Whoa Nellie
2011-03-18 23:49:08 UTC
Title: Unnatural Evolution
Author: Whoa Nellie
Contact: ***@hotmail.com
Series: TNG
NEW 1/8
Rating: NC-17
Codes: P/V, R/T, C/Chakotay, B/Ez, Odan, crew
Summary: The Delta Expedition encounters an old nemesis and life for
some of them will never be the same. CONTENT WARNING: Contains
sensitive subject matter that some may find upsetting--no graphic
depictions of violence or character death, just situations and
discussions of a serious, sensitive and adult nature.
Author's notes: This occurs in the Reasons of the Heart timeline
which launched a deep space expedition toward the Delta Quadrant in a
previous story, History's Legacy. There are references to previous
Whoa Nellie stories: Divergences and Ghost, which might be helpful to
have read but hopefully there's enough information that it's not
essential for enjoying the story. Feel free to archive to any
pertinent site.
As always: Paramount owns all the marbles, we just have a lot more fun
playing with them.
Feedback is always appreciated - posted or e-mail.
Whoa Nellie's Romance Star Trek Fan Fiction Stories
http://whoanellie.fortunecity.com
UNNATURAL EVOLUTION
Commander Chakotay sat at a workstation onboard the shuttle John
Kelly waiting for his transmission to go through. After a couple of
minutes, the Starfleet insignia was replaced by an image of Captain
Jean-Luc Picard. "Captain."
"Commander," Picard acknowledged. "Report."
Chakotay had taken a first contact team on a mission to scout out a
system that showed evidence of technological advancement amid several
populated planets. It was more than a week's travel off the Delta
Expedition's current heading, so he'd brought the advance team to make
contact and determine if they were amenable to a visit from strangers
to their region. Given some of the xenophobic races that Voyager had
encountered, he wasn't taking for granted that even a technologically
advanced society would welcome the Delta Expedition with open arms.
"Very friendly and open to an exchange of information. They call
themselves Tauri. They're humanoid and, from what I've seen, at least
as technologically advanced as the Federation. They are aware of and
conduct business regularly with alien races. In fact, I'm scheduled
to meet with ambassadors from neighboring systems tomorrow. I
recommend the expedition alter course. The government and primary
center of commerce is the second planet in the system. Their patrol
ships have already been advised that you're friendly and welcome
should you decide to come this way."
"Acknowledged; good work, Commander. I look forward to reading your
report. See you in a week."
..............................................................
The capital building on the Tauri homeworld was a massive,
architectural wonder, breath-taking from a distance and even more
impressive up close. Picard studied the intricate details and various
designs incorporated into the structure, noting the patterns that
repeated in buildings throughout the city. Simple beauty, eye-
catching without being overly ornate; he was anxious to become
acquainted with the people of this world. This was the fundamental
objective of the Delta Expedition, to explore the Delta Quadrant and
get to know new worlds, new races. He was the fleet captain for a
three ship Federation colony exploring the uncharted space of the
Delta Quadrant.
"Captain Jean-Luc Picard," Commander Chakotay was making the initial
introductions. "I present Premier Je'nau of the Tauri."
"It's an honor to met you, Premier," Picard said.
Je'nau extended his right hand. "I understand from your Commander
Chakotay that this is how your people greet friends, Captain."
Picard took the proffered hand. "It is, Premier, and I hope it
represents the beginning of a long friendship between our people."
Chakotay continued the introductions with Je'nau shaking each hand in
turn. "This is Captain William Riker and Captain Beverly Crusher,
they command the other two vessels in our expedition. Dr. Julian
Bashir is the head of our Medical department and Commander Hawking is
the head of the Physical Sciences department. They will be meeting
with your experts here while others of your people are touring the
ships."
"Yes," Picard jumped in. "Our senior officers are standing by to
personally escort your representatives on a tour of our ships."
Je'nau grinned. "An opportunity that created quite the fuss among
them, I assure you. They are all anxious to see your vessels. We
have had encounters with many alien races but none from so far a
distance or in vessels of such size. The diversity of the races your
group is comprised of presents an opportunity for knowledge that has
nearly all of our academics practically drooling. The star charts
alone that your Commander Chakotay has already shared will keep our
astronomers busy for quite some time."
"My people are also looking forward to our exchange of knowledge,"
Picard replied. "Commander Chakotay informed me that you have
approved a request for our people to visit your planet so I would
gladly offer reciprocation and allow any of your population to visit
my ship, the Enterprise. The other two ships are support vessels,
mostly crew quarters and labs--nothing very interesting to the general
population; the Enterprise is the social center of our expedition, but
we would be happy to arrange guided tours of either of those ships for
anyone interested. Just have them make a request to my First Officer,
Commander Data, and he'll take care of the arrangements."
Je'nau make a small bow of gratitude. "Quite right, Captain,
friendship must grow from a small seedling; it cannot burst fully
formed from the ground. Once our initial meetings have concluded, I
will let our general population know of the opportunity and assign one
of my aides to coordinate with your Commander Data."
Chakotay gestured to one of the members of his First Contact team.
"I'm meeting with their Cultural Studies experts to finish reviewing
our cultural and historical databases. That building is near the
Central Hospital and Scientific Studies buildings so I'll show Dr.
Bashir and Commander Hawking to their meetings on my way. Mr. Yarnek
here will escort your people up to the ships and introduce them to
their counterparts among our people there."
"Captain Picard," Je'nau said. "Myself along with the rest of our
Ruling Council would very much like an audience with you. If you're
agreeable to that . . . "
"Of course, Premier."
Je'nau continued. "Commander Chakotay recommended that our Security
Division chiefs might enjoy a meeting with Captain Riker and Marshal
Ti'nak is here to escort him to the Security headquarters. Captain
Crusher, arrangements have been made for you to address our
Ambassadorial Division. All of the representatives from surrounding
systems and races are anxiously awaiting you. My personal aide will
escort you."
Riker spoke up. "I hope you won't be offended if our people are
accompanied by escorts from our expedition. On an unknown world, we
have rules about people traveling alone--at least until we know each
other better."
Je'nau nodded. "Of course, Commander Chakotay explained some of your
procedures. We have no objections at all. I would ask that your hand
weapons be restricted to what you call your stun setting while on our
world. The possession of lethal weapons is restricted among the
general population."
It was Riker's turn to nod. "Commander Chakotay's report included
that stipulation. I've already seen to it and your security people
are welcome to examine the phasers if you'd like."
...............................................................
Deanna waited until all of the members of her group stepped off the
turbolift. She was conducting a tour of the Enterprise-F for some of
the Tauri government officials through the social areas of the ship
after they'd been shown the research labs and Engineering. This was
their final stop. "This is what we call the community deck, or C-
deck. It has a wide variety of eating establishments, both formal and
informal, and different places that specialize in cuisine from
specific cultures. There are also places for socializing such as
lounges to get together for quiet conversations or clubs for music or
dancing. There's a special play area for children with equipment and
activities designed to facilitate their physical development. There
are also a variety of entertainment venues, including a concert hall
and theater as well as holodecks and holosuites."
One of the Tauri delegates stared, his mouth agape, at several
Bolians walking past them. "Do you have different areas for each of
the races among you?"
"No," Deanna answered, aware of his amazement at some of the visually-
unusual species on the ship. "Everyone lives and works together.
Certain cultures prefer eating specific foods but replicators in
private quarters can produce almost anything. C-deck is where people
come to socialize with their friends or co-workers, a communal area."
"And this entire deck is nothing but these social areas?" Another of
the delegates asked, looking into the facilities as they walked past.
Deanna smiled, the Enterprise was a large ship, which meant that this
deck was a fairly vast area. "There are several thousand individuals
on this expedition and this deck serves as a social area for all of
them.
"This ship holds--"
"No," Deanna cut him off. "Some of the members of the expedition
live and work on one of the other two ships. There are a lot of
married couples and families on the expedition and in some of those
cases, they actually serve on different ships. They live on one of
the ships and then transport to their assigned vessel for their duty
shifts. My husband is the captain of the Titan and I live in the
captain's quarters with him there but I work here on the Enterprise,
overseeing the Psychology Department and report to Captain Picard.
The majority of the people do live and work on the Enterprise, but not
all. Everyone is welcome to transport here to enjoy C-deck no matter
which ship they're assigned to or live on. Captain Picard has
extended an invitation for people from your planet to transport aboard
and enjoy the amenities on C-deck during our time here as well."
One of the female Tauri delegates touched Deanna's arm to get her
attention. "You mentioned holodecks before? What exactly are those
if I may ask?"
Deanna gestured to a door just ahead. "I've actually arranged a
demonstration for you, if you'd follow me inside."
.....................................................................
Beverly was trying to maintain a dignified pace down the corridor
toward her quarters. Between her meetings with various ambassadors
and government officials and Chakotay coordinating the diplomatic
functions and overseeing the knowledge exchanges between the various
departments, this was their first opportunity for some private time
after a nearly three week absence. He had called her ready room ten
minutes ago to let her know he was home. The chirp of her commbadge
broke her stride. "Crusher here."
'Captain,' LaForge's voice came over the comm link. 'We've received
a request for the use of a shuttle. There's apparently a nature
preserve on the third planet and several of our people would like to
check it out. They do have permission from local authorities.'
"Has Captain Riker approved long distance exploration in this
system?" She could just approve the request, but since the Titan
would be responsible for their safety, Riker did have a say in how far
expedition personnel went from the ships.
'Yes, Captain, within the system only without Titan personnel. I'm
still inclined to send two security officers along as a precaution.
One of the group is Dr. Randall so if you approve, I was going to let
Mark provide escort for the group.'
Geordi had proven to be a great First Officer. She still regretted
the loss of Commander Kole; however, LaForge had stepped in and
performed beyond her expectations. "Sounds good, Commander. Approve
the request but I'd like them to check in on a regular schedule. Work
it out with Mr. Randall."
'Aye, Captain.'
She was already shrugging out of her uniform jacket when she entered
their quarters. She had missed that smile, the dimples that
punctuated it and those deep, brown eyes. Flinging her jacket over a
chair, she headed straight into the bedroom where he was unpacking his
bag. Eagerness to see him turned into a much more carnal anticipation
the instant her lips claimed his. She cradled his head in her hands
and held him close as her tongue delved into his mouth to find and
caress his tongue. His full, sensuous lips met hers, matching her
passion and desire. After long moments, they broke off the kiss with
both of them breathing heavily.
"Hi to you, too, Fireball," Chakotay murmured, his dimples winking at
her. "I just came from the Enterprise and with all of the people from
the planet visiting, it'll be impossible to get a table anywhere on C-
deck so I figured we'd just eat here tonight. And before I get too
distracted, there was a group of Tauri doctors--"
She was sitting on the chair in their bedroom pulling off her boots.
"Geordi arranged a tour of our facilities for them. Data called over
a little while ago to arrange tours of the biology and botany labs for
some of their people, which I asked Geordi to see to as I was leaving
the bridge. It's all taken care of. I have taken my last diplomatic
meeting, at least for the preliminary exchanges. You have handed off
the Tauri to Jean-Luc for the next stage of diplomatic relations. Now
that my duties and yours have been seen to, we both have nothing
better to do than get re-acquainted. Take off your clothes."
Chuckling at her forthright amorousness, he kicked off his own boots
and reached for the waistband of his uniform trousers. "Aye, aye,
Captain Fireball."
With Chakotay living on the Pasteur with her but heading up the
Anthropological Sciences department of the expedition on the
Enterprise, spending time together wasn't nearly as simple as coming
home after a duty shift. She had responsibilities as captain on the
Pasteur and he had his responsibilities and regular bridge duty on the
Enterprise. After a three week separation, she wasn't interested in
talking or foreplay. She just wanted him. Swiftly sliding her own
trousers off and kicking them away, she stripped off her shirt and
stalked toward him clad only in her bra and panties.
This was the way to see the Delta Quadrant. There were still alien
races to meet, some friendly and some not. There were spatial
anomalies and astronomical phenomenon to see and study. There were
unknowns around every corner, figuratively speaking and yet there were
also these moments when he was home. He stepped out of his trousers
and reached for her, his large hands easily spanning her trim waist.
This moment was what he'd been looking forward to for weeks. She fit
so perfectly in his life and in his arms. Their bodies moved together
easily, her warm, soft curves pressing against his body in all the
right ways. His mouth sought hers for a kiss, but she pulled back to
shove his uniform shirt up, baring his chest. He drew the shirt up
and over his head to toss it to the floor. By then her mouth was
licking and sucking its way across his chest and the sweet streaks of
pleasure were racing through his body. Her strength was one of the
things he loved about her and he'd spent a lot of time coaxing this
sexual aggressiveness out of where she'd kept it hidden for so long.
His little Fireball was completely comfortable taking what she wanted
whether it was hard and fast or soft and easy. His hands came up to
cradle her head against him, his fingers tangling in her long,
luxuriant red hair. He urged her mouth toward his already-aching
nipples, groaning when she nipped at one with her teeth before pulling
it into her mouth to suckle.
The smooth copper skin tasted so good, she'd missed him so much.
While her tongue swirled across his chest, her hands were caressing
his broad, muscular back and shoving his underwear down to cup his
hips. He was her anchor, the one person in her life who knew every
part of her and loved her for who she was. She felt his hands come
around to unhook her bra so she straightened up to press herself full
length against him and slipped her own underwear off to join his on
the floor. They knew each other so well that words weren't really
necessary. Not wanting to wait any longer, she laid down on the bed,
pulling him with her. Her entire body was pounding with need, she'd
dreamed about this, fantasized about how his body would feel against
hers, inside hers. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she slid her
arms around his broad shoulders to urge his weight down onto her.
Pressed against the bedding with the warm, solid form of her husband
cradling her, this was nothing short of idyllic.
He could feel her breasts crushed into the hard wall of his chest,
her stiffened nipples like pebbles against his skin. He urged her
lips apart, his tongue delving into the moist depths to stroke and
caress. Delaying the moment when their bodies would join intimately,
he wanted to savor this sense of anticipation, the way the pleasure
built with tingles and streaks of sensation magnified by the pounding
of their hearts. Regardless of what was going on around them, every
time they shared intimacy there was this moment just before his body
entered hers when love, desire, pleasure and trust merged into one
indescribable feeling. Her legs tightened around his waist, a silent
plea that he acknowledged, his hands moving to hold her hips steady as
he drove himself into her body. He could feel her body clenching at
him intimately, urging him to a fast, hard pace and he complied. She
broke off the kiss, gasping breathlessly in his ear how much she loved
him and how much she'd missed him. Those sweet words spurred him on
and he thrust into her with long, demanding strokes, pulling almost
completely out of her body to bury himself as deeply as possible. He
coaxed her legs higher, slipping them over his shoulders so that he
could drive his body even deeper into hers. Her body convulsed, an
orgasm shaking her but he didn't even slow down. He continued
slamming his body into hers, enjoying the spasms deep inside her that
pulled erotically at him with each stroke. Pressure began building
low in his hips, he fought against it in an effort to wait. His
efforts were rewarded when Beverly's body froze for a split second
before being consumed by a powerful orgasm, his name being screamed at
her moment of overwhelming pleasure. It was not long after that
incredible sight that his own climax ripped through him and he
collapsed onto her, both of them breathing heavily.
"Well," she gasped breathlessly. "I know they say absence makes the
heart grow fonder but that's a really nice effect, too."
.....................................................................
"Here, taste this." LaForge broke off a piece of the confection he
was eating and handed it to Data. The two men had managed to arrange
their schedules so they could take shore leave on Tauri together. Now
that both of them were First Officers, they had only been able to talk
by way of ship-to-ship communications. This was the first time they
had been able to get together, in fact, it was the first time Geordi
had been off the Pasteur since he had transferred over. He hadn't
planned it that way; he had assumed that he would be able to beam over
to C-deck during his off-duty time on occasion. Between putting the
Pasteur back together after their run-in with the Vaadwaur and
learning her crew--his new crew, he had just lost track of the time.
He was determined to enjoy every last minute away from the ship since
he didn't know when his next opportunity might be. The two men were
exploring the various vendor booths in an open-air market situated in
the center of the Tauri capital city. The Central Marketplace was one
of the major attractions and LaForge had already seen nearly a dozen
expedition members browsing through the assorted goods on display.
"That substance is 98.4% pure disaccharide," Data informed him.
"There is no nutritional value."
LaForge took a big bite of the sweet. "Your point being?"
"While the taste is most pleasant," Data acknowledged, "the substance
does not contribute to the dietary needs of the human body in any
way."
LaForge gave him a friendly shove. "C'mon, Data, as long as you've
had your emotion chip, don't tell me you haven't learned to appreciate
indulging in something just for the pure pleasure of it."
"Activities, certainly," Data said. "For me, the simple act of
eating is an indulgence; however, the human body has specific
nutritional requirements that must be met on a daily basis for optimum
performance."
Finishing the confection, LaForge licked his fingers. "Well, since I
barely have time to gulp down nutritional supplements these days, I am
overdue for some indulging. I really envy you, Data. I would love to
not need sleep since I don't seem to have enough time in my day for it
anyway."
"Are you not enjoying your new position, Geordi?" Data asked.
"Nah, it's great; it's just a lot of responsibility--like having to
deal with all of these researchers, mostly civilians, and make sure
everyone is working and playing well with everyone else. Then there's
ship status reports, crew duty rosters; it's pretty challenging but I
am really enjoying it."
"That is good," Data said. "I am similarly enjoying the challenges
of my position as First Officer. I have also encountered situations
on the Enterprise involving the expectations of researchers so I do
understand the frustrations that can occur."
LaForge nodded glumly. "You can't pull rank on a civilian."
"They did, however, agree to abide by ship regulations in addition to
Federation law when they applied to the expedition," Data noted.
"Which would be fine except that the wife of one of the exobiologists
on the Pasteur just happens to be a legal scholar," LaForge grimaced.
"A Benzite lawyer at that."
Data cocked his head to one side. "As Mrs. Picard might say in this
instance, 'it sucks to be you.'"
LaForge burst out laughing. "There are days, Data. I would never
trade this job for my old one, but there are days when it does suck to
be me."
Data gestured toward an archway that led out of the market. "I must
transport back to the Enterprise. I have Bridge duty in ten minutes."
Following Data through the archway, LaForge sighed. "Same here.
Listen, we should make a point to get together on a regular basis--
maybe a weekly breakfast or something."
"I would like that," Data agreed.
"Why don't we invite Madden," LaForge suggested. "Make it a First
Officer's club, kind of like the captains' weekly briefings."
"Certainly," Data said as he reached for his communicator. "Data to
Enterprise, one to beam up."
.....................................................................
Bashir was perched on a low knee wall that ran alongside a walkway
just outside of the Central Marketplace. This was one of a dozen
designated transport sites for individuals beaming to or from the
ships. It was a beautiful day, the first one that he'd been able to
enjoy after spending the past several days with medical experts from
this system learning about their bio-medical knowledge and technology
as well as teaching them about the Federation's medical technology.
Finally the familiar sparkling of a transporter beam appeared.
"I'm sorry I'm late," Ezri Dax began as soon as she materialized.
"My last counseling session ran a little long. We're still dealing
with the aftermath of that Vaadwaur thing."
Bashir waited for her to pause for a breath and quickly took the
opportunity to drop a kiss on her lips. "It's fine, I was enjoying
the fresh air and sunshine."
Ezri took a deep breath. "You're right, it's wonderful and I promise
that the rest of my day is all yours. No more work."
"One of the Tauri doctors I've been working with told me about a
restaurant that we have to try while we're here," Bashir gestured
along the walkway in the direction of the nearest entrance to the
central marketplace. "It's supposed to have the best of the local
delicacies and the only incompatibility with the local cuisine effects
Tellarite physiology."
"Gagh doesn't effect Trill physiology but that doesn't mean I want to
eat it," Ezri commented wryly, her stomach turning at the thought.
Bashir chuckled. "From what I've experienced over the past couple of
days, their cuisine is fairly similar to most humanoid cultures,
nothing too outrageous or exotic."
"Tastes like chicken?"
END PART 1
Author: Whoa Nellie
Contact: ***@hotmail.com
Series: TNG
NEW 1/8
Rating: NC-17
Codes: P/V, R/T, C/Chakotay, B/Ez, Odan, crew
Summary: The Delta Expedition encounters an old nemesis and life for
some of them will never be the same. CONTENT WARNING: Contains
sensitive subject matter that some may find upsetting--no graphic
depictions of violence or character death, just situations and
discussions of a serious, sensitive and adult nature.
Author's notes: This occurs in the Reasons of the Heart timeline
which launched a deep space expedition toward the Delta Quadrant in a
previous story, History's Legacy. There are references to previous
Whoa Nellie stories: Divergences and Ghost, which might be helpful to
have read but hopefully there's enough information that it's not
essential for enjoying the story. Feel free to archive to any
pertinent site.
As always: Paramount owns all the marbles, we just have a lot more fun
playing with them.
Feedback is always appreciated - posted or e-mail.
Whoa Nellie's Romance Star Trek Fan Fiction Stories
http://whoanellie.fortunecity.com
UNNATURAL EVOLUTION
Commander Chakotay sat at a workstation onboard the shuttle John
Kelly waiting for his transmission to go through. After a couple of
minutes, the Starfleet insignia was replaced by an image of Captain
Jean-Luc Picard. "Captain."
"Commander," Picard acknowledged. "Report."
Chakotay had taken a first contact team on a mission to scout out a
system that showed evidence of technological advancement amid several
populated planets. It was more than a week's travel off the Delta
Expedition's current heading, so he'd brought the advance team to make
contact and determine if they were amenable to a visit from strangers
to their region. Given some of the xenophobic races that Voyager had
encountered, he wasn't taking for granted that even a technologically
advanced society would welcome the Delta Expedition with open arms.
"Very friendly and open to an exchange of information. They call
themselves Tauri. They're humanoid and, from what I've seen, at least
as technologically advanced as the Federation. They are aware of and
conduct business regularly with alien races. In fact, I'm scheduled
to meet with ambassadors from neighboring systems tomorrow. I
recommend the expedition alter course. The government and primary
center of commerce is the second planet in the system. Their patrol
ships have already been advised that you're friendly and welcome
should you decide to come this way."
"Acknowledged; good work, Commander. I look forward to reading your
report. See you in a week."
..............................................................
The capital building on the Tauri homeworld was a massive,
architectural wonder, breath-taking from a distance and even more
impressive up close. Picard studied the intricate details and various
designs incorporated into the structure, noting the patterns that
repeated in buildings throughout the city. Simple beauty, eye-
catching without being overly ornate; he was anxious to become
acquainted with the people of this world. This was the fundamental
objective of the Delta Expedition, to explore the Delta Quadrant and
get to know new worlds, new races. He was the fleet captain for a
three ship Federation colony exploring the uncharted space of the
Delta Quadrant.
"Captain Jean-Luc Picard," Commander Chakotay was making the initial
introductions. "I present Premier Je'nau of the Tauri."
"It's an honor to met you, Premier," Picard said.
Je'nau extended his right hand. "I understand from your Commander
Chakotay that this is how your people greet friends, Captain."
Picard took the proffered hand. "It is, Premier, and I hope it
represents the beginning of a long friendship between our people."
Chakotay continued the introductions with Je'nau shaking each hand in
turn. "This is Captain William Riker and Captain Beverly Crusher,
they command the other two vessels in our expedition. Dr. Julian
Bashir is the head of our Medical department and Commander Hawking is
the head of the Physical Sciences department. They will be meeting
with your experts here while others of your people are touring the
ships."
"Yes," Picard jumped in. "Our senior officers are standing by to
personally escort your representatives on a tour of our ships."
Je'nau grinned. "An opportunity that created quite the fuss among
them, I assure you. They are all anxious to see your vessels. We
have had encounters with many alien races but none from so far a
distance or in vessels of such size. The diversity of the races your
group is comprised of presents an opportunity for knowledge that has
nearly all of our academics practically drooling. The star charts
alone that your Commander Chakotay has already shared will keep our
astronomers busy for quite some time."
"My people are also looking forward to our exchange of knowledge,"
Picard replied. "Commander Chakotay informed me that you have
approved a request for our people to visit your planet so I would
gladly offer reciprocation and allow any of your population to visit
my ship, the Enterprise. The other two ships are support vessels,
mostly crew quarters and labs--nothing very interesting to the general
population; the Enterprise is the social center of our expedition, but
we would be happy to arrange guided tours of either of those ships for
anyone interested. Just have them make a request to my First Officer,
Commander Data, and he'll take care of the arrangements."
Je'nau make a small bow of gratitude. "Quite right, Captain,
friendship must grow from a small seedling; it cannot burst fully
formed from the ground. Once our initial meetings have concluded, I
will let our general population know of the opportunity and assign one
of my aides to coordinate with your Commander Data."
Chakotay gestured to one of the members of his First Contact team.
"I'm meeting with their Cultural Studies experts to finish reviewing
our cultural and historical databases. That building is near the
Central Hospital and Scientific Studies buildings so I'll show Dr.
Bashir and Commander Hawking to their meetings on my way. Mr. Yarnek
here will escort your people up to the ships and introduce them to
their counterparts among our people there."
"Captain Picard," Je'nau said. "Myself along with the rest of our
Ruling Council would very much like an audience with you. If you're
agreeable to that . . . "
"Of course, Premier."
Je'nau continued. "Commander Chakotay recommended that our Security
Division chiefs might enjoy a meeting with Captain Riker and Marshal
Ti'nak is here to escort him to the Security headquarters. Captain
Crusher, arrangements have been made for you to address our
Ambassadorial Division. All of the representatives from surrounding
systems and races are anxiously awaiting you. My personal aide will
escort you."
Riker spoke up. "I hope you won't be offended if our people are
accompanied by escorts from our expedition. On an unknown world, we
have rules about people traveling alone--at least until we know each
other better."
Je'nau nodded. "Of course, Commander Chakotay explained some of your
procedures. We have no objections at all. I would ask that your hand
weapons be restricted to what you call your stun setting while on our
world. The possession of lethal weapons is restricted among the
general population."
It was Riker's turn to nod. "Commander Chakotay's report included
that stipulation. I've already seen to it and your security people
are welcome to examine the phasers if you'd like."
...............................................................
Deanna waited until all of the members of her group stepped off the
turbolift. She was conducting a tour of the Enterprise-F for some of
the Tauri government officials through the social areas of the ship
after they'd been shown the research labs and Engineering. This was
their final stop. "This is what we call the community deck, or C-
deck. It has a wide variety of eating establishments, both formal and
informal, and different places that specialize in cuisine from
specific cultures. There are also places for socializing such as
lounges to get together for quiet conversations or clubs for music or
dancing. There's a special play area for children with equipment and
activities designed to facilitate their physical development. There
are also a variety of entertainment venues, including a concert hall
and theater as well as holodecks and holosuites."
One of the Tauri delegates stared, his mouth agape, at several
Bolians walking past them. "Do you have different areas for each of
the races among you?"
"No," Deanna answered, aware of his amazement at some of the visually-
unusual species on the ship. "Everyone lives and works together.
Certain cultures prefer eating specific foods but replicators in
private quarters can produce almost anything. C-deck is where people
come to socialize with their friends or co-workers, a communal area."
"And this entire deck is nothing but these social areas?" Another of
the delegates asked, looking into the facilities as they walked past.
Deanna smiled, the Enterprise was a large ship, which meant that this
deck was a fairly vast area. "There are several thousand individuals
on this expedition and this deck serves as a social area for all of
them.
"This ship holds--"
"No," Deanna cut him off. "Some of the members of the expedition
live and work on one of the other two ships. There are a lot of
married couples and families on the expedition and in some of those
cases, they actually serve on different ships. They live on one of
the ships and then transport to their assigned vessel for their duty
shifts. My husband is the captain of the Titan and I live in the
captain's quarters with him there but I work here on the Enterprise,
overseeing the Psychology Department and report to Captain Picard.
The majority of the people do live and work on the Enterprise, but not
all. Everyone is welcome to transport here to enjoy C-deck no matter
which ship they're assigned to or live on. Captain Picard has
extended an invitation for people from your planet to transport aboard
and enjoy the amenities on C-deck during our time here as well."
One of the female Tauri delegates touched Deanna's arm to get her
attention. "You mentioned holodecks before? What exactly are those
if I may ask?"
Deanna gestured to a door just ahead. "I've actually arranged a
demonstration for you, if you'd follow me inside."
.....................................................................
Beverly was trying to maintain a dignified pace down the corridor
toward her quarters. Between her meetings with various ambassadors
and government officials and Chakotay coordinating the diplomatic
functions and overseeing the knowledge exchanges between the various
departments, this was their first opportunity for some private time
after a nearly three week absence. He had called her ready room ten
minutes ago to let her know he was home. The chirp of her commbadge
broke her stride. "Crusher here."
'Captain,' LaForge's voice came over the comm link. 'We've received
a request for the use of a shuttle. There's apparently a nature
preserve on the third planet and several of our people would like to
check it out. They do have permission from local authorities.'
"Has Captain Riker approved long distance exploration in this
system?" She could just approve the request, but since the Titan
would be responsible for their safety, Riker did have a say in how far
expedition personnel went from the ships.
'Yes, Captain, within the system only without Titan personnel. I'm
still inclined to send two security officers along as a precaution.
One of the group is Dr. Randall so if you approve, I was going to let
Mark provide escort for the group.'
Geordi had proven to be a great First Officer. She still regretted
the loss of Commander Kole; however, LaForge had stepped in and
performed beyond her expectations. "Sounds good, Commander. Approve
the request but I'd like them to check in on a regular schedule. Work
it out with Mr. Randall."
'Aye, Captain.'
She was already shrugging out of her uniform jacket when she entered
their quarters. She had missed that smile, the dimples that
punctuated it and those deep, brown eyes. Flinging her jacket over a
chair, she headed straight into the bedroom where he was unpacking his
bag. Eagerness to see him turned into a much more carnal anticipation
the instant her lips claimed his. She cradled his head in her hands
and held him close as her tongue delved into his mouth to find and
caress his tongue. His full, sensuous lips met hers, matching her
passion and desire. After long moments, they broke off the kiss with
both of them breathing heavily.
"Hi to you, too, Fireball," Chakotay murmured, his dimples winking at
her. "I just came from the Enterprise and with all of the people from
the planet visiting, it'll be impossible to get a table anywhere on C-
deck so I figured we'd just eat here tonight. And before I get too
distracted, there was a group of Tauri doctors--"
She was sitting on the chair in their bedroom pulling off her boots.
"Geordi arranged a tour of our facilities for them. Data called over
a little while ago to arrange tours of the biology and botany labs for
some of their people, which I asked Geordi to see to as I was leaving
the bridge. It's all taken care of. I have taken my last diplomatic
meeting, at least for the preliminary exchanges. You have handed off
the Tauri to Jean-Luc for the next stage of diplomatic relations. Now
that my duties and yours have been seen to, we both have nothing
better to do than get re-acquainted. Take off your clothes."
Chuckling at her forthright amorousness, he kicked off his own boots
and reached for the waistband of his uniform trousers. "Aye, aye,
Captain Fireball."
With Chakotay living on the Pasteur with her but heading up the
Anthropological Sciences department of the expedition on the
Enterprise, spending time together wasn't nearly as simple as coming
home after a duty shift. She had responsibilities as captain on the
Pasteur and he had his responsibilities and regular bridge duty on the
Enterprise. After a three week separation, she wasn't interested in
talking or foreplay. She just wanted him. Swiftly sliding her own
trousers off and kicking them away, she stripped off her shirt and
stalked toward him clad only in her bra and panties.
This was the way to see the Delta Quadrant. There were still alien
races to meet, some friendly and some not. There were spatial
anomalies and astronomical phenomenon to see and study. There were
unknowns around every corner, figuratively speaking and yet there were
also these moments when he was home. He stepped out of his trousers
and reached for her, his large hands easily spanning her trim waist.
This moment was what he'd been looking forward to for weeks. She fit
so perfectly in his life and in his arms. Their bodies moved together
easily, her warm, soft curves pressing against his body in all the
right ways. His mouth sought hers for a kiss, but she pulled back to
shove his uniform shirt up, baring his chest. He drew the shirt up
and over his head to toss it to the floor. By then her mouth was
licking and sucking its way across his chest and the sweet streaks of
pleasure were racing through his body. Her strength was one of the
things he loved about her and he'd spent a lot of time coaxing this
sexual aggressiveness out of where she'd kept it hidden for so long.
His little Fireball was completely comfortable taking what she wanted
whether it was hard and fast or soft and easy. His hands came up to
cradle her head against him, his fingers tangling in her long,
luxuriant red hair. He urged her mouth toward his already-aching
nipples, groaning when she nipped at one with her teeth before pulling
it into her mouth to suckle.
The smooth copper skin tasted so good, she'd missed him so much.
While her tongue swirled across his chest, her hands were caressing
his broad, muscular back and shoving his underwear down to cup his
hips. He was her anchor, the one person in her life who knew every
part of her and loved her for who she was. She felt his hands come
around to unhook her bra so she straightened up to press herself full
length against him and slipped her own underwear off to join his on
the floor. They knew each other so well that words weren't really
necessary. Not wanting to wait any longer, she laid down on the bed,
pulling him with her. Her entire body was pounding with need, she'd
dreamed about this, fantasized about how his body would feel against
hers, inside hers. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she slid her
arms around his broad shoulders to urge his weight down onto her.
Pressed against the bedding with the warm, solid form of her husband
cradling her, this was nothing short of idyllic.
He could feel her breasts crushed into the hard wall of his chest,
her stiffened nipples like pebbles against his skin. He urged her
lips apart, his tongue delving into the moist depths to stroke and
caress. Delaying the moment when their bodies would join intimately,
he wanted to savor this sense of anticipation, the way the pleasure
built with tingles and streaks of sensation magnified by the pounding
of their hearts. Regardless of what was going on around them, every
time they shared intimacy there was this moment just before his body
entered hers when love, desire, pleasure and trust merged into one
indescribable feeling. Her legs tightened around his waist, a silent
plea that he acknowledged, his hands moving to hold her hips steady as
he drove himself into her body. He could feel her body clenching at
him intimately, urging him to a fast, hard pace and he complied. She
broke off the kiss, gasping breathlessly in his ear how much she loved
him and how much she'd missed him. Those sweet words spurred him on
and he thrust into her with long, demanding strokes, pulling almost
completely out of her body to bury himself as deeply as possible. He
coaxed her legs higher, slipping them over his shoulders so that he
could drive his body even deeper into hers. Her body convulsed, an
orgasm shaking her but he didn't even slow down. He continued
slamming his body into hers, enjoying the spasms deep inside her that
pulled erotically at him with each stroke. Pressure began building
low in his hips, he fought against it in an effort to wait. His
efforts were rewarded when Beverly's body froze for a split second
before being consumed by a powerful orgasm, his name being screamed at
her moment of overwhelming pleasure. It was not long after that
incredible sight that his own climax ripped through him and he
collapsed onto her, both of them breathing heavily.
"Well," she gasped breathlessly. "I know they say absence makes the
heart grow fonder but that's a really nice effect, too."
.....................................................................
"Here, taste this." LaForge broke off a piece of the confection he
was eating and handed it to Data. The two men had managed to arrange
their schedules so they could take shore leave on Tauri together. Now
that both of them were First Officers, they had only been able to talk
by way of ship-to-ship communications. This was the first time they
had been able to get together, in fact, it was the first time Geordi
had been off the Pasteur since he had transferred over. He hadn't
planned it that way; he had assumed that he would be able to beam over
to C-deck during his off-duty time on occasion. Between putting the
Pasteur back together after their run-in with the Vaadwaur and
learning her crew--his new crew, he had just lost track of the time.
He was determined to enjoy every last minute away from the ship since
he didn't know when his next opportunity might be. The two men were
exploring the various vendor booths in an open-air market situated in
the center of the Tauri capital city. The Central Marketplace was one
of the major attractions and LaForge had already seen nearly a dozen
expedition members browsing through the assorted goods on display.
"That substance is 98.4% pure disaccharide," Data informed him.
"There is no nutritional value."
LaForge took a big bite of the sweet. "Your point being?"
"While the taste is most pleasant," Data acknowledged, "the substance
does not contribute to the dietary needs of the human body in any
way."
LaForge gave him a friendly shove. "C'mon, Data, as long as you've
had your emotion chip, don't tell me you haven't learned to appreciate
indulging in something just for the pure pleasure of it."
"Activities, certainly," Data said. "For me, the simple act of
eating is an indulgence; however, the human body has specific
nutritional requirements that must be met on a daily basis for optimum
performance."
Finishing the confection, LaForge licked his fingers. "Well, since I
barely have time to gulp down nutritional supplements these days, I am
overdue for some indulging. I really envy you, Data. I would love to
not need sleep since I don't seem to have enough time in my day for it
anyway."
"Are you not enjoying your new position, Geordi?" Data asked.
"Nah, it's great; it's just a lot of responsibility--like having to
deal with all of these researchers, mostly civilians, and make sure
everyone is working and playing well with everyone else. Then there's
ship status reports, crew duty rosters; it's pretty challenging but I
am really enjoying it."
"That is good," Data said. "I am similarly enjoying the challenges
of my position as First Officer. I have also encountered situations
on the Enterprise involving the expectations of researchers so I do
understand the frustrations that can occur."
LaForge nodded glumly. "You can't pull rank on a civilian."
"They did, however, agree to abide by ship regulations in addition to
Federation law when they applied to the expedition," Data noted.
"Which would be fine except that the wife of one of the exobiologists
on the Pasteur just happens to be a legal scholar," LaForge grimaced.
"A Benzite lawyer at that."
Data cocked his head to one side. "As Mrs. Picard might say in this
instance, 'it sucks to be you.'"
LaForge burst out laughing. "There are days, Data. I would never
trade this job for my old one, but there are days when it does suck to
be me."
Data gestured toward an archway that led out of the market. "I must
transport back to the Enterprise. I have Bridge duty in ten minutes."
Following Data through the archway, LaForge sighed. "Same here.
Listen, we should make a point to get together on a regular basis--
maybe a weekly breakfast or something."
"I would like that," Data agreed.
"Why don't we invite Madden," LaForge suggested. "Make it a First
Officer's club, kind of like the captains' weekly briefings."
"Certainly," Data said as he reached for his communicator. "Data to
Enterprise, one to beam up."
.....................................................................
Bashir was perched on a low knee wall that ran alongside a walkway
just outside of the Central Marketplace. This was one of a dozen
designated transport sites for individuals beaming to or from the
ships. It was a beautiful day, the first one that he'd been able to
enjoy after spending the past several days with medical experts from
this system learning about their bio-medical knowledge and technology
as well as teaching them about the Federation's medical technology.
Finally the familiar sparkling of a transporter beam appeared.
"I'm sorry I'm late," Ezri Dax began as soon as she materialized.
"My last counseling session ran a little long. We're still dealing
with the aftermath of that Vaadwaur thing."
Bashir waited for her to pause for a breath and quickly took the
opportunity to drop a kiss on her lips. "It's fine, I was enjoying
the fresh air and sunshine."
Ezri took a deep breath. "You're right, it's wonderful and I promise
that the rest of my day is all yours. No more work."
"One of the Tauri doctors I've been working with told me about a
restaurant that we have to try while we're here," Bashir gestured
along the walkway in the direction of the nearest entrance to the
central marketplace. "It's supposed to have the best of the local
delicacies and the only incompatibility with the local cuisine effects
Tellarite physiology."
"Gagh doesn't effect Trill physiology but that doesn't mean I want to
eat it," Ezri commented wryly, her stomach turning at the thought.
Bashir chuckled. "From what I've experienced over the past couple of
days, their cuisine is fairly similar to most humanoid cultures,
nothing too outrageous or exotic."
"Tastes like chicken?"
END PART 1