The Path of Thorns
by Rae <artemis@northco.net>

Chapter One

Kathryn Janeway, who had kept her name, was pensive as she gazed out from the balcony of her childhood home. Indiana still didn't seem real to her, even after all these years, and a part of her regretted allowing Starfleet's engineers to take her Voyager away from her. Starfleet, in fact, had taken what seemed like far too much when Voyager returned home.

The memory of Seven of Nine being led away by Admiral Nechayev's aide pricked at her.

"Captain?" Seven made a motion as if to shake off the hand that rested on her elbow, looking fearfully at Janeway. "Captain, what will happen to me?"

"They won't hurt you, Seven," Janeway assured her distractedly. "You'll be fine. Call me if you have any problems."

"No!" Seven exclaimed. "Captain, I belong with Voyager."

"Voyager is being decommissioned, Seven. We're home now."

"Voyager is my home, Captain. Please..."

Janeway, flustered, with three admirals clamouring for her attention and several family members of deceased crewmembers standing waiting patiently nearby, then said the words she would begin to regret that night and continue to regret for the rest of her life.

"Just go, Seven."

The image of Seven freezing where she stood, and her quiet acquiescence to the importuning aides, had burned itself into Kathryn's conscience and stayed there in the intervening decade.

"Kathryn?" said a voice behind her. Kathryn turned. "They'll be arriving soon."

"Any word from the Doctor or Seven?" Her lips stumbled over the name.

"The Doctor is due to be transmitted from Phobos later this evening - if he finishes surgery in time. Seven of Nine hasn't sent word, but Naomi says she'll be here if she can be."

"Thank you, Chakotay." Kathryn followed him into the house. Cadet Wildman was seated crosslegged on the floor, playing with one of the dogs.

"Have you heard from Seven lately?" she asked the girl, who at eighteen was winning hearts all over the Academy. Naomi nodded.

"We keep in touch. If she got the invitation in time, she'll be here." There was faint accusation in Naomi's eyes, and Kathryn was guiltily aware that in the ten years since Voyager came home, she hadn't once left a message at the address Seven had given them - an account at a mail reception service in Reykjavik. Kathryn wondered where Seven really lived.

Naomi unfolded from the floor with a vitality that made the ageing former captain feel suddenly old. It was good to have Naomi staying with them - she had become the daughter Kathryn had never chosen to have with Chakotay, even after they were married. "I think I hear someone at the door," Naomi said, and quickly went to check.

B'Elanna Paris had arrived, and greeted Chakotay and even Kathryn with fierce hugs. She hadn't changed much since last Kathryn had seen her, but then she knew that she herself had grown older than she should be. "Where's Tom?" she asked, and B'Elanna made a face.

"Still on Mars. He couldn't get away," she excused him. Kathryn remarked that they would miss him, and then turned to greet Neelix and Kim as they separately arrived. She laughed with the others as the Talaxian remarked on how much Naomi had grown up since she left for the Academy.

"Din -" Kathryn began, then stopped mid-word as her eyes caught a sparkle of transporter energy out on the front lawn. A pain so old she'd forgotten it was there seemed to ease as the form coalesced into Seven of Nine.

"Seven!" Naomi exclaimed, and ran to greet her friend with a hug. Seven was smiling as she allowed the young woman to pull her towards the doorway. Her gaze scanned and identified each of them before locking on Kathryn.

"Captain," she greeted her evenly. Kathryn felt a pang. To the rest of the universe she had been Admiral or Kathryn for too long. From Seven, it seemed still... fitting.

"Let me take your case," Kathryn almost begged. Seven handed it to her with a faint sardonic smile. It was surprisingly heavy, and Kathryn wondered if Seven owned anything else. The others crowded to greet the blonde as Kathryn stored the case in a cupboard.

It was Starfleet issue, she noticed, though the identifying symbols had long since worn off. Kathryn remembered giving one just like it to Seven for her to pack her scanty possessions, and wondered if it was the same one. Seven's brief attempt at entering Starfleet had ended within months of her admission to the Academy, only days after the last time Kathryn had seen her - at her own promotion ceremony, in fact. She remembered that Seven had looked good in uniform.

Tonight she wore faded black pants, scuffed boots, and a loose white shirted belted at the still-slim waist. As she compared the image to the one she held in her mind, Kathryn realised she barely looked older, even though the air of cool superiority had been replaced by one much darker, more... edgy. She had even changed her hair style. It now hung long and casual in a simple ponytail.

They went in to dinner. Kathryn's mother had prepared the meal and left it in stasis units for her daughter's guests. Kathryn's hands shook as she served a plate to Seven, who attacked the meal with surprising intensity and allowed the conversation to flow around her.

"Seven," Naomi asked, a concerned frown furrowing her ridged forehead, "when was the last time you ate?"

Seven glanced up and paused to swallow before answering. "Three days ago, on the way here." A ripple of surprise ran around the table. Seven ignored it and took another bite. Kathryn watched her, noticing the precise way she still moved as she took potato from her fork. Seven met her eyes, and Kathryn had the uncomfortable feeling of being caught. "The food is excellent, captain," Seven said.

"That's Kathryn, Seven. Admiral if you really have to," Chakotay corrected her, with a geniality that seemed forced. Seven quirked an eyebrow at him - Kathryn smiled reflexively at the sheer familiarity of the expression.

"To you, perhaps, Chakotay," Seven answered him mildly. "To me, she will always be the captain."

B'Elanna cleared her throat. "Didn't you say your mother made dinner, cap - Kathryn?" she prodded. Kathryn took the cue, and dinner proceeded relatively smoothly.

She saw Naomi lean over to talk to Chakotay as she rose to serve dessert. "Allow me to assist you, captain," Seven said, and followed her into the kitchen.

"Captain." Seven spoke from behind her as she searched a drawer for a knife. Kathryn froze, but didn't dare look around as she felt her move closer. "Captain, look at me." Seven touched her shoulder, and Kathryn closed her eyes.

"Seven..." she whispered hoarsely. "I'm so, so sorry."

Warmth against her back as Seven took another step and wrapped her arms around her waist. With a faint sob, Kathryn turned and embraced the slender body in a contact that felt like a homecoming. She felt a kiss against her hair.

Seven released her and smiled. "I have missed you, captain," she said softly, then raised her voice to its normal level. "What is for dessert?"

"Cherry pie." Kathryn picked up a knife, which Seven took from her hand and used to slice the pie into geometrically-precise portions. Kathryn felt a fond smile form on her lips as she watched. Still her Seven, even if the woman before her was... different. The Seven she had known had been unsure, childlike in her innocence, frightened by the world around her, even if she tried not to show it. This Seven... had grown up.

They served the pie and sat down to eat it. Chakotay leaned over to Kathryn. "Why don't you ask Seven to spend the night?" he asked quietly. "B'Elanna's invited me to come back to Mars with her and see my godson. It would give you and Seven a chance to catch up."

Naomi grinned at her encouragingly. After a moment's hesitation, Kathryn nodded.

She waited until later, when they were sitting in the firelit living room drinking coffee and listening to Harry Kim relate an amusing story about his youngest son's antics. Seven leaned against a wall, long legs crossed casually at the ankles - it seemed that if nothing else, ten years had taught her to blend into a social situation much more easily. When she laughed at Harry's tale, Kathryn's breath caught. She was, impossibly, more beautiful for the sparkle of the long-hidden soul she had finally learnt to show.

Kathryn opened her mouth, but stopped when Seven's eyes met hers before she could call her name. With a slight smile she cocked her head towards the door. Seven nodded and followed her out of the room.

"Seven..." Kathryn felt awkward. "Would you... I mean..." She stopped and took a breath. Seven watched her as she always had, polite, silent, and unreadable, her gaze faintly shadowed. "Do you have anywhere to stay tonight?" she asked instead.

"Not as yet," Seven replied evenly. "Was that the information you required?"

Kathryn shook her head, then realised with some surprise that Seven was teasing her. Unaccountably, she blushed. "Would you like to stay the night here?"

"Yes." Seven smiled. "I would be delighted, captain."

The evening progressed smoothly until B'Elanna suddenly spoke up. "The Mars ferry will be leaving soon," she said. "We'd better go, Chakotay."

"It's getting late," Harry Kim said as he rose from his chair. "I'd better go too. Neelix, give you a ride?"

"Thank you, Commander Kim. Kathryn, may I say what a pleasure it has been to have been invited to your home."

Kathryn smiled. "Thank you for coming, all of you. We must do this again next year."

"We must," Neelix beamed. "Next year, at my restaurant. A bit of good old Delta Quadrant cooking."

"I never thought I'd say this, Neelix," B'Elanna said with a grin, "but I've missed your cooking." She patted his shoulder.

Seven, Naomi and Kathryn saw them all out. Neelix, voice choked with emotion, hugged Naomi fiercely at the door while the others looked on with fondly indulgent smiles. "Be good," Chakotay admonished good-humouredly as he kissed Kathryn goodbye.

"Yes, Dad," she teased.

When all of them were gone, Kathryn and Naomi were left with Seven of Nine. Seven looked at Kathryn. "Captain, may I use your bathroom facilities? My journey was of extended duration."

"Certainly, Seven. Naomi, please show her to the bathroom while I clear the dining room."

"Sure, Kathryn. Seven, this way."

Before long, she heard the water running, and Naomi joined her in clearing the dishes. "She's looking good, isn't she?" the cadet said without preamble. "But she's changed a little." They carried stacks of plates into the kitchen.

"I'd noticed." Kathryn placed the dishes in the recycling unit. "It has been a long time."

"Too long." Naomi echoed her thoughts. "You should have written to her sooner."

Kathryn frowned. "Or she could have written to me," she replied pointedly. "After she left Starfleet I never heard from her."

"Nor she from you even before. You really hurt her, you know. She needed your protection and you abandoned her," Naomi retorted. "You owed her more than that."

"As you were, cadet," Kathryn snapped. Naomi froze.

"Yes, Admiral." She began to walk quietly away.

"Naomi, wait." Kathryn rubbed at her neck, feeling tension start to tighten the muscles there as Naomi paused in the kitchen doorway. "I'm sorry. And you're right. But there's no way I can make up for that now."

Naomi turned back and looked at her compassionately. "Just talk to her, Kathryn. Remember, she's Seven. She doesn't hold a grudge. And you're still the most important person in the universe to her." A discreet chirp and flash of lights indicated an incoming transmission. "I'll get it," Naomi said, and left the room.

Seven came in not much later. "Naomi is speaking with Ted," she informed Kathryn, referring to the young cadet's boyfriend. "Do you require further assistance?"

Kathryn smiled. "No, Seven, thank you. Let's talk."

Seven followed her into the living room and sat beside her on the couch, flicking her hair out of her way as she did so. Seven had changed into Academy sweats Kathryn recognised as belonging to Naomi. Her hair hung loose, framing her face and softening her appearance considerably. She met Kathryn's gaze with a self-possessed surety she hadn't had before.

"So tell me," Kathryn said, forcing the words past a dry throat. "What have you been doing since..."

"Since Starfleet?" Seven filled in with a slight lift of one implant-framed brow. "I have primarily engaged my services as a bodyguard."

Kathryn was surprised, but intrigued. "A bodyguard. Why? Why not a scientist?" she asked.

"I was unable to find tenure as a scientist in Starfleet or as a civilian," Seven told her quietly. "My Borg nature was... not tolerated. I was surprised to discover that the crew of Voyager had been unusually tolerant of my origins." She hesitated. "I adapted."

Kathryn blanched as she realised what Seven must have experienced in her first years in the Alpha Quadrant. I could have prevented that. The name of Admiral Kathryn Janeway should have brought a hell of a lot more weight to bear on Seven's life in the Alpha Quadrant than it had. "Seven..."

She didn't see Seven move, but her fingers were against Kathryn's lips. "Don't say it," Seven whispered. "I did not understand. I suffered greatly, then, but I did adapt." Eyes too blue bored into Kathryn's soul. "I learned what it is that makes me Borg, and I adapted. I learned, Kathryn, that what in me is human is that part which loves you. I did not wish to adapt to that. Please do not force me to."

She tasted Seven's skin as her lips parted, but knew no answer to give. It was then that they heard someone clearing their throat. Kathryn pulled away, blushing furiously.

"I'm going to bed," Naomi said. "Goodnight, Seven. Kathryn." She smiled at them, and left again.

Heart pounding, Kathryn stood explosively and strode across the room. "Seven, this can't happen," she tried to state but almost pleaded.

"Kathryn..."

It was her own name, the name she heard so often but somehow, from Seven, this was different. A lover's whispered caress, not a designation. Kathryn felt a decade-old need pull her toward the sound, and fought it.

"Kathryn." Seven was moving closer behind her. She heard her stand up, could feel her approaching. "Kathryn."

"Seven, this can't happen." Kathryn whimpered and turned at the touch to her shoulder. "Don't touch me, Seven."

"Kathryn, it must. I have loved you for as long as I have known what love can be and what it can mean. And I know that you have loved me." Seven stepped closer, but didn't quite make contact. "Kathryn, we belong together."

"Seven, I'm married." But this time Kathryn closed the distance, until she could feel the warmth of Seven's body heat radiating into her own.

"Irrelevant." A ghosting movement as Seven's hand rose to touch her arm, hesitated before the touch. "You are not his."

Kathryn bowed her head. A sound between a whimper and a sob escaped her lips, born of the years of marriage to a man she loved but without passion.

"Kathryn," Seven breathed, the warmth of the word touching Kathryn's hair on the soft exhalation. She looked up to meet Seven's eyes.

With only the slightest movement, Seven closed the gap between them. Their lips and bodies met in an embrace that held ten years of their need for one another. When breath failed, they parted.

"Love me, Kathryn." It was question, and statement, and a plea for an anguished need to be answered. With no words that could fill that need, Kathryn kissed her with desperate hunger.

She had no idea how they crossed the distance between there in the couch, aware only of the feel of Seven's body against her own and the indigo glow of Seven's eyes in the firelight that was all that illuminated the room. Cool metal and warm skin brushed her ribs as Seven's touch slipped beneath her shirt.

"Kathryn..." An implied question.

"Yes." A firm answer. No more words were necessary or wanted as Kathryn lost herself in the breathy, softly-crackling darkness of this haven.

Her shirt was unbuttoned and pushed aside for the nuzzling, tasting touch that started at her collarbone and found her breasts. She moaned softly, and felt Seven's lips curve against her skin in a smile whose beauty she knew would be blinding in sunlight.

Kathryn arched into the mouth that closed on sensitive skin and gasped at the light touch of Seven's teeth. She could feel long fingers tracing the contours of her abdomen, exploring her with a delicate eroticism. How long she floated in this haze of gently mounting arousal didn't matter, but then she felt her pants loosened and pulled from her body.

A single light touch. She ached for more, but felt Seven pull away to free herself of her own clothing. Skin and metal pressed against her skin as the touch resumed. Seven was gentle insistence and rhythmic, coaxing pleasure, until at last Kathryn cried her name and sobbed for lost and wasted years.

"Shhhhh." Seven held her. "My Kathryn." Tears gave way to kisses, and Kathryn hungered for the body so warm against her own.

Seven tasted of salt and the tang of metal as Kathryn suckled at a breast that nourished only her soul. Seven accepted the touches in rustling silence, until finally she pulled Kathryn to her with painful strength as the pleasure overwhelmed her. "I love you," they whispered together.

Kathryn smiled softly, then sighed as the chill of the air began to reach her damp skin. "We should go to bed," Seven suggested. Kathryn nodded reluctantly and kissed her again before they went together upstairs. Without conscious decision Kathryn led Seven past the doorway of the bedroom she shared with Chakotay to the guest bedroom Seven had been put in anyway.

They tumbled onto the bed. Kathryn felt the predatory intent as fingernails and tips softly metallic raked across her ribcage and Seven's lips latched firmly onto hers. She shuddered as Seven's hands found her breasts, stroking and teasing with an aggression - and mastery - that surprised her.

She's done this before. The thought shouldn't have surprised her, but did. The disturbing realisation faded as she felt Seven's lips pass quicksilver across the sensitised skin of her breasts, and then those hands were caressing her hips as Seven's body moved against hers.

A shudder rippled through her body as Seven's teeth nibbled a path across her stomach. Kathryn's fingers entwined in Seven's hair as she urged her towards further contact, aching for the connection even more than the release.

Kathryn felt her orgasm building and almost sobbed with love for the woman whose touch rocked her soul as thoroughly as her body. The wave crested like an epiphany, blinding her with lost devotion. When she returned to herself, she was wrappen in Seven's arms, holding her and being held so tightly it hurt. She revelled in the pain and the glowing feeling of connection that accompanied it.

Rendered speechless by emotions too strong to be spoken, they held each other until finally exhaustion sent them drifting out of consciousness. As she felt herself sliding into dreams of the woman who cradled her, Kathryn thought she heard Seven whisper a few words.

"We are as one."

She woke aware of being cold, and of the leaden grey dawn creeping in through the window opposite her. Seven was gone, and the sheets beside Kathryn bore no trace of her warmth. Kathryn rose to find her, borrowing Seven's white shirt from a chair to cover her nudity. It fell to her knees. She encountered Naomi in the corridor outside the bedrooms. The young woman smiled warmly, and Kathryn's own smile in reply came easily to her lips.

"Good morning, Kathryn," Naomi greeted her. "Did you sleep well?"

Kathryn blushed at the mischievous grin the cadet was trying to hide. "Yes, very well, thank you." She tried not to ask the question foremost in her mind, but Naomi answered it anyway.

"I saw Seven a few minutes ago. Several messages came in, one for her. She said there was someone she needed to see, but that it wouldn't take long. Then she left." A lopsided shrug. "Chakotay called from Mars. He asked me to tell you he'll be back this afternoon."

Kathryn paled.

Chakotay.

Hello, Chakotay. How are the Parises? Did you have a good time? That's wonderful, Chakotay. Us? Well, we cleaned up after dinner, and then I had an affair with Seven of Nine. Yes, it was very nice, thank you.

"Kathryn? Are you all right?" Naomi asked, frowning. Kathryn forced a smile.

"I'm fine, Naomi. Thank you," she managed to reply. Naomi gave her a slightly bemused nod and went into her bedroom.

She would just have to talk to Seven of Nine, apologise, explain to her that it shouldn't have happened, that it couldn't happen again. That she loved her, but she had made a vow to Chakotay.

That she loved her...

Kathryn leaned against the wall and buried her face in her hands.

Loved her. Loved Seven of Nine with a fierce, consuming totality that she had never felt for Chakotay, as much as she cared about him, which was really the problem - she cared about him, she liked him, she even loved him as the faithful friend he had been throughout their years in the Delta Quadrant.

She slid down the wall, breathing hard, as she heard footsteps on the stairs and saw a long body she both craved and dreaded to see ascending into her view. Seven's eyes widened as she saw Kathryn, and she ran up the last steps to kneel at her side. Seven wore a sleeveless black body suit that reminded Kathryn of Velocity games too long before, and of Voyager, lost then but more a home than this one...

"Kathryn, what's wrong?" Seven demanded. Kathryn curled into her arms and hated herself for it.

After a time, calmed by the strong arms of the woman who had always been her Borg, Kathryn took a deep breath. "Where did you go?" she asked plaintively, rather than answer Seven's question.

"I received an urgent message. I had to go to Reykjavik." She hesitated. "I must leave. Soon."

Kathryn's heart sank. "Why?"

"I have been hired as a private agent to locate and retrieve a stolen artifact. One of my informants learned of its current possessor. I must go after it." She smiled. "Come with me, Kathryn. You will enjoy it. And we could be together again."

"Seven, I can't," Kathryn answered, anguished. "Chakotay..."

Seven pulled away, and Kathryn died a little further. "You love him," she stated tonelessly.

Kathryn nodded the lie. "He's my husband, Seven."

The betrayal in Seven's eyes was almost more than she could bear. "I believe I understand, captain. I ascribed greater importance to last night's events than I should have." She rose in a smooth, controlled motion. "If you will excuse me, I will pack my belongings and say farewell to Naomi." Kathryn wanted to scream as she watched her walk quickly away to the bedroom they had shared.

She didn't move as Seven packed, and watched as, only moments later, Seven crossed the distance to Naomi's bedroom without looking at her. She was there much longer before she left and walked silently from the house.

Kathryn flinched as she heard the front door close. When she looked up, Naomi was standing in the doorway of her bedroom. She favoured Kathryn with a look of pure disgust and turned away, slamming her door as Seven hadn't.

Chapter Two

Naomi slammed the bedroom door closed and glared, unfairly, at the battered stuffed Flotter doll that rested on her pillow, her link to her childhood and long-lost home. She was furious with Kathryn Janeway. She had idolised the woman for as long as she could remember - how could she do that to Seven of Nine?

Resolved to stay in her room and avoid the captain, at least for now, Naomi sat at the desk to complete her assignment on subspace particle analysis. It wasn't difficult for her, more something to work through while she thought about Seven and Kathryn. She had studied under the far-more-prodigious tutelage of Seven of Nine since she was five, and had assimilated a great deal more knowledge than most people her age seemed to.

Occasionally, Naomi wondered what it was like to grow up with other children.

Usually, she reflected that she would not have traded friends like Seven and Neelix for all the other children in the galaxy.

She remembered their arrival at Earth, and leaving home.

"Seven?" Naomi called, entering Astrometrics. "Seven of Nine."

"Naomi Wildman." Seven answered from a wall console.

"Hi, Seven." Naomi looked at her for a long moment, then ran across the room to hug her as she burst into tears. Seven's long arms enfolded her comfortingly.

"It will be all right, Naomi," Seven said. Naomi couldn't help but smile as she heard Seven's own doubt in her attempt to be reassuring. Her tears finally abated, but she didn't release Seven. She felt safe here. Seven had always protected her from harm. She was also the only person on board who understood why she was upset.

"Seven, I don't want to go to Earth. Voyager is my home. I don't want to leave. I'll miss Neelix." She looked up at her friend. "I'll miss you."

Seven actually smiled. "You and I are... friends, Naomi. We are a part of each other, and will not be separated. And we will always maintain contact."

She had kept her word, and they had remained very close. They had even helped each other through the very difficult phase they had suffered when Naomi had met the stranger who was her father, and Seven an assortment of Hansens and other relatives who had tried to stake their claim on the reluctant ex-Borg.

And now...

Her stylus snapped in her hand as she recalled what Janeway had just done to her best friend. Naomi swore as the last spark of energy released fizzed into her hand and sucked the singed skin. It was then that she heard a tap at her door.

After saving the particle movement graphs she had been sketching, she turned around. "Come in," she called, with bad grace. Janeway entered. "Kathryn." Naomi turned her attention back to her graphs.

"Naomi, I messed up," Janeway said honestly. "I need you to help me fix it."

Naomi was silent for a long moment before she turned. "Kathryn, you hurt her."

"Naomi..." Janeway scrubbed at her face with her hands. "Naomi, I didn't want to. I... care about Seven." Her eyes begged Naomi's forgiveness, but the cadet wasn't ready to give it.

"I care about her too," she countered. "And it's my job to protect her when she can't protect herself. She's loved you for as long as I've known her. Maybe what happened last night was just a diversion from a passionless marriage to you, Kathryn, but it meant everything to Seven. You shot her down on the happiest day of her life."

"That's enough, Naomi." A note of steel entered Janeway's voice. "We have to find Seven. I have to talk to her. I can't leave it like this."

Naomi regarded her thoughtfully for a long time. Janeway endured the scrutiny calmly. "All right," Naomi finally said. "I'll help you find her."

Kathryn smiled. "Thank you, Naomi. Where did she go?"

Naomi blinked, surprised. "I don't know. Out of system, I think. We should be able to find out from her mail service."

Janeway nodded. "Then I suppose we're going to Reykjavik. I'll go get dressed." She left to do so. Naomi changed into her uniform and contacted Starfleet Headquarters. She had decided to arrange official transport just to Reykjavik, on the grounds that the search for Seven of Nine was hardly official Starfleet business, no matter how much of a carte blanche the phrase 'Admiral Janeway requests' could get her.

She was just finishing arranging transport to Iceland when Janeway returned. "Are you ready?" she asked, looking at Naomi with that faintly proud look she always wore when she saw her in her uniform.

"Yes, Admiral. I contacted Starfleet Headquarters and arranged our transport to Reykjavik. We'll be there in a few minutes." She pointed at her still-active comm badge and saw comprehension dawn.

"Thank you, cadet," Janeway answered formally. Naomi finished her conversation with Lieutenant Ellery and picked up her tricorder. She was very attached to her tricorder. It had been an original Voyager-issue, extensively modified by Seven of Nine and presented to Naomi when she entered the Academy. She gave the slightly battered instrument a little pat as she holstered it at her belt, and slung a tool case from her shoulder by the strap.

"We'd best go," she suggested. "Lieutenant Ellery cleared a transport slot for us." Janeway nodded, and Naomi tapped her badge. "Cadet Wildman to Headquarters Transport Control."

"This is Ellery."

"Admiral Janeway and I are ready for transport to Reykjavik."

"Acknowledged, cadet. Stand by," he responded.

The familiar glitter of transport energy filled Naomi's vision, blotting her view like stattic until her bedrroom at the admiral's home had been replaced by the Reykjavik Regional Transport Centre. The building was largely automated, existing only to serve as a receptacle for Starfleet transports.

She shivered. "These places are spooky," she muttered, as she stepped off the transporter dais. Having spent her formative years on a starship plagued with frequent systems failures, Naomi still had a persistent sense of uneasiness when it came to people placing their faith so blindly in technology. "I'm setting the co-ordinates for the mail centre," she announced, as she crossed to the transporter controls. "It's on the other side of the city. I'm also setting this to pick us up at a remote command."

Another matter transfer, and they were outside the doors of the nondescript building on the shabby side of town that was Seven's mailing address. There were no signs or distinguishing features of any kind, and Naomi felt a prickle of wariness as she entered the building on the heels of a Starfleet Admiral in full uniform.

Inside was a lobby, and a disinterested-looking middle-aged man behind a desk. He glanced up as they entered, and his expression grew distinctly unfriendly as he noted the uniforms they wore. "What do you want?" he asked abruptly. Janeway didn't bat an eye.

"We're trying to locate one of your clients," she answered politely. "Seven of Nine. She stores her correspondence here."

"Got a warrant?" the man asked flatly.

"No. We don't want to arrest her. We simply wish to find her," Janeway said with slightly strained calm. "She's a friend of ours."

"Never heard of her. Get out," the man spat. "You have no command here, Admiral."

"Now look," Janeway began. Her voice had dropped to the register that could slice duranium, and Naomi stepped forward hurriedly.

"He's right. Starfleet has no jurisdiction here. Don't make a scene, Admiral. There's another way." Janeway glanced at her, nodded slightly, and turned on her heel. Naomi followed her out of the building.

"What's your idea?" she asked, once they were out on the street. It was late autumn, and the Iceland street was chilly. Naomi quirked a grin.

"It's a little un-Starfleet," she warned. "Something Seven taught me."

"Whatever it takes, Naomi."

The cadet grinned wickedly. "Yes ma'am." She pulled out her tricorder and flipped it open, walking around the perimeter of the building until she found what she was looking for. "Here." She knelt and brushed grime from a panel set near ground-level, then punched commands into her tricorder until she found what she was looking for. "Got it."

"Naomi, do I want to know why Seven taught you this?" Janeway asked, crouching behind her.

"No, captain." The rank slip went unnoticed as Naomi took out one of her tools and did something to the panel. It fell open to reveal circuits and isolinear chips. The cadet pulled one out, slotted it into another position, and then returned her attention to her tricorder. "Accessing their systems now."

It occurred to her how odd the sight of a Starfleet Admiral and a third-year cadet breaking into a civilian computer system would be to passersby. It also occurred to her how much trouble they would get into if caught. Clearing her throat unconsciously, Naomi worked a little faster.

"Got it." Naomi restored the chips to their former locations and hurriedly replaced the panel. "Seven's on her way to Orion III."

To be continued...