Star Trek: Voyager - Second Season free porn video

Star Trek: Voyager - Second Season Synopsis: After critical damage to engineering leaves Voyager nearly powerless, Harry Kim's landing party changes its mission from resupply to locating some new dilithium crystals to replace the stocks of the crippled Voyager. But something unexpected happens on the planet - something that doesn't begin to manifest itself until long after the starship departs. Note: "Star Trek" and its characters are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. No copyright infringement is intended in this not-for-profit fan fiction. Author's Note: Second Season does not refer to the televised season of the Star Trek: Voyager series. This story is presumed to happen sometime after the third televised season of the show. The meaning of the title will become clear in the course of the story. [email protected] ********************************************************************** Star Trek: Voyager - Second Season Even if the ship had been at Red Alert, the corridors would have been brighter than they now were. Captain Katherine Janeway frowned as she passed a couple of her crewmembers. It wasn't the lack of the crew's customary 'Good evening, Captain." What really bothered Captain Janeway was that her ship was limping along on such little power, the corridors so dim, that her crew didn't even recognize her in the darkness. Back home, a ship in Voyager's current condition would have been considered disabled and have been towed to dock. Here, however, far from any Starfleet help, Voyager had no choice but to struggle onward as best she could. And the Delta Quadrant had already proven itself to be a quite inhospitable place, with dangers and potential enemies at every turn. This was not a place to be without power. Janeway came to the doors into main engineering. Like so many other doors on the ship, they were jammed open. The servos which normally operated the doors consumed precious power every time the doors opened and closed, and there was no power to spare. It was yet another painful reminder of the plight of her ship. Inside engineering, the glow of the warp reactor was dimmed, its usual bright blue glow muted to a barely-visible pale hue. Janeway stepped past the chamber and into a side alcove, one of the control areas for the complex machinery which made her ship go. "Captain," one of the officers acknowledged curtly upon recognizing her. B'Elanna Torres was very frustrated, and her words, intonation, and even reactions reflected that emotion. "Any progress, B'Elanna?" Janeway asked simply. This was not a time to make small talk. B'Elanna shook her head, frowning. "No," she answered simply as she handed the data pad to the captain. "It's bad." Her words and tone summarized her frustration that the ships power plant was so badly crippled. After all, the engines were _her_ responsibility. The captain sighed. "Tell me something I don't already know," she said with a shake of her head as she glanced down at the pad. She grimaced at what she saw. "The dilithium crystals are _that_ bad? Can't we recrystallize what's left?" B'Elanna shook her head. "There's nothing _left_ to recrystallize," she said firmly. " One just ... vaporized. The other one shattered." She shook her head, a sober expression on her head. "We're lucky we didn't have a core breach." Janeway nodded, equally grim. "Your team did some great work getting the reactor under control." She glanced at the data pad again. "Your report says the second crystal is too badly contaminated? How?" B'Elanna glanced out of the control alcove to the dim reactor. "Without the crystal to focus the anti-matter stream, the reactor chamber got sprayed with anti-matter. It flash vaporized the liner into hot plasma." She frowned. "I'd estimate we lost fifteen percent of the chamber liner before we got the reactor under control." Chakotay, Voyager's first officer and former Maquis rebel, nodded in agreement. "All the crystal fragments are badly contaminated from the metal plasma. So far, nothing we've done will get them to recrystallize." He shook his head slowly. "There are just too many impurities for a good crystal growth." Janeway closed her eyes and forced herself to take a deep breath. It was an old technique she used to channel her frustration. Her crew was doing as well as could be expected, and bad news was not the crew's fault. She glanced at the data pad once more. "We're running at fourteen percent?" She whistled softly, and in her tone, there was genuine respect for what B'Elanna had managed to accomplish. "How? I don't know many engineers who could even _run_ their engines without crystals." B'Elanna glanced at the engines, then back at the captain. "Most Klingon warp reactors have a backup mode to operate without crystals, just like the early matter anti-matter reactors before dilithium was discovered." Janeway nodded, a slight smile appearing on her features for the first time in many many hours. "Back to the basics, eh? Well, it's good work." She nodded to Chakotay and turned to leave engineering. As expected, he read her non-verbal signal and joined her. "Options?" Her first officer, a Native American and former Maquis rebel and adversary, winced. "I'm fresh out of rabbits, even if I had a hat." Then he frowned. "What about Harry's team on the Delta Flyer?" Janeway nodded. "That's about the only thing I could think of. Based on B'Elanna's report, our anti-matter consumption has gone through the roof, even for this low power. I doubt we have enough range for _any_ kind of search." She shook her head. "We _have_ to rely on the Delta Flyer." Chakotay shook his head. "Have they checked in lately? I've been in engineering, so I don't know." "Their last report is almost sixteen hours old. They'd located habitation on Delta 4462. Harry reported that they should be able to trade for supplies." Chakotay halted. "They're going in under cover?" "After what happened on Nilattu, do you want to risk another direct encounter?" Chakotay grimaced. Nilattu had been a disaster. Not only had the landing party been taken hostage, their very presence had ignited a religious war on the technologically sophisticated but highly superstitious planet. Even Voyager had come under fire from the planetary defenses, controlled by the religious leadership. Nilattu had been seething with unrest, and Voyager's landing party was all the spark needed to cause an inferno of civil war. "No," he said quietly. He paused as Janeway ducked into a recess and began to climb a ladder. With minimal power, the turbo-lifts were out of service. "If we have to change their mission, should we change the rules of engagement?" Janeway answered without pausing her ascent. "When we change their mission," she corrected Chakotay, "I'll leave that decision to the away team commanding officer." "Harry? Or Tuvok?" Chakotay asked the inevitable question. Janeway paused her climb and glanced down at Chakotay, still standing at the foot of the ladder. "I gave the mission to Harry. He's smart enough to relinquish command to Tuvok if he thinks that's wise." ********** "Are you _sure_ your tricorder isn't broken?" Harry Kim complained as the party began to ascend a steep hill. "Because from the top of that last hill, it looks like there isn't any civilization for miles." Harry wished again that he was wearing his Starfleet uniform. His trousers didn't quite fit right, and the fabric, fashioned by the limited replicator aboard the Delta Flyer, was coarse and itchy. The disguise was necessary, though. Unless a landing party blended in with the local populace, it could be in extreme danger. All of Harry's lessons at Starfleet Academy had emphasized the wisdom of that policy, and the sometimes dire consequences when it wasn't followed. And everyone on Voyager remembered the harsh lesson of their recent experience on Nilattu. Tuvok glanced at his instrument. "I assure you the tricorder is functioning within specifications," he answered. Unlike his two human companions, he was showing no sign of fatigue, in large part due to his Vulcan physique. Dark-skinned, with the classic upswept eyebrows and pointed ears of Vulcan natives, Tuvok was native to a much hotter planet with much higher gravity and thinner atmosphere than his companions from Earth. What to Harry Kim was strenuous physical exertion barely caused Tuvok to breathe hard. The third man in the team brought up the rear. "I don't see how a city could be hidden in these hills," he observed as he gasped for breath. "I did not state that it was a city," Tuvok reminded his companions. "If you recall, I reported an energy reading consistent with an inhabited structure of technology level seven planet. Such a structure could easily be difficult to spot within the confines of the valleys and hills of this terrain." The third man sighed heavily. "You could have at least set us down closer to a settlement or something," he complained. Harry Kim stopped abruptly and turned. "I made a decision," he said firmly. "And since Captain Janeway placed _me_ in charge of this mission, my decision is the one that counts." Normally, an ensign would never address another officer in the tone Harry was using, but the hiking had taken a physical toll on him and his companions. His fatigue was showing itself in his irritability. "Is that understood, Ensign Sanders?" The ensign felt his hands ball into fists. "Yes, sir," he said through clenched teeth. At just under six feet, he was taller than Harry Kim, and he knew he could easily take him. Except that years of Starfleet training had conditioned him to take lawful orders from a lawfully-appointed senior officer. And even though he technically outranked Kim by virtue of six months seniority, he was still in Kim's command. As was Tuvok, a Lieutenant Commander far senior to Kim in the chain of command, but still placed under his command. He knew how the captain operated - even if a landing party had senior officers, she often gave command to her junior officers as a way of giving them valuable experience. In an emergency, Tuvok could take over, but until then, he was under Ensign Kim's command. Harry turned, and within moments, he was at the crest of the scrub-covered hill. He stopped so abruptly that Sanders almost ran into his back. Tuvok, splitting his attention between his tricorder and where he was walking, easily avoided a collision. "Holy cow!" Sanders exclaimed softly as he stared into the small valley before them. The hillsides were terraced and lush with green vegetation, and a few pieces of machinery, tended by humanoids, were working the fields. In the center of the valley, a small creek ran into a pond behind a small dam; beside the pond were a pair of buildings. The first building was plainly a dwelling; it had a human-sized door on each visible wall, and numerous curtain-lined windows let light inside the building. With stately columns and a carved stone fascia, it seemed to be taken straight from the Roman Empire. The second building was a large metal structure with a huge pair of open doors. In the dim recesses of the building, the outlines of various machines were visible. If the first building was an ornate manor house of this farm, the second was a machine shed, as plain as the first was decorated. Further down the valley, a small forest stood tall and green arranged unnaturally in rows. More trees dotted the landscape around the buildings, and a few stood silently by the stream, both above and below the dam. Kim shook his head. "You said it," he echoed. He started when his communicator chirped from his rucksack. He fumbled a moment and tapped it on. "Kim here," he announced. "Mister Kim," Janeway's voice sounded stern and businesslike. "Your mission has changed." The field communicator had insufficient range to reach Voyager directly; the Delta Flyer with its more powerful subspace radios was acting as a relay between the landing party and Captain Janeway on Voyager. Harry glanced at Tuvok, his eyebrows raised in surprise. Janeway continued. "I'm relaying details to your datapad. Voyager out." Harry frowned. If the captain wasn't going to discuss the issue over the comm circuit, even with its protective encryption, then something bad had happened. He dug out his datapad and powered it on. In a few moments, the computer circuits received and decoded the message, then displayed it. He whistled again. "Voyager had a serious accident in engineering. The dilithium crystals are gone, and we have to find a new source." Tuvok raised an eyebrow in surprise. "It would take an event of some significance to render both crystals unusable." Harry continued. "It's our discretion if we continue under cover or use a diplomatic approach." Tuvok glanced at his tricorder. "You shall need to decide quickly," he reported. "The inhabitants of the farm have noticed us and are approaching rapidly." Harry glanced at Tuvok, then back down into the valley. He could already make out some type of small flyers coming from the farm, saucer-shaped disks with two occupants standing atop them. "Suggestions?" he asked. Tuvok shook his head. "Contact was inevitable, given the population and technology level of the planet." Harry grimaced. He'd hoped for something more useful. "It looks like it's too late to change our approach now. We'll stick with the cover." Sanders was watching the flyers approaching. "It looks like four women. We could take them if we need to." Tuvok shook his head. "We should not assume that violence is required. At this point, I would suggest using the original mission parameters as cover to survey the planet for dilithium sources that may be present on a planet of this technology level. If we are successful in locating the dilithium crystals, we can return to the Delta Flyer and initiate diplomatic procedures from orbit." Harry nodded. "That sounds like a good plan." He wasn't going to let his pride stand in the way of seeking advice, nor of following it if it was the best choice of action. As it was, the confirmation was a steadying force against Kim's rising case of nerves. Contact with alien races and civilizations often did that. The memory of Nilattu did that. The flyers approached quickly. As the women dismounted, their eyes widened as they beheld the Voyager landing party. One of them, a tall, matronly figure with graying hair held in a simple ponytail and wearing a simple tunic, approached. "Greetings," she said. Her voice betrayed her surprise. Harry stepped forward slowly. "We didn't mean to startle you," he explained slowly. "We have traveled far ..." The older woman waved off his words with a simple gesture. Behind her, three younger women, none appearing to be older than twenty, were whispering excitedly. "We have travelers visit often," the matron explained. "But ... I hope you will forgive our curiosity. We have never seen such as yourselves before." Harry glanced at Tuvok, then back to the older woman. "We come in peace." The matron smiled warmly. "Of course. You aren't from this district, are you?" She gave her companions a quick, knowing glance. "Surely, if you had been, we would have heard about you long ago." Tuvok nodded. "We dwell in a small mining community in the far mountains. We were traveling for supplies, and our transport broke down." The matron frowned. "I don't understand why your matron allowed _you_ to travel. Surely, she knew ..." She shook her head. "Well, what she decided is for her to understand." She turned slightly and gestured toward the disks. "Come, we must be allowed to show you our good manners," she said with a warm smile. "We will prepare a meal for you, and you can rest before you continue your journey." ********** Harry lay awake in bed, thinking. The meal had been quite delicious, and the women of the farm had seemed very eager to demonstrate their hospitality to their guests. It was reminiscent of the pictures of a Roman feast. Every room of the house was decorated with colorful tapestries and rugs. Bright mosaic patterns, all with an agricultural theme, were set into the plaster walls and even some floors, giving a very cheery atmosphere to the entire house. They reclined at low tables, rather than sit, and with generous portions of fruits and meats and vegetables, with a delicious fruit wine to wash it all down. Still, there was something that he couldn't quite put his finger on, and that disturbed him. Even though there was no evidence of servants or slaves, Harry had the feeling that all were waiting on him and his Voyager crewmates. The sound of the door creaking open caught his attention, and he sat up on his elbows. In the dim light filtering through the curtains, he could see a figure walking slowly toward his bed. "Ha - ree," the whispered voice inquired. "Are you awake?" Harry considered his options. He could pretend to be asleep, and wait for the young woman to leave. Or he could use this unexpected intrusion to gain some information. "I couldn't sleep," he said softly after thinking for a moment. The young woman slipped to the side of his bed. In the moonlight, Harry watched as she slipped her gown down off her shoulders. With a soft rustling sound, it fell to the stone floor. Harry gulped; the silhouette of the woman was intoxicatingly curvy, and he wondered how the statement that he couldn't sleep had been interpreted as an invitation to join him in bed. She sat invitingly on the edge of the bed. Harry's mind raced. Conversation during dinner had been full of sexual innuendo, and even blunt invitations to evening companionship. Was she offering, or had his words somehow accepted, a bed companion? Harry slid, giving the woman more room. She scampered under the covers and pulled herself close to him. He could smell her perfume, and could feel her delicate skin pulling against his bare chest. "We ... a few of us ... were trying to convince Theyala - the matron - that you should stay with us a while," the girl said simply. "You know how it is ... the young ones seem to take forever to reach maturity, and then the time flies before their second season." She kissed him, and Harry felt himself dazed by what was happening. "We _all_ want to take advantage of your visit." "You tried to convince ...?" Harry struggled to say as his passions were stirred by this sexy young woman. The girl paused. "She said we must take you to the city. It is polite that we help you on your quest for supplies. But until you travel ..." She returned to her ministrations, and Harry found himself fighting to remember what she was saying. ********** The landscape zipped past the speeder in a green and brown blur. A larger version of the flying disk, with an enclosed cockpit, the speeder was meant for long-distance travel, unlike its simpler cousin. Harry, Tuvok, and Sanders reclined in the passenger seats with the farm's matron. One of the younger women of the farm drove the speeder. "You seem unusually ... relaxed," Tuvok observed. Harry smiled. "I had a very relaxing evening." "Indeed. I did not. My rest was interrupted on several occasions by young ladies seeking sexual companionship," Tuvok added without a trace of emotion. Harry grinned. "Me, too." Tuvok gazed impassively at him. "Indeed. And you found this nocturnal activity more relaxing than sleep?" Harry glanced at Sanders. "I told you he wouldn't understand, Chris," he said with a grin. Tuvok raised an eyebrow. "Vulcans believe that there is a time and a place for everything. The time for physical rest is different than the time for ... other nocturnal activities. And," he added in a seemingly ominous tone, "you should have remembered that such contacts are against procedure." Harry frowned. "Based on observations, it was clear that such behavior was _expected_ of us. It was my judgement that failure to ... accommodate ... the requests would be viewed with suspicion." He sounded defensive of his actions. "It also provided an opportunity to gather more information in a ... discrete setting." Tuvok raised an eyebrow. "Indeed. And did you gather any useful information?" He saw Harry blush. "That's what I thought." Matron Theyala turned from the front seat. "We are going to the administrator's office," she explained simply. "Given the circumstances, she was most insistent that we bring you directly to her." "I understand," Harry said lightly. The rest of the journey was spent in silence. Chris Sanders was asleep, and Harry was fighting it. Tuvok raised an eyebrow as he watched the two. Their nocturnal activities had left them both tired. He turned his attention to the voyage. Outside, the landscape was slowly flattening from the rolling hills around the matron's farm to broad plains, and the density of farms increased. Occasionally, the speeding flyer flitted past a small community as the vehicle crossed a broad, lush agricultural valley. Ahead, very slowly at first, structures and towers began to emerge from the distance to interrupt the pristine horizon. Spires seemed to grow upward from the ground as the flight continued, each building seemingly getting taller as they flew into a major city. Appearing to be made of stone, the buildings were interconnected by a lacework of bridges and arches, some a hundred feet above the ground below. A little further on, the towers started becoming less graceful, more squat and purposeful if just as tall. None of the elaborate architectural detail had been omitted, but the sheer size of the buildings made them more business-like. "I believe we are approaching our destination," Tuvok said firmly. Harry snapped his eyes open. "Wha...?" He glanced out the windows and took in the surroundings. The flyer had slowed and was nearly hovering. Harry gave Sanders a nudge. "Wake up," he commanded in a still-groggy voice. The vehicle landed with a gentle thud, and the door opened. A small party awaited them on the rooftop. Tuvok and Harry started to rise, but the driver indicated with a gesture that they should remain in their seats. The leader was an older woman of sixty or sixty-five, with white hair pinned up in a bun and a long flowing white tunic trimmed in red. On either side were her aides - younger by maybe a decade, with similar but less elaborate robes. Around them, wearing short pale blue tunics and some type of holstered sidearm, stood six young women, two fairly dark-skinned. The six were obviously some kind of guard. Theyala bowed to the leader, then she gave her a quick friendly hug. The leader's features softened for a moment, but only just. As she and the matron talked, the old woman was staring at the flyer, her expression one of concern. Finally, the old woman nodded. "You may go out now," the driver said simply. With glances among themselves, Harry, Tuvok, and Ensign Sanders climbed slowly out of the flyer, straightening on the short stair down to the ground. The effect on the women was electric. The old woman's jaw hung open, her eyes widening in surprise. The aides were equally stunned, although the look in one's eyes seemed as if she were more intrigued by the men. And the guards were nervous. Two had their hands on their holsters, worried about possible surprises, while the other four glanced among themselves and at the Voyager men. Harry glanced at Tuvok. This was _not_ the kind of reception he'd expected. Then again, the reception at the farm wasn't what he'd expected, either. He squared his shoulders, pasted on a smile, and stepped forward slowly. "I'm Harry," he said in a calm, friendly voice. The old leader glanced at the matron nervously. Two of the guards interposed themselves between Harry and the leader. A third extracted a scanning device and scanned the Voyager crew. She glanced at the leader and shook her head. "At ease," the leader said firmly. After the guards parted, she stepped to Harry and took his hand. "I am pleased to meet you," she said, a touch of uncertainty in her voice. She glanced at Matron Theyala. "I should have known better than to doubt you, Theyala." Harry glanced at Tuvok for reassurance. The reaction of the women was troubling him. "We come from a remote mining camp in the far mountains," Harry explained. "We've come for some supplies, and our vehicle broke down. Matron Theyala and her house were kind enough to give us shelter and transportation." The matron beamed at the recognition she was receiving. "We try to be as hospitable as we can," she said, trying to sound humble. The old leader nodded at Harry's acknowledgement. "And your hospitality is well known, Matron," she said. "I am District Administrator Yolla," she said, half-bowing in a formal introduction. Harry returned the bow. "We are pleased to make your acquaintance, Administrator." Yolla glanced at Theyala. "We shall see to our visitors' hospitality from here," she said simply. Her tone left no doubt that Theyala was dismissed. The matron nodded, then bowed formally. She turned and mounted the stairs to her vehicle, pausing for one last glance at the group. Harry couldn't help but wonder if the look on her face was one of relief. ********** "Relax, Chris," Harry said even as he forced himself to take a deep breath. "They probably want to make sure we aren't carrying anything contagious." He glanced at Tuvok for reassurance. "Mister Kim's supposition is logical. Travel among districts appears to be limited by custom, and it would be prudent to take precautions to ensure that no pathogens are spread." Like Tuvok and Kim, Chris Sanders sat on a plain bench in a very plain room, trying to cover himself with his hands. "You're probably right," he concurred. "But I still don't like having to parade in front of a room full of female doctors. Or sit here, or be poked and scanned and prodded - still in my birthday suit." "Your 'birthday suit'?" Tuvok asked, his eyebrow raising in curiosity. Harry stifled a chuckle. "The suit he was born in." Tuvok considered the answer for a moment. "An interesting phrase," he finally observed. "I presume it is considered humorous among humans?" At that moment, the room's single door swung inward, interrupting Harry's answer. Two women, clad in coats resembling lab jackets and carrying datapads, walked in. The door closed automatically behind them. The older of the two women glanced at the Voyager crew, then at her datapad. "Very interesting," she observed, muttering to herself. Like many of the leaders they'd already met, she was an older woman, with whitening hair. She glanced at her companion. "Doctor Usana, have you ever seen this?" The second, younger woman, glanced over her own datapad. "No," she said firmly. "Of course, they teach it at the university, but ..." Doctor Usana appeared to be in her mid-thirties, and she was tall and dark-skinned. She wore her hair short, which added to her commanding and impressive presence. Harry stood, still trying to cover himself. "Excuse me," he interrupted. The two doctors looked up abruptly at him. "Is there a problem?" Their words had caused him some concern. The younger doctor looked at her older colleague, astonishment on her features. "A ... problem?" Harry glanced at Tuvok, then back at the medics. "Yeah, the way you're talking, it sounds like there's some kind of problem with us." The older doctor frowned. "We are trying to evaluate your ... contamination. We need to ensure that there's nothing communicable about your condition." "Contaminated?" Harry's heart was trying to leap into his throat. It sounded rather ominous. The younger doctor nodded. "Yes. Perhaps as a result of radiation exposure or heavy metal toxicity, or even something as simple as an strange reaction to a microbe." The older doctor read the alarm on Harry's face. "Oh, don't be concerned," she said reassuringly. "We need to do one more procedure to remove the effects of the contamination. It's a relatively simple process." Harry's expression relaxed visibly. "The procedure is harmless?" The older doctor tilted her head quizzically at Harry's question. "Of course." Harry glanced at Tuvok. Something in the Vulcan's expression gave him concern. "Uh," he began as he turned back to the doctor, "can we talk about this for a moment? In private?" The doctors glanced at each other, surprised. "I suppose so," the older doctor answered after a stunned moment. With her junior colleague, she turned and left the room. Harry watched the door shut, then he turned to Tuvok. "What do you think?" Tuvok raised an eyebrow. "It is entirely possible that we have been contaminated by this planet. If you recall, the Delta Flyer's scanners registered some low levels of radiation in the atmosphere, probably as a result of trace elements. There is also a possibility that we have contracted an alien pathogen which our sensors did not detect. Without the Doctor's precise medical scanners tuned for biological systems, it is not possible to detect all pathogens. There is a real danger. The reaction of the doctors is quite logical. They do not want to spread any contamination." Chris Sanders frowned. "If we don't consent, I don't think they're going to let us out," he said cautiously. "Did you notice how everyone is reacting to us?" Tuvok nodded. "Agreed. And given Voyager's situation, our mission has become significantly more urgent. We must locate some high-quality dilithium crystals. It is therefore logical that we submit to their decontamination procedure." ********** The nurse hovered in Harry's field of vision as his eyes fluttered open. "Huh?" he muttered as he fought to regain consciousness. The nurse smiled. "I'll let the doctor know you're awake." Like Doctor Usana, the nurse was dark-skinned, but she wore her hair longer. Unlike the doctor, she had a full figure and a very warm smile. "Uh," Harry interrupted. The nurse stopped and turned back to the bed. "How long did ... how long was I out?" The nurse paused a moment to glance at a datapad, then she smiled. "The procedure only took an hour. But since it can be very physiologically stressful, the doctor ordered that you rest. You've been asleep for almost three hours." Harry bolted upright in bed. "Three hours?" he exclaimed. "But ..." The nurse pushed him back onto the bed. "Relax. It's perfectly normal." "But ... we've got supplies to obtain. We have to get back to our colony." The nurse nodded. "I understand. I _was_ on my way to get the doctor. After she examines you, I'm sure she'll let you complete your business." With a final smile, she turned and left the room. It was only a moment before she returned with the older doctor. The doctor looked at the datapad. "How are you feeling?" Harry shrugged. "Okay, I guess." The doctor glanced up at him. "Good." She looked at some of the instrumentation monitoring Harry's vital signs. "I was told that you are anxious to finish your errands." Harry nodded. "It's very important that we get back to the colony." The doctor smiled. "I guess you can go, then." "And my friends?" The doctor shrugged. "As soon as you complete the discharge papers, you can all go." ********** Harry frowned as he ducked the flyer around another vehicle. "I don't get it." "What don't you 'get'?" Tuvok asked. Harry shook his head. "Based on what we've seen, this society is capitalistic, right?" Tuvok nodded. "From what we have observed, that is true." Harry frowned. "So why didn't we have to pay the doctor? Or the hospital?" Chris looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe because we were a potential source of contamination? You know, public health risk? Those kinds of medical treatments used to be free even in the most capitalistic societies." "Except the Ferengi," Harry added with a grin. "Your supposition is sound," Tuvok noted. "But such a supposition does not explain the fact that we were given transportation, nor that all our supplies were provided free of charge." "And the dilithium crystals," Harry noted with a worried frown. "Based on how they use dilithium crystals in their fusion micro- converters, the crystals are of significant value on this planet. We _should_ have had to pay something for them." Tuvok's expression changed to what, for him, was a frown. "Agreed. It was not logical for the Administrator to provide us all the goods we received without compensation." "Just another mystery about this place, I guess." Harry flew the craft in a wide circle, scanning the skies and the ground as he flew. "All I can say right now is, we got very lucky." Tuvok nodded. "Indeed. It was highly improbable that we should locating a source of highly-refined cut dilithium crystals, let alone obtain them without having to change our mission profile or resort to guile or theft." "Don't forget that we also completed our original mission," Chris Sanders added. "We got the supplies." Harry smiled. This landing team had gone well, much better than he'd expected. "It looks clear," he finally announced as he tightened the circle to land. "If I'm reading this correctly," Sanders said cautiously, "there's no other vehicles or life forms within a couple of kilometers." "Good. Let's get the supplies transferred and get back to Voyager," Harry said as the vehicle settled in a light cloud of dust. As he shut down the engines, Harry glanced at the rear seat, which was stuffed with supplies. "Everyone is going to love the fresh fruits and vegetables," he said with a smile. Chris Sanders frowned. "Except that we have to move it all from here to the Delta Flyer. There must be two tons of food here?" Tuvok shook his head. "It is wise not to question the generosity of a host." He unbuckled his seat belt and opened a door. Harry opened the hatch of the Delta Flyer and stowed his gear, then he returned to the 'borrowed' vehicle and got an armload of supplies. "Tuvok, you get the crystals stowed first. Chris and I will start on the foodstuffs." "Very well," Tuvok noted. He began to work extracting the precious crystals from a storage compartment. "What I don't get," Chris said as he trudged beside Harry toward the Delta Flyer, his arms overflowing with bags of fruits and vegetables, "is that we didn't see any other men! Is that why the women were all so ... you know?" Harry shook his head. "There were quite a few boys. But yeah, I noticed," he added with a grin. "And I didn't hear you complaining about how ... friendly ... the women were." Tuvok entered the Delta Flyer behind them. "It is entirely possible that the life expectancy of males is short compared to females." Harry frowned. "That would explain all the medical attention and why we didn't see any older men." "Or maybe the birth ratio of males to females makes the men scarce, and so the society protects them?" Chris suppositioned. Tuvok thought. "That is a possibility. However, given the numbers of young men we saw, it seems more likely that the life expectancy is low for males. Consequently, the matriarchal society would protect and preserve what males do survive." "Twenty-one, maybe twenty-two? That's what I'd guess the oldest boy was," Harry speculated. "The society does seem to be stable, which indicates that the male-to-female ratio is not the result of a recent catastrophe." Tuvok walked beside the other back to the borrowed flyer. He retrieved another package of crystals while Harry and Chris piled more food into their arms. "It would be an interesting culture to study in more detail." "Whatever the reason, it's a very friendly planet to visit," Harry added wistfully. ********** The Doctor turned away from the landing party, still glancing at his medical tricorder. "There is no sign of any biological or radiological contamination. You may lower the bio-shields." B'Elanna Torres snapped a switch by the door of the landing bay, and the hum of a force-field generator ceased. With a quick blue flash, the biological isolation field collapsed. Almost as soon as the field was gone, B'Elanna stepped smartly into the Delta Flyer. Captain Janeway waited for her landing party. "Your report indicates you found some high-purity crystals?" she asked, still not wanting to believe their change of luck. Tuvok glanced at Kim. As commanding officer of the landing party, it was his duty - and place - to report. "Yes, Ma'am," Harry Kim reported crisply. "If the crystal structure is as good as our initial scans, we should have a ten to twelve-year supply of crystals." Janeway's eyes widened. She'd read the initial reports, filed while the Delta Flyer was still in space. But she hadn't wanted to believe such a good turn of luck. "Well done, Mister Kim." B'Elanna stuck her head out of the flyer, a crystal as large as her fist in one hand. "Captain, these are almost perfect!" she reported eagerly. "They've even been cut and polished." Janeway smiled. Things were going their way after all. "How long to get the crystal structure annealed?" B'Elanna grinned. "I've got one that I can install without annealing," she reported. "I can drop the core temperature and almost double the power output while we finish processing the other crystals. With your permission, of course." Captain Janeway nodded. "By all means," she said, almost grinning. She turned back to her landing party. "Mister Kim, I expect a full report of your landing party, including geology, biology, and culture." Kim's face fell. "But ... Ma'am?" Janeway smiled. "You were the lead of a 'first contact' mission. If we were in the Alpha quadrant, you'd have to file reports like this. Just because we're in the Delta quadrant doesn't change Starfleet procedures." She turned and left the hanger deck, leaving Kim standing stunned while Chris Sanders smiled wickedly. Harry turned slowly toward his team and sighed. "Okay. Chris, you've got the geological report. Tuvok, planetary biology. I'll work on the cultural reports. I want your first drafts in forty-eight hours." He turned toward the hanger bay door, leaving a crestfallen Chris Sanders staring after him. ***** THREE MONTHS LATER ***** His naked torso glistening with sweat, panting for breath, Harry wedged his leg under his holographic opponent and with a quick arm thrust, knocked the simulated foe to the ground. He quickly stepped back, as custom dictated after a throw. "Good one." Harry spun his head toward the noise. "Oh, hi, Tom. I didn't hear you come in." Tom Paris stood leaning against the wall of the holodeck, watching his friend sparring with an amused expression. "You've been working out a lot lately," he observed. "You wouldn't be trying to get an edge so you can win our next match?" Harry grunted. "You got lucky." He picked up his towel, patted his sweaty brow, and wrapped it around his bare shoulders. Tom smiled. "If you say so." Harry frowned. "You beat me once in all our matches in the last year, and you think you're suddenly better than me? " Tom laughed. "Maybe you're getting soft in your old age." Harry shook his head, a disgusted look on his face. "I just want to make sure I'm in prime shape for the next time I lead a landing party." Tom laughed again. "What makes you think you're due so soon? You know how the Captain rotates the assignments for us junior officers. You led the landing party to Delta - whatever - three months ago. You won't get to lead one for another couple of months." Harry frowned. "Yeah? Well it never hurts to be prepared." He grinned. "Besides, I want to be in shape for regular landing party detail. I mean, a chance to get off the ship for a few hours..." Tom touched the holodeck control. "Paris program one-one- three." With a brief shimmer, the martial arts mats and opponent vanished and a mountain trail appeared. Tom stood beside two bicycles. "You want to go mountain biking?" Harry laughed nervously. "Last time, I sprained an ankle." He looked suspiciously at his friend. "You aren't trying to get me on the sick list so you can take my place, are you?" He shook his head. "Nah. I'm just going to take a shower and go to the lounge." "Suit yourself." Tom watched him as he finished toweling off. "Uh, Harry?" Harry Kim looked up at Tom, surprised by Tom's tone. "Yeah?" "Uh, are you putting on weight or something?" Harry frowned. "No, not that I've noticed. Why?" Tom shook his head. "Maybe it's just the light. But it looks like you're getting a little flabby." "Flabby?" Tom frowned. "Your chest." Harry glanced down, then he laughed. "Maybe I am. Guess I've been eating too much of Neelix's deserts." Tom heard the nervous echo in the laugh. ********** "And you say you noticed this how long ago?" The doctor was examining Harry Kim in sick bay. Harry winced, sitting without a shirt on the examining table. "Four, maybe five few weeks ago, I guess." He thought for a moment. "I guess Tom noticed it first when we were working out in the holodeck." He saw the expression on the doctor's face. "Why? Is it serious?" The doctor shook his head. "No, not generally. This condition is usually a minor pituitary problem." He retrieved a hypospray from a medicine cabinet. "Your hormones are a little out of balance. This will adjust your hormone levels to a more normal range." "Is that it?" Harry asked uncertainly. The doctor nodded. "Unless you have any other complaints, Harry stood, shaking his head. "No." He pulled on his shirt, wincing at the unsightly bulges where his extra weight was being deposited. "I've got to get back on duty." The doctor watched as Kim left, and almost ran over Tuvok as the latter officer entered sickbay. "It seems this is rush hour," the doctor commented dryly. Tuvok ignored his little joke. "I am experiencing some significant intestinal discomfort," he reported. "Very well," the doctor said. "You know the procedure. Lie down on the table and let me get a scan." Tuvok waited patiently as the doctor ran the medical tricorder over his abdomen. "Hmmm," the doctor muttered to himself. "Have you identified a problem?" Tuvok asked. The doctor ignored him. "Hmmm. This is unusual." He set down his tricorder. "Seven," he called over his shoulder. Seven of Nine, the former Borg crewmember, strode easily out of the office. Like several other officers, she had a turn working with the doctor as his assistant. "Yes, doctor?" "I want to use the full diagnostic scanner." Seven glanced at the tricorder readout, then she helped pull the full scanner up and over Tuvok's torso. "Is there a problem, Doctor?" Tuvok asked, no emotion in his voice but insistently. The doctor frowned. "I'm not sure," he said as he turned the scanner on. He stared at the scanner intently for several moments. "Seven, what would you make of that?" Tuvok closed his eyes to meditate. He knew that the doctor was going to use this opportunity to enhance Seven's knowledge of medicine. It was a wise use of resources. Should there be a malfunction in the doctor's hologrammatic projection system, a trained person would be invaluable to the safety of the crew. Seven studied the monitor. "It appears to be tissue growth, extending from the groin to mid-abdomen, located in front of the intestines. There are some minor adhesions between the growth and abdominal tissue." The doctor smiled and nodded. "Very good. But _what_ would you say it is?" Seven frowned. "The tissue would suggest a tumor, as it does not conform to any normal internal organ." "Options?" Seven glanced at the monitor, then straightened to face the doctor. "Excision of the tumor, standard anti-cancer drug treatment, or observation to monitor growth." "Correct." The doctor smiled. "And which would you do?" Seven glanced at the monitor. "The biochemistry of the tissue growth does not suggest extreme malignancy or metastasis. Excision is not indicated. At this point, I surmise that a drug treatment is the preferred option." The doctor nodded as he flipped the scanner back to its home beneath the examining bed. "Correct," he answered Seven. He turned his attention to his patient. "It appears, Mister Tuvok, that you have a minor tumor in your abdominal cavity." Tuvok nodded as he sat upright. "I heard. I also heard your prognosis. When will I begin the regimen of anti-cancer medications?" The doctor glanced at Seven, then he smiled. "We'll start you immediately. I want a follow-up examination in two weeks." ********** "Wait up!" Harry called as he sprinted down the corridor to the closing turbo-lift door. Seven heard his call and pressed a control, causing the door to open. Breathing heavily, Harry stepped into the turbo-lift and leaned against the wall. "Thanks," he said between breaths. "What is your destination?" Seven asked matter-of-factly. Harry sighed. "Holodeck one." He closed his eyes. Seven frowned as she stared at Ensign Kim. After a moment, Harry opened his eyes and saw her staring at him. "What?" he asked, sounding a bit defensive. Seven tilted her head slightly to one side. "Are you feeling well?" she asked tentatively. Harry sighed again. "I'm a little out of shape," he explained weakly. Seven shook her head. "You appear to have altered your diet," she observed. "Your uniform is not fitting in accordance with regulations." She frowned. "Is there a problem with the replicator? If so, you should report the ..." Harry sighed, shaking his head slowly. "No, there's no problem with the replicator. My uniforms don't seem to fit right." "Your pants?" Seven asked, looking at Harry's rear. Harry nodded glumly. "Yeah. My pants are too tight across my rear. It's like I'm putting on weight." Seven nodded. "You are also putting on weight on your chest?" Harry glanced down at the ill fit of his shirt. "Yeah. I guess I really need to go on a diet." Seven frowned. "That would be a rational conclusion, except that you also appear to have lost weight from your abdomen." Harry looked down and gave his waistband a tug. There was a small gap between his waistband and his stomach. "Yeah, I noticed _that_ too." "Perhaps you should see the doctor." Harry closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "I have. And he's as confused as I am." ********** "Doctor, it looks like I've sprained my shoulder again..." Janeway cut off as soon as she saw a crewman on the examining table. "Oh, sorry. I didn't know you had a patient." The doctor gave her a quick glance. "I'll be right with you. I'm almost finished here." Janeway watched as the patient pulled his shirt over his chest. He looked thoroughly embarrassed, and kept glancing at her. With a final nervous glance, he stood and walked out of sickbay. "Now, as you were saying?" the doctor asked easily. Janeway stared after the ensign. "What's going on with Ensign Sanders?" The doctor frowned. "I don't know." "It looks like he's got ... breasts," Janeway added, her mouth open in astonishment. The doctor nodded. "Let's take care of you, then we can discuss my other patients in my office." It took the doctor only a few moments to diagnose and treat Janeway's shoulder. Then they entered his office. "Okay, now what's going on?" The doctor shook his head. "Ensign Sanders is displaying classic symptoms of extreme bilateral gynecomastia." "Meaning?" The doctor frowned. "Meaning, he's growing breasts." "That's what I said." It was Janeway's turn to frown. "What's the cause?" "I _don't_ know!" the doctor replied anxiously. "I've double checked and triple checked his hormones. I've ruled out every one of the classical causes for gynecomastia." "A tumor?" The doctor shook his head. "I thought of that. But it wouldn't be bilateral. Nor would it affect Ensign Kim in the same way!" "Ensign Kim?" She bit her lip. "That would explain a few things about his behavior lately." She frowned. "Is it serious?" Janeway's concern suddenly shifted to the rest of her crew. "Is it something that's a threat to the rest of the crew?" The doctor shook his head. "Again, I don't know. It doesn't appear to be anything transmissible, but I'm not certain." "What do we need to do?" The doctor frowned. "If it _is_ transmissible, it's probably far too late." "What?" "He's had these symptoms for almost three months now." He saw Janeway's concern. "But, if I thought it was a problem for the safety of the crew, I would have imposed a quarantine on the affected crewmembers and notified you immediately," he added quickly. "Of course." "And there's more." "More?" Janeway's eyes widened in surprise. "Ensign Sanders and Ensign Kim have some type of internal tissue growth." "Cancer?" The doctor shook his head. "No, I've already tested for that. And I've treated him with the standard regiments of tumor suppressants, and it's not responding. Whatever it is, it's definitely not cancer. Nor is it a parasite. It _appears_ to be a normal growth in his body. His body is reacting as if the growth is perfectly natural. Just like Tuvok, only far more advanced." Janeway's jaw dropped. "Tuvok? Are you saying Tuvok has the same thing?" She stood, frowning. "Doctor, I want some answers. I want to know what's wrong with my crewmembers. " The doctor nodded, his expression equally grim. "I understand. But you have to realize that I've been very busy treating all the casualties caused by the Lendoran warships and minefields." He shook his head. "Are you aware that over a third of the crew is injured or suffering from mild radiation poisoning?" Janeway winced. "Yes," she said through gritted teeth. She didn't need to be reminded of the last two very hazardous months, nor of the toll it had taken on her ship and crew. "I'm well aware." "Of course. Well, you'll understand that when I'm spending twenty-one hours a day in surgery or treating radiation sickness, I don't have a lot of time to investigate conditions that don't appear to be life threatening." Janeway grimaced, stung by the mild rebuke. "I'm sorry, doctor. I know you always do what's best for the crew," she said apologetically. She stood abruptly. "Keep me informed." Without another word, she stormed out of sickbay. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she nearly ran over Harry Kim as she rounded a corner. She looked up, surprised. "Oh, sorry, Ensign." Harry gulped. "No, it was my fault for not looking where I was going, Ma'am," he said hastily. With a quick turn, he fled down the corridor, down the way Janeway had just come. She watched him as he walked quickly, and her eyes widened. "Doctor?" Ensign Kim called as he stepped into sickbay. He glanced around nervously. The doctor stepped out of his office. "I wasn't expecting to see you for another three days. Unless there's a problem?" Harry glanced around, then he nodded meekly. His cheeks were red; the doctor knew that whatever the problem was, Harry Kim was embarrassed about it. "What seems to be the problem?" the doctor asked, trying to sound reassuring. Harry glanced around again. "It's ... well, it's ..." He was having a hard time vocalizing the issue. The doctor understood his patient's reluctance. "Why don't you just show me?" Harry looked at the doctor for a moment, trying to muster up his courage, then he nodded. He unfastened his pants and dropped them to his waist, then dropped his underwear. The doctor bent forward, his eyes wide. "Hmmm," he muttered to himself. "This is highly abnormal." He straightened. "Please sit on the examining table. I want to get a full scan." Harry turned, stretching out on the table, and the doctor pulled the scanner up. After a few moments, he re-stowed the scanner. "Well?" Harry asked hopefully as he sat back upright. The doctor shook his head. "Your testicles are atrophying. The tissue is being ... absorbed. As is the tissue of your penis." Harry's eyes were wide with fear. "Meaning what?" he asked uneasily. The doctor frowned. "Meaning that you are losing your male sexual organs." Harry gasped aloud, his eyes wide. "What?" he demanded sharply. "You mean I'm losing my manhood?" The doctor frowned. "Yes." "What ... what can you do?" Harry sounded rather calm, considering the panic surging through his brain. The doctor shook his head. "I don't even know _why_ you're having these symptoms," he said, frustration in his voice. "And you're not responding to any treatments. Remember what happened when I tried to stabilize your gynecomastia with hormones? All _that_ did was to increase the rate of growth." "But doc ..." Harry wailed, "you've got to do _something_!" "Are you still experiencing weakness?" Harry nodded. "Yeah. And I think it's getting more severe. I'm not sure, but I think it's affecting my whole body." The doctor frowned. "Let's see." He ran his tricorder up and down Harry's torso, then his legs and arms. "Hmmm." "What?" Harry asked, his voice impatient and even a little angry. The doctor's lack of answers was precisely why Harry didn't like dealing with him. At least not on medical matters. "The reason you are experiencing a sensation of weakness is that your muscular system seems to be experiencing a general loss of tissue." He frowned. "Loss of muscle mass _would_ be consistent with loss of testosterone - but it shouldn't be happening at this accelerated pace!" He set down his tricorder. "Take off your shirt." With disbelief on his face, Harry slowly pulled his shirt over his head. Around his chest was a tight wrapping of athletic bandages. At the doctor's stern glance, Harry took the bandages off. The doctor gazed at the modest breasts on Harry's chest. Finally, he nodded. "They're still growing." He shook his head. "Let's do a full sub-cellular scan." ********** "You don't seem to be too hungry," Seven observed as watched Harry. Harry shook his head. "No, I'm not." Seven frowned. "I would surmise that there is a problem which is more serious than the continued ill fit of your uniforms?" Harry nodded glumly without speaking. "Might I be of assistance?" Harry shook his head. "No. I'm afraid there's nothing you could do to help." Seven stared at him for several seconds. "Are you having an inflammation of your vocal chords?" Harry frowned. "Why?" Seven stared at him. "Your voice seems to be frequency-shifted upward approximately eighty-two hertz." Harry's eyes widened. "You mean ... my voice is changing, too?" Fighting back tears, he leaped to his feet, and as his plate and silverware clattered to the floor, he ran from the room. ********** Harry glanced nervously around the conference room. Tuvok sat, looking uncomfortable, which was very unusual for his normally- staid Vulcan demeanor. Chris Sanders sat across the table, hunched over and looking very unhappy. Chakotay sat at one end of the table. What they were waiting for was unknown, until the door slid open and Captain Janeway walked in, followed closely by the doctor. She eased herself wearily into her chair. Her features betrayed a sense of concern and frustration that matched the doctor's. Harry felt the urge to gulp. Janeway cleared her throat, betraying her discomfort at the discussion was about to ensue. "Gentlemen," she began, "this is to be considered a private medical conference, subject to all Starfleet and Federation rules of privacy. Is that understood?" Her tone was far more serious than any they'd heard from her in a long time. Harry glanced at Tuvok; this time, he did gulp. Starting a meeting with a medical privacy warning meant something was far from normal. With a start, Harry looked up, his mouth dropping open. He _knew_ what they were going to talk about. "Uh, ma'am?" he started to say, his voice trembling. "Not now, Mister Kim," the captain said firmly. "You'll get a turn to speak and ask questions in a bit." She glanced at the officers. "The subject of this meeting affects the operation of this starship. As a direct consequence, I have asked Commander Chakotay to participate. Remember that he is under the same obligations of privacy as the doctor and myself." She turned her chair, pivoting it away from the table so she was facing the display board on one end of the room. "Doctor?" The doctor nodded. "Thank you." He looked at Harry, then at Chris Sanders, then at Tuvok. "Each of you has been under my medical care for the past few months, each suffering from various ... anomalous conditions." He picked up a remote control. A man's chest was displayed on the screen. "As you can see in this image, this patient's chest is showing some abnormal tissue enlargement." He pressed a button, and the image changed. It was the same chest, but the enlargement was more pronounced. "This is the same patient, taken three weeks later. My initial diagnosis is that the patient is suffering from a condition called extreme bilateral gynecomastia, or an abnormal enlargement of the breasts. Typically, this happens in males for a variety of reasons." Harry Kim was blushing beet red. Only when he stole a glance across the table did he notice that Chris Sanders was _also_ blushing. His eyes widened. Did that mean that Chris had the same thing? "The initial diagnosis was in error, and efforts to stabilize the patient's hormone balance to eliminate further growth were counterproductive." The doctor pressed the remote once more. The image showed the chest with even larger breasts, now distinctly female and capped with large areolas. The doctor paused a moment to allow the others to digest the image, then he pressed the remote control again. This time, the image was from the internal scanner. "Item two. A patient complained of intestinal distress. Scans indicated an abnormal tissue growth, consistent with a tumor. Normal treatment for carcinomas produced no result. The tissue growth continued in a non- malignant, although highly accelerated, way. It was the rapid growth that led me to the erroneous conclusion that it was a tumor." The doctor pressed another button. Harry blushed again, and a glance confirmed that Chris and Chakotay were also embarrassed. "This patient complained about ... abnormalities in his scrotal area. As you can see, the testicles are nearly absent, having been absorbed. Likewise, the patient's penis is nearly absent, and beneath the remains of the penis, this abnormal structure is present." The captain sat upright. "Doctor, can you go back to the internal image?" The doctor nodded, and the display changed. "If I remember my biology, that tissue growth looks like ..." The doctor nodded, his lips pursed grimly together. "Very good, Captain. The tissue growth is precisely what it appears to be." He took a pointer. "This area is developing into ovaries. Here are the fallopian tubes, and the uterus. Beneath it, the cervix and the developing vagina." Harry's mouth hung open, as did Chris Sanders'. Chakotay was similarly astonished. Only Tuvok displayed no emotion - but that was not unusual for a Vulcan. The Captain's mouth dropped open. "You're saying that ... that your patients are ... changing into ..." The doctor nodded. "The patients are all changing into females." He clicked the display. "In the genital region of Patient A, you can see that the structure forming beneath the remains of the testicles and scrotum are labia major and minor. The patient is developing the external female sexual structures to match the internal organs." Harry was the first to regain any speech. "I'm turning into a woman?" he stammered. "That's ... that's not possible!" He glanced across the table, to Chris Sanders, and he saw that Chris was nearly in tears. "All of us?" The doctor nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so," he confirmed. "How?" The doctor shook his head. "I don't know. It's ... almost like a metamorphosis. It _is_ a metamorphosis. The physical changes involve the entire body - the musculature, some of the skeletal structure, the internal organs. Even the rate of hair growth has accelerated. Your bodies are completely changing, altering to be totally female. If you hadn't already noticed, your voices have changed slightly." "I wasn't imagining it," Chris muttered to himself. "It's really happening." "Since we have not been confined to a quarantined area, and we are the only patients who are experiencing these symptoms, the logical conclusion is that the cause is not transmissible." Tuvok's voice _was_ a bit softer. That part wasn't Harry's imagination. The doctor nodded. "Correct." "So ... what is it?" Harry stammered. Given that he wasn't the only affected crewmember, he'd lost some of his shyness. The doctor clicked the remote again. "I don't know. I need to do more tests." Chakotay spoke up for the first time. "All things considered, Captain, I would suggest that Tuvok, Ensign Kim, and Ensign Sanders be temporarily relieved of duty. Their condition could cause some personal embarrassment, and the fact that we don't know the cause could be very disruptive to the crew's morale and efficiency." Janeway nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking." She glanced at her three changing officers. "Until we know more, I would like you three to move into guest quarters adjacent to sick bay." Harry sighed with relief. That would minimize his contact with other crewmembers - and his humiliation. ********** Harry sat on the edge of the table, slumping forward slightly. It only partially hid the curves of his new boobs, bared as they were since he wore no shirt. He sighed. "Still nothing?" he asked as Seven repeated a scan on him. "You might be more comfortable if you wear a brassiere," Seven suggested. "Your body has not had time to adjust to the extra mass of breasts, and the support of an undergarment should provide some relief." Harry glared at her. "No thanks. I'm not ready to start wearing a bra," he said icily. "It was only a suggestion to improve your comfort. Ensign Sanders found the support quite beneficial." Harry crossed his arms defiantly, and winced at his mistake. His arms pushed his breasts up and out, emphasizing the curves. He dropped his arms in disgust. "I'm not wearing a bra." The doctor walked to the examining table, carrying his datapad. "It's time for another visual examination," he said easily. Despite the mystery of the changes, and their effects on his patients' psyche, the doctor seemed almost intrigued, even delighted, by the chance to study these changes. "Now?" Harry grunted in disbelief, w