Forget Me Not
Part 2
By: Sparx
The trail left by a Borg in a hurry was easily followed. Janeway and the rest soon caught up with the tall blond. The effect was almost comical as Janeway skidded to a halt at the edge of the clearing and quickly thrust out a hand in a silent order for the rest of the group to stop as well. Everyone gaped but no one said a word as they took in the scene before them.
B’Elanna was on tip toes with both hands braced against the mesh covered hand at her throat. A machete lay unnoticed on the ground between them as they stood with only the length of Seven’s arm and hand on B’Elanna’s throat keeping them apart.
B’Elanna growled steadily but otherwise didn’t move a muscle, as Seven slowly tightened her grip. Janeway was nonplused. They were trying to catch the feral woman, not kill her.
"Seven!" Janeway demanded. "Let her go! Now!"
With a slight turn of her head she answered, "I will release the lieutenant momentarily." Turning back to the now captive Klingon, she calmly demanded. "You will comply." and followed it up with a slight increase of pressure.
After a long moment, B’Elanna finally grated around the constriction at her throat. "I will comply."
The instant the words were out, Seven let go of the smaller woman, who promptly dropped to her knees taking in huge gulps of air. Leaving the hybrid to recover, Seven stepped past her to stand in front of the captain.
"B’Elanna has agreed to accompany our group back to the device and then to Voyager." she announced calmly.
"Are you sure?" Janeway asked. With a quick signal, twelve tranquilizer guns were aimed at the still kneeling woman. She was willing to hear Seven’s reasoning but there was no way she was about to believe that Seven had so quicky or completely tamed the wild Klingon.
"Yes." Seven stated with confidence. "The doctor assumed correctly that B’Elanna would be in a mental state similar to a Middle Era Klingon. When I entered this glade she immediately attacked me." At Harry’s gasp, she was quick to reassure. "She has no memory of any martial training, either with Starfleet or the Maquis. She was easily overpowered."
"Just because you beat her doesn’t mean you can trust her all of a sudden." Tom piped in. He couldn’t see the look he got from Seven. He was too busy keeping careful aim on his now feral friend.
"Actually, I think it does." Harry said looking between the two women as he slowly lowered his weapon.
"Conquer or kill." Janeway muttered as everything became clear. At Seven’s brisk nod she turned to the others. "The doctor described B’Elanna’s state of mind as a ‘conquer or kill’ idealism. That works both ways. She tried to conquer Seven. But Seven turned the tables and conquered her instead."
"Correct. The lieutenant has fallen back on instinct to a large degree. Most creatures will defer to the authority of the strongest member of the group. Without her memories and a lifetime of conditioning in human interaction, B’Elanna is reacting as any instinct driven being would." With a slight nod to the side to indicate the just rising woman, Seven finished. "Having proved to her that I am the stronger, she has agreed to defer to me."
"You mean when you won the fight, you won her?" Tom asked confused.
"In a manner of speaking." Seven agreed with some humour.
Janeway’s eyes widened as B’Elanna stood. This was the closest any of them, except Seven, had been to the fierce woman since she lost her memory. B’Elanna growled deep in her chest as she slowly approached Seven. Janeway itched to pull the trigger and render the growling woman unconscious. She knew that a co-operative B’Elanna would be infinitely easier to return to Voyager. The question was, would B’Elanna co-operate? Seven may have won the fight but was the hybrid conquered? Only the knowledge of how dangerous it could be to keep the small engineer sedated for long periods stayed her hand.
