EXTRAPOLATIONS

Disclaimer: All characters and Kashyk's leather vest belong to Paramount, the order of the words belongs to me.
Rated NC-17
Pairings: J/Tighe, J/Kashyk, J/C

A Counterpoint AU

For my Secret Santa, the wonderful Delta Story who came up with a request I couldn't resist: "How's about the following -- a story that's 'A Christmas Carol' like, with Janeway being 'treated' to three scenes -- past, present and future -- that include past and 'current' lovers but of course, points to why she should express her love for Chakotay and what life would be like without him in her future."

I hope you like this, Secret Santa. It's not exactly your scenario, but I hope it's close enough for you. And I did hear a little whisper that you like Kashyk… ;)

The apartment was dark, when she arrived. The blank-faced door looked as if it had stood undisturbed since she'd left three weeks ago. Ensign Janeway hesitated, absently flicking her long russet hair over her shoulder. Justin's ship, the Melbourne, had returned to Earth yesterday, but perhaps Justin had been delayed. Any first year cadet knew that in Starfleet things could, and did, change.

She checked the door closely. No obvious sign of a recent entry; the seals had that faint, flattened appearance of being long closed, and the place had a cold, bleak look.

Justin had given her his access code when they became lovers; she just had yet to use it. Decisively, Janeway punched in the code and the door hissed open.

She stepped into the darkened apartment. The chill of a San Francisco winter permeated the air; Justin couldn't be home. "Computer, lights at sixty percent and raise ambient temperature by five degrees."

"Computer, belay that order." Justin emerged from the bedroom, his uniform jacket loosened.

Her surprise dissipated into the chill air, replaced by warm delight. She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, bringing his face down to kiss her. "I didn't think you were here!"

"I transported directly inside. I missed you too, Kath. So very much."

His kiss left her in no doubt as to the truth of his words as he pulled her close, his hands threading through her hair to anchor her to him.

"Why don't you want light or heat?" she asked, when he freed her mouth.

He smiled, and his fingers moved to the buttons down the front of her jacket. "Because I look better in the dark, and because in a few minutes it's going to be hot enough in here that we won't need additional heat."

Her fingers found his cheek, and she dragged the tips over the coarseness of his stubble. "Confident, aren't you?" Her body thrummed and the slow, urgent pulse of desire coiled deep in her belly.

"Three weeks apart was too long. I've been on slow burn for you all the way."

She sighed softly, secure and content in his love. How lucky she was to have found Justin, her soul mate, so early in life. She pressed closer to him, enjoying the way he hardened against her belly. "So make up for it now!"

"We will, Kath. I want to feel your body heat warming me on cold sheets and in chilly air. I want to look out of the window and see the city go by below, and know there are stars above." His hand curved possessively over her breast. "I want to know you're mine."

His intent gave her a momentary frisson of unease. "I am yours," she said lightly. "I always will be. We're destined to be together."

His eyes burned like blue fire. "I hope so."

"I know so." Her hands remapped his body, pushing underneath the turtleneck to find his skin, dragging down to the lean planes of his belly.

As she leaned into his kiss, Kathryn gave herself over to the pleasure of her lover.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Chakotay's eyes never wavered from the monitor. "Doctor, her basal signs are increasing. Is she coming round?"

The EMH moved so quickly to the monitor it appeared he'd transported there. "Hmmm. Ahhhh."

"Well?" Chakotay pushed the heel of his hand into his eye socket, willing the headache to dissipate.

The EMH ignored him, studying the readout from the cortical monitor. His glance flicked to his patient on the biobed. Kathryn Janeway lay motionless as she had for the past twenty-four hours. The commander was correct; her heart rate and respiration had increased and she was flushed. Once he was satisfied with his interpretation, he turned to Chakotay.

"She's dreaming," he said bluntly. "Or pretty close to it. Look closely and you'll see the REM movements behind her eyelids."

"Is that a good sign?"

The EMH sighed. "I'd like to think so. But I'll remind you again that there appears to be nothing physically wrong with the captain. We just can't wake her up."

Chakotay smashed a fist into the top of the console, ignoring the EMH's pointed glare. "It's been twenty-four hours!"

"Not a ridiculously long time for someone to be in a coma. The human body has strange ways of healing itself."

"But she has no injuries."

"No visible ones. As I've already told you, there's a disturbance in her brain patterns. It's consistent with that often found in users of hallucinogenic drugs, or memory implantation. I'm trying to isolate the pattern. However, given that the Devore actively fear telepaths, any method of tampering with a person's thoughts would seem to be taboo."

Chakotay's jaw tightened. "Keep looking, Doctor."

"I assume you've had no luck contacting the Devore?"

"You assume right. Inspector Kashyk dropped his shields long enough for us to beam her aboard, and then his ship disappeared at warp. Harry's on his trail, but he's concealed it very well. Kashyk relayed the terms of the agreement the captain had negotiated when he returned her in this condition. And the terms state that we are supposed to proceed out of Devore space by the most direct route. Any deviation and they will rescind our parole and impound Voyager and detain the crew for transporting telepaths through Devore space."

"I feel that contacting Inspector Kashyk, or failing that the Devore Imperium, offers the best chance of a cure for the captain."

Chakotay's eyes flashed. "I agree. But that doesn't mean you can stop trying, Doctor."

The Doctor drew himself up, affronted. "Commander, need I remind you that-"

Chakotay held up a placating hand. "I'm sorry, Doc. I was out of line. I'm just somewhat stressed. I'm... worried, for the captain, and more than a little tired."

The Doctor's expression softened. "I understand," he said evenly. "We're all worried. Go and get some sleep. I promise I'll call you if there's any change."

Man and hologram looked over to where the captain lay. Her basal signs still fluttered in her dream state, but otherwise she appeared to be carved of ivory.

Chakotay gave into his impulse, and took the two paces forward to her side. He lifted one of her pale hands and pressed it to his heart. "Be well, Kathryn. I can't do this without you." Her hand rested limply against his jacket. Unheeding of the Doctor's curious gaze, he pressed a kiss to her cool forehead, and then gently rested her hand by her side again. Turning on his heel, he exited sickbay, heading for the bridge. There was no time to sleep; finding Inspector Kashyk was Kathryn's best hope.

"Commander!" Harry looked up as Chakotay entered the bridge. "I was just about to comm you."

He managed a tired smile for the young ensign. "Good news, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "I've traced Inspector Kashyk's warp signature. He masked his trail very well, but I'm confident I've found his ship." He pointed at his monitor. "His trail takes a circuitous route through this asteroid field here, but appears to stop at this large asteroid." His fingers danced on the console and the image enlarged. "I think his ship is hiding on the far side."

Chakotay clapped him on the shoulder. "Good work, Harry. How quickly could we get there?"

"Five hours. But there's a Devore patrol between him and us. Chances are high they're monitoring our path. If we deviate, they'll almost certainly intercept us."

"Senior staff meeting in thirty minutes. We need to see if we can come up with a way of contacting Kashyk."

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Chakotay gripped the PADD as he faced the senior staff. "While the doctor doesn't feel the captain is in any danger, he can't say with any confidence that her coma isn't harming her. We need to wake her, and all his efforts have proved unsuccessful. He feels we need to contact either Kashyk, as the instigator of the coma, or the Devore Imperium. But, as I'm sure none of you have forgotten, any deviation from our current path and the Devore will rescind the tenuous parole that Kashyk granted. However much we all may personally feel the captain's health is worth that risk, we have to consider what the captain would do in these circumstances."

"I believe that Captain Janeway would say we should not endanger the many for the wellbeing of one," said Tuvok impassively.

"The captain has often taken risks if she thinks she can get away with them," argued Harry. "I say we follow Kashyk's warp trail. He's the one who did this to her; he could help."

"But why would he help?" B'Elanna glared under lowered brow. "He's obviously done this for a reason. If she were going to wake up, stretch, and ask for a coffee and a status report, she would have done so already. The captain was on his ship for nearly twenty-four hours negotiating the terms of our parole. Maybe her coma is somehow part of it?"

"Even if it is, there's no reason we have to honor it," Harry said stubbornly. "Not if Captain Janeway's in danger."

Chakotay let them wrangle a moment longer before holding up a hand. "We're not debating if we go after Kashyk; we're debating how best to do it. If we're going to follow the trail it has to be soon, before we lose it."

"What about a message?" said B'Elanna. "The Doc believes the captain's not in any immediate harm. Why would Kashyk send her back like this? It's as if he knows we'll come for answers. Maybe pursuing him is walking into a trap?. Kashyk knows we take risks to save people; that's how we ended up in this situation in the first place, transporting the telepaths."

"A message--assuming we can get one through the asteroid field--will alert him to the fact we're coming, give him time to evade us," said Harry.

Chakotay rapped the table. "B'Elanna's right. Kashyk must know we'll come after him one way or the other, so there's no element of surprise to lose anyway. Harry, do you think you can get a signal through to Kashyk's ship?"

"Not easily," admitted Harry. "The asteroid he's hiding behind will deflect the signal away."

"We could launch a probe and use it as a transceiver," said B'Elanna. "Triangulate the signal points with the probe as the apex point."

"Get on it. But I also want you to work on a way of evading Devore patrols. We'll go in if we have to."

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Kathryn lay in Justin's arms, the warm afterglow spreading through her. She rested her head on his chest, feeling the lean tautness of muscle underneath her cheek. Her skin prickled, her nerve points jumping from recent friction. She wanted to soothe the grittiness of their lovemaking; her inner thighs felt chafed from his stubble, her nipples tender from his ministrations, her sex engorged.

Justin slept, and she let herself admire the leanness of his lines, the way his long, slender cock rested on one thigh. Not her first lover, but the one she'd cared the most for, the one who satisfied her, who filled the deep raw urgency for completion. Mark had never made her feel like this.

Mark? Kathryn's thoughts jerked to a stop. Mark? Where had that thought come from? The only Mark she knew was her childhood friend, Hobbes Mark Johnson, and they'd never been lovers. Never would, either. Hobbes just wasn't her type. Kathryn smiled into Justin's chest, grazing his skin with her teeth.

Justin stirred, and his arms tightened around her. "You awake, my Kath?"

She pressed her thigh higher, to where his turgid cock was already stirring.

"Yes." Her fingertips found his flat male nipple and flicked, a bit harder, a bit fiercer than for pure pleasure.

Justin's breath hissed through his teeth and his cock lengthened again, pressing insistently into her leg.

There would be time to sleep later, thought Kathryn, as she turned further and spread her thighs wide to embrace him.

Later, when the loving had finished, and sleep was too seductive a pull, she lay surrounded by his warmth and the musk of his body.

Nothing lasts forever, he said, unless you really want it to.

She closed her eyes, wondering where that thought had come from, and who had said it, but too tired to chase down the mental thread. Some things did last forever, and love could be one of them.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

"The probe is in position, Commander. You can transmit your message any time you want."

"Thanks, B'Elanna." Chakotay gripped the armrests of the captain's chair, resisting the urge to pace.

Although B'Elanna had succeeded in modifying the probe in record time, even a few minutes seemed too long. Voyager proceeded at impulse out of Devore space, watched, no doubt by the vigilant patrols who would certainly seize any opportunity to impound the vessel for breaking parole. It was a tenuous bargain, negotiated by Janeway after Kashyk had realized he'd been tricked, and Voyager's cargo of telepaths were safely out of his reach on the other side of the wormhole. Kashyk had beamed Janeway back to Voyager and said he would let them proceed out of Devore space, in return for their silence over the incident. What he hadn't given was his reason for returning the captain in a coma.

At least she bore no outward sign of other injuries or assault. Chakotay's hands clenched even tighter on the armrests at the thought.

He forced his thoughts to the task and ordered the channel open. "This is the Federation Starship Voyager, calling Devore patrol ship. Inspector Kashyk, do you read me?"

For long moments, static was his only answer, then Kashyk's face appeared on the view screen.

"Commander Chakotay. How delightful. What can I do for you?"

"Forget the pleasantries, Kashyk. Tell me what you've done to our captain."

"And why do you presume I had anything to do with it?"

Temper rising, Chakotay stood and paced toward the screen. "She beamed over to your ship as a walking, talking Human. She was returned in a coma. Who else would have had anything to do with it?"

"Kathryn was... with me to negotiate the terms of Voyager's parole. An assignment she performed admirably, and without concern for herself. You can presume that her current state is part of that agreement." His mouth curved into a smile that stopped short of his eyes. "Kathryn complied with all the terms. All of them, Commander, and she did so willingly."

Chakotay struggled to keep his face impassive, but the vision that the inspector's words conjured made his gut churn. Kathryn wouldn't.... would she?

Kashyk's mouth curled into a knowing grin. "Such restrained passion, Commander. How... interesting."

Chakotay refused to rise to the bait. "You're saying this coma is part of your agreement?"

"It is."

"So when will she be returned to normal?"

"Well, that depends, Commander, on the choices she makes." Kashyk flicked an imaginary speck from his leather pants with a gloved finger.

"Explain."

He appeared amused. "Kathryn was offered a choice. A trade if you like. I'm sure you noticed that Kathryn and I became... extremely good friends during my stay on your ship. And it wasn't one sided, Commander. Kathryn, however much she tries to hide it, is attracted to me. She was surprised when I gave her the terms of Voyager's parole, but her first reaction was a smile. However, she drives a hard bargain." His smile turned calculating.

"What exactly were the terms?" Chakotay strove for control, knowing that any attempt to force the information he wanted from the inspector would result in the opposite effect. Kashyk was obviously smug and wanting to gloat; the quickest way to learn what he wanted to know was to remain impassive. But his guts were knotted like skeins of twine.

"My offer was simple. In exchange for Voyager's freedom, Kathryn would remain behind and become my... associate."

Over the thundering of blood in his ears, Chakotay heard Harry's gasp, quickly stifled.

But Kashyk had said that Kathryn had succeeded in modifying the bargain to some degree. "She would never agree to that," he said, striving for a veneer of calm. "She knows Voyager needs her."

"The needs of one, versus the needs of the many? You know full well, Commander, that Kathryn would put the many ahead of the one, even if the one were herself. Especially when it was herself."

The acrid taste of bile rose in his throat at the echo of Tuvok's words of earlier.

Kashyk continued, "And she thinks highly of you, Commander. She knows that you can bring her crew home. But none of you would even have that chance unless allowed to leave Devore space. Don't forget, you committed a serious crime against the Imperium."

"And your efficiency in discovering our crime was less than exemplary," Chakotay shot back. "The easiest way would have been for you to let us go in return for our silence. Now, you've got patrols involved. If this goes wrong for you, it's your head on the block."

"Patrols can be silenced." Kashyk's smile twisted quietly. "Don't you worry about that. But I'm sure you want to know how Kathryn succeeded in modifying the deal. She argued, very convincingly, that she was worthless as my associate unless her choice was freely made. And as I am a reasonable man, I agreed. Because you see, Commander, Kathryn had already given herself away in her instinctive reaction to my proposal. I can read people. It's why I'm so good at my work-"

"Slaughtering telepaths," muttered Tom at the helm.

"Drop it, Paris," Chakotay ordered, even though his reaction mirrored Tom's.

"Controlling a danger to our society," said Kashyk, agreeably. "But the telepaths are merely detained, not slaughtered. But you digress. I can read the subtleties of expression and gesture that tell me when some one is lying--or hiding something. And Kathryn was lying when she retorted that she found my proposal distasteful in the extreme. Oh, don't get me wrong; she has a strong altruistic streak that did indeed find my suggestion abhorrent. But she's an intelligent woman. She knew that my proposal was for her to become my associate on a more personal level as well, and that, Commander, she wanted very, very badly."

Chakotay swallowed hard, and forced himself to respond calmly. Behind him, he could sense Harry's shock.

"She would never put mere attraction over every value she holds dear."

"So you say," agreed Kashyk. "And I say differently. So this is the bargain we struck: We have a procedure in the Imperium--rarely used now--called the Shau. It is used to discern the truth behind someone's words, or to establish their true leaning. We use it to determine whether dissenters are telling the truth when they say they have reformed. We place the person in a deep level of unconsciousness, and our technology can pick past memories from their brain, adapt them, and feed them back into their mind where they play out in sequence, much as a dream. Quite simply, when the person wakes, they are compelled to pick the scenario that most appealed to them; the truth of their wishes or beliefs, if you like. I have programmed three scenarios into Kathryn's mind, and when she wakes, whichever one she feels the most affinity for, is the one she will choose. I am, of course, confident that she will choose the second scenario--which depicts life at my side--over the dull third option--endless routine and personal stiflement on Voyager for the next fifty years or so."

"And the first option?"

"My medics had not performed the Shau on a human subject, of course, so the first scenario was an extrapolation of a part of Kathryn's past life, chosen merely to allow us to perfect the Shau on human brain chemistry."

"How do we know you haven't skewed the scenarios?"

"You'll have to trust me. And I am an honorable man, in my way. Kathryn and I agreed that the scenario she chooses would be binding for her. However, Voyager is free to leave whatever the result. If Kathryn wakes up and chooses the third scenario, then she will remain with you on your journey. If she chooses the second, she will stay with me."

"What if she chooses the first option?"

"It isn't possible; it is a dull piece of her past. As the third option is a dull piece of her future. She will choose the second option. Have no fear of that, Commander. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do. My ship will remain here until it is time to collect Kathryn in two days."

"Wait! If this is all part of the bargain, why were you hiding from us? Why wait here, ensure that we don't simply leave Devore space with the captain?"

"I knew you'd find a way to contact me, and the physical distance ensures that you won't deviate from the assigned route. If anger the Imperium a second time, Commander, I won't be able to help you. Your ship - and your captain - will be forfeit regardless." Kashyk leaned forward, as if to sever the link, and then relaxed. "One more thing, Commander. Don't even think of trying to leave Devore space with your captain still in her coma. We have controls in place that would unfortunately cause her death, should you attempt it. I'll contact you in two days."

The screen went dead.

Chakotay found his legs would barely support him. Around him, the bridge crew held an uneasy silence. The inspector's words had a disturbing finality about them; he was not expecting to lose.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Kathryn strode onto the bridge of the Devore ship and took her place at Kashyk's side. He favored her with a curl-lipped glance. "We are approaching the alien ship. They have consented to our inspection teams. You and I will lead this one, my dear."

She nodded, her gaze fixed on the view screen. The small ship looked too innocuous to be smuggling telepaths; it had the lumbering progress of a planet-hopping trader. Still, you could never tell. Desperate people always tried the hardest to blend in. She moved to stand behind Kashyk's chair, her hand resting on his shoulder, one finger absently moving over his neck, feeling how his pulse jumped at her touch. "We have twenty minutes. I'll be in my quarters." A fingernail scraped over his jugular. Turning swiftly, her high-heeled boot scraping on the bare deck plating, she left.

He came to her quarters, as she had known he would. No polite knock, no request; he merely overrode her door code and entered silently. The heat and intensity of his gaze on her back told her he was there, and she turned to him.

Kashyk stood with confident posture. His leather pants stretched tightly over taut, muscled thighs. A fit man; not beautiful or even attractive in the normal run of things, but his power gave him a compelling edge, and he wore it like a cloak. Without breaking eye contact, he started to unbutton his leather jerkin.

Her mouth twisted into a wry smile. "Sure of yourself, aren't you?"

"Why else would you have gone to your quarters for twenty minutes? Sex always gives you a finely honed edge, my dear, the better to do our job." He moved closer and she could smell the danger on him, it was there in the musk and oiled leather, there in the way his eyes gleamed and his cock swelled against the tight leather pants.

Kathryn smiled; a feral, calculated smile, and started to unbutton her own shirt.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

"Commander Chakotay, report to sickbay immediately."

He arrived within a minute, in answer to the Doctor's hail. "Is there any change?"

The EMH was standing by Janeway's head. One hand rested on her shoulder. "Look at her," he said.

Janeway was breathing hard, her skin was flushed and damp. Although immobile, looking at her, Chakotay had the impression of someone undergoing immense exertion. A glance at the monitors confirmed this.

"Her readings are consistent with that of someone in a stimulating situation," explained the Doctor, correctly interpreting his questioning glance. "Physical exertion: she could be running a race, hand to hand combat, or even sexual activity. I'm narrowing it down through her other readings; adrenaline levels, endorphins, hormonal profiles, they all can help us decide exactly what the captain is dreaming about."

"Have you had any luck deciphering how this Shau works, or how to get the captain out of it?"

"Somewhat," admitted the doctor. "I can see her altered brain chemistry; and I can see how they've implanted memory engrams based upon extrapolations of her own character and past actions. It's cleverly done; they've tapped into her pleasure centers, they can see from her reactions what she perceives as enjoyable, what is merely drudge time. And given their skill in manipulating her basal chemistry, I believe that is related to the controls Kashyk mentioned; a shot of adrenaline, something like that would be enough literally to 'jolt' her to death.

"It also appears to be preprogrammed. It's as if the captain is watching three reels of film with an intermission between each. After the first day, she lapsed into a classic coma. I believe that was the end of the first scenario, the shortest, if we assume Kashyk told the truth. But now, she's playing out the second one. And from what you said, it's a highly charged scenario. Right now, for example," and he studied his tricorder, "I believe the captain is experiencing intense and highly pleasurable sexual activity."

He swallowed hard. He didn't want to envisage the sort of scenario that Kathryn found pleasurable between herself and Kashyk. He'd noticed their undercurrent of attraction when the inspector was on board, of course. As finely tuned as he was to Kathryn, he would have to be blind to miss it. And he'd ignored it as best he could, as he'd ignored all the other minor sexual adventures over the years. She wouldn't -- couldn't -- choose him, so she had every right to take her pleasure where she could. As did he. So for years, they'd been circling, avoiding each other in the corridors when they returned from shore leave, their eyes sliding away from each other in hopeless guilt. It was an infidelity of sorts, Chakotay had always thought. Bound to each other, but not bound. The knowledge of love there, but unacknowledged, unconsummated.

But now, he was forced to confront it, as Kathryn's very safety, indeed, her continued presence on Voyager, depended on it. Surely, she couldn't choose Kashyk's second scenario?

"And she's finding it enjoyable?" he forced himself to ask, as dispassionately as he could.

The EMH shot him a glance that told him he wasn't fooled. "Yes. Immensely."

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Kashyk kissed like a timewarp. A deep, fierce sucking in of her soul that pushed out all rational thought and reason, leaving only a pure sexual energy in its place. His tongue swooped and tasted, not teasing nerve endings, but bludgeoning them into submission. He had finesse, but it was more the overwhelming nature, the total subsuming of her and what she was into each encounter that made him so dangerous.

And so compelling.

His hand anchored in her head, winding the russet skeins around and around, so that they bit into his flesh. Her scalp burned from the pressure, but Kathryn welcomed it. Each time, the fierce urgency of their coupling brought her shuddering to a climax---and further under his sway.

Kathryn recognized the danger, but since she'd set her foot to this path and bound her life to his, there was no turning back. Days spent serving the Devore Imperium, protecting its boundaries and life from the telepathic threat. Nights spent serving her lover, protecting her heart from falling too far.

She let him push her toward the wall, nearly stumbling in the high-heeled boots. Kashyk increased the pull on her hair and her head cracked once against the bulkhead. The pain blossomed, spreading out down neck and shoulders, but she encompassed it, buried it into the moment. Lunging forward, she kissed him fiercely, grinding her lips against his until they opened under the pressure. It was all teeth and lips and saliva, and wild, sharp heat. Kathryn tasted his blood and hers, mingling in her mouth. The metallic flavor of it fueled the fire, until her nipples burned tumescent and heavy against her clothing, and the pulsating throb in her sex beat in time with her heart. Desire, never far below the surface, raged uncontrollably.

He freed his hand roughly from her hair; red strands floated in the cabin's cloying air. With one violent movement, he tore her shirt completely open so that her braless breasts were exposed to his gaze. Kathryn knew what he would be seeing: fresh bite marks on her pale skin, a corona of red around her nipples. Spreading wine-stain bruises underneath. The legacy of their fucking every time.

He lunged for her nipples, his hands roughly palming and then his mouth following. She arched her back against the pain as his sharp teeth caused a fresh bloom of blood underneath the skin.

Through the crimson haze in front of her eyes, Kathryn groped for the fastening on his pants. Forcing them open, she freed his cock, which sprang dusky and rigid from his groin. Pushing hard at his head, she dislodged him from her breast, and she bent to taste his rigid staff. Kashyk shoved her shoulders pushing her to her knees, forcing his prick into her mouth.

Her eyes watered with the intrusion, but she didn't stop. The scent of his groin surrounded her: musk, and sweat, pungent and arousing. She sucked him hard, running her lips around the crown, even as his hands gripped her head painfully, holding her in place. He was all salt and urgency, feral and male.

"Kathryn," he gasped through gritted teeth, and one hand encircled his turgid shaft, holding back his spend by sheer willpower.

She bit lightly, leaving her own mark on his shaft; barely enough to draw blood, but enough to unleash the tight rein on his control. Rising to her feet, her desperate fingers fumbled the with fastening of her own pants, pushing them down below her hips. No panties; life with Kashyk was made for wild, free sex.

As soon as her trousers reached mid thigh, Kashyk urged her to turn around. Kathryn braced herself against the bulkhead, turning to see her lover over her shoulder.

He stood there, purple tipped cock in hand. Leaning forward, he dragged it down between her cheeks before finding the sodden cleft. Kathryn braced herself, her body humming in anticipation of his entry.

One lunge, up to the hilt, and then the glorious heavy feeling of fullness, the fat slide of penetration.

"No time," grunted Kashyk. "My beautiful Gaharay."

Kathryn braced herself with one hand, the other settled between her thighs, strumming her clit in time to his heavy pounding. A big man, a solid man, his fucking was as brutal as he was. The open edge of his leather trousers abraded her backside with every thrust, but she barely noticed. The thrusting shaft moved easily in her wet sex.

Kashyk's thrusts quickened, his already fast rhythm disintegrating into stabbing, short lunges as he came hard, deep within her. That was all it took. Kathryn came with a howl, her sex quivering in release, shuddering around his cock, the weighty feeling of him held within her intensifying the pleasure.

For a second, his cheek rested on her back, and his hand curved gently over her waist. It was as close to tenderness as they ever got. Then he was levering himself away from her.

"Kashyk to the bridge. Estimated time to interception?"

"Two minutes."

She turned to face him, already resettling her clothing. The sodden material between her thighs would be a constant reminder of their loving, that and the scent of their coupling.

Without a backwards glance, Kathryn preceded him out of the door to the bridge. Her work awaited.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Alone with his patient, the doctor studied the readings, trying to find a safe path through the stranglehold of the scenarios being played out in her head. The captain's readings had settled. Obviously, the intense sexual stimulation had finished, peaking, the doctor noted with detached curiosity, with readings consistent with orgasm, even though his patient lay immobile and devoid of stimulation on the bio-bed.

It appeared the sequence had now shifted. Her readings showed elevated brain activity, and the sort of patterns he associated with a tense situation. A yellow alert, he thought.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Janeway strolled through the alien ship, down the lines of crewmen. Most appeared calm, stance at parade rest, eyes dead ahead. But her skin prickled with the awareness that something was wrong, something was different. There was an unease about the senior officers. Casually, she paused by one of the bridge officers, and tapped a gloved finger thoughtfully.

"These hatches," she asked conversationally. "Where do they lead?"

An infinitesimal sideways shift of his eyes, and he replied, "Nowhere, Ma'am."

"Nowhere? How strange on a ship of this size." She kicked one of the hatch covers with a booted foot, and observed how he forced his eyes forward.

"Nowhere. It's simply an engineering junction."

"Open it."

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Her readings were climbing. Not a sexual pleasure this time. Increased acetylcholine levels. Muscle fibers taut, ready. Adrenaline. Fight or flight. The doctor frowned. If Kashyk was to be believed, the captain was living out life as a Devore patrol inspector, and the doctor had no doubt as to the casual brutality of that life.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

"I can't Ma'am. This hatch has been welded shut for some time to protect-"

He was lying. The faint sheen of moisture on his nose ridges gave him away, and the weld had the sheen of new metal. It had been done recently. Nerves jumping, Janeway raised her weapon and pointed it at the crewman next to him. "I suggest you try. Now."

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. I don't have the tools-"

Her weapon fired once.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

The adrenaline surge was unmistakable. The doctor was reminded of the time the Hirogen had taken over Voyager, trapping the crew in the holodecks and forcing them to fight for their lives, kill or be killed, dragging them out only at the last moment. He'd had to patch them up in sickbay, repair injuries so horrific that he wondered if their bodies would be able to take it. And then he'd had to send them back to repeat the whole process again.

But the thing he remembered most was how easily the scenarios had conditioned the crew to acts of violence totally alien to their nature. How swiftly the survival instincts had kicked in. How willing they were to harm, maim, even kill. Instincts normally buried deep in their moral fiber, subdued by their innate decency, surfaced, and they had revealed a more brutal side. How easily they were manipulated.

Does a hologram have instincts? The thought flashed through his program, even as he leaned down, his mouth at the captain's ear. "Don't do it!" he shouted. "Captain Janeway, remember who you are and what you stand for. You're a Starfleet Captain!"

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

The weapon fired and the weld around the hatch shattered like a gourd.

"It's open now." She smiled at the bridge officer. "Why don't you take a look inside?"

She gestured him forward with the phaser, and her finger tightened on the firing button. The glow of power spread as she watched him fumble.

The hatch dropped at his feet and the crewman pushed his head and shoulders inside the hatch. "Nothing, Inspector."

Janeway's nerves thrummed in anticipation. "Really?" she said conversationally. "Maybe I should take a look."

The tensing of his shoulders warned her, and she sprang to one side, firing as she did. The shot caught him in the chest and he crumpled in mid lunge, his arms flailing as he fell. She pushed his body to one side with a booted foot and turned to the next crewman.

"Maybe you would care to take a closer look inside that hatch."

Naked despair flashed across his young features. She raised her weapon once more. "Don't make me persuade you-"

A buzzing filled her head, loud, insistent, and for a moment, she was filled with horror. I can't do this, she thought, and the phaser wavered. Then, as if a shield slammed down in her head, it was gone.

"Now is a good time," she said pleasantly.

"Yes, Captain," he said. His gold and black uniform blurred momentarily before her eyes as he moved to the hatch.

Captain? Captain? She was an Inspector. Inspector Janeway of the Devore Imperium. And the young crewman had been wearing a nondescript beige jumpsuit, not gold and black. The phaser wavered.

She shook her head slightly to rid herself of the irritating buzz and tightened her grip on the phaser.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

The Doctor stared at Janeway's brain patterns in triumph. Twice, only for a second each time, the foreign trace overlying her normal brain patterns was disrupted. Following each time, there was a corresponding dip in her adrenaline, as if momentarily she'd snapped out of the scenario.

He tapped his comm badge. "Lieutenant Paris, report to sickbay immediately."

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

It was as she thought. A false back to the engineering panel revealed a cavity crammed with people. A dozen dirty people stinking of fear and despair were pulled blinking into the brightly lit corridor. Janeway herded them into the brig leaving Prax to guard them. Now for the part she enjoyed the most. Find the captain, impound his ship, read him his fate: prison, a life served in a detention camp for breaking Devore policy and smuggling telepaths.

She faced the captain, stared him in the eye and watched the terror in his eyes that he tried to hide. "I hereby claim your ship Voyager for the Devore Imperium."

Voyager? Voyager? . That wasn't the name of his ship. She didn't know a Voyager. Did she?

~ ^ ~ ^ ~

© Shayenne, January 2007 Please email me to post/distribute elsewhere.