DISCLAIMER: See Part 1
Alternate Consequences
By H.W.
Chapter 2
More than one set of eyes did a double take when the turbolift doors opened. It was not that surprising to actually see the Intendant on the bridge, but to see her in the company of her body slave was something else entirely. Where Seven's standing as the Intendant's body slave had been firm before, now it was well and truly cemented down. As soon as the Alpha shift was released from duty with shift change, they would go to the mess hall and the talk would be about how the Intendant had brought her body slave with her to the bridge.
"Anything of interest, Captain?" Torres asked, pretending not to notice how the eyes of the Alpha shift stayed on her longer then normal. Normally they were quick to look away again as soon as they had seen who had entered the bridge. One didn't want to awaken the interest of the Intendant. But now they were looking at her, her and Seven, with there mouths almost hanging open.
Torres smirked inwardly. 'Good, let them understand what this means, let them understand how powerful my pet is.'
"Nothing of importance to report, Intendant. We noticed the captured ship leaving the star base yesterday, but we received a message from the Security Department a few minutes later that we didn't see that."
"Really now?" Torres asked, very much pleased with how fast Martok had worked. "Then tell me, if you got a message that you didn't see it; why are you telling me about something you didn't see?"
The Captain dipped his head slightly. He understood that the Intendant was giving him a warning. "I personally didn't see anything, Intendant. And I also know that the Alpha shift didn't see this happening, but I thought that I should bring your attention to these baseless rumors."
"Well then," Torres said while studying some information on the screen that was built into the Intendant's chair, a chair that was reserved only for her, not that she happen to sit in it much. She preferred that the Captain and the crew were good at their work, if ever the day would come where she would have to be on the bridge longer, it would mean that the entire shift would be replaced with a better crew; and the crew knew it. They didn't want to be replaced, once could only guess what would happen with the replaced crew. One thing was sure, it wouldn't be pretty. "Next time you have a meal in the mess hall, if you hear some more gossiping, remind those people that gossiping is not good for their health. I even heard that gossiping can kill people. Get the drift?"
"Very much so, Intendant."
When Torres shut the screen down, she saw her slave looking at the Captain with a certain air or superiority.
Seven remembered only too well how the Klingons had treated the Voyager crew when they were boarded. Now the roles were reversed, now it was the blonde woman who had the power, and the Klingon who had to fear what the other would do.
"Am I missing something here?" Torres asked with slightly narrowed eyes.
"No, mistress," Seven said after letting the Captain sweat for a moment. "I am sure that the Captain is thinking, just as I, that we both have been standing on the bridge of a different spaceship not so long ago."
Torres understood what the slave meant and grinned at the Captain, "Isn't irony a bitch?"
The Captain nodded his head in agreement. "A bitch that hits you over the head with a pain stick at times."
"Well, don't worry, Captain. I, and my pet, understand that you were capturing a ship full of slaves that had just destroyed two Klingon ships. But, situations are different now. If someone doesn't give my pet the respect she deserves, I will rip their fucking head off. You can spread that news as well once you go for dinner in the mess hall."
"Yes, Intendant," The Captain quickly said, knowing that he had gotten of easy.
"Alright, Captain, set a course for Kronos. But you don't have to hurry too much, let's take a little time to get there."
Since Torres was the Intendant of all of the Klingon part of the Coalition, she had chosen the planet as her home base on which her uncle had built the house he had left to her. A planet that was pretty much in the center of the Klingon territory. But Worf, as the Klingon Chancellor, lived on Kronos, where the High Counsel was seated. Because of this there was a fourteen day trip between the two places. But Torres had been known to not travel as full speed if there was no important reason for it. After all, if she got to a place sooner, it only meant that she would leave again sooner for her next trip.
"Yes Intendant," The Captain said, moving to give the order to the helm, even though the pilot must have heard it as well.
Torres moved to the turbolift and was just about to get on when she heard the ops officer say that he had an incoming message for the Intendant.
"What is it?" Torres asked, moving to his station.
"Intendant, it's a message from Betazed, from Intendant Troi."
"Is it a secure message?"
"No Intendant."
"Well, in that case, let's have it, and get it over with."
"Yes, Intendant. Intendant Troi politely informs you that she and Intendant Dax are planning on going to Bajor to better the relationship with the Bajorans. She asks if it suits you if they meet up with you before that time."
Torres did a quick calculation of where she was, where Betazed was, where Kronos was, and where Bajor was. "Sent a message back. I'm on my way to Kronos, but I will cross their path in ten days. If they are at that point at that time, I will grant them two days of my time." Torres looked over to the Captain. "As soon as you get their ships on our sensors, correct the speed needed to meet up with them where our roads cross. Once there, we will stay there for two days."
"Yes Intendant."
"Come, my pet. Let's get out of here before more messages appear."
"Yes, mistress," Seven said while getting into the turbolift with Torres. Once the doors were closed, and the people on the bridge could no longer hear then, Seven turned to Torres. "Mistress, I am curious."
"About?" Torres asked.
"About the interaction between Intendants. I do understand that you as Klingon Intendant are the most powerful of the Intendant. But what I am wondering is, how great is the difference between Intendants? When Intendant Dukat contacted you, I heard you ask the Captain if Intendant Dukat was wishing, or demanding, to speak to you. So the Cardassian Intendant has enough power to confront you on certain things if needed." They stepped off the turbolift and started to walk down the corridor before Seven continued, "Yet the tone of the message from Intendant Troi was very polite, almost painfully so. Why?"
"The interaction between Intendants is very complicated, my pet. Tell you what, I'll answer that in a moment, when we are in our quarters and have something to drink."
"Yes, mistress," Seven said with a small smile.
"What are you smiling about?" Torres asked.
"You choice of words, mistress."
"Why, what did I say?"
"When we are back in 'our' quarters," Seven repeated.
"You know, my pet, you shouldn't weigh my words that much, it will only cause me to watch what I say."
"I do not want that," Seven said before adding softly, "Mistress, if I may point out,"
"What?"
"You asked me what I was smiling about. I would not have said it otherwise."
"Are you telling me that I shouldn't ask you what's going on with you?" Torres asked while they walked into... their quarters.
"I," Seven stopped, despite the fact that Seven knew Torres loved her, she also knew that there still were some very fine lines with the Klingon. Lines she could not cross until Torres was ready. Apparently pointing out what Torres did for Seven was one of those lines. "Forgive me, I like it very much that you want to know what is bothering me, or amusing me."
Torres sighed, she knew that she was being an ass. "No, you forgive me. I'm sorry, my pet. I can certainly understand why you would like hearing me address these quarters as our quarters. It was just the knee-jerk reaction. I'm the Intendant, I don't do or say nice things."
"I understand mistress," Seven said before changing the subject. She had the feeling that the particular conversation about Torres doing things for her could better be left for another day. She knew that there was a difference for the Intendant between doing obvious things for Seven, like letting Voyager escape, and doing small things, like saying 'our.' For some reason, Torres didn't mind doing the big things, but also didn't like to be reminded of the small things. "Would you like your drink now?"
"Yeah. Join me on the couch when you are finished."
A moment later they were sitting on the couch and sipping their drinks.
"Now," Torres said after taking a final sip, "as to your question about Intendants. It really all comes down to power. First there's me, the Klingon Intendant, then the Cardassian, then the Bajoran, then the Romulan, then the Betazed, and finally the Trill. All of coalition space is divided between those factions. Even though there are only six slave races, other races still live in that territory. For instance, the Bolians live in Klingon space, while the Ferengi live in Cardassian space. Both races are free, but have to bow to the rule of the Coalition partner that rules over that part of space.
"Here is where it becomes complicated. The Intendants can pretty much do what they want in their part of the Coalition. But for certain things they need the help and support of the other Intendants. The less powerful the Intendant is, the more they have to beg for help.
"As you could see from the fact we had a fleet of Birds of Prey close to Bajor, we, the Klingons, are so powerful that we can move our ships where ever we want. Hell, I could raid a colony of the Bajorans and the biggest thing they could really do about it is file an official complaint with Worf. But the... say, Trill, wouldn't dare to have their fleet longer in Klingon space that it would take to get to a certain point. And if they were to raid a Klingon colony... they... well, let's just say that from then on there would be seven slave races, not six.
"The more power you have, the more weight you can throw around. Dukat can demand to see me because he can get away with it, as long as he has a valid point. He could throw up an embargo against us, and we Klingons would actually hurt from it. But, if the Trill or the Betazoid were to threaten me with an embargo, I would probably... double over laughing. And they know it.
"Since Jadzia, the Trill Intendant, and Deana, the Betazoid Intendant, are actually on a good footing with me, they will do pretty much everything to keep me happy. After all, I'm more inclined to help them if I like them. If I don't like them, I would very easily do things just to spite them. They could survive the embargo Kira had placed on them, but if I were to establish such an embargo, they would really hurt. So much so that they might get killed just so that new Intendants could be appointed, Intendants that would clear the air with me."
"Is it normal for Intendants to travel together?" Seven asked. "The message said that it would be the Trill and the Betazed Intendant."
"Yes and no, my pet," Torres said thoughtfully. "I, Dukat, and Shinze, the Romulan Intendant, we work on our own, only calling in the help from the others from time to time if needed. But Deanna and Jadzia know that individually they have not much influence with the other Intendants. But together, together they can even stand up to me. Not that they would, they have other ways of gaining my favor."
"What other ways?" Seven asked, having a pretty good idea what Torres meant.
"Um, never mind," Torres said, trying to change the subject. She remembered how jealous the blonde had become on Bajor. "So anyway, they always travel together. As a matter of fact, they don't just travel together, they are almost always together."
"B'Elanna, what other way?" Seven asked coldly.
"I really only had sex with them once," Torres said halfway defensively.
"Once with them both together, or once with both of them separately?" Seven asked even colder.
"Um, separately," Torres said weakly.
"Tell me, B'Elanna. In this universe, are all influential women uninterested in men?"
"What?" Torres asked totally confused. Finally Torres saw the small smile tugging at the blonde's lips. "Why, you... I thought you were going to go jealous on me again."
Seven leaned closer and kissed Torres softly. "I know. That is why I could not resist and had to tease you, despite the fact that we are on a master/slave level."
"Hmm, do you want to take this above that level?" Torres asked.
"No need. Mistress, you told me about your past, getting jealous of two of many women from your past is a truly futile exercise."
"But you got jealous damn quick on Bajor," Torres pointed out.
"That was because Jetur Adami formed a threat in present time, women from your past do not form a threat. The fact that you no longer have sexual intercourse with them means by default that you are no longer interested in them in the way that you are interested in me."
"I see," Torres said relieved before adding, "Seven, I never have been interested in someone the way I am interested in you."
As an answer, Seven leaned in once more, this time to share a long series of kisses.
"By they way, what kind of question was that?" Torres asked once they finally broke apart.
"What question?" Seven asked.
"That question about powerful woman not being interested in men."
Seven merely summed up, "You, Kira Nerys, Ro Laren, Jetur Adami, Deanna Troi, Jadzia Dax."
"Ah, you got a point," Torres agreed. "But that point isn't fully correct. It would be more correct to say that all of those are also, or mainly, interested in women. As far as I know, I'm actually the only one out of all of those that never slept with a man. I know for a fact that Jadzia and Deanna both have a male sex slave. From Kira's files we know that Kira went both ways, and both Ro and Jetur have slept with men."
"True," Seven agreed.
"It's more about power than gender," Torres went on. "The fact is that at this point in time we have many women in power, and what do you do if you want to gain more power? You sleep with another powerful person. Deanna won't gain much power by sleeping with some man. But by sleeping with Jadzia, another female Intendant, she gains power. Sleeping with me, that gives her even more power."
"The 'give some ass' concept taken to the level of Intendants," Seven said, referring to a conversation she and Torres had a few weeks before.
"Right," Torres agreed.
"But would Deanna and Jadzia not gain even more power by sleeping with the Cardassian or Romulan Intendant than merely with each other? Those are men."
"Wellll, yes. But remember how I told you that Dukat always held his promises, the promises that he made to me at least? In the past Both he and the Romulan Intendant double crossed one of the women on a big deal they were all involved in back then. Dukat double crossed Jadzia, and Shinze double crossed Deanna. It was actually while dealing with the aftermath of that mess that Deanna and Jadzia noticed that they worked well together, and could get back at the Cardassians and Romulans if they teamed up. So they did, and continued to team up on everything from then on."
"Do they still not work with the Cardassians or Romulans at this point?"
"That was almost six years ago. Unless you are Kira, six years is a long time to hold a grudge... towards another Intendant at least. They really needed the every day deals with them, and the other way around as well. Dealing with that mess was my first real high level task as Klingon Intendant." Torres grinned for a moment. "I was Intendant for a year by that time, but had really only resolved Klingon based problems. I established my 'tough bitch' name that day. I very bluntly told them that if the four of them couldn't reach an agreement that all could live with in twelve hours, then I would take all that they were fighting for and make it mine. That business deal they made that day to keep me from simply taking it all, stands 'til this day."
"If Deanna Troi and Jadzia Dax are together that much, I assume that their sexual relationship is still continuing," Seven deduced before asking, "Are they lovers?"
"Eh," Torres said while wiggling her hand from side to side a little. "It really depends on your definition of lovers. I think that they don't just have sex, I do think that they make love. They are very good friends, and I do think that they love each other. But I don't think that they are 'in' love."
"Do you have an idea as to why they want to see you?"
"Well, if I were to put some credits on it, I would bet that it is for the very same reason I would come to see me if I were them," Torres said after thinking about it for a moment. "Kira caused a lot of trouble with both Deanna and Jadzia, and they are now going to Bajor to make a fresh start with Ro and Jetur. By coming to me first it will seem as if we Klingons support them in normalizing relations with the Bajorans."
"So they use you as well," Seven pointed out, knowing how touchy the Intendant was on being used.
"True," Torres agreed, "but as I told you before, I don't mind being used if it is only to a certain extent and by people I know. I can understand why they are doing it, and I can't argue with their reasoning. So, I'm going to meet them, see them a couple of times during those two days and talk about nothing... Actually, you know what? You are going to be more than likely the subject of most of the talks."
"Me?" Seven asked surprised.
"Yeah. They know more than anybody just what it means if I have a body slave. Everyone else knows that you are damn powerful because I'm your mistress. But they as Intendants, they will know just what you can do. They will know that because I'm your mistress, you are actually pretty much equal to them."
"That is still a concept I am trying to comprehend," Seven said thoughtfully. "I know that because of my status I am above most individuals in the Coalition, but I do not know what precise position I have in regards to the other Intendants."
"Well, it is a kinda complicated thing," Torres agreed. "And truthfully, I'm not sure how to answer that. The simple explanation is the one I once gave you once before, that only I and Worf can truly command you to do something. So, given the fact that the other Intendants can't command you, one could say that you are even above them. But where everyone who isn't an Intendant or Chancellor would have to follow an order coming from you, the Intendants certainly don't have to follow such orders.
"So... from one side, the other Intendants are more powerful than you, since they can give orders in their own name to everyone who falls into the jurisdiction of their part of the Coalition. But, you, who can only give orders in my name, can give orders to anyone in the entire Coalition. So where Dukat can give an order in his own name to a Ferengi, but not to a Bolian, you can only give orders in my name, but you can give orders to a Ferengi AND a Bolian.
"Of course, that is the simplified version. Dukat can order Bolians around if they are in the Cardassian territory. It would undermine the authority of the Intendant if they didn't have total control over their territory. Does this answer your question?"
"Yes, mistress. Since the Klingons are on top of the command chain you, and therefore by extension I, can do what ever you want in the entire Coalition, but the other Intendants can only do whatever they want in their part of the Coalition."
"That's pretty much it," Torres agreed. "But as I said, it's complicated. Even I have to deal with the other Intendants if I want to do something in their space. It is just that they are more likely to agree with what ever I want to do. For instance, that Bajoran space station that your friends will need to be at if they can go home,"
Seven dipped her head to indicate that she knew what the Intendant was referring to.
"Well, I could go to the Bajorans with some lame ass excuse about how we Klingons need it as a station for our trade routes and there really isn't that much they could do about it, save trying to get the best deal for them out of it. Something like them still being allowed to use the station, and maybe getting the rights to some other station in Klingon space. This would mean nothing of course since we would then give them some station we pretty much aren't using anymore anyway. But that's the deal they would have to swallow, the deal they would have to agree with."
Torres was silent for a moment before asking, "So, aren't you going to ask me to help your friends get home sooner?"
"No mistress, I am not. You gave your reasons as to why you could not help them home sooner, and I fully understand them. I also understand that you could take command of the station, but that it would cause friction with the Bajorans. Getting the Voyager crew home earlier is not worth that trouble."
"I'm glad that you under stand that," Torres said with a smile. "Most people from this universe are selfish enough to not see the bigger picture. They would simply demand that I do it if I can."
"Which would mean that you would have to kill them for demanding something like that from you," Seven countered with a smile.
Torres laughed when hearing the reply, "Well, yeah, there is that."
"Mistress, talking about Voyager raised a question."
"Let's have it," Torres said while draining the last of her drink.
"Mistress, when you first brought up the possibility of returning the Voyager crew home, you talked about it as if it was just that; a possibility. However, recently you are talking about it as if it is a given fact. That as long as they are able to survive those two years, you will make sure that they will get home. Why? What has changed this from a possibility to a certainty?"
"Well, it's not beyond a doubt certain. But yeah, it is a lot more certain now. The answer is simply that the game of chess is further along now. At the beginning I was talking from the facts I knew then. But things have changed again, even today."
"Mistress?" Seven merely asked.
"We got the message that Deanna and Jadzia want to see me, and we talked about how this would be perceived as me supporting them in normalizing the relationships with Bajor. Well, the Bajorans, especially Ro and Jetur, will see it like that as well. Which means that there is even more that they have to be thankful to me for. Because, as you know from Kira's reports, the Bajorans as a people are in need of normalizing those relationships, just that Kira never did it because that would mean less credits for her. So, it is now even more likely that we can use that station two years from now.
"But, things might change again. It might be that something happens that will make it be even less that two years, or it might be that something happens that will make sure that your friends can never go home by using that station."
"Mistress?" Seven merely asked again.
"Well, let's take something simple. Say the station explodes in some accident. No more station means no more using it in getting home."
"I see." Seven said, not liking that thought at all.
Torres sighed. "If something like that were to happen, I would find another solution for them, my pet."
"Would you like another drink, mistress?" Seven asked before asking the question that was on her mind. "What kind of solution?"
"Sure, but get me some blood wine," Torres waited until the blonde was at the replicator before answering the second question. "Well, there is of course the obvious solution of just killing them."
Seven merely looked at her over her shoulder and raised her eyebrow.
"Okay, bad joke," Torres admitted with a small grin. "I don't know yet, my pet. Maybe get them a bigger ship so that they actually have room on the ship to live the rest of their life. Or find some uninhabited planet or moon what would then come under my direct protection. Something like that. But I have to see that when the moment comes, if the moment ever comes. Right now, the most likely thing is still that they will go home in two years."
Seven handed one of the two glasses she had replicated to the Intendant before kneeling down between the Klingon's legs instead of sitting back down on the couch. "Mistress."
"Yes?" Torres asked.
"I am curious."
"Should I get scared?" Torres asked amused.
Seven merely smiled at her before asking, "You told me that you were the first ever female Intendant. You came to power seven years ago. Now you told me that this deal between the others was six years ago, so that means that Deanna Troy and Jadzia Dax both must have become Intendant within one year after you became Intendant. In the files from Kira Nerys that we read on Bajor, her first entry was five years ago. I was wondering, if there never was a female Intendant before you, then why suddenly appoint four female Intendants in two years?"
"Um, because Worf really likes a cat fight and hoped to see some in Intendant level? Kidding, just kidding." Torres thought back for a moment to how the situations were whenever one of the female Intendants was appointed. "Different reasons really.
"As I said, I was the first female Intendant. The only reason why I was appointed was because people who thought that they could push Worf around did too much pushing. Mind you, I'm glad that I became Intendant, but I know only too well that the only reason why I'm sitting here now is simply because I was a pawn in a power struggle. The Klingon Intendant before me died in an unlucky fall, broke his neck on a hunting trip and it took too long before help arrived; he was dead beyond the point of medical return. I know, it sounds convenient, and truth be known, nobody ever found out just what happened to him, which is why Worf appointed Martok head of the Securely Department once the whole mess with who the next Klingon Intendant was going to be was over. He wanted someone he could trust in that position.
"Anyway. There was one very obvious choice for the new Intendant, and it sure wasn't me. Hell, since I was a woman, my bid to become the next Intendant was first totally ignored. I actually had to go to Worf and complain about the fact that they didn't want to add my name to the list before I was added to that list. Sometimes being related to Worf is convenient, even if that relation is around ten corners. At least I did, and do, see Worf in person from time to time, and I could speak to him uninterrupted. I knew that I wasn't going to be the next Klingon Intendant, but I was pissed about the fact that women didn't stand a chance, so at least I wanted one woman's name on that damn list.
"But as I said, people thought that they could push Worf around, that he would simply do what they said because they were influential. Apparently they didn't know Worf as well as I know him. Half the high council, a lot of influential houses, all were working him to get this one candidate into the chair. One day, I happened to be with Worf when a delegation of the high council came in and demanded of Worf that he make his choice for the new Intendant. 'You want me to make a choice right now?' Worf said to them. 'Very well, you can have your choice, the new Klingon Intendant is going to be the only person who didn't try to persuade me to choose for them, Torres come here.'
"He appointed me right then and there, and told everyone that he had enough from them trying to play him. It was time that they remembered just who held the power on Kronos. He gave them a choice, either they would fully and loyally support me, or they would be killed and the names of their houses would scratched from the Klingon archives. So, here I am, Intendant Torres, the first female Intendant ever."
"Do you not have to worry about some of the high council members plotting against you?" Seven asked, she had thought that Torres had the full support of the Klingons.
"No I don't... or better said, no I don't anymore. You have to understand that the Klingons on the High Council aren't stupid, if they were, they wouldn't survive there for long. They knew that they had pushed Worf too far. Even if they got rid of me, there was no chance in hell that Worf would ever appoint one of their cronies. So they did the only smart thing that they could do, what Klingons have done for centuries if it suits them; rewrite history.
"Suddenly they started to turn the events in such a way that they helped me to power. Which they did, they just left out the little detail about why I came to power. They, and I, of course know that this is a load of bull, but it suits us all well. So we live that bull. Like it or not, I'm 'only' the Intendant, I can't afford to ignore the High Council members like Worf can. So, I am thankful to them for their 'support' in getting me the job, since I do need their support now. And they are loyal to me since it pays to have a thankful Intendant.
"As for the others, well. Dax was the next female Intendant. I don't know if you know this, but with the Trill it is the symbiont that is the actual Intendant, not the host. Before Jadzia Dax, Curzon Dax was the Trill Intendant. In fact, Dax was actually also the first Trill Intendant ever. Dax has been around so long that he...she... it, I guess it's it, actually lived all through the Sol slavery. It had just been implanted into its first host three hundred years ago when the Sol Empire conquered the Trill home world.
"Now, I must admit that I don't really know how this works, but for some reason, even someone as high as the Intendant doesn't have any power over which host they are going to implanted into next. So Dax has been a woman several times already. Until Jadzia, this meant the symbiont couldn't be an Intendant during the time the woman was its host. During those times, since the Intendant wasn't dead, just... unavailable... Dax's second or third would rule, depending on who the male was, and Dax would live a normal life."
"I did not know that the power could go to someone that is not an Intendant," Seven said confused.
"With any of the other factions it can't," Torres agreed. "But you see, the thing is that the first Intendant of a faction makes the rules that the other Intendants of that faction have to follow. Once those rules are set, they can only be changed by the Klingon Chancellor. Now, normally, even in the beginning with the first Intendants, people who want that job don't want to share it. So with all but one faction the first Intendants created the rules in such a way that they had absolute power. But Dax is smart now, and was smart then. It knew that there would be times that it wouldn't be able to rule as Intendant. So it made the rules in such a way that someone else could rule for it, temporarily, as long as the symbiont is alive."
"Which prevents the person that is ruling for it from killing it since this would mean that a new Intendant would have to be chosen," Seven said, indicating that she understood why Dax had made this rule.
"Right," Torres agreed. "And as an extra precaution, a person who has ruled in the Trill Intendant's name can never become a real Trill Intendant themselves, even if they only ruled for a few minutes.
"And so the strange rule of Intendant Dax had gone on. But then I came onto the scene. Suddenly the precedent of a female Intendant was created. So Curzon Dax appealed to Worf to have the Trill rules changed. Worf could certainly understand why Dax wanted the rules changed to where the Trill Intendant was simply the Trill Intendant, no matter whether male of female. Since it also simplified the rules a damn lot, Worf agreed.
"Now, at that time it was still Curzon Dax, and he thought that he would still have many years to live. He had just changed the rules to have them in place the next time Dax would be joined to a woman. But then Curzon died. Actually, he died on Risa while performing a fertility ritual. The Dax symbiont was joined to another host. The host chosen was a young woman who had achieved perfect scores on all the tests; Jadzia. So there you have your second female Intendant. Jadzia could become Intendant because I had become Intendant before her, and when it was time for a new Trill host for the Trill Intendant, they picked the person with the best scores for the tests; Jadzia.
"The third female Intendant was Deanna. And once again there was the precedent of me, and by then also Jadzia, which made it possible for a woman to take her chances. Deanna had taken over from her mother as head of the Troi enterprises, now her mother would pull back to perform the role of the family matriarch, while Deanna took care of the non-family related things, which is the custom on Betazed. The Trois have been the politically most influential family for a long time. Even the Intendants didn't dare to cross them.
"You can understand that once there were female Intendants, the Trois took their chance. They made a deal with the Intendant. He would step back and promote Deanna as his successor, and his family would be taken under the protective wing of the Troi family. Had he refused to step down, then a political battle would have erupted between the Trois and him. Now, granted, this might have destroyed the Troi family, but it would also certainly have destroyed him. So either way, his time as an Intendant was numbered. He made the smart choice and took the Trois' offer. Last thing I know he and his entire family have been very well taken care off, and Deanna does push the lucrative businesses his way from time to time.
"Then we have the last one; Kira. By the time she came to power there were already three other female Intendants, so gender really wasn't an issue anymore. Her selection was a simple standard process with nothing special going on. And last we now have Ro and Jetur, and you have seen how that came about.
"Does this answer your question?"
"Yes mistress, it does. But now I have a different question for you."
"Really, what?"
"When will we start the celebrating?"
"Celebrating?" Torres repeated, slightly confused by the sudden change of subject. Then she smiled, now knowing only too well what the blonde was talking about.
"Yes. You said that once we were back in the quarters, we would celebrate the fact that I stayed."
"Ah, that celebration," Torres said with a grin. "How about as soon as I finished my drink?"
"Acceptable," Seven stated while coming a little closer. "Mistress?"
"Yes?" Torres asked again while taking a very small and deliberately slow sip from her glass.
"Would I be out of line if I asked you to drink faster?"
"Yes you would," Torres said but still suddenly finishing the drink in a few big swallows. "As a matter of fact, I think I have to punish you for such impudence. Go into the bedroom, strip, and get on your hands and knees on the bed."
"Yes, mistress," Seven said while she got up and started to move to the bedroom.
Torres watched the blonde go and shook her head slightly with a small grin. She wondered how long it would be before the blonde who was following her order so willingly now, would have Torres begging and pleading. Torres got up and started to strip herself. While she entered the bedroom and saw the blonde waiting for her, she decided that she really didn't care. With so many hours still left in the day, she was sure both of them would be the one 'on top' more than once.