MAIN DISCLAIMER: See Prologue
Alternate Choices
By H.W.
Chapter 12
Ro was standing on the edge of the shuttle square. The shuttle square was a part of a large park in the middle of the palace grounds. It was in the center of the park, making it possible for even the big Klingon Ambassador shuttles to land with ease without having to worry about the buildings, the first building was a five minute walk from the square.
All the advisors and advisor's assistants were standing in a line on the edge of the square, knowing that their future would step off the shuttle soon. Standing closest to the shuttle were the Klingons, like Gowron, who would fall in behind the Intendant when she left the shuttle. Ro was flanked on one side by Jetur and on the other side by Delik, something Ro and Jetur had come up with. It was designed to make Delik think until the last second that Ro had bought his deception and that she was about to double-cross Jetur.
The main door of the giant shuttle lowered and hit the ground with a loud bang that made more than one person jump. Wave after wave of Klingon commandos came marching out of the shuttle until three hundred Klingons, disruptor rifles at the ready, had formed an armed perimeter around the shuttle.
It was very clear to anyone there that for the moment the Klingons were in complete control of the entire complex. Including the Klingons Gowron had brought in since Kira's death, there were more than five thousand armed Klingons on the palace grounds; and that when Bajoran access was heavily restricted, and no weapons what so ever were allowed for them.
All eyes went back to the ramp when once again the sound of Klingon boots on metal could be heard. They saw four Klingon guards coming down the ramp, forming a defensive square, while inside the square there was a Klingon that everyone recognized as the Intendant. But everyone was surprised to see a second person in the armed square, clearly a human slave. After them followed other Klingons that were outside the armed square, the ones with positions high enough to be included in the Intendant's entourage.
Ro wondered what the slave was doing in such a prominent position, never having been in a situation where she had to deal with a body slave. But Jetur knew what this had to mean. She leaned a little closer to Ro and spoke so soft that Delik, on the other side of Ro didn't even hear that she was talking, which was what Jetur was hoping for, "Laren, listen, this is very important. Be polite to the blonde slave. Treat her as an equal, if not as your superior."
"What?" Ro asked looking at Jetur, not believing her ears.
"Trust me; this can be the thing that makes us win. Treat her as if she is more important than the Klingon Martok."
"Are you nuts?!" Ro asked louder this time, seeing Delik turn in her direction.
"Trust me," Jetur mouthed, wanting to make sure that Delik would not know what they were talking about.
Torres stepped off the ramp and came closer to the Bajorans until she was standing in front of the middle of the line, "This is the best they have to offer?" She asked nobody in particular, "Better just put a Klingon in charge and have it over with. Martok?"
"Yeeees?"
"Give me one good reason why we should bother with appointing a Bajoran as Intendant?"
"Because we wouldn't wish it on our worst enemy to have to deal with Bajorans on a daily basis?"
"Hmm, that's true. Well, let's get this over with. Where is Kira's body? I do hope you preserved the body?"
"Of course, Intendant," Delik said smoothly while taking a step closer. He focused on the Intendant, ignoring the others, "Please, allow me to escort you."
"In a moment. Why don't we first give your competitor a chance to introduce herself to me?"
"Intendant?" Delik asked before he saw that the Intendant was looking at Ro, "Oh, you must be misinformed. Ro is not a competitor."
Ro also took a step closer; Jetur right at her side, "Delik was Kira's first advisor, while I was the last. He thinks that because of that, and the fact that he could fool the others into backing him, that I'm no competition for him."
Remembering Jetur's warning, Ro thought it was time for a proper introduction. But not really knowing how to address the slave, Ro decided to stay with the neutral 'madam,' a title well used in the entire coalition for woman whose true title one didn't know.
"But please, allow me to introduce my assistant. Intendant..." Ro looked very pointedly at Seven, "...madam, may I introduce Jetur Adami."
Torres started laughing when she heard the introduction. Despite the fact that she knew that Ro was trying to play her, she still liked the fact that she had at least mentioned and looked at her pet, as where Delik had totally ignored the blonde. As a matter of fact, Delik had not even introduced himself, "At least now I know what your assistant was whispering to you while I was on the ramp. She thought it was a good idea to also acknowledge my pet in your greeting?"
"She did," Ro agreed. "I was initially planning on recognizing her presence with a nod," Ro then added. It was the truth, and seeing the Intendant's reaction, Ro thought it might be a good idea to add the fact that she was going to acknowledge the blonde woman.
"Your assistant gave you a very good piece of information," Torres said while she started walking. Ignoring Delik, and continuing to speak to Ro, making it clear that she wanted the Bajoran to accompany her, "And I'm glad to hear that you at least were going to acknowledge her. You made points with that. She is my body slave for only a week now, the news has to get around yet."
Delik recognized that Ro had double-crossed him, and now the Intendant was talking to her and not to him. Trying to take back the initiative, he spoke up, "Intendant, would you like to see Kira now?"
"I'm sure that Ro knows the way too. I prefer talking with people who actually introduce themselves to me. Learn your manners, Delik, if you want to impress me. Right now, you are still in the race, don't blow it."
"My apologies, Intendant. I had assumed that you would already know who the valued advisors of Kira were."
"Assuming can get you killed, Delik. Don't assume, know. And even if I knew, which I indeed do, introducing yourself is a show of respect I appreciate. Now, I want to see a body."
One of the other advisors tried to come closer so that he could also introduce himself to the Intendant, only to find himself stopped by one of the Klingon guards. A strong hand was put on his shoulder from behind and he was turned around. The advisor had to swallow when he realized that he was face to face with the intimidating Klingon General Martok.
"Don't even bother. You let yourself be put out of the picture by blindly backing Delik. You have backed him until now; don't be surprised that this is seen as you supporting him in his bid to be Intendant."
"But I..."
"But you... missed your chance. Your best option now is to keep backing Delik and hope that he remembers you IF he becomes Intendant. Now, get out of the way."
"I also want to see all of Kira's records, right after I make sure Kira is dead," Torres said, ignoring the chattering going on behind her.
"That might be a problem." Delik said, "Kira encrypted all the information of her private files. The official records won't be a problem, but we have been trying to break the encryption on her personal files from the day she died, without success. We think that all the interesting information can be found in the personal files."
"Think you can get through that?" Torres asked over her shoulder.
"I will try, mistress."
"Good enough."
They reached the buildings and a few minutes later they entered the palace hospital. Delik preceded the Intendant into a private room where the former Intendant Kira had been temporarily put to rest.
Torres took a few minutes to look at the lifeless body before finally speaking, "Who is the main suspect?"
Delik was quick to speak up, "All evidence points at Ro."
Torres turned around to face Delik, "Now, why am I not surprised to hear such an accusation coming from you?"
"Believe me, Intendant, once you have a look at the evidence you will come to the same conclusion."
"I have no intention of looking at evidence. Martok gets that pleasure. Now, what are you planning to do with Kira's body?"
"It is custom to bury our dead," Ro explained.
"That's it?" Torres asked, making it clear that she wanted to hear more.
Delik was fast to take the opportunity that Ro had so clearly bungled, "Well, as soon as you release her body for burial, I was planning on organizing a state funeral."
"Actually," Jetur spoke up, "What Laren meant with saying that we bury our death is that we have already planned the state funeral for the day after tomorrow, unless you object to that date, of course. And the statue that will go over her grave should be ready by then too. Of course, the temple that will be erected at her funeral site will take a few months to be erected, but the plans are already in place."
Seven saw that the Intendant was about to say something and Seven could guess what the question was about, "Mistress, Bajoran memorial temples have to be built by the priests by hand in the traditional way."
"Ah, I see," Torres turned to Ro, "Your advisor just saved your ass. Kira might have been a bitch, but she was still an Intendant. She deserves, requires all the ceremony of a dead Intendant," Then she looked at Jetur, "But you also made a mistake. You told me preparations were already underway. That means that you have to show me this, I want to see this in... let's say, three hours. That should give you some time to scramble."
Jetur walked to the standard computer unit in the room and entered some commands, "The preparations are ready for your inspection, Intendant."
Torres raised an eyebrow at this and then turned to Seven, "Take a look."
"Yes, mistress," Seven walked to the computer unit and quickly went over the information, "The first orders were given ten hours after the recorded death of Kira Nerys. Jetur Adami was actually rather modest in her description. Kira Nerys could be buried at this moment if the order was given."
Ro looked at Jetur when she heard the time when the first order was given and saw the redhead rocking back and forth slightly on the heels of her feet with a very little smug smile on her face. Jetur must have given the orders only minutes after she had aligned herself with Ro. Learning how Jetur had taken care of this also made Ro wonder what else Jetur had done without Ro knowing it.
"Very impressive," Torres said while she turned back to the corpse of Kira, "Martok, scan her for all evidence you need, and then you can oversee the Bajorans in getting rid of her," Then to nobody in particular, "Now, show me my quarters."
"Allow me," Delik said while he moved to the door, "I took the liberty to ready the ambassador's quarters for you."
"Alright. Ro, you come along, I want to have a little talk with you."
Once again the group moved through the palace until they entered the ambassador's quarters, quarters that were only reserved for the most important of guests.
Torres took a look around the ostentatious decoration and for a moment she thought of telling them to give her some a little more modest quarters. But then she decided that it was just not worth the hassle, "Delik, I want you to bring me the computer unit that has Kira's private records. But I want you to bring me that in one hour. At that point, you and I will have a little talk. Martok, post the guards at your discretion. Ro, you stay. The rest, get out."
Delik walked down the corridor to Kira's office to get the computer unit. For a moment he thought about letting Kira's computer unit 'disappear,' wondering, and also slightly fearing, just what information there might be in that unit. But he realized that this might be a stupid move. If there was something about him in the unit, it might actually work in his favor, but if he let the unit disappear the Intendant might start to wonder what he had to hide. No, he would have his chance in one hour.
Torres turned around from checking the quarters to see Ro and Jetur still standing at the door. But before she addressed them she spoke to Seven, "Take a look at the replicator. See if you can find something in there that I'd like to drink."
"Yes, mistress."
"You," Torres said, pointing at Jetur. "I told Ro that I wanted to see her, not you."
"Intendant," Ro interrupted, "Adami has a very good brain. She takes care of all the details I don't want to bother with. But to do so in an efficient manner, she does have to be at my side when I talk about certain things."
"Are you telling me that you can't remember things yourself?"
"Certainly not. What I'm saying is that she is good at doing this, so why would I do it myself if I can let her do it? Remembering all the details will only give me unnecessary headaches."
"You got a point there," Torres relented, but the only reason why she really did relent was because she was only testing how well Jetur and Ro would stick together, "Sit, both of you."
Seven came back from the replicator and handed Torres one of her favorite drinks. Torres saw that Seven had taken nothing for herself and was about to ask why not, but then realized that the blonde was being the good body slave; not taking something to drink for herself because they were not alone.
"You want something to drink?" Torres asked Ro and Jetur.
"Yes, we would," Ro said speaking for the both of them because she assumed that Jetur would not know that declining a drink offered by a Klingon could be seen as an insult.
"Get them some Bajoran wine, my pet, and get something at your choosing for yourself too."
"Yes, mistress," Seven got the two woman their drinks before getting her own and kneeling down beside Torres' legs, facing the two other woman.
Torres put a hand on Seven's shoulder and pulled her back slightly until Seven was sitting with her back against the couch Torres was sitting on, and slowly started to move her fingers through Seven's hair in an almost absent way, "Now, I have no intention of being here for a minute longer than necessary. Let's get down to business, why the heck would we make you Intendant?"
"Because I'm the best choice, at least if you want things to change," Ro answered.
"But why would we want to change anything? The only thing I find interesting is trying to get you Bajorans out of my hair. As long as it doesn't bother us Klingons, I don't care how things are here."
"But surely you are also interested in a quiet Bajor. Kira was making enemies at every step. The Kai has been under house arrest for the last three years. The prime minister doesn't even dare to come to the government meetings anymore because Kira told him he would be killed if he ever spoke against her again. The advisors, who were appointed by Kira, are the ones who have all the power on Bajor. The people of Bajor are only a fraction from starting an uprising. The only thing that's stopping them is that they know that if they do, they will be killed.
"My focus would be on stabilizing Bajor. I have no interest in letting ten percent of the treasury disappear into my pocket, the Intendant allowance would be more than enough to give me a very comfortable life. My interests are not solely mine, I truly do care about Bajor and I want to make life better for the Bajoran people."
Torres laughed at that, "How noble, I'm so touched. And just how would you plan on doing that?"
It was Jetur who answered that, "The ten percent that normally went to Kira is a very good start. Besides that we were also planning on confiscating Kira's finances and putting those billions of credits in a special fund for all kind of projects that have been decaying in the last number years. Of course all of that would be done in the name of the former and generous Intendant Kira Nerys. And furthermore we are planning on reshaping the official payment system."
"Mistress, if I may?" Seven spoke up.
"Go on, my pet," Torres permitted, also wanting to see how the two women would react to a slave speaking to them.
"Reshaping in what way?" Seven asked.
"Kira made sure that she could trust... relatively trust," Jetur began, "The government to make as much credits as possible by not actually paying them a set salary, but by giving them a certain percentage of the Bajoran national revenue, of course, where Kira took ten percent, they only got a fraction of a percent. But by paying them on a standard system, with difference for different positions of course, we think that we can save about eighty-five billion each year."
"Which will bring you many enemies," Seven objected. "You would be killed before the month is through."
"No, not really," Jetur disagreed, "Oh, they will be upset, but it would still leave the government jobs as the best paid jobs on Bajor. The trick is to not tell them until it is too late. We were planning on not telling anyone, until Laren would make an official address which would be carried all over Bajoran territory, including the colonies. Then it would be too late for anyone to do anything about. We would make it clear that this new system is here to stay, and that it would still stay in place when a new Intendant was appointed."
"Now, how would you do that?" Torres asked, wondering how they would make a rule new Intendants could not break.
"By having the new rule endorsed by the Klingon Chancellor, and having the rule added to the official Coalition rules for Bajor."
"Ambitious. But there is a little problem with that. The Chancellor does not want to get bothered by this little Bajoran thing. Why do you think I'm here instead of him?"
"Oh, I think that he won't mind the five minutes it will take to endorse this," Ro said confidently. "You see, I, having been a member of the Special Forces, don't share the view of former Intendants that we should keep the knowledge of the Special Forces only to Bajor. I have spoken to the senior commanders of the Special Forces, and if I were to become Intendant, they would be honored to train a small group of Klingon commandos in all they know."
Torres stopped playing with Seven's hair when she heard Ro's offer, "How small a group?"
"Well, they told me that they could possibly add a few classes with a total of about one hundred Klingons," Ro said, glad that she had apparently awoken the Intendant's interest.
"You do realize that the Chancellor has a guard contingent of five hundred?" Torres challenged.
"Five hundred? The Special Forces are very selective. They don't just train everyone. That's why they insisted that the ones they would train would be Klingon commandos to begin with. Two hundred would be an absolute maximum."
"Well, considering that you are using this as a bribe, I'm sure you could master a little more interesting number, let's say four hundred," Torres objected with a grin.
"But the point of a bribe is that the thing that you are bribing with stays of value. Three hundred is really as far as I can go, otherwise the training of them will suffer, and that would counteract the purpose."
"Three hundred," Torres agreed, "But you keep that number up. If one of those three hundred dies or retires, a new Klingon is trained to take its place."
"Of course, that only seems fair."
"I will tell the Chancellor about your friendly offer to enhance the good ties between the Bajoran and Klingon people."
"I'm glad to hear that," Ro said with a smile. She knew that she had just enhanced her chances quite a bit. The Klingons had asked several times before if the Bajorans would be interested in training a small number of Klingons. Even though there was an element of Klingon training in the knowledge of the Special Forces, it was only a small part compared with the total picture. And the Klingons were interested in the rest of the picture, not the part they already knew.
"Of course," Jetur continued the conversation, "These measures are only a small part of the reforms we are thinking of. We think that simply by re-shifting and overseeing spending, we can free up close to three hundred and fifty billion credits each year, without touching the economy of Bajor. And there is of course the little fact that the ten percent Kira always took will once again stay in the treasury," Remembering what Ro had told her, Jetur added, "But I don't want to bother you with unnecessary details."
"Good idea," Torres agreed. "But I want you to send me a copy of your plans in detail as soon as possible, but still at your convenience," Torres patted Seven softly on the head, more stroking her head than actually patting it, "My pet here loves numbers, so you better make the numbers stick. If your plan is not sound, you are out of the running for getting the job."
Torres focused on Ro before asking, "You Bajorans guarded the knowledge of the Special Forces for as long as the Special Forces exist, and you could not become a Captain of the Special Forces if you were not fiercely loyal to them. So why are you now selling that knowledge? You could have used something else as payment, and I don't think that you are too stupid to know that. So, why?"
"Times change," Ro stated simply before explaining, "The Special Forces were, and continue to be, of great value to Bajor. But let's be realistic. In a time where all Coalition members have weapons that can destroy entire planets, the only interesting role left for the Special Forces is guard duty, and low-level infiltration. Your Klingon commandos are very capable of also doing this, only that you would need about twice as many forces. We really won't lose much by teaching some of your commandos our knowledge, but we gain the chance of bettering the life of countless Bajorans. I and the Special Forces commanders find this a fair trade."
"Your commitment to the Bajoran people is so very touching, I'm almost crying," Torres said sarcastically, "Why are you so fixated on pleasing the people, and don't tell me that you do that because you care about the people. If you try to tell me that, I swear I will kill you right here."
"There are several ways of controlling the people and securing stability. Kira did it one way, scaring everyone into keeping their mouth shut and cowering in corners," Ro explained, "I intend to do it in another way. By bettering the life of the average Bajoran I will get a control over the people that Kira never had, I will have them in a position where they will do things for me willingly. They will love to obey their benevolent Intendant Ro Laren."
"I see," Torres said, nodding, "How novel, being an Intendant that is liked by the people. It might actually work with you Bajorans and all that faith crap you all believe in. Alright, that was it for now. Goodbye."
Knowing that they were being dismissed, Ro and Jetur stood and left the room.
Once the door was closed, Torres looked down at Seven, "Well that was interesting. What do you think, my pet?"
"Mistress, before I answer that, may I ask a question?" Seven asked while she turned around to face the Intendant.
"Sure."
"Mistress, why is there so little interest into who killed Intendant Kira Nerys? Is it not considered important to find the murderer?"
"Yes and no, my pet. Martok is the one who will fully investigate Kira's death, finding the one who killed her is certainly of very high importance; having said that, finding a person suitable to be Intendant is even more important. One of the criteria, so to speak, for being an Intendant is that you can, and will, kill people if it serves your need. As Intendant, you must be able to back up all your threats.
"Everyone in the coalition knows, if I threaten someone, I will do what ever I threatened if it serves my needs. So if I find a good person for the job of Intendant, I won't let my decision be based on whether or not that person got rid of Kira. To me that would actually only confirm that the person would be the right person for the job. Someone who will walk over bodies if it is needed. Now, what do you think about them?"
"Thank you for explaining that mistress. I think that their strongest side is also their weakest side. I think they make a very good team; one taking care of the bureaucratic side, and the other taking care of the... harder side that an Intendant sometimes needs. As a whole, I assume they would be very suitable for the job. But the problem is that they are two people. What if they do not agree on something? Or if they start disliking each other? From what I read in their files, I am almost certain that Ro Laren would do what ever is required, she would bring what ever force is needed."
"But Jetur is the soft one?" Torres asked.
"While reading her files I found several possibilities to influence her. She has very close ties to her family."
"Kidnap one of them and put a disrupter against the head of that person," Torres concluded Seven's line of thought, "And she might do anything to save her family. You are right, that's the feeling I got from her too. She is nowhere near tough enough for the job of Intendant. Ro is, but she would be lost without Jetur at her side to help her. Ro is too much like a Klingon as far as that is concerned."
"So you will not appoint Ro Laren as Intendant?" Seven asked.
"I didn't say that," Torres disagreed. "What I will do is put a lot of pressure on their coalition. And if I see even one crack... they are gone," Torres tapped her communicator to activate it, "Torres to Martok."
{Yes?}
Torres assumed that Martok was alone, going on his informal answer. But better to be sure, "Are you alone?"
{Yeees.}
"Alright, I want you to see what you can find that someone could use to influence Jetur Adami."
{Do you want me to look, or should I take?} Martok asked, indicating that he wanted to know how far he should go. If he should only look for what ever it was that he had to look for, of if he should take possession of what ever it was.
"For now, just look. But make sure that you know where these things are."
{Alright, I will take care of it. Martok out.}
Almost at the same moment there was a chime to indicate that someone was at the door, "Wanna bet that that is Delik Jetir?" Torres asked amused.
"No, mistress, I believe that I would lose that bet," Seven said while she got up and sat down on the couch beside Torres.
"Want to make a statement?" Torres asked with a grin. Her rule that Seven had to get up and stand against a wall if someone came to visit had long since disappeared in some way.
"I do not like him, mistress. He ignored me before, I want to see if he is smart enough to understand what it means that I am allowed to sit beside you, when a normal slave would have to melt away and become a piece of furniture."
"I don't think he will, my pet. He is the kind that sees slaves as things that one only uses when needed. But, while his behavior towards you will add to my decision, I certainly won't base my decision solely on that."
"Of course not, mistress. I am just an unimportant slave."
Torres caressed Seven's cheek softly, "Right, and I'm just an unimportant Klingon. Being modest is really cute, when you do it my dear. Now, let's get this over with and get him in here."
"Yes, mistress. Do you have any special orders for me?"
"No, not really. Just keep your eyes and ears open. Come," Torres said, knowing that Delik could not hear her, but that the computer would hear it and open the door.
Delik came into the room, carrying a computer unit under his arm, "Intendant, this is the computer unit you asked for."
"Put it on the table there and sit down. You want something to drink?"
"Sure," Delik said while he put the computer on the table.
"Get him some Bajoran wine, my pet."
"Yes, mistress."
Delik had barely set down before Seven was standing in front of him, holding out a drink to him. He took a moment to take in the blonde slave in her black clothing before taking the drink and basically dismissing her, "Intendant, may I say that it's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Oh, yes. I'm sure that you are truly honored to meet me," Torres said sarcastically while she patted Seven on the leg after the blonde had sat down, "I'm still waiting for the day that someone will say to me, 'Intendant, I truly wished I would never meet you.' Now, you answer me this question, why the heck would we Klingons make you Intendant?"
"Because I would be very thankful to the Klingons for it. There are several multi-billion credit deals between the Bajoran and Klingons to expire this month alone. I would make sure that those deals and all that will still end this year would be extended into long term contracts against a very nice price," Delik put on his best charming smile. "And, if you look at it, you will see that I'm really the only valid option. All the other advisors were put out of the running by me, simply by having them back me up."
"Ro isn't backing you up," Torres objected.
"Ro is no real option either," Delik said confidently, "That is the reason why I used her as my 'enemy' to get the other advisors to back me up. Ro wouldn't even be able to close the simplest deal with a Ferengi. The job of Intendant is more than just ordering troops around, as you know of course. And Ro does not know most of the work an Intendant has to do. But I do. I have been doing all of that for Kira for years."
Torres nodded her head in agreement, "I must admit that you do have an advantage in the experience department. But, I must also admit that I was not that thrilled about some of the things Kira was doing sometimes. If you were to become Intendant, those things would still continue in the same way."
"Not necessarily," Delik disagreed, keeping on his most charming smile, "I still had to do things in such a way that Kira would agree to them, but if I'm Intendant then I can do things my way. If you were to tell me what the things were that you have a problem with, then I can approach those things in a different way. Maybe we could discuss those things over dinner tonight."
Torres answered the smile that Delik was giving her with a smile of her own, "Unfortunately I have other planes tonight, I have a really busy schedule during my stay on Bajor."
"Maybe another day," Delik said, keeping his smile on his face, "I think that a dinner might be very enjoyable."
Torres patted Seven on the leg while saying with the same smile she had a moment before, "Delik, you should know that for enjoyment I have my pet here. If you want to impress me, it sure won't be with your five-minute stamina in bed. If you want the job, you show me just what a great Intendant you would be and don't bother with trying to get me into bed. Frankly, you would not be able to handle me even if you did get me into bed."
Delik managed to keep his smile on his face, but it wasn't easy, "Well, you sure can't blame me for trying to get some extra benefits into the deal while I'm dealing with such an attractive woman as yourself."
"Oh, I'm so moved Delik, I'm almost starting to blush," Torres said sarcastic, but with a grin, "Well, I think we pretty much talked about the interesting things. Now, you get out of here and tell everyone that I don't want to be bothered for the rest of the day."
"Certainly," Delik said while getting up. He moved to the door a little, "if I can be of any service with anything, don't hesitate to contact me."
"Goodbye, Delik."
Once Delik was gone, Seven got up and put the empty glasses from Delik, Ro, and Jetur back in the replicator, and went to stand in front of Torres, "May I sit, mistress?"
"Certainly," Torres said while she started to open her legs to give the blonde room. But she was slightly surprised when her slave put her hands on the Intendant's knees to prevent her to open her legs. Seven came a little closer and straddled the Intendant's legs, "Mistress, may I ask for your help? I have an urge that needs to be addressed."
"What is it, my pet?" Torres asked while she put her hands on the blonde's hips.
"Mistress, I have gone for six hours and twenty-one minutes without kissing you. I am in great distress."
"You are?" Torres asked, leaning back instead of closer to the blonde.
"I am, mistress. I am very close to going into withdrawal. This situation needs to be addressed now, unless you want to get your entertainment today by torturing me."
"Hmm, no I don't have the time for that today... you... sure you enjoyed yesterday?" Torres asked, the blonde's words remembering her of the day before.
Seven leaned closer until she was practically lying on top of the Intendant, "Very much so," Seven whispered, her lips only a hair away from the Intendant's, "I was wet the entire day for a reason, mistress. I do not think that this would have happened if I had not enjoyed yesterday."
Torres could not resist and claimed the blonde's lips, slipping her tongue into her slave's hot mouth and put a hand behind the blonde's head to pull her even closer, "Mmhmm, bu, but I must admit that I do feel kinda sorry for having you wearing me out so often that I lost count, while I didn't even allow you to touch yourself."
"Initially," Seven added the word to Torres's statement, "Mistress, abstinence is an aphrodisiac all by itself."
"How poetic," Torres breathed after another long kiss.
"Mistress, I told you several times already, pleasuring you is my pleasure. Being able to concentrate fully on you is extremely erotic to me. And besides, I do remember that as a reward for my obedience you wore me out so much last night that I could no longer move, literally. I also remember falling asleep on the couch naked, and waking up in bed in my night-time bio suit. Are you sure you did not strain your back while moving me?" Seven decided not to say what a warm feeling it had given her when she woke up and noticed that the Intendant had taken the time and effort to put her in the bio-suit that Seven had to wear while sleeping during the trip. Seven understood how much work it must have been for the Intendant to put the suit on while Seven herself was sound asleep.
"It appears that your memory truly was out for the count last night, you did that yourself, you just forgot."
"Of course," Seven agreed while she once again took the time to share a kiss. She knew that the Intendant still had trouble talking about all the small kind things she did for Seven. Not talking about it was the easiest way to not having to think about what she was doing for a mere slave, "Forgive me for forgetting, mistress. Apparently, mistress, you fucked my brains out last night."
The blonde's remark was so totally unexpected that Torres started to laugh so hard that Seven had to move off the Intendant to give her room to breath, "Ooh, my pet. You are just too much. I think I will keep you."
"I am glad that I am able to be entertaining, Mistress," Seven got all the way up and extended a hand to the Intendant, "Do you want me to inspect the computer unit of Kira Nerys now, or do you want me to do that tomorrow?"
"Time to get down to business, my pet?" Torres asked with a smile while she accepted the blonde's hand.
"Yes, mistress. The sooner this is taken care of, the sooner I can concentrate on you, mistress."
"Oh?" Torres said while she moved to the table, "You've got plans for me, dear?"
"No, mistress."
"No?"
"No, I am your humble slave, mistress. What I want to do is what ever you tell me to do."
"Ah, I see. Well than, let's take a look at Kira's files and get that over with."
"Yes, mistress."
Torres didn't let go of the blonde's hand and for a moment she wondered if she was ready to take the next step. But she knew that she had been ready the day before, it was just that things had turned out a little different than planned. No, she knew that it was time to go a step further, "And you know what I'm really in the mood for later, my pet?"
"What ever it is, I will gladly do it, mistress."
"What I want tonight is for you to make love to me. I think that I'm ready to try making love to you on an equal basis tonight. You think you can do that as well, Seven?"
Seven stopped breathing for a few seconds while her heartbeat pretty much doubled. The Intendant had never used the words 'make love' before. And despite the way Seven felt for the Intendant, she knew that the Klingon did not think the same about her. But hearing the invitation gave Seven hope that maybe, just maybe, she meant more to the Intendant than Seven had thought," I... I would like that."
Torres smiled, "Good. But let's do this right, tonight when we go to bed, I'm B'Elanna, and not your mistress."
"Yes, mistress. I think I will enjoy using your name tonight. But, mistress, please do not forget that I do enjoy being your slave."
"Don't worry, my dear. I like you being my pet. I like what we have. But I think that I would like making love to you on an equal level every once in a while, just like I will enjoy denying you for hours on end every once in a while."
"I will look forward to it all, mistress," Seven set down at the table and opened the computer unit, "Mistress?"
"Yes?"
"Why do you not ask me what I think of Delik Jetir?" Seven asked, changing the subject.
"Because he is a simple case, my dear. If he were to become Intendant he would be one out of a mold used more than once before. Using his power to his own gain, get rid of anyone who might get some power that might rival his, let billions of the treasury disappear into his own pocket. No, I know exactly what I would get when I put him in place as Intendant.
"And all in all he would not be a bad choice. He would certainly not make any problems for me. Just telling him that I'm thinking of paying him a visit would make him piss his pants. It is just that I want to see what Ro and Jetur have to offer. When I have to appoint the new Bajoran Intendant, I want to make sure it's someone that doesn't ONLY think of themselves."
"I do believe that Intendant Kira Nerys was quite paranoid," Seven said while she went to work at the computer unit, effectively changing the subject away from Delik now that she got her answer, "There are eight different security programs active in this unit. Under normal circumstances one would need six different entry-codes, the shortest twelve characters, the longest thirty-one characters. And besides that a scan of Kira Nerys' thumb and retina are needed. And all of this has to be done within five minutes or else all information in the unit will be deleted."
"Damn, now I'm even more curious as to what's in there. You can get in there, right?"
"Of course, mistress," Seven said while she plunged her assimilation tubes into the unit, bypassing all securities in a mere moment. It was clear that security advancements did not have a big priority in the Coalition. Given some time there wasn't a single person on Voyager who would not be able to break the entry-codes eventually. This was more than likely why Kira had put the five minute time limit in the unit.
"So, are your friends ready to escape?" Torres asked casually, and was immediately amused by the blonde's reaction.
Seven had just removed her assimilation tubes and stopped all her movements with her hands hovering just above the now accessible computer unit, "Mistress?"
"You heard me, my pet. I asked you if your friends are about ready to escape. Even though I give you privacy when you talk to the Doctor, it really isn't hard to guess what you talked about."
"Voyager... is... severely damaged, mistress," Seven said, choosing her words precisely, "It will take some time to restore the ship."
"In other words, it's being worked on," Torres grinned.
"Will you stop them, mistress?" Seven finally asked.
Torres set down in a chair across from the blonde and thought about it for a moment, "Depends."
"On what, Mistress?"
"On how they do it. If they do it in a way that I won't be seen as actually clearly having let them go, I might contemplate letting them go. It would take care of my promise to you that they would stay together and not disappear into some mine somewhere, you agree?"
"Yes, mistress. It would."
"But, if they boggle it then I will have them all killed. I'm sorry, Seven. That is the risk that you take by helping them escape. If they don't escape I will hold my word to you, but if they try and don't succeed I have to punish them like normal slaves would be punished by me for something like that. I simply can't let almost one hundred and fifty slaves escape if they mess it up."
"I understand, mistress."
"Ok, now tell me what's in that thing."
"Yes, mistress."