivered as a screetch of metal announced the arrival of the Queen. Her body was quickly assembled, and her head and spine dropped into her body. Seven had seen it before, knew how alien it was. She tried to remain calm. 'You are not real!' she insisted.
'On the contrary. You pretending to be a lesser species is the dillusion here. Do not deny you are so much more.' the queen had a way with words. She was extrememly old, and seemingly unstoppable. Even if her current body was destroyed, the collective had the means to put together another collective Queen.
'I am not trapped here. The probes will be deactivated soon.' Seven said trying not to shake. Inside she was terrified. The Borg had been known to have technologies that were unthought of. What if they'd assimilated a race that could teleport someone over a vast distance. The place looked extrememly real. The Queen herself was approaching extremely slowly.
'No matter how long you run, you always rely on US! Here you are seeking out guidance again.' she hissed her last word as she spoke extremely slowly. She touched Seven's face. She wasn't sure she was still aboard Voyager.
'I am trying to fix a problem CAUSED by you. Why have you brought me here!' Seven's fear was taking over. The queen's steel eyes were delighted in Seven's confusion.
'I'm disappointed in your progress. But you have shown me much.' she looked at the floor, and when Seven looked at the floor she was horrified. Everyone aboard Voyager, including the Captain was a tiny toy sized being glued to the plating before the Queen's feet. They screamed Seven's name and begged for mercy.
'STOP!' Seven said seeing that the Queen had an unlimited capacity for evil. It was just like the dream. Everyone she'd come to know and trust was at the feet of the Borg Queen.
'I have the power. The collective shall prevail.' she lifted her foot and set it down on several of Voyager's crew and they instantly crushed beneath her glossy black steel foot. Seven looked away feeling powerless. Resistance was futile. 'You have the power too.' the queen reminded. Seven was still horrified, but the Queen forced her to take a step forward. Seven watched her own foot move forward over seveal men and women. Then her foot came down and blood oozed out from beneath her sole as the bones crunched and ten Star Fleet officers were crushed like bugs.
'Yessss.' the Queen hissed and took another step. This time she aimed her toe only at Janeway. The tiny red haired captain was yelling up defiantly that the Borg would never conquer the human race. And then Janeway herself was crushed. Seven's heart thundered in her chest. The Queen was becoming more powerfull every day. The Borg were superior in many ways. Seeing Captain Janeway reduced to a bloody smear on the floor broke the walls down she'd built up inside. Her pain turned to tears.
'Stop.' Seven begged again.
'I KNOW you've derrived pleasure from this. I have seen you! You can hide nothing from me.' the Queen then began to shrink Seven with her eyes. The tall blonde was shrinking smaller and smaller before the Borg Queen and was helpless to try to escape. Withing seconds the crew of Voyager looked normal to her and they were all looking up at the immense Borg Queen who seemed to still be growing. Her feet were becoming larger and larger. The hard cold steel foot raised, it was so shiny Seven could see her own reflection as it came down to pulverize her. She began to scream.

****************************************************

She looked up and saw the ceiling meld into the astormetrics lab. It HAD been a dream. But it was also real. Seven looked at her shoes and saw there was still blood on them. She backedherself into a corner. If she hadn't had the computer deactivate the nanoprobes on a timer, no telling what may have happened. She looked at the blood, and it too disapperared. Seven had never left. She'd simply passed out on the floor. Was it a hallucination? Like when she began seeing the Raven that symbolized her parent's shuttle before she was assimilated?
She stood and found that the whole excersise had not been fruitless. The computer had recorded the whole event, and there were new readings that only occured when the nanoprobes were 'live'.
Seven found the vision most disturbing, but it ALSO made her work more diligently. If the human race were ever to overcome the Borg threat, they would have to keep moving forward. Keep advancing. The Borg certainly were.

*****************************************************

Neelix could not sleep. He was trying to think of the quickest easiest death that would cause the least amount of trouble for the others. He wondered if the others were suicidal yet. Maybe if he talked to them he'd feel better. Maybe he'd feel worse. He could hear Naomi Wildman talking to her mother. It was a pain thinking of leaving Voyager once and for all. But he couldn't help it. The suffering was getting to him.
He wouldn't want to live as a pet. What was the captain to do? Let them wander the ship to get strampled the first time the crew went to red alert? He was a burden now. An invalid. He vowed never to impose on people he cared about in this way. He'd just assume pass on.
He was about to ask the computer to beam him into the center of a star when the house shook again.
He didn't have time for games.
It was Naomi trying to get him out to play again. Neelix was serious. He didn't have time for this. He was going to protest. Soon he was dumped out of the shelter again, when he looked up into the sky he was horrified. It was Susan Gaines. She'd STOLEN him somehow. 'What is the meaning of this... What?!' he was fighting with her fingers. The thin sarcastic woman lifted Neelix to her face and licked him again.
'Ooh, I was right. You ARE as sweet as you think you are.' she licked him again despite his protests and fighting. The tiny Telaxian punched her right in the tongue, but it did NOTHING to the enourmous woman. She glanced form side to side. She was in the corridor outside the Wildman's quarters. She tore off his shirt along with his com badge and tossed it to the floor to stomp on it. Neelix tried to scream for help. Susan hushed him by crumpling him in her hand. He didn't have enough room to breathe let alone scream. He tried fo fight more, but it was useless. He was officially kidnapped.

Chapter Nine


Tania eased down the corridor and into the turbo lift. She was about to use some of her holodeck time she handn't taken advantage of lately. She'd been to depressed to see 'pretty' surroundings. Now she was all the more glad. She tried not to look down at the tubular shuttle under her arm. To her it was no bigger than a loaf of old fassion bread, yet it contianed a BUNCH of men. And for a while, they were HERS!
She eased out of the turbo lift and came to the second holodeck. It wasn't being used. 'Computer, run Morris four.' she was also glad that she'd selected a semi formal place to eat. It was a duplication of a 21st century city block complete with bars and a casino. The casino had a place to eat. She didn't want to wear her current clothes, but changing in front off all these guys was out of the question. She bit her lip as she set the shuttle down on the nearest ornate table.
'Dinner for one?' the waitress came by chewing gum despite the casino's rules.
'Uh, me and my freinds.' she indicated the shuttle. They were coming out the hatch slowly as if testing the ground to make sure they weren't going to fall to the floor. The waitress looked at the men and just stared at them blankly. 'Oh. Treat them with respect, like any other guest.' she told the hologram. The computer adjusted. The waitress smiled.
'Well, aren't you a little cutie. You want a high chair?' she was going to pinch Tuvok on the chin.
'They're NOT babies.' Tania had to grab the waitress' hands. She'd REALLY have a time explaining to the captain that a holo program squished the head of their only Vulcan science officer and killed him.
'Why don't you treat them... like... computer! Can you make this waitress the same scale as the men?' she asked suddenly. Within a second the waitress shrank right in front of Tania.
She was relieved. Taking the now tiny woman in her fingertips she put her with the rest of the guys. 'Computer, allow the waitress to grow to normal scale each time she's going to the kitchen.'
'Function set.' the computer aknowledged. Tania sat and sighed looking at the men giving their orders to the now tiny waitress. Now if the waitress got out of hand, she could just squash her and get another one!
Plus, she adored watching the guys glance up at her nervously as if needing her approval for everything. When they asked questions like, 'can we replicated tables?' and 'can we have the computer program in a juke box?' she'd knod and they were happy she was so giving. But she had to ask.
'How was it. With Seven of Nine?' she wasn't asking anyone in particular. But Pete seemed interested in talking to her, so he spoke up first.
'It was okay.' the waitress disappeared and reappered as a giantess to walk back to the kitchen. Most of the guys watched wishing they could do the same.
'Do you want me to take you back then?' she asked. This got a much stronger response.
'You don't HAVE to.'
'She's busy right now.'
'NO PLEASE DON'T!!!'
They were interested in staying with her isntead of Seven of Nine! Her head was doing a little size changing of it's own. Plus she was flattered beyond words.

************************************************

Seven was astonished at the capabilities of the nano probes. On several occasions they'd seen Borg drones beam aboard the ship and meld into a computer with their bio interface. Now she could see why. It even explained the advanced borg that was created when the doctor's mobile emmiter was exposed to the nano probes during a transporter failure. That Borg had died saving Voyager from the normal borg, but it also allowed Seven to realize the potential of her own nanoprobes.
The queen was correct.
She was MORE. She would use the power for good instead of evil though. The freinds she had made were more valuable than having an entire univers of drones to her.
She calculated a measure with the computer that accessed a single probe in her body. She already knew the potential for transformation. She was going to cause it to interact with her subconscious, and it had to be configured to NOT allow the collective any access. She had to individualize the nano probe. It took a few moments for the computer to 'reprogram' it. Then the computer would have to reprogram THEM ALL! It took only a few moments for the program transfer to be complete, but her whole body was full of them. She gulped. She must do what she must do.
'Seven of nine to captain Janeway.'

***********************************************

Janeway had gone to the bridge to oversee how the ship was running first hand. Outside the main screen was the Forlocci trading vessel. It looked rather much like a Klingon Bird of Prey, but they were MUCH too far into the delta quadrant for either of the two races to know each other. Plus, the white and gold ship before her didn't have the hiddeous 'mouth' cannon that shot Klingon photon torpedos.
She sat in her chair and noted the two officers having to fly and monitor the ship. They were both too busy to much notice the captain's presence. 'Status.' she asked the closest. She looked to be the same age as Paris, the youngest officers aboard were STILL seasoned by years in space.
'Monitoring several ships in the area. Some of them have weapons on line. There is also a net of satellites around the planet, each of them carrying substatial fire power. So far none of them pose a threat.' she said in a monotone that would make Seven proud. The other officer also added. 'Several spacial anomalies are occuring on the planet. They appear to have some alien technology that we can scan and analize.'
'Do it. We'll read over the data once we get underway.' she was also wondering about the trade agreement, and what the hold up was besides 'sleeping beauty' in her quarters.

**************************************************

Celina hadn't slept a wink. Her eyes were studying the computer terminal she was allowed to view as recreation. It was alot more to the Forlocci woman than entertainment. She was downloading files about earth and other planets in the federation that carried heavy information. The Federation was indeed huge, it had such worlds as Vulcan and a treaty with the Klingon empire and information on the Borg.
She was downloading everything hoping that her techs could make use of the data. More accurate information aobut the Voyager itself was limited. There were only entertaining pictures of the different Federation vessels. Nothing technical. Celina was very presistant though, and finally found some real news about how the federation had fought different species. It was very usefull. They were describing their weapons and thier capability in their accounts. Selina was very happy to note that even the Federation had been beaten by other races on occasion. And the BEST ally against the Federation was simply surprise. The closest fought battles involved the Federation not being prepared for an attack.
The sallow skinned matriarch felt the upper hand and spoke into her communicator again. They DID have secretive ways. 'Have Rubion come to me to attend me.' she ordered over to her ship. Then they would requst that Rubion beam aboard using one of their wonderfull transporters. She smiled with no one around to see that she was drooling already.


Chapter Ten


Celina was still reading when the door chimed a little electronic ditty. Her consort came in and gave her the news persoanally. 'We have successfully beamed something!' Rubion reported. His sallow complexion was more animated when he'd done well. Perhaps Celina would reward him later.
'Come. Walk with me.' she had him follow her through the halls of the ship to speak. There must be SOMEWHERE on board that they couldn't be heard. She decided that the eating area was the best. There were already pleanty of voices to cover up thier conversation.
'Listen carefully. We only have one chance at this. We are going to kidnap a cargo from Voyager. I want our fastest ship disguised as a cargo vessel to make the trade. Have them wait nearby for my command.' she was about to send him on his way when her communicator went off.
Celina did NOT expect to hear from Cara.
'Mother. I have spoken with the counsel. I wish to speak with you at once.'
'Cara? Whatever you are thinking, you will have to come back later.' Celina was too close to get fumbled up by her own daughter.
'I will not come back later. I am here to talk with you now.' Cara was in attack mode. Celina had to do something quickly. She looked over at Rubion.
'Stop her.' she ordered him. He quickly left to transport back to their ship. Celina began to click her talons together in worry. Not now. Not again.

***************************************************

Cara anticipated her mother's next move. She opened a frequency to Voyager and got a woman on the bridge. As little as she knew about 'humans' it appaeared that they were all female. 'Are you captain of Voyager?'
'Yes I am.' Janeway put away her logs to stand and address the new Forloccian face. This Forloccian mush have been drastically younger than the two they'd seen. Her face was smooth and heart shaped. She had blonde hair framing her scalp line instead of the wrinkled 'sack' the others had. Her eyes were pink like an albino's, but her dialated pupils still gave her an evil counenance. 'How can we help you?' Janeway already knew it was important by the nervous gestures the young Forlocci was making.
'Celina's consort is going to beam back to our vessel. I need to come to Voyager and speak with my mother. Can you arrange this? Her consort will try to stop me.'
'I can help you get aboard Voyager safely. I assure you. But is this an emergency?'
'If I am correct, it is.'
'Transporter room. This is captain Janeway. Lock onto the Forlocci that is transmitting to us and beam her to the bridge.'
'Aye captian.'
'And make sure the Forlocci consort doesn't interfere.'
'Aye aye.'

*******************************************

Seven of Nine did something she almost always regretted. She had to have the Borg's help. This time, she left the information about the Nano probes in the ship's computer and wrote a program for the holodeck that would be like none other the galaxy had ever seen. She was going to recreate the Borg collective in a program. It would require the captain's approval, in order for it to 'WORK' the safety protocalls had to be disenguaged for them to be able to change someone's size again.
She also had to have a test subject. She found Janeway leading a young monsteress down the corridor. The wicked looking girl had Forlocci features, but looked much more civilized and intelligent. Her eyes were sharp and exotically slanted upward at the corners. The wrong coloring didn't bother Seven. Eye color was irrelevant.
'Captain. I need a moment.'
'First I need one of your moments. Come with us.' she orderd. Seven complied and the three of them went to find Celina in her quarters.
'Cara. What is this?' Celina demanded quickly.
'Mother. I am here to talk to you...'
'Nonsense. You get back to the ship immediately. You are NOT to disturb our trade. I will have you executed if you do not leave at once!' she was very angry with the youth. Cara backed down immediately. Janeway and Seven were NOT pleased.
'It seems she's come all the way over here. At least you could hear what she has to say.'
'She is but a first year on board our ship. She has no right to interfere.' Celina was sounding more like she looked every second. Janeway and Seven knodded to each other and left with Cara. 'Let's go have a little meeting of our own.'
'No. I must tell you now.' Cara urged as soon as the door closed. 'She has a transporter ready. She's going to try to steal all of your men. My boyfreind is one of the servants on the ship and he found out and told me.' she informed them.
'That would be impossible.' Seven began. But the idea of having even one of the crew stolen before they could be re grown set her hair on end. She drew her phaser and was about to re-enter the elder Forlocci room.
Janeway had a better idea. 'The trade agreement may still need to go through. Do you know how she plans to steal them?'
'I'm not sure. But I know she has a locater on her and that our fastest ship is on it's way here for her to escape in. She's going to try and steal ANY of them that she can find, I KNOW she'll do it again...' Cara stopped herself with an inrush of air. She hadn't meant to say it that way.
'Again?' Seven and Janeway asked in unison.
The young Forlocci looked at her booted feet. Her claws were not as jagged and used as her mothers, and her arms were smooth and athletic. Still a monster, but alot more compassionate appearing. Her face twisted into regret already. She was worried. 'We traded with the Ru'add people for a while, untill mother decided they were small enough to use for food. Now their race is being hunted to extinction by my people. She will SURELY want to eat your men like she does the Ru'add.'
Seven and Janeway looked at each other and gulped. They were only alive because they were too big to fit in Celina's mouth. They knew that she was trying to win trust with the first man she'd conned into going with her earlier. The picture fit now. They were going to have to be ready.

*******************************************

'We've prepared a dinner for you to celebrate our trade agreement.' Janeway informed the elder Forlocci.
'A dinner?' Celina was wracking her brain trying to think of a plan. And now it had seemingly fallen right into her lap.
'Your daughter has brought some food you would like, and I'd like for you to meet my whole crew. Will you attend?' Janeway asked formally.
'The crew?! Yes. Certainly.' Celina's mouth involuntarily watered. Did she REALLY mean the whole crew?! Soon a security woman came to escort her up a few levels to a large dining area. Selina sat at the head of the table, and a big area in the center of the table was set up for the men! Selina could barely take her eyes off of them. They had tables and chairs and plates replicated to thier own scale. And they were smaller than the Ru'addians! Celina's animal insticts took over. She was assaluted with new smells.
'Attention.' Janeway raised her glass. 'To our new freinds, and new business.' she toased. Celina took a glass and mimiced the others and saw her daughter also toasting. They all sat and soon she was presented with a deliscious Ru'addian. It was still alive and held down by bands around his arms and legs.
The others around the table were eating their food of preference as well. No one even watched as Celina took the Ru'addian by the midriff and shoved him into her mouth. He kicked and screamed as she devoured the little hand full and soon she was quite satisfied with her meal kicking in her stomach.
Then they toasted AGAIN to having good fortune and trade agreements, and Celina was brought ANOTHER live Ru'add. Celina was in hog heaven. She must REALLY have scared her daughter, because ordinarilly her daughter would never have let her mother eat the small conqued species in front of their freinds let alone this alien Federation people. But all was well. And the men of Voyager were now within her grasp. Soon they stood and went to a bar on the wall to get thier drinks. The men on the table were doing the same on a much smaller scale. They all raised their drinks again and then refilled. Celina was the only one at the table as the humans and her daughter stood at the bar getting drink after drink, making toast after toast. Silly human customs.
With the ultra quick reflexes of her species, Celina sprung over the men and activated her tracer to beam her off of Voyager. The transporter was so crude it transported Celina, all of the men and about half of the table to the Forlocci ship. Janeway tossed down her glass. 'Raise shields. Chase that ship!' she called out to the women at the helm of Voyager. But just as they began to pursue the small forlocci ship, it warped out of range and was gone.
Janeway, Cara, and Seven were the only ones left when the program deactivated the holo deck. Cara wasn't even let in on the plot and she gulped as the other women and furniture disappeared as if nothing ever existed. All that was left was a clean room of black tiles.
'What happened?!' Cara gulped looking around afraid.
'I'm afraid you were right. If those holograms had been our men, they'd be gone now. This is the holo deck. Everything you just saw was a hologram.' Janeway explained. 'Thank you for warning us.' she said soberly. So, ther Forlocci COULD be as monsterous as they appeared. And yet, some of them were like Cara.

***********************************************

Chakotay and Vereche were running on the holodeck each time people activated other programs. He's watched several people run their programs and the captain herself had to use the holodeck for something important. Chakotay beamed into his quarters while Vereche's program was down. As he waited he began to wonder what the captain was doing. He beamed into the program and saw that everyone was there. Practically the entire crew was there. He saw the other guys on a table and decided he wanted to speak with them and find out how they were doing.
He beamed right next to Harry Kim and asked him how he'd been. They were in a great mood and toasting to the new trade agreements. He joined in. He only became suspicious when he looked over and saw himself also drinking. 'What the?' the people he recognized were holograms. He wondered who was real now, perhaps the women were here to 'test' something with reproductions of the men. Before he could ask Janeway what was going on, the closest woman. A fanged sallow skinned diplomat jumped over the table and wrapped her arms around all of them. Chakotay screamed and felt the beam take place.
Within a second he was in a dark ship with the monsteress. Everyone else was gone. He fell and hit the floor now that the table had disappeared. The huge woman looked even more confused than him. He was looking up at her realizing they'd beamed to an alien vessel. That MUST mean that either he was on the holodeck still, or there was REAL trouble for him. The first thing the huge woman did was go into a rage and beat a man at the transporter console.
'YOU SET IT WRONG!!! I ONLY GOT ONE!!!' she raged and knocked him out cold beating his head on the steel wall. Chakotay was more afraid than he'd ever been before. He looked up into her face as she looked down at him. Saliva was running down the sides of her mouth where she'd just eaten creatures bigger than him whole. Every nerve ending of his body was screaming as clawed hand came down to grab him.

****************************************************

B'elana was called to assist Seven when Janeway gave the go ahead for the new plan. The holodeck was clear untill Seven initiated a data string she'd programed earlier. B'elana's skin crawled. It was a collective alright. A complete reproduction of the inside of a Borg cube, complete with the Queen herself on a podium. Only her head and spine were showing as the Queen looked around as if she were lost.
'Looks like you did it.' B'elana gulped. Several drones began to walk around and carry out Borg designated functions.
'Not yet. This is just the beginning. Untill they become articulated, they are nothing.' Seven was working at a Borg console as well. 'Computer. Generate a class four force field around this chamber. Captain's security clearance only.' she initated the program. B'elana tensed up.
'What?!'
'We are taking all precautions. If all goes well, we shall be repairing the problem with the men. If it goes wrong, we may die. You may leave now if you wish.' Seven was serious. She was ALWAYS serious.
'We could be assimilated on the holodeck?' the half breed was very afraid of that.
'All safety protocalls have to be removed. We must ask for their help.' she pointed at the Queen's head. Her eyes were still looking around menacingly. B'elana would have run in a heart beat, but Tom was at stake. She wasn't going to let go of a chance to help him this easilly. He would have done the same for her. She gulped and knodded for Seven to continue.
The computer could do an excellent job at replicating things on the holodeck. But some things were always thrown into the mix that could have strange results. One of the things Seven tried to write into the program was that the Queen should, in all possible ways BE the Queen, but instead of taking over the universe as the prime directive, the directive was replaced with 'help humans'.
The result promised to be bizzare.


***************************************************

'I have to monitor the holodeck closely. I wish you were big enough to give me a back rub.' Janeway KNEW how much her new 'personal assistant' loved trying to help her. She would have thought it was blatant brown nosing,


***************************************************


Chapter 11


Neelix was in hell. Ensign Gaines was using him as a personal messager, and a manicurist. He had to WORK to keep her happy, but he was very unhappy himself. He was usually reserved and cheerfull, but as he held the fingernail polish brush like a broom, he wanted to cry.
'Why must I...' he outburst again throwing the brush down.
'Ah, uh, uh. Keep going.' she handed the brush back to the tiny Telaxian waving her finger scolding. He KNEW that she could 'squash' him if he didn't comply. She'd pinched him within an inch of his life. He was a slave. He began painting the fingernails again with a sorrowfull sigh.
When he was finished Susan capped the bottle and admired her nails. Neelix wasn't ABOUT to feel any happiness about the 'good job' he'd done. This began to irritate Susan.
'Look! You're the cook! You should be HAPPY to help me!' she burst with her pretty blonde eye brows knitting sternly.
Neelix looked at the table top he was standing on. It was like a huge floor to him. He paced a bit. 'What do you care?' he always worried with nervous gestures. She watched him pace for a minute.
'Okay. Okay. I get it. Happy is fine as long as YOU'RE happy. But when it comes to making someone else happy... you'd rather die than help me. Right?!' she accused. He thought she was about to throw him through the bulk head. He cringed in disbelief.
'I've never been nothing other than PERFECTLY respectfull to you. Untill this!' he indicated the torn fragments of his uniform left. He was barely clothed. She sulked back in her chair like a kid.
'Fine.' she droned and got up to hide in her room for a while. When she came out she was SURPRISED to see him still on the table. He was watching a video on the computer screen. She sat down behind him with her eyes made of grainy red and white stone. She'd been crying? Neelix looked up at her face and waved over the computer keys to deactivate the show.
'You can beam out whenever you want. The ship recognizes you.' she reminded him as if he were the dumbest person in the universe.
'I'm not done here.' he said solemnly. His clothes were repaired so he HAD been talking with the computer.
'Oh?' her brow rose a bit. She'd already bit off one of her fingernails.
'I believe you were going to have me do your feet next.' Neelix tried a bit of cheer as usual tone. She was perplexed.
'My feet?' she looked at her feet.
'Computer. Beam me to the floor.' he asked. Soon he was transported to the floor with the polish bottle. He began painting her toe nails. Susan Gaines had never been so confused. Neelix was bowing to her whim. She was flattered to pieces and embarassed at the same time. She said nothing at he worked, but tingling in her tummy was back stronger than ever before. The relief that he WASN'T going to report her to the captain for her impulsive actions, AND he was going to give her what she wanted was overwhelming. Certain parts of her body that were seldom used on board Voyager were working overtime as she began to sweat.

*********************************************

The Borg were crawling the decks all around Seven of Nine and B'elana Torres. Both Voyager crewladies were scared, but the completion of the collective was becoming complete. The Queen selected her body and assembled right before their eyes. Seven was busy at her console, but the disturbing sight of the Queen beginning to walk around kept interrupting her thoughts. It was time to test the integrity of the program.
'State your purpose.' Seven prompted.
The Queen thought about it for a moment. 'To assimilate all worlds into us.'
Seven began the program protocalls that she'd written.
'State your purpose.' she asked again.
'To assimilate all species, and help humans.' she said as if she were being forced to say it. The computer program was otherwise in tact. Seven went further since B'elana was monitoring the functions of the grid and making sure that the collective didn't become an overwhelming collective too quickly.
'You will help us grow our men to normal size?' Seven asked pointedly.
'I am Borg. I am Queen of the collective of...' she stopped. The program must have had errors in it due to the complexity. The other drones began to realize they were doing useless tasks. There was actually nothing for them to do.
They were there to support the collective as a whole, but their bodily functions were of no value. They returned to their also useless alcoves to deactivate. Seven watched as they ceased to function like robots. Like she herself still did.
The Queen seemed to be doing a number on herself as the computer wrestled with the personality matrix. 'I know all. I am the collective.' she finally said with some resolve.
'We ask for your help. Will you comply?' Seven wasn't going to ask again. The Queen looked at her for a long moment.
'I will help.' she finally backed up and her legs detached and went into the floor. Her torso came off and her spine attached to the computer. If her ego was any indication, the holodeck was earning it's weight in human lives. 'Bring them to me.' she ordered.

***********************************************

'That's great news. I'll rally the crew.' Janeway winked at her new boyfriend. It was strange having Chakotay turn his back on her at a time like this, but it wasn't completely unexpected. She'd let him have whatever decency he thought he had left. Perhaps it would have been TOO degrading to have her cary him around like a trophy.
It still hurt that she lost out to a hologram instead. She activated the shipwide and spoke her authoritive tone.
'Attention crew. A cure may have been found for the men. Proceed to the ready room next to holodeck one with all the men. Janeway out!' she took her own man in her fingers and gently walked to the holodeck with a little less swing than usual.

***********************************************

It was a shame. Tania heard the command over the loud speakers just as she was getting to TRUELY enjoy her men. They were trying their best to entertain her. Tuvok was showing Harry Kim how to use a Klingon bolo blade. Tania's eyes turned to sadness immediately. They would go now, and she'd never have to worry about being entertained by senior officers again.
'You heard the captain...' she prompted them all to get back in the shuttle Seven had replicated for them. They hopped aboard. Tania had taken them to her quarters and was REALLY getting to know them for the first time. Now they had to go. It just wasn't FAIR! She growled to herself under her breath.
She went down the corridor and met up with all of the other women carrying men in various hiding places. Some of them didn't know that the Forlocci was gone. She was the the woman with the MOST men. She had a bit of pride walking into the ready room with a shuttle full. The next most popular woman was a young ensign with perfect blonde hair and big blue eyes, and she only had four man. Tania sat at the head of the conference table and let her 'stable' of men come out to mingle with the other guys that women were finally letting further than hand's reach.
It was a few moment's after Janeway arrived that the bomb hit.
'Computer. Are all men accounted for?'
'Commander Chakotay not aboard Voyager.' the computer voice reported.
'What? Not this again!' Janeway insisted. That was what it had said when she FIRST went to look for Chakotay. 'Computer. What was Commander Chakotay's last position?'
'Commander Chakotay was beamed aboard a Forlocci vessel and taken away at hyperspace velocity.' the computer reported. Janeway's feet got cold as her spine began to tingle.
'Computer. That was a holographic Chakotay...' she began.
'Commander Chakotay beamed aboard the holodeck just before leaving Voyager.' the computer informed to a stunned to silence crew. Janeway immediately blamed herself. Her idea was insightfull, but dangerous. And she had NOT anticipated someone else beaming aboard the holodeck. She stormed to her quarters to come up with a plan. There would be hell to pay for that miserable Forlocci if anything happened to Chakotay.

************************************************

The Borg Queen began having the drones work at more computer stations. The Queen herself didn't know how her programmed nano probes worked untill they were given complete access to the work Seven had been doing. The first to be brought into the collective simulation was Tuvok. He volunteered to be the first since his Vulcan mind and body were stronger than that of an average human. It was no guarentee he could survive a mess up. B'ellana put him at her monitoring station to keep an eye on him.
The Queen called back her legs and walked over to the console as well. B'elana drew her phaser.
'Uh, sorry. Habbit I guess.' she put her weapon back in it's holster with fear still showing on her face. The Queen was a perfect match physically to the real one. She looked at Tuvok with her steel eyes reflecting the strange green glow of the Borg computers.
'Are you afraid?' she asked Tuvok.
'Fear is an emotion. I am incapable.' he announced.
Of course, the Queen knew everything about Vulcan's just by the computer access she now had. She was getting smarter by the second. Seven was having to hurry to keep up. Then when the subroutines were added for her emotions (since the Queen seemed to have at least some) the oddest thing happened. She crumpled to her knees on the deck and began to cry.
B'elana and Seven were both shocked.
'Get up.' Seven said to the crumpled heap of technology on the floor. The bald steel Queen couldn't even talk. 'Comply.'
After a few moments of dormant silence, she finally stirred and stood to her feet with tears running down her cheeks. She was supposed to be too inhuman to cry. But there was another flaw with the program. Seven was re alligning the subroutines untill the Queen quit sobbing and could talk again.
'I know who I am.' she said. Her voice was quiet and reserved again.
'You are who you are now. Will you help us?' Seven asked again. The Queen looked at Tuvok and knodded again. She went back to her chamber and her legs went down a hatch so that her spine could reconnect to the drones. The holodeck was alive with programs coming from several drones and the Queen all at the same time.
'Prepare.' the Queen finally said and Tuvok was transported using a Borg teleporter. But he was no larger on the floor where he was transported to. Every one was puzzled. Especially the Queen.
'The system is not working. The nanoprobes in me are not real.'
'That is correct.' Seven announced.
'I am not real.' The Queen called back her legs and walked toward Seven. 'I cannot help. I am not real.' she announced. Seven and B'elana were shocked by the idea that there might NOT be a way for the men to become large again. Seven was still thinking at near light speed. She worked at the console looking for a flaw, but the only real flaw was the absence of actual nanoprobes to do the work. Seven felt utterly defeated.
B'elana was thinking along different lines.
'She says she can't do it because she's not real. What about if she WAS real!' she said getting excited. Her brown eyes lit up when she was thinking so quickly about a complex problem.
'Explain.' Seven couldn't beleive B'elana actually meant they should go ask the REAL Borg Queen for help.
'We could make her real! We could replicate her endoskeleton, we could use actual synthesized flesh for her body.'
'And the nanoprobes?' Seven asked as if B'elana were stupid. The half Klingon already knew the answer. She looked at Seven with the twinkle in her eye. Seven looked back at her untill it dawned on her. The ONLY source of nanoprobes aboard Voyager.
'Computer. End program.' Seven straightened up. B'elana grabbed Tuvok off of the floor and they were gone.
'Sick bay.' they told the guards that had been posted outside the holodeck doors 'just in case.'

***************************************************

'There will be a slight delay. You may go back to your posts now.' a security officer came by and notified the 'women in waiting' each of them still guarding over their tiny charge as per captain's orders.
Marla gulped thinking that they'd failed and she'd have to look after James for the rest of his life. He was on the table talking with the other men when the announcement came. He looked at her immediately. Their eyes locked. 'I'm sorry.' she moved her mouth without saying anything. James shook his head and talked with the other guys for a little while longer untill their 'protectors' urged them to wrap it up and get moving with them. The women were very busy with lots to do.
James walked back to Marla's hand with a bit of drag in his step.
'I'm so sorry.' she said meaning it. She was looking forward to seeing what might happen after he was grown back. They'd HAVE to be closer than they'd been before. He shrugged.
'It's okay. It doesn't matter what size I am.' he said with resolve.
'It doesn't?' Marla asked pittying him. He couldn't even lift a data pad without her help.
'Nope.' he jumped onto her finger like a horse and held on while she put him up to her face. 'It doesn't matter as long as I've got someone like you.' he was hamming it up. But he had compared stories in private. So far, he believed he'd had it the BEST of anyone on board Voyager. Marla was the 'catch' when it came to having someone look after him. He was RELIEVED he wasn't one of the guys the chose Seven!
Hammy or not, Marla was touched by his words and kissed him again. This time she didn't hide it, and didn't care who saw or what happened afterward. Of course, James cared. The other guys were laughing and pointing. But it was mostly jealousy. Marla saw the commotion she'd caused and the knowing glances form the other women and made her getaway a swift one.

*********************************************

Naomi took Neelix back to their appartment. He'd told her he went for a walk, but he was acting strange. He had the computer replicate him another communicator, and he had red streaks on his uniform.
'Paint.' he'd told her when she asked. Now she was trudging back down the corridor and Susan was in the hall. Naomi was a strong willed kid, she walked right up to the adult and 'told her off' for embarassing Neelix earlier.
Naomi Wildman was completely blown away when she AND Neelix recieved a full appology from the usually crabby woman. Naomi thought she'd just scaled the peaks of Vulcan by herself.
'Did you hear that Neelix!? She appologized to us!' she was about to pop.
She was also squeezing him so hard in her hand he thought he was about to pop.
'That's wonderfull news Naomi Wildman. Uh, heh. May I go visit with her for a while?' he asked. Naomi's face was confused for a moment.
'With her?' she asked.
'Just for a while...' he assured. Naomi strode back to Susan and presented Neelix.
'He wants to visit with you for a while.' she told the adult. Susan took him with a little private smile.
'Thank you Namomi Wildman. I'll take GOOD care of him.' she assured and went back into her lab on duty. Naomi couldn't beleive her eyes, but she shrugged. Adults were WEIRD sometimes.

**********************************************

Chakotay was in a cage not made for people, but for edible rodent sized creatures. He was working on ways to escape, none of them promising. But he could NOT give up. There was a small window space that he could be observed by, but he could also see out of. He took all of the debris and litter on the floor and piled it up so that he could stand on top and see out all the time. He was in the Forlocci's living room. There was no one in sight.
As near as he could tell, the ship had landed, and he was brought in a bag to this house on Forloc. Even if he DID escape, chances were slim that he'd ever see Voyager again.
But as near as he could tell, it was all HIS fault. He'd beamed into a simulation evedently where they were testing the trustworthiness of the Forlocci diplomat.
And the Forlocci had failed.
Now he was in this mess. He tried to reach the top of the cage again for a hand hold. It was escape proof for anything close to his size. If only he'd regrow! Perhaps if Seven reversed the process it would reach out to him...
He trashed that thought. If Voyager knew where he was, it would be coming for him with phasers firing.
He looked out. There was no Voyager here. There was nothing.
Suddenly there was movement outside the window. He could see a cloaked figure with sallow white hands moving around. He ducked back down into the rubble pile he'd created so that he wouldn't be easilly found. It was a useless gesture if the Forlocci knew he was in there.
The rumbling and banging went on untill the top came off of the cage and a white hand came down and started digging in his pile. He was trying to stay under a chip of wood when he was suddenly discovered and he looked up into the brackish Forlocci eyes.
It was not the old woman that had kidnapped him.
'You are from a star ship called Voyager?' she asked.
Chakotay could only gulp and knod yes. The young Forlocci girl took him in her claw and hid him in a pouch on the robe. He was thrust into darkness, but it wasn't a captive darkness like the bag or the cage. He reached up to grab the top of the pocket and lifted himself up to see out.
The young Forlocci woman was walking outside the house at night. She'd stolen him! Chakotay didn't know if it was a good or a bad sign. Anything was preferable to being eaten! He rode untill the Forlocci joined up with two other females.
'Cara was correct. There was a tiny male thing in her mother's house.' the giantess announced. Chakotay could barely see thier faces in the yard lamps of the housing division.
They looked as scared as he.
'Shouldn't we get him out?' one of the other girls asked.
'I already did.'
Chakotay was then hauled out of the pocket and put up into the faces of the two other Forlocci.
They were all young and exotic. Their pupils also worked alot better in low light than his. They were ogling him.
He didn't know what to say, but the female that had saved him was going to try and get him back to Cara somehow. That's when the phaser fire came from the house.
'RUN!!!' they scattered as Selina and Rubion came from the house looking for burglars. They'd found the theives soon enough and began firing at them.
Chakotay was unfortunately in a hand of a running girl as she dodged the shots to escape. He was squeezed and flung around like a rag doll, but alot better off than if he'd been kept by the Forlocci diplomat. When Angea stopped in a city building, she was panting out of breath.
Chakotay was plopped down on a bed as the girl went straigth to a fridge on the wall and got something to drink. She then fell on her back on the floor.
Commander Chakotay was still scared.
She looked dead.
He fretted over a way to climb down and check on her. The bed didn't look like any bed he was used to. Besides it's huge size, the 'cover' was the bed. Nothing to go over a sleeper to keep them warm. The Forlocci were anti comfort.
'Hello? Are you okay?!' he yelled down at the unconscious body. It looked as if it had gone from bad to worse for him. He was HOPING for a sip of water or something himself. He decided to nap off the brand new aches and pains he'd recieved. He knew his kneck would be pleanty stiff in the morning... IF he lived to see morning.

**********************************************

The mobile emitter was forgone for a while and the EMH was brought online at full size by the computer. The Doctor was curious as to Seven and B'elana's idea.
'Not without the Captain's clearance.' he said flatly to the idea of building a Borg Queen. 'Besides, it would take so much work...'
'Time is irrelevant. We shall proceed untill the captain has time.'
'Time?' he asked quizically.
'It seems Commander Chakotay was kidnapped by the Forlocci diplomat. He is most likely dead. Captain Janeway has requested for no one to bother her at this time. If you will Doctor?' Seven prompted again. 'Before any FURTHER problems arise?' she pointed at her schematics she'd brought up on a display.
He was pensive, but had dealt with the crew (and Seven) enough to know that resistance was indeed futile.
B'elana was engineering some workable legs. Appendages weren't that important to the queen, but it would be alot easier than carrying her brain and spine around on a table. Seven was working on a real brain matrix for the computer to simulate. And the doctor had the opportunity to see how well he could make flesh for something non living. It made his photons crawl as he realized what might happen if they duplicate a REAL Borg Queen too well.
And Seven had every intention of doing just that!

***********************************************

She was elated.
She was happy.
Tania hadn't been so happy since she'd recieved her orders to first board a Star Fleet vessel for the first time. Now she was on top of the world. The men in the shuttle under her arm were happy to be with her, still not wanting to go back to Seven.
She even felt like she was 100 feet tall. Of course she was, compared to them.
She didn't even see the access hatch open on the deck. Her foot went down it, and the rest of her didn't. She screamed as she tried to catch herself, and keep the shuttle off of the ground at the same time. Her face hit the deck.
She found that her fall had awoke the technician under the open hatch. The young ensign got up in a hurry and began appologizing over and over.
'The men?!' she looked around. She'd fallen so hard, they were probably injured or worse. Then both women looked up. Harry Kim had taken the contols of the shuttle and had barely pulled up when Tania fell.
They were BOTH relieved. No telling what Janeway would have done if they'd all been killed by this kind of neglegence.
'I'm sorry. I've never worked on these opto couplers before, gosh. Please don't tell anyone!' the other woman was begging Tania. Tania was about to tell her the same thing.
'Don't let it happen again.' she said standing and reaching for the shuttle. But her shin was hurting so bad she was going to have to limp to her quarters. The shuttle followed her instead.
With a big sigh of relief she crashed in a chair and lifted her huring let to the coffee table. The shuttle landed nearby. The guys got out, and Tania had to make more appologies.
'Should we call sickbay?' one of the guys asked concerned.
'It's just a bump.' Tania was more embarassed than hurt. She was ready to forget the whole thing, but they seemed to be plotting against her.
'Well, we'd better scan it... just in case.' Pete Sheldon spoke up. He retrieved a medical kit from the shuttle. It was a PRECISE copy. Seven had done well.
'No really...' Tania said again. But Pete persisted untill she rolled up her lycra pant leg and exposed a reddish spot that was going to swell into a nice painfull lump. He jumped up on her ankle and walked up her shin to wave the medical kit scanner over it looking for bone fractures. Of course, to the small device, it would be looking for structural fractures in a huge object. He then began using a setting to stimulate the regeneration of her skin. It would take a while at it's small size to affect such a huge portion of flesh.
'Hey, come help me with this...' he called to the other guys. They hopped to the task and had more healing stimulators replicated so that they could all be sweeping the hurting spot as they walked around. Tania just watched the show with peaked interest. They were all WORKING on her in more ways than one. Soon her spot felt better, but they were looking for other things to do as well.
Climbing down, Pete smiled up at her. 'Hey! I'll bet you could use a foot message after the long shift. Eh?' he held up the medical scanner like a weapon. It did more than simulate the healing of flesh. Tania scoffed at the idea.
'Really guys. It's okay. Shouldn't you be getting ready for bed?' she asked them as if they were children. Of course, they weren't.
'Was that a suggestive remark?!' Pete smiled up at her. She realized her mistake too late and just poked at him with her finger dangerously.
'You'd better behave. I'm too much woman for you to handle!' she coyly blew him a kiss and hurried to the bathroom to shower before bed time.
She didn't know WHAT she'd do to entertain this evening. She was thinking about having the computer play Mozart, and maybe light a few candles.She had candles already. While she showered, she had the computer begin playing the music.
When she got out and dressed for bed in a unitard that covered her modestly, she came out and found them all eating and drinking with replicated supplies as if they were having a big picnick on her coffee table.
So much for having to entertain them! They'd decided to entertain themselves. The computer was more their watch dog than she.
Feeling a bit left out, she went to her room and lit candles anyway.
Pete materialized on her bed stand.
'You ready for your foot message yet?' he asked as if she were being completely too stubborn about it.
'I'll comply.' she said with a smirk, making fun of Seven. She layed back on her bed and Pete was going to transport over. Instead, she got the whole crew. 'What?!' She looked at the men as they approached her feet with their medical gadgets.
'Don't worry! If you hate it, we'll stop!' Pete assured and shot her foot on pulse mode. Her skin felt like it was being rubbed from the inside out. Then another beam, and then another. There was also a warmth in the light show that made her feet feel like they were being caressed by the gentle radiance of an old fassion fire place.
'Actually, hmmm. That does feel nice.' she kept sneaking glances at the guys as they worked on her foot.
Pete was looking up at her toes. Each one of them was bigger than his head, especially her big toe. He aimed his unit at her toes and watched the warm glow travel between each of her digits as she flexed her foot. Just the sole of her foot was bigger than the warp core itself. He reached out and touched her skin to feel of it.
Nice.
After her bath, she had a very feminine odor that arrested his nose. He really wanted to just jump on her foot and enjoy it completely, but there were other guys around. Of course, they were all thinking the same thing. The only one that would really resist was Tuvok, and he wasn't with them. Pete pittied the Vulcan as he leaned up against the side of her foot and shot her ankle with a stimulating message pulse.

*******************************************

Cara was despirate. When she'd transferred back to her ship she was relieved, as soon as Captain Janeway informed them that one of her crew was missing, she knew it had to be so. The Federation didn't do things like lie, and she KNEW her mother would do it in a heart beat. The information she got from her boyfreind was supportive of the information.
Selina was angry at only getting one of something, and Janeway was claiming one of her crew was stolen. The Forlocci on board the freighter to do the trading didn't know what to do.
Janeway was going to permit the transfer after all. But she was asking for her crew member back. She'd put in a call to her freinds that lived close to their home, but she had no idea of knowing that her mother would shoot at them. She found out later that one of them was dead, and the other two were being hunted.
Not good. This was very scary business.
Cara was on the floor when one of the technicians came in. His droopy eyes and wrinkled face let her know right away how old he was. 'Mistress Cara. The Federation man is alive.' he assured.
'How do you know?!' Cara asked.
'I was told. You must not tell anyone.' he begged. The males were always a grapevine of information, but if any female betrayed their trust, they would be silent servants only. The young Forlocci knew this early in life. The males always knew which females could be trusted.
'I will be silent.' Cara assured. 'The captain of that ship is very wise. We should get him back.'
'The other leaders are planning to make the trade and leave. They want nothing further from this Federation.' He informed her.
'But we have one of her crew...' Cara felt sorry for the tiny male even thought he couldn't be worth much. He must have alot of sentimental value, like a cherished family heirloom ring. 'We should get him back!'
The old Forlocci didn't say anything, he was sorry as well, but there was nothing more he could do. 'I must get on with my duties.'
'I need a fast shuttle. Can you get me a pilot?'
'Mistress Cara. The consequences...' he began.
'I KNOW!' Cara went to the console and hailed Captain Janeway once more.

**********************************************

The Borg Queen is a hiddeous monster.
Her flesh was placid, but alive. Her eyes cold as the metal they were made of. Her body merely a vehicle for her sinister mind.
With horrifying accuracy, a real Borg Queen was being created in on board Voyager. The suspense built as they hooked up her neuronet and she became 'alive' right before thier eyes. Of course there was a high level security force field set up around them and the two guards were at the door.
It didn't make the evil encarnate any less menacing. The 'mind' that they'd created on the holodeck was downloaded into the steel scull. The Borg Queen could stand now.
'I am Borg.' she stated flatly. Then seemed surprised that she could speak. She touched her own face as if fascinated.
'Will you help us?' Seven seemed to be asking the Borg queen over and over lately. The Queen had to think about it again.
'You created me?' she asked Seven. The question caught the tall blonde off guard.
'We made you to help us. Will you help us?' B'elana asked hopefully of the monsterous face. The Queen still looked a bit confused checking out her new 'real' body that was imperfect.
Much less perfect than the holodeck had simulated.
She was still thinking.
'Who made you is irrelevant.' Seven said coldly and presented Tuvok. 'Will you help us make our men their normal size again?' she was as close to begging as she'd ever come in her life. Her voice couldn't betray her pride though.
'I was made to help humans.' the Queen said. Her program was stable. Seven knodded to the doctor to tansfuse the blood.
Seven donated only a pint of blood to the queen, but it was more than sufficient.
The Queen was now complete.
The lights dimmed in sickbay as the Queen's nanoprbes activated and her hand shot out several tines into the computer.
'Halt!' Seven drew her phaser. The Queen was fully functional, and powerfull.
'I am going to help humans. This vessel is so inefficient.' she said confused.
'The ship is not the task. Cease interface with the ship. Comply.' Seven indicated she was prepared to use her weapon again. The Queen released her grip on the computer and her articulated tentacles went back into her skin. She looked at Tuvok and seemed curious again. She was confused.
'I shall require a few things. May we return to the collective?' she asked almost child like. B'elana and Seven were prepared to re start simulated hell. Only this time, they would have a REAL demon in it.

************************************************

Chakotay was nervous. The Forlocci had awakened, but no longer appeared freindly.
'I'm Commander Chakotay of the starship Voyager.' He inroduced himself. It didn't help. The female was looking at him with her fangs dripping with saliva. Chakotay was very pensive as he tried to back away as far as possible. The shadow of the monsteress followed him over the bed. 'Please. I need your help. I need to contact Voyager.' he was begging as the evil eyes followed him. Then she seemed to snap out of a trance and look at him again.
'I must call my freind.' she said and went to another room quickly. Chakotay breathed a bit better knowing that the 'insane' look was temporary. He'd been scared witless by the animalistic giantess. He sat to calm his nerves and wait untill his knees didn't feel like jelly. The alien room he was in wasn't much different than any other in the galaxy. The docor was strange and ancient looking. The flower pot on the table was ceramic. The tubes and conduits in the wall had a clear and basic function. Nothing like a Borg ship. It was still alien.
The Forlocci alien was scariest of all. He knew nothing about them. But they appeared to make good allies.


Chapter 12


Janeway received the call as she was about to put herself to sleep with a hypo spray. Her eyes were red and dry as she stared at the wall.
Jackson was on her shoulder messaging her kneck with a medical stimulator. The orange light didn't seem to be affecting the giantess at all, but he did it anyway. She was feeling sorry for Chakotay, and sorry for herself. After all this time in the Delta quadrant, all these times they'd saved each other's lives. She finally failed him in the end.
The call startled them both. A young ensign who was currently piloting Voyager was forwarding a call. 'She says it's urgent.'
'Put it on.' Janeway said not knowing how hoarse her voice had become over the last few hours of torturing herself for what had happened. A voice came over her badge that was becoming familiar.
'Captain Janeway. This is Cara. I need to come aboard your ship... NOW.' she did sound urgent. If it hadn't been for the help she'd received from the young Forlicci before she whould have been more formal, but she was an ally among enemies. She immediately called the transporter room to have it done.
'But Captain, you're exhausted...' Jackson said holding on to her hair as she got up. Janeway needed no distractions.
'If it's as urgent as it was before, we're all in for trouble.' the red haired leader pulled Jackson from her hair in her hands. She was going to need a safer place for her man as well. 'You're coming with me. Er...' she was looking for an appropriate pocket or place for a delicate passenger. Star Fleet had no such thing built in to their form fitting uniforms. She was waving him around looking for an appropriatel place without success before her he got her attention.
'The other guys say that there is room. Ahh. There.' he guiltilly pointed at her bust line.
Janeway raised an eye brow at him. But the point was made. He HAD to come with her any which way she could think about it. She'd try to never let one of her crew slip through her fingers so easilly again.
'If you insist.' she knodded consent. It was okay with her, and she was too tired to think of other alternatives. Jackson went down the front of her uniform so fast he didn't have time to brace for the action. One moment he was on the console, the next moment he was in near pitch blackness being squeezed to her skin as she bounced down the corridor with a quick urgent busines step.

***************************************************

Jackson Shroder was in pitch blackness now with the sound of the ship all around him and no way to see what was going on.
'So much for a strip show' He thought to himself as he tried to get comfortable.
He'd been quickly stowed for travel.
He fumed quietly.
Jackson was perfectly happy where he was though. The ride was very bouncy, but he didn't seem to be in any danger of sliding around.
Odd.
It seemed if he was indeed beneath her breasts in her uniform, there should have been room to move around.
Jackson felt down into his utility belt and felt for his flash light.
The bouncing continued after she exited the turbo lift and she was soon speaking with the Forlocci girl again. The young alien was telling Janeway she knew where Chakotay was and they were bouncing down the corridor to the shuttle bay.
They would be taking the Delta flier.
Jackson was relieved that the Commander was okay. Now maybe Janeway would relax a bit!
He finally wrestled his flash light up to his face and clicked it on.
He was finally relieved when Janeway sat in a Delta flier seat and the bouncing ceased. He was good and trapped for a while. He saw nothing in front of his face but the inner white lining of her uniform and the paleness of her skin that hardly ever saw sun even in the holodeck.
He tried to move a bit to get comfortable again. No luck. He was flattened to her skin too securely by her uniform.
The technician then turned his head the other way and pulled the flash light under his throat to look the other way and gulped.
He was held tightly to her skin because he was NOT just inside her uniform, but inside her under apparell as well. And the color of skin in front of him announced clearly WHERE inside her under garment he was.
He tried to back away as if she'd get MAD if he touched such an intimate part of her body. Before he could slide anywhere a hand patted him against her flesh even firmer as her thunderous voice arose around him.
'Hold still.' she patted him. Then she began talking to the other women aboard that were flying as well. They were heading toward Forloc for a rescue mission. No telling how long it would last.
Jackson gulped as he saw the orange flesh in front of him stiffen and he received a bit more room to move in.

***************************************************

Susan was lying on her bed wrything in pleasure. 'So why did you come back.' she asked Neelix who was no where to be seen. She was in her bed with the covers pulled up.
Neelix's soft voice had lost the confusion. He was back in the happy mode. At least he had something to do to occupy his time.
'I suppose I can relate to your jealousy.' He said with a labored voice. He sounded as if he was working very hard at whatever it was he was doing.
'Should I be offended?' she asked with a careless tone. Even if he was being offensive, she didn't care. His work was going VERY well.
'It's not a shame to be jealous. Just a shame if you handle it wrong.' he said going back to work even harder than before. She began licking her lips and thrust her head back in her pillow. The Telaxian had proven himself 'worhy' of her favors with his talents. She panted to recovery and finally pulled Neelix from beneath the covers to inspect him.
'Are you okay?' she asked. He was motionless.
'Of course, just tired. I'd like to go back to the Wildman's and get a nap.' he assured. Susan looked at her chronometer.
'I have to go back on duty in ten minutes. Are you sure you wouldn't like a favor in return?' she asked with a soft whisper. Neelix hadn't expected any reciprocation, but just relaxed as she did what she offered. He was EXTREMELY pleased that of what she was doing. It had been a LONG time for him. It was like rain in the desert to feel that way again. And Susan's giant lips hurried the process along nicely.

****************************************************

B'elana was scared. Sweat dripped from her forehead despite the cool air in the Borg collective. Seven didn't seem to be fretting a bit. But the Queen was acting very peculiar. Tuvok was trying his best to remain calm as there was nothing much for him to do. He'd brought the computer monitor he'd replicated earlier. He was monitoring the process and seeing the scientific aspect of it. But to his way of reasoning, it was almost 'voodoo' as well. The idea that living tissue and technology could shrink or grow a human was beyond the realm of logic. He monitored anyway.
The Queen went back into her cubicle and removed her legs to tap into the computer with her spine. Her REAL flesh was now interfacing with the phony drones programmed to act as real ones. Suddenly the computer chimed.
'Warning. Illegal transmission.' it warned. Seven looked at the Queen as if dismayed.
'Computer. Locate source of transmission.'
'Borg telemetry open on holodeck two.' the klaxons outside the holodeck sounded as well.
'You must cease communications with the Borg!' Seven drew her phaser again. The Queen didn't respond as she stayed in a suspended state. Seven tried to shut her down using her console. It didn't work.
'COMPUTER! END PROGRAM!' B'elana yelled as she saw the telemetry pass her console. She was transmitting to the real Queen! The holodeck froze, then fizzled and disappeared. The Queen they'd created fell to the floor with a crash, her legs lying next to her unconscious body. Seven's heart was thundering in her chest with adrenalin.
She approached the dormant Queen and was ready to destroy her.
The Queen finally stirred and looked around confused.
She'd downloaded tera quads of information from the collective. Information that Voyager didn't have on the Borg. 'What is wrong?' she finally asked.
Seven was too scared to be angry.
'Inform the captain of what has happened.' Seven asked B'elana. The half Klingon beuaty found that Janeway was already off of Voyager on a mission. She gulped. They were in charge. They were the senior officers while the captian was gone. They watched the Queen pull herself together so that she could stand again. The Queen got up after her motorized legs wizzed into position.
'You required information, I have the information you need.' she was smug about it. Seven wasn't convinced.
'You communicated with the Borg.'
'It was necessary.' The Queen said defensively. Suddenly another volley of warnings came.
'Fisher to Torres and Seven of Nine. We need you on the bridge!' the whole ship announcement came. A young ensign that knew hardly anything about flying the ship was at the helm and didn't know how to use the com gear efficiently. She was panicking. They had no choice but to bring the Borg Queen along to the bridge. There was no time to try and stash her in lock up.
Tuvok had to yell to get Seven's attention. The busy beauty had hoped the B'elana would take care of him, but the perky half Klingon was already headed down the hall.
'You should beam yourself to safety.' Seven said curtly. B'elana was with the queen in tow half way to the turbo lift.
'Janeway's orders. I shall accompany you.' he came forward and asked the computer to beam himself onto Seven's hand.
Seven was surprised. 'I shall replicate a shuttle for you to ride in...' she began. Having a man in her hand was uncomfortable at best.
'There is no time. To the bridge!' Tuvok urged her. Seven started walking down the corridor after the other two. Other crew women were scurrying to their posts all around them. Somehow it reminded Seven of the collective. There was a Borg queen right in front of them, and since she wasn't identified as an enemy, the others ignored her.
Just like the Borg.
Were humans and Borg really that close?
In the turbo lift Seven realized Tuvok was still in her hand. It must be very uncomfortable, and even worse, her hand was sweating at the heat of the situation clamped the very fiber of her being. She was thinking about putting him in her holster and carrying her phaser. B'elana noticed Seven's distress.
'Here.' the half Klingon indicated where Tom was down her top. Seven's eye brows rose.
'Mr. Paris has been here the whole time?' Seven could now see a small lump that was his outline against the material.
'Most of it, he can transport if he needs to.' B'elana was trying to help Seven out. 'Just put him...' she mimiced putting something down her kneck line.
Seven wasn't opposed to the suggestion.
She reached out and pulled open B'elana's top to put Tuvok in.
'NO! NOT ME!' B'elana pulled away. Seven was surprised at her misinterpretation. Then she hesitantly pulled open her own top and let go of Tuvok. He slid down and lodged between her skin and the tight fabric of Seven's uniform.
B'elana scoffed. It looked like Seven had a medical scanner growing out of her upper chest.
'Here!' B'elana began tugging at the tight material giving Tuvok room to slide further down untill he was consealed in the valley between her breasts. Seven was embarased to say the least.
She'd glipmpsed B'elana's breasts for the first time, and now the half Klingon beauty was touching her breasts.
B'elana's fingers were surprisingly gentle, but she was a strong woman who was tugging at Seven's tight uniform like a finicky mother.
Now they both had to act like it never happened as the Turbo lift doors opened. The Queen had never even turned aroud to watch. As they strode onto the bridge, Seven was horrified. Both by the sight of the three Borg ships attacking, and by the tiny Vulcan now sliding around between her breasts.
He was trying to stay in an upright postion, but it was inadvertantly 'stimulating' her having his arms and legs touch her there. Her cheeks burned as two nubs appeared in her uniform front that weren't usually ever there.
They had arrived in the nick of time, and it was as bad as they'd anticipated. A Borg cube had come out of sub space right in front of Voyager. It was already on top of them and within firing range. It was BIGGER than the usual cube, and there were two spheres coming up on either side of it. The real Borg Queen wasn't taking any chances with Voyager getting away this time. Seven gulped as her worst nightmare materialized right before her eyes, and it was all her fault.

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(trumpets tooting Voyager theme. beer commercial, Sprint 1000 commercial with Sela Ward taking off her clothes and calypso dancing as she grows to 1000 feet tall in a city scape, pop tart commercial with girl using remote to freeze the dog and shrink her brother)

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Tania was covered in men. She had them on her feet, on her legs, on her torso. They were all sweeping their insturments around scanning her and walking all over her with tiny feet. She was relaxed more than she'd ever been before. 'They say no man is an island... how about a woman?' she said to one guy who was walking over her bust line as if it were just a large hill. He came up to her kneck and began loosening her kneck muscles. She didn't WANT to sleep. This was more divine than even the dreams she'd considered 'good' before.
She was VERY pissed when the alarms went off. She had to go to her battle station. That included her going to the weapons array now that she had added duties.
She didn't even have any training at it!
'Hurry. Back into the shuttle...' she was going to try to pick them off of her body one by one and put them in the shuttle herself, but they were transported even faster than she could move them. With a bit of relief she pickeed up the shuttle and started down the corridor to her new post. It was a crowded corner between two photon torpedo tubes. Her communicator was a direct link to the bridge. The order to fire was already on her console when she sat down.
She readied the first tube in sequence and released the first volley.
The other women manning their consoles were doing the same. The robotic arms began chugging away loading more torpedos as she primed the tubes again.
On one screen she could see the actual target.
A Borg cube. It was the very picture of horror and alien technology. Conduits and dark panels and every inch of it deadly.
Her veins turned to ice. 'If I die, escape!' she told the men in the shuttle not bothering to see if they heard her.
They were afraid as well. The next volley of photon torpedo's shot outward. The Borg cube had adjusted their sheilds already. Voyager was having to run now and fire rear torpedo tubes.
Booming all over the ship reported that the Borg weapons were breaching Voyager's shilds already.
Tania was suddenly shocked as her console blew. Tendrils of arcing blue electricty was unleashed on her hands.
They'd been hit right in the weapons array.
A fire ball erupted as the bulkhead came loose and conduits bent outward to space. The percussion was horrendous and she was propelled out into space with her chair and several other items that had broken free from the damage.
A hiddeous hole was torn in Voyager's hull.
The computer erected a stability field around the damaged area to prevent anyone else from being sucked out, but for Tania it was too late. She was hurled out into space throught the volley of Borg fire and as she drifted she saw both ships head into the void.
Constant fire from both ships and two flanking spheres lighting up space like a fire works display. The Borg were merely wearing Voyager down so they could take it with no resistance.
They didn't have a chance!
Tania was amazed that she'd lived long enough to see it. Her blood should have boiled out of her flesh by now. But she drifted into an object and turned to see that she was caught in a tractor beam.
And there was a shield extended around her.
She could breathe.
A normal sized shuttle was right beside her drawing her in.
At the normal sized helm were her men, each of them working together to control the computer on board. All Tania could say when she got inside was.
'How!?' as she lay on the floor with adreanaling pulsing through her body and her ears thrundering with the concussion of being blown out of Voyager.
Harry Kim was standing on top of the main console.
'We had a shuttle beamed out of storage when we saw the explosion. We used the force field on the shuttle here to keep you from getting hurt.' he was quite proud of the group effort. Several men had worked on the problem at once. If they HADN'T been there...
Tania got to her knees and looked out the forward screen. 'We've got to do something!' she demanded. Voyager wasn't doing much good against the three Borg ships.
'Perhaps we can buy them some time. This shuttle has a food replicator, we can create some weapons.' Harry and the other men began working again and the replicator was making old fassion bombs. Or spatial charges. They could be launched out the air lock and directed with the small tractor beam on board the shuttle. They weren't much more than a bee to a dog, but the dog might slow down if it gets stung by the bee enough.
'At least it might even the odds. But if they fire on us... ' Tania began.
'Looks like they're too busy!' one of the guys yelled.
He was gung ho too.
They began hurling the bombs as fast as the replicator would make them. The ships jumped to warp for a moment, the shuttle followed. One of the spheres was vulnerable because it had it's tactical computers concentrating on Voyager as it's only enemy. It took several bombs right through it's shields and blew a nice big hole in the control center. The sphere began to roll off to the side and violently went back below warp speed with a flash of concussion.
The other sphere got out of line to fight the shuttle.
The cube wouldn't leave Voyager alone. A large energy burst went right through the engine nacelle and both ships dropped out of warp.
Tania wasn't any good at piloting the shuttle, so she let the men do it, but she was good at computers so she helped keep their signature fluctuated so that the Borg had difficulty locking onto their shuttle. The Borg didn't know how many people they were combatting aboard the tiny ship. Harry Kim flew them around the other stalled sphere and the chase sphere couldn't fire without hitting thier own ship.
But they kept firing anyway further damaging the stalled sphere.
They didn't know how long they could keep up their speed and luck though.

****************************************************

The shuttle didn't set down at a star port, or even an air port. They sat down on top of a city building with their sensors set to scramble simple things like radar. The shuttle was the same size as an air handling unit on top of the building and about the same color. So it was camoflaged for now.
Janeway told her pilot to baby sit the shuttle while she and the forlocci got out to accomplish their mission. Cara's first move was to give Janeway her robe to cover her human features and especially her red hair. Janeway kept her phaser at the ready under the large cuffs.
They went down a stair well of sorts that looked more like a ladder and the corridor was so dimly lit Janeway had to keep her hand on the young Forlocci's shoulder.
There was talking in the individual living spaces.
This was some sort of condominum, either that or the Forlocci had some pretty big families. They made their way down half of the floors hoping no one was there to stop them. When they reached a door that Cara could open with code punch.
The door slid open on silent hinges and the two prowlers went in. Janeway could see a bit more once inside, but not much. It looked like a brown out everywhere she turned.
Cara gasped as she looked in the next room.
Janeway looked over her shoulder and gasped as well.
A young nude Forlocci had Chakotay dangling over her mouth about to drop him. The nude white creature saw the intuders and hissed at them, then tossed Commander Chakotay into her mouth.
'NO! You must not! You will be destroyed!' Cara said indicating Janeway. Suddenly the other girl noticed that Janeway was NOT one of them. But a huge version of what she'd been wanting to eat. Her wild eyes focused for a second and she opened her mouth to let Chakotay slide to safety on the floor. Cara quickly pulled her friend away and drug her to the next room. Janeway fell to her knees and cupped Chakotay in her palms.
'How are you commander?' she asked feeling herself melt at the sight of him. He wasn't doing so well. Evedently the monsteress had been playing with her food. Chakotay wasn't feeling near as bad being in her hands.
'Ready to run a marathon.' he said. His leg was tore open in two different places. Janeway was about to suggest some R&R in her own witty way, when she got the call.
'Captain. Voyager is under attack. A Borg cube and two Borg spheres.' A voice announced. The transmission was already breaking up. All of the hope she'd just recieved went out the window. Three Borg ships against Voyager, and more than half of the crew was the size of her finger. Her guts turned to steel as she stood.
'I've got to get going.' she announced to Cara.
'I'm staying with my friend.' Cara announced bravely.
'Thank you.' was all Janeway could say. 'I'll contact you.' and then she was up the ladder with new speed she didn't know she had. Both of her passengers were on a new roller coaster with new bouncing waves they'd never dreamed of as a kid.

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'We MUST stop them.' B'elana urged as she fought with the weapons array. They'd been hit right in the photon torpedo bay and several of the phaser banks were running on backup. When one of the engine nacelles was blown to bits, and she ship skewed back to impulse speed, she screamed. All the work they'd done for so long to the engines in the delta quadrant. Gone.
With new fury she directed fire at the pursuing cube. For some reason the spheres had left them alone. It gave them enough time to reconfigure their shields again and come around so a new portion of the ship was facing the cube. The forward torpedos were working and shot out at the menacing ship.
It did some damage.
Any advantage they could get would be worth while right now.
'Sheilds down to 40%!' the woman flying the ship was frantic. She'd never flown so much as a shuttle, let alone the whole ship, and now she was flying in combat with the Borg.
'At this rate, our fighting will not be sufficient.' Seven announced from the science console.
The Borg Queen stood behind them.
'Will the ship be destroyed?' she asked anyone who would listen. Suddenly they were hailed. The communication most heard, and most feared from the evil dark beings all over the universe.
'We are Borg. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated...'
The Queen watched for a few more moments and began to scan the computer as well. It was too late for anyone to watch after her with their own jobs becoming critical. The ship would probably be destroyed before they let themselves be taken and turned into drones.
'Shields down to 20%!' was announced.
Seven saw the Queen asimilate a console. The bio tines slinked into the panel and accessed the computer on a basic level. The humaized Borg was horrified that it happened, but had no time for the Queen at the moment. Suddenly, the Queen disappeared, the Borg had beamed her off of the ship.
'Aahh!!' B'elana was blown off of her console when a back lash of elecricity came thought the computer from the saucer section being hit. The Borg cube was doing some real damage with the shilds down to such a critical level. Smoke filled the bridge and the remaing women fought with their controls to the bitter end. The red flashing strobes lit the darkened bridge like a sinister cave. The computer began to give warnings about the warp core becoming critical where control systems were off line.
There just weren't enough people to do everything as she ship was pecked appart towards it's imminent destruction.
'Surrender Voyager.' the Queen's voice filled the ship on every level and every deck. It resonated off of the hull where the Borg cube announced their arrival to all. Terror struck them as the situation went from bad to worse. The Queen herself was announcing their impending doom.
The cube was virutally unharmed as it loomed over the battered Voyager. Drones began to beam aboard Voyager on several decks. The Queen and several drones came onto the bridge of Voyager. Seven fired and kiled one. Her next shot had no effect on the second drone. She was going to fight hand to hand.
'Stop.' the Queen commanded her.
B'elana was hurting on the floor but conscious, the other two women were at the end of their rope looking at the horrifying picture before them. The stench of burned flesh from the dead drone filled the bridge quickly as the secondary systems like life support began to fail. They stood over the carnage as victors.
A whole army of Borg. Not even singed by the battle.
The Queen stepped forward. 'Stop.' she said again. 'You are humans. You are spared.' she announced. The drones came forward and connected into the computer. Several other drones were around the ship in various places. The Queen had given them the schematics of Voyager. They were repairing the Federation ship.

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No one was more stunned than Janeway when she came out of warp right next to where Voyager had fled to. She gazed at the scene of a Borg cube hovering over Voyager with several drones crawling all over the outer hull of her ship. And the friendly face of Seven of Nine with the Queen of the Borg standing beside her welcoming her back.
It was the oddest thing Janeway had ever experienced.
Ever.
Period.

Chapter 13

There was confusion in the shperes.
9 of 12 tertiary junct 115 matrix 56 left his cosole to consult the main matrix. The computer acknowleged his question. 'Were our orders to self destruct?'
The answer was yes, then no, then yes, then no. Then yes with comply added to it.
The borg don't shrug.
The borg don't cry.
The borg fulfill their orders blindly.
Both spheres blew in close proximity to each other. The shuttle began their escape as soon as they saw the explosions on the surface and luckily they got away and made a bee line back to Voyager to further assist if at all possible.
Tania's eyes were wild with horror as they saw the half destroyed Voyager crawling with drones and the Borg cube hovering over it like a sinister conquerer. Before they could begin a new stategy, they were hailed by Voyager. Seven of nine was greeting them back.
It was immediately written off as a trap. They began to try to escape, but the Borg queen beamed aboard the shuttle and Tania and the other men looked at her in fascinated horror.
Tania's phaser had no effect on the all powerfull being.
'Why do you run?' The Queen asked. Her placid white face turning to look at each individual tiny man for the first time. She studied them. Indeed they were tiny humans. Individuals. She was made to help them.
Tania was panting the hardest. She was going to throw herself at the Borg queen in a last despirate attempt to cripple her somehow. The lunge didn't even phase the black clad Queen.
They were standing in the small hatch area of the shuttle in a bear hug. The queen was only slightly taller than Tania, but was immensely less velunerable. At any second Tania knew the tines of death would snake out and destroy her, her men were trying everything they could at the console to transport the queen out into space, or disrupt her body somehow. All was useless, and the Queen's cruel steel eyes became passionate.
'You do not need to harm me. I am here to comfort you.' she pushed Tania to an arm's length and brought her sinister face close to the console with so many men on it. 'I will not assimilate you.' she reached forward and took an ensign in her metalic fingers. He was frozen with fear as she cradled him to her metalic breasts, and then put him on the floor.
Within a second and a Borg green glow, he began to grow and was suddenly normal sized again.
The transformation was reversed.
The Queen could do it! Had the real Queen known what power lay in just adjusting the size of her adversaries, she would have used the Borg as giant conquerors of Earth and probably succeeded. But it was a secret for now.
Tania's eyes were wild with panick turned to hope.
She was now not alone on the shuttle. And the newly grown man was actually putting himself between her and the queen as if he could protect her! Tania had never been so relieved to see another human being.
'If you're not here to hurt us, then leave!' he used his regained size to protect Tania. The Queen complied. She had other things to do, when they called back to Voyager, the strory was still the same.
'You shall dock now, the situation is... under control.' Seven of Nine assured them again. The eerie Borg cube hovering over their ship still gave them pause, but the act of good will by growing one of the men seemed like a convincing gesture. They were immensely releived when the entered a Borg occupied hangar and there were still human women walking around. They quickly found out that indeed the crew had not been assimilated. The drones were going about their business and not bothering anyone. They had a CARING Borg queen!

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The first thing that met B'elana's eyes when she opened them was Tom's face. He was peering down at her intently through the bio med cover. He was worrying. Then the doctor looked over his shoulder.
'Tom?' she asked in a shaky voice. Her eyes still failed to open all the way. Both male faces looked immensely releived.
'Told you. Tough as an old iron kettle.' the doctor intoned as he prepared the next phaze of shock burn treatment.
'Yea, real tough. You'd BETTER get well.' He fumed at B'elana. Then his face softened again. 'Welcome back.'
'Back? Where have I been?'
'For the last few days...' the doctor opened the bio med shield and applied another neuro enhancer to her kneck. 'In la la land. That reminds me of a little song...'
'Please!' Tom looked at the hologram with pleading eyes.
'Very well.' he went back to his alcove and disappeared into the computer chamber. Tom took B'elana's hand as they stared into each other's eyes.
'I thought I'd lost you.' he said soberly. They seldom communicated without all the sarcasm.
'I thought I'd ruined everything permanently.' she tried to move and saw that some of her flesh was still regenerating. She'd gotten burned pretty bad. 'How long was I out.'
'Just a couple of watches, don't worry...'
'THE BORG!' she suddenly remembered why she'd been blasted. It was like a horrid dream, that was real. Tom was trying to keep her relaxed. The ship was still there. The more she remembered, the more she realized the ship should NOT be there. 'We got away?!'
'Not exactly...' Tom said trying to keep her calm.
'What?! We didn't...' she tried to get up again and pulled some of her flesh loose from the replicator.
'No! No! Stop!' he put the arm band back on and cleaned up the blood with a hand held unit. If they hadn't been so quick about it, B'elana would not HAVE arms. Now they had to keep her still as they fused back together her nerves. 'The Borg queen we made on Voyager, she took over the cube and self destructed the spheres.'
'The Borg Queen...' B'elana didn't think her throat could be so dry and not be turned to dust. She croaked again and coughed. Tom hurriedly got her some water as he continued to explain. The Queen she and Seven had made turned out to be a REAL close approximation of the real one. Too close. But she'd saved their lives.
'Remember, you two re-created the Borg queen herself so they could get us back to normal size, but she ended up saving us in the end.'
'Where is she?' B'elana asked quickly in fear.
'We don't know, she had the drones repaired Voyager, then she said we were in danger if she stayed, and they left in the cube yesterday.' he gave her the the water and then put away the empty cup when she was done. She was feeling some of the pain now as her conscious mind fought with the issues. She didn't understand at all, but at least Tom thought they were safe for the moment.
'Everyone back to normal size?'
'Even Chakotay. The captain made SURE of it.' he assured her.

**************************************************

Elsewhere on the ship, commander Chakotay was being 'administered to' about curiosity killing the cat. Janeway was standing over him as she read off more star fleet rigamarole as his 'punishment' for beaming himself into her deception and getting captured because of his disobedience of orders and not choosing a human to look after him on top of it all.
He was guilty of all charges, but in the end, Janeway gave him a big hug and made him howl in pain. His newly patched up body wasn't much better off than B'elana's, but at least he was walking around. After his 'punishment' he was ordered to a week of rest and relaxation as his further 'grounding'. He readilly accepted and limped back to his quarters to make good on his probationary period.

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Tania couldn't believe it. It was as if she'd completely changed, or became another person, but now that the men KNEW she wasn't a complete ice bitch, she couldn't keep them from being friendly and flirtatious with her.
Now that they were normal sized, she'd expeted them to treat her like a wall again. Pete came up behind her and rubbed her shoulders as she looked at her terminal.
'Need anything from the mess hall?' he asked making sure that his touch was sensual and not confused with the playfull rub someone might give as a casual gesture. She was liking the male attention she'd fended off for so long.
'A girl could get used to this...' she warned. Then she kissed his hand and dismissed him for lunch break. He left with a quick smile and another ensign came in with the shuttle that they'd brought back. It was the size of a loaf of bread still and streaked with makeup where she'd kissed it when they came back.
'Thougth you might want a souvenier.' he smiled at her.
She gave him a warm hug.
He'd brought her a nice gift, she really thought of it with sentimental value now. She put it on her console like an executive's up town model. The lights were still on aboard it for added effect. He gave her another friendly squeeze and then went back to his duties. She was so filled with love where her empty gap used to be, she knew she could never be the same.

***************************************************

'State your purpose?' Seven asked as she saw Leonard come into her store room. Her alcove was humming quietly in the corner as she interfaced with her computer. He was carrying a towel and a particle ray in his hand.
'Here to clean your shoes.' he said thrusting out his chin in defiance.
'A waist of time. The cleanliness of my foot wear is irrelevant.' she told him flatly.
He paused for a moment as if milling it over in his mind, then shrugged.
'As you wish. Anyway I wanted to appologize.'
This made Seven's brows raise in question. 'Explain.'
He scratched the back of his kneck, even though it didn't itch, and came forward a bit more so that he'd be within more comfortable low speaking tones with the tall blonde knock out.
'I appologize for putting you on the spot like that.... sorry about that. Really.' He could be charming at times, and a few whisps of white hair weren't going to change that.
'The spot?' she looked at the floor to see if there was anything indicating an area she was in.
He realized it was the same lack of slang that also kept her from expressing herself. He bit his lower lip appologetically. 'Well, for what it's worth, we weren't really thinking about YOU when we chose you as a protector, we were thinking of ourselves. And we got together, and well, we'd like you to have this...' he pulled a small box out from behind him.
Seven took the box and opened it as if it might be a new shipment of weight lifting equipment. But she gasped when she saw what was inside. The small box had an even smaller crystal clear box in it, and inside that was a perfect replication of Voyager, right down to the battle scars from the recent Borg encounter.
She gazed at it's flawlessness and expected to see people walking around in the windows it was so perfect.
'It is... beautiful.' Seven watched his reaction to see if she'd chosen the appropriate word. Evedenly she did because he was becoming very emotional about it.
'So you'll always remember, you're a real hero to us, no matter what size you are.' he gave her a hug whether she wanted it or not and was surprised when she worriedly put her arms around him for a moment and then returned to her tasks.
'Perhaps I shall require footwear cleaning at a later time. They are...' she looked at her feet again. 'Sufficiently clean at this time.' she tried to diffuse the situation with humor.
The doctor had counseled her on it many times. Sometimes humor eluded her though. This time it may have worked.
Leonarad smiled at her and left with a quick step. Seven would have prefered a fight to human interaction, but somehow she was more at ease knowing she wouldn't be despised for causing the whole incident in the first place. Her family aboard Voyager seemed to have an infinite capacity of forgiveness, and showing even more fondness for her since her blunder.
'Curious.' she thought to herself.

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Marla was an officer now, and the other Equinox crew members were taken off the shit list as well.
Janeway had visited with her a time or two as the ship was put to rights and they were underway at full power. She'd even had the chance to do some things with B'elana out of the picture for the time being.
The tall blonde was dreading seeing the half Klingon again.
Suddenly she was rewarded with a little party.
James had replicated them dinner and brought it to her quarters. She was thrilled that her 'little man' was happy with her work as a protector. They'd worked together so often that they just now were getting to relax a bit around each other. James was feeding her crackers as they played some comfortable music.
'One thing I don't get...' Marla asked as she ate and kissed him between bites.
He was smiling as he rubbed her thigh in between treating her like his princess. 'What?'
She was thinking about the whole Borg incident since it happened.
'Well, if WE were the ones that made the Queen that took over the cube, why don't we have the Borg technology?' she wondered. James just kissed her again.
'Don't ask me, I don't know any more than you. I was just a passenger, remember?' he pulled open her uniform top to check out her breasts. Marla had long since lost all bashfullness around James and he quickly exposed the area he'd been riding as a tiny tag along to his protector. Marla looked down at her own exposed breasts.
'And they didn't get us any closer to home.' she pouted a bit.
'But I wouldn't say we came out COMPLETELY empty handed....' they both knew what he meant.

********************************************

Elsewhere aboard Voyager, there was a trail of clothes, and a Borg inspired device sitting in the corner pulsing.
Nearby, Susan Gaines was talking in a low murmur.
'If the other women aboard the ship knew you could do this, you'd be promoted from cook.' she said suggestively. She turned the Borg device on again and suddenly Neelix was grown to normal size again.
'I'd rather not do it for just anyone, let's make it our LITTLE secret.' then he took the Borg sizing device back to the weapon's room where he'd 'borrowed' it on his way back to the kitchen.
Nope. Not completely empty handed.



THE END