Chapters 4 to 6
Disclaimer: Paramount is god and I'm the devil just messing with his toys. :) Loving relationship between women yada, yada. Character death of several major characters and is really depressing (made myself cry). Be forewarned. Okay enough is enough.
The story is T/7. Rating PG13.
Comments to letterx
Chapter 5 Chapter 6
Part 4
It was only a few minutes in which Seven took to compose her thoughts but for the other three still present in the conference room it seemed like an eternity. The question 'what now?' hung in the air like a heavy fog.
"I believe the next step would be to fill the empty positions left in the senior staff. Ensign Harry Kim, I accept your promotion to first officer and promote you to a rank of Commander. Lt. B'Elanna Torres, I accept your willingness to remain as chief engineer but promote you to a Lieutenant. Commander. You will be my third in command. Doctor, you will remain as chief medical officer but I authorize you to train two medical assistants of your choosing and upon their willingness to learn the trade. I would also like to promote Ensign Kayla to chief pilot and give her the rank of lieutenant. Without any objections from you, she will join the senior staff."
Seven waited for any objections but none were made so she continued on.
"I would also like to promote junior Lt. Harris to lieutenant and give him the position of chief tactical officer. Again without any objections, he, too, will join the senior staff." And again, no objections were heard.
"Commander Kim, is there anyone you feel would be best to promote to chief operations officer?" It startled everyone in the room just how easily Seven was able to use Harry's new rank when addressing him, including herself. But the new captain felt that being casual about it would help everyone get used to all the new changes.
"Coty Keller. He worked the night shift while I was captain and I did teach him everything I know." Kim answered as soon as he got passed the fact that Seven just referred to him as Commander.
"Very well, Mr. Kim, Ensign Keller will be promoted to junior lieutenant and given the position of chief of operations. I will also be promoting Ensign Jennifer Delaney to chief astrometrics officer to fill in my absence. Both officers will be joining the senior staff. That only leaves one more position to be filled. And that is the position of cook. Although we may be able to continue on without a morale officer or diplomat we will not be able to do without a cook. As we must still survive on replicator rations it would be to our benefit to promote someone to the position of chef. Commander, please make an announcement to all of the crew that the position of head chef is open and anyone who would like to fill that position may come and see either you or myself. You will also have the responsibility of reorganizing the positions of the rest of the crew as well as their shifts to compensate for the lost crew members. I will inform the new members of the senior staff of their promotions as well as to what their new duties will entail. Lt. Torres, please continue on with the repairs. I would like to see a schedule of when the repairs could be completed and exactly what repairs still remain. Doctor, you may return to sickbay and tend to your patients. Please keep me informed of their conditions as well. I also suggest that you look for those medical assistants as soon as possible. Are there any other concerns that need to be addressed at this time?"
"Yeah, are we going to continue our journey home or are you going to tell Delaney to look for a nearby M-class planet as soon as repairs are done?" Lanna asked wanting to know if she choose the right person for the job of captain.
"That, Lieutenant, is not an immediate concern of mine. We must first repair and re-organize Voyager. It may still turn out that Voyager will be unable to make the journey home. But, I will 'deal' with that when the time comes. If there is nothing else, you are all dismissed."
The three officers gathered up their things and proceeded out of the conference room. Within the space of twenty minutes, Seven had organized the senior staff and had taken care of the more immediate concerns that faced the crew. B'Elanna left happy in the knowledge that Seven passed her little test. She may just turn out to be one heck of a captain yet.
"Let's hope that she doesn't give any numbers for names again. Wouldn't want a mutiny just yet.'
The next day was filled with meetings for the ex-drone. She not only had to meet with the new senior staff members but she also wanted to have a ship wide meeting to announce the new promotions to all the vital positions. But first things were first. For the past week now, Seven had resided in the Wildman's quarters keeping Naomi company while she slept. But it wasn't until a few days ago that she began to sleep herself. While she was still regenerating, at a limited rate, Seven found that she still ended up very tired at night. When Naomi first began to have her nightmares, the newly appointed captain would hold her through the night and rock her back to sleep if she was awakened by the dream. Now that the ex-drone was beyond tired she found that she could no longer stay awake when holding Naomi in the big comfortable bed.
"Hey, Seven." Naomi said in between yawns as she walked into the kitchenette.
"Naomi Wildman. Are you functioning properly?" Seven greeted while standing in front of the replicator.
"Yeah, Seven. I actually feel a little better today. No nightmares last night." The little Katarian climbed into a chair at the kitchen table.
"I have made you some scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast for your morning nutritional supplement..... for your breakfast." The ex-drone corrected her vocabulary immediately after seeing Naomi's eyes roll.
"Would you prefer orange juice or apple juice?"
"Apple please. Seven, are you nervous about today?" An innocently asked question.
"Nervous?" Which was met by a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, you only start talking like you're still Borg when you're upset or nervous. You don't seem mad, so are you scared about today?" Seven grimly thought that Naomi needed to stop hanging out with the adults so much cause she was starting to get too smart for her own good. So with a sigh, Seven knew she had to answer in complete truth or the child would never drop the subject.
"I am... concerned about how the crew will respond to me taking command of Voyager. But Lt. Torres has assured me that the crew will respond positively. However, I still.... fear that they will reject me, not because I am unqualified but because I am Borg."
"Oh, well, if B'Elanna says it will be fine then I'm sure it will be fine. Besides you have a lot more friends now then you did when you first came aboard. I'm sure everything will be fine." Naomi tried her best to reassure the woman sitting across from her daintily eating a piece of buttered toast.
"Indeed." Was accompanied with a small smile.
Breakfast was finished shortly thereafter littered only with idle conversation. Both women continued their new morning routines by washing up together and then going off to change into their respective uniforms. The only difference today was the type of uniform Seven had to change into.
"I do not believe that red is my color." Seven said while standing in front of the full length mirror. Naomi giggled at the common yet uncommon phrase coming from Seven. The lanky blonde still wore her hair up in an impossibly tight bun, but now instead of wearing one of her biosuits she now wore black boots, black uniform trousers, and a black tank top underneath a red uniform jacket. When the four pips on her collar caught the light reflected in the mirror it nearly brought tears to the Borg's eyes. This was not the way she had planned on getting to dress in a Starfleet uniform.
"Here you go." Naomi had seen how tense Seven had gotten and decided to break the moment by handing her comm badge. Seven took the badge and then picked the little girl up in her arms as well.
"Thank you Naomi Wildman, for everything."
"You're welcome."
"Now we have duties to attend to."
"Indeed."
The ex-drone never let Naomi go as she carried her out of her quarters and into the corridor.
Walking through the corridors proved to be less of a challenge than Seven thought it would be. She was afraid of being stopped or stared at for wearing command red and she wasn't read yet to explain to the crew about her appointment to captain. Thank what ever celestial being was out there that it was still early in the morning and the alpha shift had yet to begin. But the real challenge was yet to come; walking onto the bridge. 'Perhaps I should have beamed myself directly into the captain's ready room,' Seven thought as she felt the butterflies in her stomach worsen the closer she got to the bridge. "Perhaps it will not be too uncomfortable. I have been running the ship the past week, maybe they will not even notice when I take the command chair that I am wearing a captain's uniform.' All those hopes were soon dashed as Seven walked out of the turbolift and onto the bridge. "Captain on the bridge." Commander Kim announced. The shocked faces and stares she got were overwhelming but what drove her into hiding was the smiling face of one Harry Kim."Commander, I'll be in the ready room. You have the bridge."
"Aye, aye Captain." Harry answered realizing that this was actually going to turn out quite amusing. It was all he could do not to burst out laughing at the shocked faces of his fellow crew members. For the first time he actually knew what was going on before everyone else and it felt good.
Seven sat in what was now officially her ready room waiting for her first appointment to show up. Now that Harry had announced to the crew that she was the captain, the blonde realized that before the end of the night she was going to have to hold that ship wide meeting to explain what was going on, even if she wasn't ready for it. Seven knew that with the rumor mill being the only thing to remain intact after the altercation with the Grendali, the entire crew was going to be talking about this before lunch time. Her thought were cut off by the chime to the door."Enter." And in walked Coty Keller. A slim but fairly tall human man who probably stood about 5'9", 5'10". He had dark brown hair as well as dark brown eyes who wore the color gold on his uniform.
"Uh... Captain?... You wanted to see me?" Keller stuttered not knowing if he really should be referring to Seven as 'Captain' and of course from being nervous as hell being in front of her.
"Captain is the correct way to address me now. Please have a seat." Seven was nervous as well but tried to think about how Janeway would act in a similar circumstance. The soon to be junior lieutenant took a seat at the captain's desk across from Seven. "If you agree to relax, Mr. Keller, then I will agree to not assimilate you." The captain tried a joke in order to ease Keller's discomfort but it only served to frighten him even more. "A joke, Lieutenant I was 'pulling your leg'." And that did make Coty smile. Every time he heard the Borg try and use a colloquialism it would come out sounding odd and cause him to laugh.
"Wait, did you just say lieutenant?"
"Yes. As you have already figured out, there need to be promotions of several of the crew to currently vacant vital positions. I have accepted the appointment to captain and have already appointed Ensign Harry Kim to Commander and second in command. I would now like to take this time to inform you that you as well have been promoted to a junior lieutenant. You will receive the position of the chief operations officer and will have the responsibilities of performing your duties for the alpha shift as well as running your department. You may want to speak with Mr. Kim about getting oriented into your new position as well as ask for advice on how to best perform your duties. You will also be a part of the senior staff which means that you will have to attend all of the senior staff meetings and will be expected to contribute to the maintenance and well being of Voyager. Are you willing to accept this promotion? Remember that you are under no obligation to fulfill this role, but it is you whom both the Commander and I feel is best suited for this job."
"I... uh.... wow!. So you're really the captain now?"
"Yes, I am. Do you have a problem serving under me?" Seven braced herself for the worst possible answer.
"I really don't know. I mean we all thought that naturally Kim would accept the position of captain. I guess, I really don't have a problem with it. You ran this ship for the past week now and was able to pull us all together when we were ready to fall apart. And you did promise to get us home." Keller slyly referred to Seven's promise made to Kathryn the day of the funeral. "I'd be honored to serve under you. Besides when we do make it back to the alpha quadrant then I get bragging rights as to being one of the few officers to serve under an ex-Borg drone." A smile then lit up the face of the lieutenant and a matching one appeared on the captain's face. Harry was right. Coty maybe green just like he was. The only difference was that, in Coty's case, his nervousness tended to make him more standoffish. But once you got past that, he really was a nice guy.
"Thank you, lieutenant, for your willingness to accept this new promotion along with all of its responsibilities. If that is all, then you may go and speak with the Commander about switching your shift and getting yourself acquainted with your new job. I am giving you tomorrow off so that you may adjust your sleeping habits and familiarize yourself with your new responsibilities. Dismissed."
"Yes, ma'am."
And with that, Coty left the ready room and Seven felt like today might not be such a bad day after all. One meeting down, three more to go.
Each meeting went just about the same. Ensign, now Lt. Kayla ended up being more excited about her promotion to chief pilot and being able to fly Voyager during the alpha shift than about any concerns over Seven's promotion to captain. Lt. Beth Kayla was a humanoid female who had light blonde hair and the prettiest green eyes. She stood at about 5'4" and the ex-Borg had to wonder if she had another Tom Pars on her hands. 'What is it with pilots that affects their personalities and turns them into grown children?' Ensign, now Lt. Jen Delaney was honestly happy for Seven's promotion. They may not have been the best of friends, but Jennifer does care about her co-worker. And last but not least, was Lt. Harris. Seven had to wonder at how much time he and Tuvok had spent together. Although Harris was a human male, he acted as if he were more Vulcan than human. He didn't act surprised when the captain told him of her recent promotion but his eyes did dilate. Neither did he act happy when he found out about his promotion, though his lips did curve upwards slightly. Harris a dark reddish head of hair along with dark blue eyes and he stood about 5'6". But even though he was small for a male, his muscular frame more than made up for anything lacking in height. Seven was confident that he would make a good head of security as well as chief tactical officer. He was not only a part of Tuvok's special forces team, which meant that he really knew what he was doing, but he also had the respect and loyalty of his fellow tactical officers. This new set of senior staff members may not be as good as the original, but this captain was proud of her team and, more importantly,had faith in their abilities.
Later that evening, after all of the individual meetings had taken place it was time now for Seven to hold the ship wide meeting. All those who were not on duty were instructed to gather in cargo bay one. It was there that Seven announced her promotion to captain as well as all the other changes within the senior staff. She also reinforced her promise to get Janeway's crew home and also announced that she would,to the best of her ability, uphold Starfleet rules and regulations even if they were illogical. That side comment caused the whole cargo bay to erupt in laughter and B'Elanna wondered just how right Janeway really was. How could she have missed he fact that Seven was indeed human? She just hid it very well. Soon there after Captain Seven dismissed her crew telling them to get a good nights sleep for they would surely need it. Seven and B'Elanna had stayed behind to make sure everyone cleared out of the cargo bay.
"So, how are you holding up, Captain?" Lanna smirked at the honorific realizing just how ironic the situation was. A few weeks ago, she could barely keep from arguing with the ex-drone and here today she was her crew member. 'Funny how life has those twists you never see coming.'
"You were correct, Lieutenant. The crew may have been surprised by my promotion to captain, but they seem willing to accept it. I am glad that in this case I was wrong."
"Glad to hear it. I think that over the past week or so you have really opened up to the crew and shown us a more human side to yourself. The crew is really starting to come around to you."
"Are you starting to come around to me, too?"
"Yeah, ya big ol' Borg drone. I may even like you a bit. But don't tell the captain. Wouldn't want to be stuck doing special projects with you when she finds out that I can actually tolerate your presence now."
B'Elanna joked around, but both realized that over the past few days both women had seen different aspects of the other that weren't visible before. Those aspects some how managed to change an adversarial relationship into that of mutual respect and a budding friendship.
"Are you going to see Naomi now?" Lanna asked as both women stepped off of the turbolift and onto deck 3.
"Yes, it is dinner time."
"Well, tell her I said hi. And good night, Seven," the engineer said as they reached the door to her quarters.
"I will and good night to you, Lieutenant."
For some reason both women felt like they didn't want the other to leave just yet but Naomi was waiting. The captain nodded her head and was the first to make any motion to leave. She turned down the corridor heading for the Wildman quarters. B'Elanna stood outside her quarters a few moments longer, watching the slender woman walk out of sight. 'Got to admit she is one beautiful piece of work. And I'm just getting to find out how special she is too.' That thought left a smile on the lieutenant commander's face as she activated her door and walked in her quarters. Some how the loneliness she felt every time she walked into her quarters since Paris died wasn't as painful tonight.
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Part 5
The following afternoon found Seven, Commander Kim, and Lt. Torres sitting in the captain's ready room. B'Elanna was there to give the captain her update on the repair schedule and let her know what still needed to be done.
"Well, Captain, surprisingly repairs seem to be moving along quicker than I expected. We're already at 65% of normal operating conditions and steadily climbing. We should be able to finally fly off of this rock within the next few days. Here's a detailed report of the repairs that still need to be made and I also included some possible improvements we could make while we're fixing Voyager anyway." The engineer handed a pad over to the Borg sitting behind the desk. Quickly, the captain looked over it nodding at some of the projected improvements.
"Very good work, Lieutenant. I shall look this over more thoroughly when I have the chance and if I have any suggestions to add, I will let you know."
"Thanks Captain." Some how the compliment from Seven was all the more appreciated now that she was the captain and it warmed B'Elanna to her core.
"And here's my report on all the shift changes and promotions that will take place within the next few days. Chakotay's job may have looked easy, but let me tell you that it took me all of yesterday and into the night and then again for most of the morning to come up with a way to rearrange these schedules," Harry complained as Seven looked over the report. There seemed to be no conflicts between shifts and the captain agreed with all of the promotions to the main positions. She was willing to approve the changes.
"Everything here seems to be in order. Make it so, Number 1." Seven authorized. And with that both Lanna and Harry broke out into hysterical fits of laughter. The captain on the other hand just raised her eyebrow.
"Some how, I doubt that was not a Borg designation," Lanna tried to explain after she finally got her laughter under control.
"Indeed it was not. I... did some research last night on what is expected of me as captain, so I researched other captains," Seven hesitantly explained.
"Yeah, one captain in particular," Harry managed to get out before he broke down into fits of laughter again.
"I am unfamiliar and uncomfortable with being captain and had to research the subject extensively," Seven defended and decided that perhaps the nickname did seem odd coming from her. 'Perhaps I will refrain from using any form of nickname.' She considered as she decided a change in subject was necessary. "Now, Commander, while reviewing your report, I noticed that one position still remained open."
Seven knew that Commander Chakotay and Captain Janeway had a very close relationship and she expected it to be the same between herself and Mr. Kim. But this captain wasn't sure of how much more friendly bantering she could take from her second in command. She wasn't that advanced in humanity yet. Immediately both laughing officers heard the change in tone of their commanding officer and realized it was back to business. B'Elanna was happy to have had at least a moment in which she could joke around with her captain. That never really happened between her and Janeway.
"Kim to Lt. Davis." Harry responded to Seven's inquiry by tapping his comm badge.
"Lt. Davis here, Commander." Came the disembodied voice which made Harry cringe after hearing the last word.
"Please report to the captain's ready room."
"Aye, sir."
"Kim out."
"I must admit it is quite comforting to know that I am not the only one uncomfortable with their new position," Seven remarked with what could only be described as a smug smirk. This of course got the expected response of poor Harry bursting out in laughter again after realizing that the ex-drone had gotten him back and got him good.
B'Elanna had just sat back and watched the interaction take place. She was even more impressed with the way Seven was handling herself today than she was yesterday. The Borg seemed quite determined to make the transition after the crisis as easy as possible for everyone involved. She was giving Naomi the love and comfort she so desperately needed after losing her mom and uncle. She gave Lanna the time and opportunity to vent and grieve in private while she took over the ship. And the captain showed Harry just how truly uncomfortable she was being captain. A weakness that Lanna knew must have been very hard for Seven to admit to. 'But who was helping her out through this time? Who was showing her that she was cared for and loved?' But before the lieutenant could continue her thoughts, the chime to the door sounded.
"Come." Seven ordered, still not able to make the order sound not like an order.
Lt. Mitchel Davis walked in and stood at attention in front of the captain's desk.
"Lt. Davis reporting as ordered, ma'am."
"Lieutenant, at ease. I believe the Commander here wanted to ask you a few questions not inquisition you." Captain Seven raised her infamous eyebrow.
"Uh, yes, Seven, uh, ma'am, uh I mean Captain." Davis stuttered out.
"Yo, Davis, relax. I promise if the captain hasn't assimilated me yet, then nothing's going to happen to you," Torres jumped in trying to put the young man at ease.
Davis was part Betazoid and he sensed that the atmosphere was quite relaxed, besides the engineer was right. If she was dead yet after all the times that she upset the new captain, then Seven had to have some great amount of patience. Mitchel smiled at the thought that their captain may not be so bad after all.
"Davis, why don't you give your request to the captain personally," Kim tried to encourage the lieutenant to speak up.
"Well, Captain. I was wondering if I could take over Neelix's position of head chef. I doubt I could do a good job of being a diplomat or even a good morale officer but I do know how to cook a decent meal. My mother's mother was a chef, my mother was a chef and now that cooking gene seems to have passed down onto me. I would like to try the challenge of cooking for a hundred or so people if you give me the chance."
"Why the sudden interest in cooking, Lieutenant?" Seven knew that there had to be more to the man's reasons then just wanting to cook for everyone. Neelix tried for years to get an assistant chef yet no one volunteered.
Davis sighed realizing he had to be completely honest with his captain if he wanted this job. "I'm scared, Captain. This last attack by the Grendali really shook me up. I remember being down in engineering and watching bodies flying about, blood flowing everywhere, limbs being severed left and right. I was unable to concentrate on my job because I was so scared that was it. After all we've been through, we still weren't going to make it home. I just can't do that any more. I know that living on this ship is dangerous enough as it is, but working in engineering or any other vital part of the ship just makes it all the more dangerous. At least with being head chef, I won't have to worry about battle stations or fixing this or that in time so the ship doesn't implode. I need the break."
"Very well, Lieutenant. But I want you to understand that being head chef can be stressful in and of itself. You will have to cook for 113 crewmen every day until you can find a replacement or train an assistant. You will not get days off like you have in the past and will still be required to go on away missions in search of food stuffs. You will also be in charge of maintaining the 'gardens' along with the help of the bioengineering department. You may not be officially considered a morale office but I expect you to know that as the one person who will come in constant contact with all of the crew you will have an effect on their moods as well as their perception of things. Do you still wish to be head chef now?" Seven asked as both Harry's and Lanna's eyes shot wide open in shock. It sounded more like the captain was trying to dissuade Davis from becoming head chef than encouraging him.
"I do." Mitchel smiled a coy smile realizing he was being challenged by his captain.
"Acceptable. I expect a report on my desk by 1000 hours tomorrow morning regarding the amount of food stuffs we currently have and if and when we will need to restock our supply. I would also like to know how it is that you plan to run the mess-hall and expect a report on that as well. You may have the rest of the day off in order to get yourself acquainted with your new job and the Commander here will shortly there after change over your shift schedule to reflect your position change to head chef."
"Acceptable." Davis echoed back at his new captain with a smile on his face. He had a feeling he was going to like his new job and his new captain. Both were going to be tough but both were also going to be very rewarding.
Captain Seven nodded her head and effectively dismissed Lt. Davis.
"The Commander here will inform you of when the changes will go into effect."
"Aye, Captain. And thank you for this opportunity."
Davis turned and left the three senior officers alone in the room to finish off the rest of the meeting.
"Was there anything else that needed to be brought up?" Seven asked of the other two.
"Actually, I did want to ask you about something." B'Elanna began tentatively. "I was thinking about spending some of the extra repair time that we now seem to have and work on a small project."
"Indeed?" Seven was surprised that the engineer had something in mind since she herself hadn't heard of any new project that needed to be done.
"Well, now that you are captain, I was thinking that it may be time for you to stop regenerating in cargo bay 2. It makes you too vulnerable. I thought that maybe myself and a few of my staff could work on building a smaller version of your alcove so that you can move into the captain's quarters."
"Indeed." It seemed that that was all Seven could say at the moment. Not only was she uncomfortable with moving out of the cargo bay, her safe haven, but it was into Janeway's quarters. Not the captain's quarters but Janeway's. Besides what about Naomi? As if reading her mind, Lanna continued.
"I know that moving into Janeway's quarters will be uncomfortable at first but it has to be done. After all, you are the new captain. They're your quarters now. And about Naomi. I'm sure we could construct a second bedroom in 'your' quarters for her. It certainly is big enough. I know that because her father is still alive in the alpha quadrant you can't adopt Naomi, but just remember Seven that family isn't just made up of namesakes. You are now her only family left and she's yours. I don't think the crew would object to her moving in with you into the captain's quarters."
"I will inform Naomi of what you have suggested and if she agrees and provided you can develop a working miniature alcove, then we will move into 'my' quarters."
"Then it's a done deal. I'm sure Naomi will agree so the only question is when can I get your portable regenerator working. Perhaps when you get a chance, you can add some of your Borg knowledge to the project?"
"Perhaps." Seven said still trying to adjust to the idea of having her own quarters.
"Wow, Seven you went from having no quarters to having the captain's quarters. Some people have all the luck." Kim whined.
"Indeed. Perhaps you have changed your mind on wanting the position of captain?"
"On second thought, maybe not."
"If that is all, I would also like to remind you both that tomorrow prior to the end of the alpha shift, there is our first senior staff meeting."
"Right." "I remember." Both officers knew when they were being dismissed and so both got up with that being said and left the room to continue on with their duty shifts. Seven stayed behind to finish reviewing the reports and wondered just when all of the surprises would stop coming.
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Part 6
The first ever staff meeting for the new members of the senior staff was about to get underway. All of the new, as well as old senior staff members, were already in attendance and seated in the conference room. Seven had finally taken the captain's chair at the opposite end of where she used to sit, while Harry moved into Chakotay's old seat to the right of the captain. B'Elanna was seated where Tuvok used to sit on the left of the captain, while Lt. Keller the new operations officer sat next to her. Next to Keller sat Lt. Ben Harris, the new tactical officer. Rounding out the left side was a empty chair. On the opposite side next to the commander sat the Doctor and next to him sat the ship's chief pilot, Lt. Beth Kayla. Next to her was seated Lt. Delaney the new head of astrometrics. They were all waiting for one other person to arrive. Lt. Davis had asked the captain if he could join the meeting and she had readily agreed wondering what he would have to contribute. Davis walked in two minutes before the staff meeting was scheduled to start.
"Am I late?" Davis had the audacity to question the captain as he took his seat. He knew that Seven had impeccable timing and he wanted to show that he also took his new responsibilities seriously by being so busy he couldn't be early but not so busy that he would end up being late.
"No, Lieutenant. You are right on time." Seven gave a small nod as she directed him to take a seat.
"Though we were starting to worry," Keller piped up. He and Davis, as well as the others, began to feel a bit more comfortable around the command team ever since their meetings with Seven concerning their promotions.
Seven cleared her throat, something she had seen Tuvok do on many occasions when he wanted the attention of others. "Shall we 'get down to business'?" Seven received a few nods and respectful silence in response. She nodded over to Harry suggesting that he start the meeting off with his report.
"Right. In the data pads that are in front of you are copies of the planned scheduling changes as well as all of the proposed promotions. Since you are all now heads of your respective departments, Captain Seven thought it would be wise for you all to check through them. If you find any conflicts or problems with some of the changes, please let me know so that we can do something about it. Otherwise, the changes will go into effect the day after tomorrow. If you have any other personnel problems please make an appointment to see me and we will get it all settled. I also would like to say that I do know how hard everyone has been working lately and we all appreciate it. But we do know how tired we can all get especially after such a stressful time. With the captain's blessing, I have asked Lt. Delaney to go some of our most recent sensor data looking for a nice M-class planet that would be suitable for shore leave. And with that cue, I'll let our astrometrics officer take the floor."
"Yesterday, I discovered a M-class planet that is only a few days away at warp three, which would be quite suitable for shore leave. There are no other species occupying this sector of space, so it will definitely be a good time for all of Voyager to kick back and relax. It seems to be very similar to Earth in it's atmosphere and vegetation and I recommend we settle Voyager down on the planet itself." Jennifer was extremely proud of herself by the time she finished her report. Even though she was extremely nervous she didn't stutter or go 'uh' once.
"Captain, that would probably be a great idea." B'Elanna cut in. "Right now, being on this moon, it's very difficult to go outside the ship and repair some of the outer hull damage that we sustained from the attack. If we could land on a planet that had breathable air, we would be able to repair the hull damage quicker and more thoroughly. Not to mention that we still have yet to check for any warp fissures that may have formed on the hull due to the stress from the warp field."
"Alright, I'll consider the request once we are able to leave this moon and begin our travels toward the planet. I also agree that we could all use some shore leave. Commander, will you please set up a tentative leave schedule for that possibility. Lt. Kayla, I also believe you had a request to make?"
"Yes, Captain. I was wondering if you could possibly allocate some holodeck time for me to use during my off hours. With Tom being the best aboard Voyager he was the one who tended to fly the ship during the most dangerous situations as well as he Delta Flyer. I was hoping that I could train a bit in the flight simulators on the holodeck to hone my skills?"
"That would be acceptable. I will discuss the times you can use the holodeck with the Commander and get back to you once we have figured out the best time for you to accomplish your goal. Perhaps you would also be willing to train another pilot while you are training?"
"Sure, no problem."
"Lt. Harris, how are you managing with your new security squad?" the captain asked.
"Fine, ma'am. I've already held a little meeting with everyone involved in security matters and discussed what I expect of them and how I plan to run the department. No problems here."
"Good. Mr. Keller how are operations coming along?"
"Some of the communications equipment is still a little banged up as well as some of the sensor equipment, but Torres has assured me that it will all be dealt with in due time. There's no problem with any of my personnel except for the fact that a few were grumbling over the change in shifts, but I'm sure they'll get over it. Since there's not much else to do here, I was wondering if I could help the lieutenant with some of the repairs that still needed to be done?"
"It is acceptable with me. Lt. Torres, do you require any more help with the repairs?"
"Yeah, I could always use more help. If you want Coty, you can report to my office around 1600 hours and we'll see about placing you somewhere." Keller nodded his head in agreement as Seven continued on with the meeting.
"And I believe that brings us to you, Mr. Davis. You were not required to attend this meeting as you are not a senior staff member yet you requested to take part." The captain left it at that, allowing an intro for Davis into the conversation.
"Yes, well, I was wondering if I could join the senior staff. I may not be a diplomat but I do perform a vital function aboard Voyager just as Neelix had as cook and morale officer."
"Indeed." Seven smiled a knowing smile letting those around he know that she suspected as much. "So you now consider yourself as a morale officer instead of just a cook?"
"It's like you said, Captain, regardless if I want the job or not I still have the ability to affect the moods of the crew. Might as well make it official."
"Acceptable. Was there anything else you wished to contribute?"
"Yeah, I wanted to update the rest of you on our food supply and such. We may have enough stuffs to last us at least another month, but I would like to collect some of that vegetation in which Delaney was talking about earlier from that planet since we are going on shore leave there anyway. I also wanted to mention that I talked with the bioengineering staff about some possible improvement to the airponics bay. I think we could increase our harvest if we do convert it into a garden just like you said, Captain." Seven looked quite surprised about that last part especially since she didn't remember suggesting turning the bay into a real garden. While everyone else began to whisper about the table concerning this new development, Seven raised her hands to quiet everyone down just like she had seen Janeway do a hundred times over.
"Please continue, Lieutenant."
"Well, the bio team and I discussed harvesting real earth vegetables and tress from replicated seeds and they would be in charge of 'farming the lands'. I already have several volunteers who are willing to learn about their profession by actually experiencing it. The first problem we have is creating the grounds but with us possibly landing on this M-class planet, we could transport large amounts of soil into the bay and create harvesting lands. The second problem we would face would be trying to jump start an atmosphere in the bay. The bio-engineers are, as we speak, hard at work finding a solution to that problem. Once we create viable atmosphere, the natural environment will be able to sustain it without an help from us. I'm also in the process of hunting down another assistant chef. I already have two volunteers willing to learn the trade, so give me a few more days and I should have the mess-hall up and running again."
"Impressive." Was all the compliment Seven needed to give and that said a lot in and of itself. "Please keep me updated upon the possible creation of this garden. I expect a full report detailing exactly what you plan to do on my desk before you actually set out and do anything. Now Doctor, how are the patients?"
"I have released everyone from sickbay except for Ensign Frengle who is still recovering from severe burns to over 75% of his body and Lt. Vorik who I am helping to adjust to his lose of sight. Everyone else has been cleared for limited duty for the next week and may return to full duty thereafter barring no complications. I, too, have been searching for two medical assistants and believe I have found at least one who is willing to train under my tutelage. We'll begin studying once Voyager is under way again."
"Very good, Doctor. Is there anything else that needs to be added? Then I would like to ask of you all that what was stated in this room is to remain confidential. You will not speak to any other than who is in this room now about the matters which were just discussed, especially about the shore leave as I have not made my decision yet as to if we will receive shore leave on the planet. If that is all, you are all dismissed." Seven ended the meeting and the staff filed out of the room. She sat still in her chair thinking about the latest surprise to come her way. 'A garden. I do not like all of these surprises and being captain does seem to grant more than the normal amount of surprises. Perhaps Commander Kim was right to turn down the opportunity to become captain. I seem to be getting a headache, at least that is what I think it is.'
"Seven?" Lanna interrupted the captain's thoughts. "Have you had dinner yet?" The engineer wasn't too sure of what drove her to ask the question besides her growling stomach, but the small but bright smile Seven just gave her was the only answer she needed.
"No I have not had dinner yet."
"It's nice to see that at least Naomi is teaching you some of our improper and imprecise language skills. How about the two of you join me for dinner in the mess-hall? I mean if you don't have plans or if you think it would be okay..." The lieutenant trailed off as Seven interrupted.
"That would be acceptable Lt. Torres. Naomi and I will meet you there at 1900 hours."
"Great, and Seven, just call me B'Elanna. Captain Janeway did." Again there was that smile and Lanna felt herself giving a smile in return.
As she turned and left the room Seven thought out loud, "Perhaps all surprises are not bad, just some."
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Continued to Chapter 7