The BLTS Archive - Baubles, Batleths, and Beads
by Agincourt (agincourte@geocities.com)

---

Uploaded to MIT on 3/16/98

Date: Thu, 05 Feb 1998 23:19:59

Note: Yes, upon checking my trusty TNG compendium I have learned
that the correct spelling for the Klingon blade is "bat'telh" ...
being a stickler for spelling, that bothered me until I
remembered that Mongol names ( Mongols of the Khans' times, who
were very similar to Klingons; Extremely warlike but with a well
developed sense of fairness and justice ) can be spelled umpteen
different ways depending on whom one talks to, so now I'm just
going to spell it the way everyone on the show pronounces it. So
there.

Criticism and comment are welcomed absolutely. And by the way,
Leah is the bauble, Dax is the beads ( gee whiz, i wonder why )
and Worf, well if you can't figure that one out ...

---

"Men do not roar; women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects and
claw at you. "

 - Worf, talking about Klingon sex to Wesley in TNG
episode entitled " The Dauphin "

---

The Defiant turned gracefully and increased speed as it passed
between the pylons. Kira wished she wouldn't do that, but Dax
never did think much of regulations that didn't make any sense
where she was concerned. She was far too good a pilot to hit
anything, at least unintentionally. "Set course 301.4 mark 79.8.
Warp three." Worf's basso profuno voice erupted over the bridge
chatter.

"Warp three, aye Commander. " Dax replied, and deftly maneuvered
the warship to the designated heading, by hand, Worf noticed ...
and the ship jumped into Warp.

"ETA at the rendezvous point? " He asked.

Kira, from ops, answered. " Two hours, seventeen minutes. The
Intrepid will be there an hour later ... Sisko said as we were
leaving that they'd been held up completing their tests. "

"Wonderful. " Worf complained.

"Should we reduce speed to arrive at the same time? " Dax turned
to look at Worf.

"No. We will use the time to conduct battle drills. "

"Of course we will. " O'Brien muttered to no-one in particular.

"Chief? " Worf turned in his chair.

"I was just hoping we'd have some time to relax ... I just got
off a major refit of upper pylon three ... "

"I see. " Worf raised an eyebrow. " Perhaps it would be better
to run the drills after the propulsion modifications have been
tested. " He looked at Dax ... who realized that Worf probably
wanted some ... relaxation ... as well.

"That would probably be advisable. The changes in the power
settings will probably effect weapons systems as well as the
engines. " She said, trying to keep a straight face.

Worf got that mischievous look ... " Agreed. "

He was so obvious, sometimes. She considered recommending
increasing speed to warp six, just so they'd have more time. They
still hadn't had a chance to be together since her return from
the Delta quadrant. And ... surprising as it way seem sometimes,
she missed him. The contrast between sex with women and men,
Klingon men especially, was pronounced ( usually ). Having the
one just made her want the other even more. It was fun, having
this attractive, young, very female body ... after so long in an
old male one. Jadzia smiled as the symbiont asserted itself in
her thoughts.

"I, for one, " Julian interjected " am starving. The replicators
in sickbay are down again, and i never did get over to Quarks to
eat before we left. "

"Sorry about that, Doctor, but first things first, you know? "
O'Brien commented. " With all the traffic we've had lately, we
need all the docking ports functioning. "

"Of course, Miles, I wasn't implying anything. " Julian said. "
I just have a craving for a nice juicy steak ... "

"One day, Julian, Worf and I will have to get you into the
Klingon restaurant ... and get you to try gagh. "

Julian scowled. " There's no way I'm eating something that's ...
still alive! " he responded forcefully. " No offense, Worf. "

"None taken, Doctor. Gagh is ... " the Klingon said with a
straight face " not for the timid. "

" I should say so " The Doctor said, and turned back to the
computer station to study his medical files.

When they had reached the rendezvous, They made a long range scan
for Dominion vessels, and finding none, Worf called for the
second shift to come on. That gave them some time ... except, of
course, for Kira, who took the conn.

As they entered the turbolift, Dax could almost feel Worf's
desire. She chose to ignore it, as Julian stood between them,
chattering on about something or other he had done ...
brilliantly, of course. Worf momentarily considered killing the
doctor, stopping the turbolift, and taking Jadzia then and there,
while Bashir's twisted corpse bled out. It was a relatively
common impulse, and one he had learned to control if only from
necessity ... and it was probably unwise in any event to kill the
only doctor on board. He smiled to himself at the thought.

The turbolift doors opened, and they exited. Julian was saying
something about catching a bite to eat, and Worf was attempting
to formulate a content-neutral excuse, but Dax answered for him.
"Julian, Worf and I are going to our quarters ... we'll see you
in a couple hours. " She said, tugging Worf by the arm. Julian's
expression showed befuddlement that was almost immediately
replaced by a wry grin. " Of course. " He called after them, " If
you need any bones or tendons regenerated, you know where to find
me. "

Dax turned to respond as the Doctor turned to head down the hall
the other way, but this time Worf clamped a hand over her mouth,
and pulled her along. He pushed her through the door to their
quarters so quickly that she thought for a moment they wouldn't
have time to open and she'd be injured, but Worf was a good judge
of such things, and she cleared the swishing door with inches to
spare.

When she had regained her balance, she turned, to see Worf, his
teeth bared, his eyes fully alert. She walked slowly to him,
pulling her uniform jacket off, to reveal the white cotton halter
she wore underneath ... she preferred it to the standard issue
Federation tee, because it showed her midriff to advantage. Such
vanity, she thought, as Worf grabbed her by one wrist and pulled
her palm up to his face. He sniffed at it, the wiry hairs of his
beard tickling at her wrist. The teeth bared more, and she braced
herself for what she knew was coming next.

Worf picked her up effortlessly, with one arm, and she could hear
a guttural growl in his throat. He tossed her, again as
effortlessly, across the room, to bounce on the soft couch. She
was thankful that even when he was fully in the throes of lust,
he remembered that she was not a Klingon woman. A Klingon woman
he would have thrown at the table. She crouched on all fours on
the couch and let out a blood curdling screech, as her hand found
... a large vase that sat on the aforementioned table. She yelled
an obscene phrase in Klingonese, and threw it as hard as she
could, right at Worf's head.

He made no move to avoid it, save to close his eyes, and it
struck his on the ridges of his forehead. As a small trickle of
blood developed there, his lips parted again, and Jadzia could
see his tongue moving over his fangs.

She was still searching for something else to throw at him when
she felt one of his hands in her hair. It clamped on a healthy
portion, and held it tight, moving her head up to face his. His
grip was just strong enough that she knew it would hurt if she
tried to move it, but that was alright. She could still use her
hands. Dax reached out and viciously raked her nails across his
chest. The fabric of his uniform did not rip, although she knew
when he removed it there would be welts there. She tried to do
the same with the other hand, but he twisted his hand, the one
that gripped her hair, in such a way as that her body was forced
to turn away from him, so that he was behind her. He pushed her
head down, and she was bent over the couch, her arms gripping the
back of it. She roared this time, kicking back against Worf's'
strong legs with her own, knowing that he couldn't now feel the
pain, and that when, later, he did, he would relish the memory of
where it had come from. She felt his hand in the waistband of her
uniform trousers. It was surprisingly adept, for a hand so
strong, at the dexterity required for unfastening the clasps
there. They had agreed long ago that ripping their clothes with
impunity might cause someone to notice how often they would have
to replicate new ones ... and it might be embarrassing.

Jadzia almost didn't feel the trousers as they were pulled
swiftly down around her ankles, although she could definitely
feel the resulting jiggle in her buttocks stop when Worf's turgid
manhood, straining under his uniform, was pressed against them.
She wore nothing in the way of underclothes, apart from the
halter, so, as Worf released her for the few seconds it took him
to remove his own clothing, she reached down and moved the tips
of three fingers, which she had quickly licked, over the opening
of her vagina, and her clit. She was not surprised to find that
it was unnecessary. I was probably already wet in the turbolift,
Dax thought, and he could probably already smell me. That's
probably why he was smiling.

Worf's' right hand again fastened itself in Jadzia's' hair, and she
emitted a low growl as she felt the other move around her waist
to run along the entrance to her canal. She heard, but did not
see, as he took those fingers to his nose, and sniffed them as he
had her palm. She would have liked to see that, and the
expression that usually followed, but it would have hurt to try
to move her head. She would occasionally tease him about the few
odd strands of hair he would sometimes end up holding when he
released her ... but she trusted him, and he knew that she did,
and he considered that an immense responsibility, one worthy of a
warrior ...

He entered Jadzia without further preamble, the long, hard shaft
burying itself completely inside her. She was used to the fact
that it grew slightly, still, when it was inside her, matching
itself to the capacity of her vagina. She pushed her ass back
against his hips, and tried to growl again, but all that escaped
her lips was a high, weak moan ... he was not disappointed. The
effort she made for him made him burn for her, and when she
reached her limits, he only burned more knowing that he had
brought her to them.

He moved slowly at first, leaning down to take her shoulder
between his teeth, and as his motions speeded, the teeth clamped
down harder. He had reached a medium pace when she felt his free
hand move around her side to reach underneath for her breasts. He
squeezed one and then the other through the soft cotton of the
halter, then pushed his hand under it to touch her bare skin, and
the calloused hand rubbed against her nipples.

Curzons' knowledge of Klingons came in handy at times like this,
as Jadzia cried out for him to fuck harder ... harder ... The
hand in her hair released and joined the other on her shoulders,
pulling her back against him furiously. She released the back of
the couch long enough to clutch her breasts, pulling at them as
his hips collided noisily with the back of her thighs. She could
feel his rhythm begin to become less controlled, and knew that he
was very close. When the war cry erupted from him, and his grip
on her weakened, she knew he was there.

That she was not did not matter now; she knew that she would have
her chance. Worf never denied her that. Jadzia pulled forward and
twisted from his grasp, flipping herself on the couch just as the
first spurt of semen was launched from Worf's throbbing penis. It
struck her on her breasts, almost hard enough to sting, as she
leaned forward and took his member between her lips. The next
spasm sent a stream over her tongue, striking the back of her
throat. She began to suck, moving her tongue along the bottom of
his shaft as he wailed. She saw his knees tremble as she moved
her lips along the length of him, and reached around his thighs,
steadying him. Soon she felt his penis begin to grow limp, but did
not release it from her mouth. Instead she continued moving her
tongue around the tip of it, torturing the Klingon into further
uncontrollable spasms, and his knees finally gave out.

Worf collapsed heavily on the floor before her, and, after
finally pulling the halter off so that she was naked, Jadzia lay
atop him, legs on either side of his. She purred softly in his
ear, and ran her long fingers through his hair, and he tilted his
head back, and began to laugh a warrior's laugh.

Jadzia laughed with him, and they rested. When they stirred
again, she now took control, still astride him, on the carpeted
deck. She guided him back inside her, and pushed herself down
onto him with one graceful motion. Dax ran one hand through her
hair to remove it from her face as she leaned down to meet his
mouth with hers.

I enjoy this almost as much, Worf thought, as he watched her move
up and down above him. Troi had taught him the control necessary
to mate in this fashion, allowing the woman to guide all his
movements. Sometimes he would move not at all, simply enjoy the
feeling of Dax moving on him. This gave her, Troi had taught him,
the ability to move in such a way as to maximize her own
pleasure. It was ... what was the phrase Deanna had used ...
'enlightened self-interest'; because his mate would enjoy the
experience more, she would do more to please him. Deanna would
not have survived doing some of the things Jadzia did for the
sole purpose of pleasing him.

When he and Troi had spoken over subspace on his return to the
station after the encounter with the Borg, Jadzia had gotten on
the channel from the other room, and thanked Deanna for training
Worf so well. Embarrassed, he had closed his commlink, so he had
not heard Jadzia offer to thank Deanna thoroughly in a more
personal way if they ever met. When Jadzia had told him that she
had done so, he considered calling Deanna and explaining that his
wife had been teasing, though he knew she was not. I imagine, he
thought, as his wife moaned atop him, if it ever happens they
will at least allow me to watch.

Worf was still imagining what that would be like when Jadzia
came, and, after her breathing into his ear had returned to
normal, he picked her up gingerly and carefully, and carried her
into the shower. The Intrepid would be here soon, and they would
have to be presentable to receive their guest and her equipment.

---

The Defiant sat, cloaked, near the edge of the badlands. The
night watch, now on duty, had identified the ship now approaching
as the Intrepid, the class ship from which Voyager was patterned.
Dax had never been on one of the new Intrepid class ships until
her short stay on Voyager, and even then, didn't get to see much
of it. She had no plans to visit this one. One stressful exercise
at a time.

Worf had left their quarters to return to the bridge, as Jadzia
took her time reassembling her uniform, and replicating something
to eat, as she knew they would be busy for hours after the
propulsion specialist came aboard. These types of things were
always a big headache for everyone, she thought. Usually they
ended up a constant battle between the chief engineer of the
particular vessel and the consultant. We'll have to tell O'Brien
to behave himself .. but on the other hand, as an enlisted man,
the officers might have to protect him from being unduly
pressured by the StarFleet bigwig. " O'Brien doesn't need anyone
to protect him ... " she said aloud, to none in particular, as
she brushed her hair with the large latinum-coated brush that had
been a present from Quark in one of his phases. After she had dug
out the tiny holorecorder from the handle, and given him a hard
time for his prurient ways, she had kept the brush. It was a very
nice brush. She was still young and female enough to appreciate
something like that. Men, on the other hand, collected baseball
cards or some other type of entirely useless artifact... even
Sisko did.

"Dax to the Bridge. " Kira's voice interrupted her daydreaming.

"On my way, Nerys. " Nerys had been very cool and collected
about their recent 'adventure' in her quarters. She still hadn't
returned the Risan device, which Dax had let her borrow
afterwards. Well, Jadzia thought as she exited her quarters and
headed for the bridge, eventually the power pack will run out and
she'll HAVE to give it back...

The doors to the bridge hissed open, and the image of the
Intrepid filled the viewscreen. " They're hailing us. Asking if
we're here yet. " Kira reported, and Worf snorted.

"Let's give them their answer. Disengage cloak. " He said. He
gave Dax a very proper nod as she took her station. Wonders never
cease, she thought. An hour ago, in the shower, he had been a
barely controllable animal. Now he was the consummate officer.

From the Intrepid's viewpoint, the Defiant seemed to shimmer into
existence from nothing. Her Captain would have been startled if
she hadn't expected it.

"Open a channel. " Worf said, still expressionless.

"Commander Worf, USS Defiant. Captain Shelby, my compliments. We
stand ready to receive your passenger. "

"Good to see you again, Commander Worf ... Doctor Brahms is
standing by in the transporter room. " Shelby stood in the center
of her bridge, arms behind her back, that same cocky look on her
face that Worf remembered from the episode with the Borg. If she
had behaved in that insubordinate matter on a ship under my
command, Worf thought, I would have gladly given her to the Borg
to assimilate.

"Very well. Defiant out. " the viewscreen changed back to the
image of the Intrepid hanging motionless in space. " Major, beam
Doctor Brahms aboard. Chief, Dax, you are with me. " Worf rose
from his Captains' chair and strode purposefully towards the
door. Dax and O'Brien had to jump up to follow him, and as Nerys
completed the transport, the Intrepid stirred from it's momentary
rest, turning away from the Defiant and going almost immediately
to warp.

"Not wasting any time, is she? " Kira remarked in Julian's
general direction. She knew from O'Brien that there was no love
lost between the Captain of the Intrepid and the former members
of the Enterprise's crew. On the other hand, maybe she just has
orders to be somewhere in a hurry.

The Doctor looked up from his medical journal long enough to
look at her quizzically and say, " what? "

---

When the Defiant's officers entered the transporter room, Brahms
was in the process of running a tricorder scan of the dilithium
chamber replacement she had brought with her to test on their
ship. The scientist was wearing a black sweater, the descending
cables on the front framing her bosom, and a pair of black
StarFleet-type trousers

"I'll be with you in just a moment, Comman... " She glanced up
"Commander Worf! this is a surprise. And you're ... also from
the Enterprise, aren't you?" she reached a hand out to the Chief.

"Miles O'Brien " He said, taking he hand and shaking it warmly.

"Allow me to introduce Lieutenant Commander Dax. She and the
Chief will be assisting you in the modifications and testing. "
Worf interjected.

The human woman smiled as she took the tall, willowy Trills' hand
in her own. " Very pleased to meet you ... " she turned back
towards Worf. " I was very sorry to hear of the loss of the
Enterprise. I'm glad that the casualties were light, considering
the fact that the saucer section impacted on the surface. " She
felt a moment of pride. It had been a sturdy ship, and well
designed. I had a hand in that, Leah thought to herself. And if
that crew had been lost, the Borg might have succeeded in their
plans for Earth ... one good ship was sometimes the difference
between survival and extinction for an entire race. That made
what she did important.

Dax, as she half-listened to Worf and O'Brien discuss with their
guest the trials and tribulations of the Enterprise, noted that
this scientist was unlike most of the shipbuilders she had known.
A former host's time as a test pilot had exposed the Dax symbiont
to many such people ... and they were notorious for burying
themselves in technical manuals and specifications and theory and
ignoring the real world they hoped to influence with their works.
Perhaps this time it would be possible to accomplish their task
without the usual wrangling.

"Doctor Brahms, I can show you to your quarters so you can get
settled ... " Dax began.

"Thank you, no " The warp specialist interrupted " I'd rather
get right to it ... if that's convenient, of course. "

This was going to be easy, O'Brien thought " Absolutely! This way
Doctor ..."  O'Brien led the Doctor to the door and started for
engineering, as Worf turned to Dax.

"I will be on the bridge if anything is needed. "

The presence of the transporter tech forced him to retain the
detachment of a senior officer. There always seemed to be some
ensign or enlisted hanging around when you wanted to tease the
Captain. A shame, Dax thought. " I'll be in engineering ...
somebody's got to keep those two from causing a core breach. "
she winked at him nonchalantly as they exited into the corridor.

Worf, as he made his way to the bridge to sit idly for what would
seem like hours, allowed himself a smile, thinking about the
playful Trill and the 'core breaches' they had caused together.
It wasn't fair, somehow, that he had this marvelous .... 'little
ship' as Riker had said (taking his life in his hands), a mate
worthy of a warrior, as Jadzia surely was, and yet had no one to
fight. Perhaps after completing the modifications he would take
the Defiant to the  border and send insults into Cardassia over
subspace, just to see if any Jem Haddar would take up the
challenge. His smile widened as he entered the turbolift. As he
reached the bridge, he decided that no, that would be an
indulgence.

---

"The component I have here " she opened the shielded container
and O'Brian and Dax glanced in at the small cube inside " will
allow the crystals in the chamber to process the energy more
efficiently ... By refocusing the band at a higher rate. We call
it Iota-matrix compositing. "

"And it'll be installed ... " O'Brian queried.

"...just before the chamber in the loop. The receiver ... " She
pulled out a small ring shaped object " will go on the other end
of the chamber. After It's installed, you should see a ten to
twelve percent rise in available power to all systems. Twelve is
the best figure we could get on the Intrepid ... but since many
of your systems are different from theirs, it could be... "

Dax interrupted this time " Less? "

"More, also. There's no telling until we get it calibrated. "
Brahms gave Dax a shrug, and a smile.

She's charming as well, thought Dax. The last time the Trill had
had to deal with a StarFleet design specialist, he'd been an
overbearing Tellerite named Gov. Fortunately at the time he had
outranked him.

"Are we ready to start? " O'Brien posed to Dax. He was already
examining the compositor, eager to get to work. Dax and Brahms
traded a knowing look.

Jadzia tapped her communicator " Dax to Worf. We're ready to take
the Warp engines offline. "

The answer came immediately. " Understood. I will notify you if
there is need to get it back online quickly. "

"Doctor Brahms here, Commander. Installation should only take an
hour or so. Calibrating it will take longer, but the chamber will
be online for that ... "

"Understood, Bridge out. "

They quickly disengaged the dilithium chamber, which slid
effortlessly out from the core to allow inspection. rolling up
their sleeves, they quickly got to work installing the
components. As they worked, they talked about topics as urbane as
warp theory, anti-time, and the effects of super-string clusters
on static warp fields, as well as more ordinary topics like the
quality of food from Cardassian-built replicators. Dax actually
got a gleeful laugh from the human theoretician after relating
one of several stories about Quark and his less than above board
holodeck practices. Jadzia noted that her face would turn
slightly pink when she laughed. One could tell a lot about a
person from their sense of humor; That was one of the reasons Dax
cultivated hers so.

"Why does Captain Sisko let him stay on the station if he does
all these things? " Leah said, fastening a clamp into place.

"Oh, " Jadzia smiled, " Quark can be useful now and again, and
his brother is a very good engineer. "

"That's the truth. Not exactly StarFleet regulation, but he's
good. " O'Brien observed, as he finished tightening the last
leads into place. The first part of their task was done.

Miles wiped his forehead with his sleeve, and then almost
immediately yawned.

"Chief, if you want to knock off, we can take care of the
calibrating ... we're not going to test until tomorrow, anyway.
It's already eighteen hundred hours. " Jadzia pointed out as she
pushed the button to slide the chamber back into place.

"I'd appreciate that ... as long as it's alright with the
Doctor. " O'Brien said as he gathered up the tools they had used.

"Not at all, Chief, go on, this is really a job for two anyway.
We can handle it. "

"Don't have to tell me twice, " the engineer said with a grin, "
There's a synthale and a mutton chop waiting for me somewhere in
the replicators ... "

After he had gone, Leah ran a diagnostic on the modified chamber
to make sure the installation had been successful. If we have to
do it over, she thought, I'll scream. " It's checking out o.k.,
Lieutenant Comm.. "

"Dr. Brahms, Lieutenant Commander Dax is quite a mouthful, just
call me Jadzia. If we keep taking the time to use our full
titles, we'll be here all night. "

"Wouldn't be the first time I've pulled an all-nighter in an
engine room, but, alright: on one condition. " Leah smiled.

"Shoot. "

"Call me Leah. "

"You've got it. " Dax said " We're ready to start the
calibration subroutines. Do we enter the parameters manually, or
... "

"Nope, It'll do that for us ... the subroutine can download
system specs from the main computer and write it's own
parameters. The algorithms took years to develop, but they work
well... at least one to two percent of the power gain we get from
this process " she said " is because the calibrating subroutine
is better at figuring out what these systems can handle than the
people who built them. "

"Like you? " Dax said, wondering if it was alright yet to tease
her new acquaintance. It's hard to tell sometimes, Dax observed,
when people are good natured.

Brahms only laughed. " Well, " she lowered her head in mock shame
"...yes, but on the other hand, I wrote most of the subroutines. So
I've got job security either way. "

It took the two experienced women less time than Leah had
expected to finish calibrating the engines. This in spite of the
fact that Leah had allowed her mind to wander somewhat during the
more tedious portions of the task. She even caught herself
thinking about her ex-husband. I can be forgiven that after being
married that long, she thought. It didn't help that he kept
sending her pathetic messages over subspace, begging her to
return. That they had never had children had seemed like a curse
at the time, but now? Now, with them apart and with no hope of
reuniting, it was a blessing. All this idle thinking, and yet
they had efficiently completed the job. This statuesque Trill is
an accomplished scientist, and very good with her hands, Brahms
admitted. Worf is very lucky to have her around. And there was
another reason he was lucky, she could tell... nothing obvious,
of course. The way they had paused together before Jadzia had
caught up with her and O'Brien in the corridor. The way the
Klingon was a little TOO formal with her. I wonder just how good
she is with her hands ... She blushed as she thought that, as it
was something she hadn't even considered since college. But that
was the way things were, wasn't it? She had devoted everything to
her job, and her ex-husband, and to learning and sometimes
devising the theories that kept ships like this one up to par.
But sooner or later, she'd have to start the other side of her
life again.

I'm not, however, she thought, going to be able to compete with a
Klingon ... he's probably huge. She blushed again, both because
of her base imagination, but because of the stereotype. I'm old
enough to know better than that. Stereotypes about aliens almost
always turned out to be exaggerations ... or patently untrue, and
anyone well educated enough to be in her position should know
that.

Jadzia, meanwhile, was alternating between watching the final
diagnostic of the newly calibrated dilithium chamber take it's
course, and wondering what was making the woman blush so much.
O'Brien? No, she would have blushed while he was here, and
anyway, Leah had said that it was LaForge who had a thing for
her. Maybe now that the scientist was divorced, she could...

"Is it ... ah, done? yes... okay. " Leah, trying to cover her
distraction, examined the data over Dax's shoulder. Jadzia
started to move sideways to give the human a better look at the
screen.

"No, you're alright, " Leah caught the Trill's arm in her hand.
"I need you here to run the system-wide diagnostic. Then we're
done " she said " for today, at least. "

Jadzia saw that she was almost disappointed by that. " Running
diagnostic now ... " as the computer began working. " Would you
like to get something to eat after we're done? I don't have to
pull second shift ... or I could give you a tour... " that was
silly. The woman had been on hundreds of starships, probably even
helped design this one, she wouldn't want to ...

"I'd love a tour, Jadzia. I've seen the specs, of course " Leah
didn't say that she had written most of them " but it's not the
same as walking the deckplates. " she could feel herself blushing
again, and hoped the lovely Trill wouldn't notice it.

"Alright then ... " Jadzia looked at the readout " Diagnostics
are complete, everything checks out. We should be able to run the
warp tests in the morning. "

"Great. " Leah gathered up the containers that had held the
modules, and set them out of the way.

"Dax to bridge. "

"Worf here. " that the tiny communicator was able to duplicate
the low rumble of the Klingon's voice always amazed her. It was a
sound she loved to hear.

"We're finished for now. Diagnostics are complete, and the
engines are online. If it's alright, I was going to take Doctor
Brahms on a tour, unless you have questions for her ... "

"Do you understand the modifications and the tests that we will
perform? " Worf inquired.

"Yes ... "

"Then that will be sufficient. What it is necessary for me to
know the Doctor can explain to me when we begin the tests. I will
be on the bridge till oh two hundred hours. " Worf said,
obviously not wanting to concern himself with such pedantic
subjects as engine specifications. " Worf out. "

"Don't take him the wrong way. " Jadzia explained, with a wry
smile. " He's feeling very ... Klingon about now. "

Leah didn't quite understand what that meant, but decided it
might not be proper to ask.  " So where do we start our tour? "

"Why don't I show you your quarters to begin with, you can
freshen up, and then we'll figure out what to do from there. "

"Sounds good ... I'd like to change, anyway. I've been wearing
this outfit since I got on the Intrepid thirty-six hours ago. "

"For goodness sake! Haven't you slept? " Jadzia's voice showed
true concern, Leah noted. Yet another attractive trait ... most
people would have responded to that with disdain. As if she
smelled bad or something. She smiled.

"No, no, I caught some sleep while they were trying to figure
out whether I'd ruined their ship. " Leah chuckled. " I was going
to get a shower and change, but Captain Shelby seemed to be in an
awful big hurry to get somewhere or other. "

"Well, then, " Dax said, leading the scientist by the had
towards the doors, " That's our first order of business. Then
something to eat?"

"Sounds wonderful. " Leah would normally be uncomfortable at
having someone she had just met touching her, but this woman
was... disarming. It was as if Leah had known her for a long
time. Maybe it was the Trills' greater experience dealing with
new people that put her at ease. I wonder how many hosts she's
had ... or, rather, the symbiont ...

"Deck three. " They were in the turbolift, and the Trill was
asking her about something ...

"I'm sorry? "

"I said you seem distracted by something. " Jadzia repeated, and
watched the scientist lean against the bulkhead.

"Well, I've been either out on ships or on starbases for a
couple months straight now, and ... sometimes I just wonder what
I'm missing. "

Jadzia smiled sweetly " you mean like the sand between your toes,
the wind in your hair, things like that? or " she decided to go
ahead and say it " more personal things? "

Leah laughed out loud in surprise. The StarFleet officer was very
observant, she thought. She probably saw me blushing, too. Leah
suddenly wanted to curl up and die of embarrassment " Well, yes,
to be honest. Really, all those things.

"Feeling the sand between you toes WITH someone, in other words.
"Jadzia observed, as the turbolift doors opened, and they were
deposited near the guest quarters.

"Something like that " Brahms said.

"Is there someone in particular that you'd like to share that
with? Didn't the Chief say something about .. "

"Geordi? well ... " Leah ruminated on that as they walked down
the corridor " Sure. But God help me if I end up with an
engineer. " The two women both laughed at that.

---

"Here we are. " Jadzia triggered the door, and they entered the
cabin, as the lights came on automatically.

"Not very spacious, is it? " Leah asked. These were small
compared to most Starfleet...

"You should see the crew quarters. Fitting two people in there
is ... well, they'd better be friendly. " Jadzia replied, with a
knowing look.

"Such as you and the Commander? " I can be observant too,
thought Leah. The grin she got in return answered the question
before the Trill's soothing voice did.

"Something like that. " the Trill stated coyly, moving to the
replicator. " Want something to drink? "

"Actually I'm going to go jump in the fresher. " Leah said,
noting that the travel case with her clothes already sat on the
bed.

"I'll come back when ... "

"Don't be silly, I'll only be a minute ... " Jadzia watched as
the woman picked the case off the bed and receded into the tiny
bathroom area. The Defiant's' had only the necessities ... a small
shower, a small basin, and the obligatory toilet. There was
barely room in there, the Trill thought, for the poor woman and
her clothes. How she's going to change without banging her elbows
on something I don't know.

She could hear the water running through the door, and allowed
her mind to wander ... she couldn't help picturing the attractive
scientist lathering her body, running her soapy hands through her
hair. It had taken the Dax symbiont awhile to get used to the sex
drive of a relatively young person again, even though Curzon had
been a goat himself. But that was different. Curzon, in his later
years, was a goat more because it was expected of him than
anything else. The fire had gone from his belly ( and lower, for
that matter ) Now, Curzon was dead, and she was Jadzia now, with
the body of a beautiful young woman, a woman with vast
opportunities as well as vast experience. I wonder if this one
has ever been with another female ... Jadzia doubted it somehow.
She seemed too pent-up, too denying of herself. Their lives are
too short for that kind of thing. I wonder if that's what she'd
been trying to say earlier.

The sound of the water ended, and only the soft and occasional
sounds of the more sedate activities of drying and dressing
replaced it. It could be that Leah has always wanted to, but
never got the chance ... But that's wishful thinking, the
experienced part of her knew. Examine the empirical data, Dax
thought. She's lonely. She works too much. She's recently
divorced. She blushes a lot around you. That last was the only
real indication of the possibility. Jadzia smiled to herself as
she heard the sound of a elbow bumping against the bulkhead,
followed by a subvocal "ow!"

Leah, meanwhile, besides rubbing the newly bruised elbow, was
almost in a panic about going back out into the cabin. The dress
she'd chosen suited her to advantage ... enough to be patently
obvious, in fact, which is why she had taken it back off twice
before screwing up the courage to fasten all the clasps. Going
through the door was another hurdle entirely. The last time I did
something like this I ended up with a hus... an EX-husband, she
corrected herself. And I've never even ... kissed a woman. Leah
sat down on the closed toilet, and put her head in her hands.
What if I'm completely off base? What if she's just trying to be
nice to me? What if she won't because she's with Worf? What if
she will, and then Worf breaks my neck? Leah smiled at the
absurdity. Hell, she'll probably use the story to turn Worf on.
She rose to look at herself in the mirror. It was the only large
thing in the cabin, a full length mirror inside the shower stall.
The air circulator had already cleared the steam from it, save
around the edges, which only made it look like frosting framing
her reflection. The dress was black, like her sweater, but thin
... the straps came down from her shoulders and widened into the
material of the dress. The bodice was cut lower than she was used
to, one of the reasons she felt embarrassed to be seen in it, and
the hem was cut higher. At least she still had her legs. The boys
in college, and a few of the girls, had looked at her legs, and
that had made her feel good, in a way, and uncomfortable in
another way. But now, as she slipped her toes into the shoes that
matched the shiny black fabric, she knew that she was trying to
be seen, and in a particular way. What the hell, she thought.
What's the worst that can happen? She laughs at me? In the back
of her mind, Leah knew the Trill wouldn't laugh at her. She
wasn't that kind of person.

The door opened, and Leah paused in the door, as Jadzia's head
turned. The Trill was reclining on the small cot, propped up on
her elbows, with a glass of something ... green in one hand. I
wonder what she was thinking about. " Like it? "

Jadzia looked the woman up and down, realizing that this had to
be exactly the empirical evidence she had been waiting for. "
Ahhh " Jadzia was embarrassed by the sound of her voice, and
cleared her throat. " It's ... very flattering. I should take you
on a tour of Paris in that dress, the Defiant just isn't gonna
cut it. " Jadzia caught herself staring at the scientists' legs,
and sat up, momentarily flustered.

"That sounds like ... fun. " Leah said, turning to get something
to drink from the replicator. Jadzia was treated to a complete
view of the dress, this time from the back. It's just as
flattering from behind, Jadzia thought. " Are you hungry? " the
scientist was asking

"Actually, now that you mention it, I am, kind of ... " Dax
answered as her eyes fixed on Leah's figure. The dress came down
to about three inches over her knees, and the woman's' smooth
white legs rubbed against each other underneath it.

"What would you like? " Leah turned to look over her shoulder,
and caught the expression on the Trill's face. she turned back to
order herself some Fungili, with the alternate purpose of
hiding the blush she could feel crossing her face.

"I'm supposed to be helping you get around remember? " The Trill
said, knowing she'd been caught in mid-ogle. She was only
assuaged by the fact that Leah must be as embarrassed at the
situation as she was. The tension would kill them both before the
scientist did anything about it. I'll have to make the first move
this time. Nerys had made it easy. My second ... conquest, she
smiled to herself as she rose from the cot, will require some
risk on my part.

As the fungili materialized in the replicator, Leah felt Jadzia's
hands move around her waist. She closed her eyes as they wrapped
around her midsection.

"This really is a very nice dress. " Jadzia said, her voice
trembling slightly. That hadn't happened in a long time. She
cleared her throat again. " Sorry about that ... I'm out of
practice.

Leah pushed another control on the replicator. The Fungili
disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and Leah turned
around, Jadzia's arms still around her waist. " Maybe ... we can
do something about that ... " the woman whispered, looking into
the Trill's eyes. She stepped closer to Jadzia, and felt her
hands move slightly down to rest on the upper curve of her
bottom.

Jadzia leaned in and touched Leah's' lips with her own, savoring
the sweet, soapy smell of her skin, and the taste ... cinnamon?
... of her lips. When their lips separated, Jadzia noticed that
Leah's' eyes had been open while they kissed.

"Sorry ... It's just that I've never ... done anything like this
before ... " Leah stammered, looking down in embarrassment.

" But you've wanted to? "

There was a pause, and Jadzia could feel Leah searching for words
..." If you don't want to talk about it ... "

"No, " Leah said quickly. " If I'm going to do it, I should be
able to talk about it, shouldn't I? "

"So ... you're going to do it? " Jadzia said, teasingly, and was
answered by another kiss, harder this time. She's decided, at
least, she thought, as their mouths slid over each other, and
Jadzia took Leah's' lush bottom lip between her own, applying
gently suction. Leah had closed her eyes, this time, and only
after Dax had released her bottom lip from the sucking did she
open them.

"I had to work so hard in college, I never had time to ...
explore who I was. Then one day I was married ... it was like it
just happened, like I had no control. " Leah felt Jadzia pulling
her towards the cot. " And then, StarFleet ... and ... " The
Trill, while listening, was also running her hands down her back,
and through her hair. She felt as if she was being touched
everywhere, all at once ... it was very erotic, and she was glad
when she was able to sit. " and then the marriage was over, and
all I had was my work. "

She concentrated for a moment, which took all her willpower, and
completed the thought. " And that isn't enough. " She leaned
forward, kissing Jadzia's lips, her cheeks, her neck, and ran her
hands down to the Trills' breasts. They looked into each other's
eyes, as she touched them, gingerly at first, and Jadzia's mouth
opened slightly.

"It's alright to do what you want ... " She said as
encouragement, and Leah took it to heart, squeezing them in her
hands, finding the nipples and rubbing them through the fabric of
the uniform. She felt Jadzia's hands on her shoulders, pushing
the straps of the little black dress own over her arms. Her long
fingers pulled it down, revealing Leah's' breasts. Leah,
remembering from the early days of her marriage what her husband
used to do to her, and how similar and yet how different this
was, raised her arms over her head, and Dax pulled the dress up
over the woman's' head. She laid the dress gingerly aside, and
turned back to enjoy the revealed treasures ... Leah, shivering,
not from the temperature, but from her new vulnerability, reached
out to pull Jadzia close to her. Leah now wore only a lacy pair
of panties, also black, cut high at the hips. Jadzia had always
thought that the right clothing was sexier than nakedness, and
the picture of the scientist wearing only the slight underthings
caused her heart to beat faster.

Their lips met again, and then their tongues, and little gasps
escaped through the kiss as Jadzia's hands found Leah's bare
breasts, drawing her palms softly across Leah's nipples, barely
touching. The scientist grabbed Dax's hands and pushed them hard
against her body. Jadzia knew this to mean that the woman, though
inexperienced, knew what she wanted ... and pushed the woman down
onto the bed, crawling up to continue the deepening kiss as she
did so.

When their lips parted again, and Jadzia began to move her wet
mouth down Leah's' naked skin, her tongue tracing the curve of her
neck, drawing tiny circles around her nipples, which had popped
up to stand at attention when they had been exposed to the cool
air. As Daxs' right hand kneaded Leah's left breast, her teeth
fastened gently over the scientists' right nipple, her tongue
flicking at the tiny tip. The gasp that resulted prompted the
Trill to move her mouth down to Leah's' flat belly, her tongue
tickling the soft skin there, both hands now attending the creamy
mounds of flesh above. Jadzia could feel the sensation of two
heels pressing insistently against her back, and many years of
experience told her what that meant. She took the lacy top edge
of the panties between her teeth, and with one swift motion of
her head, pulled them down around Leah's ankles, which kicked
them unceremoniously off onto the floor.

Leah, eyes wide open, had been watching the beautiful woman's
progress exploring down her body, and now only had one
overpowering desire ... to feel the skilled touch of that tongue
and those lips applied lower still, to take that head in her
hands and push it into the raging fire between her legs. She
moaned as she saw and felt Jadzia's teasing kisses on her thighs,
from the muscled front to the soft, white inside. " Pleeease ...
" she whispered, barely able to keep her hands from insisting ...
and suddenly Jadzia was moving back up. " No ...!" she cried.

" I just want to kiss you again first. " Jadzia said, and her
face lowered onto the woman's'. Leah grabbed Jadzia's head and
ground their mouths together, more an assault than a kiss. Jadzia
gasped for breath when the kiss ended, and grinned " I think
you're ready. "

The Trill moved down again, her tongue tracing a line straight
down from Leah's mouth to her thighs. Leah watched as Jadzia
began licking her, slowly at first, and then with a purpose ...
and her eyes, against her will, shut themselves and remained so.
With each touch of that amazing tongue on her clit, she felt that
she would not be able to stand the next. Her heels dug harder
into Daxs' back, and her hands, knuckles white, clutched
powerfully the edges of the cot.

When she came, she didn't feel the back of her head colliding
with the bulkhead, tossed back and forth by the spasms that
wracked her body. Jadzia saw it, and wondered if Julian, who had
the cabin next door, had heard , and was even now formulating a
mental picture of it's cause. Perhaps just to embarrass her he'd
come to the door with a medical kit to ask if anyone was hurt. It
would be just like him.

Jadzia moved back up to put her arms around the woman, her head
resting against Leah's shoulder, and placed a soft kiss on her
still quivering neck. It was only then, as Dax looked down at
their intertwined bodies, that she noticed that she'd never taken
her own uniform off ... she was still fully clothed. She laughed
softly against Leah's ear, and kissed the earlobe.

Leah, before she moved to correct that oversight, knew that no
matter what the outcome of the tests tomorrow, this particular
refit assignment would be well worth the trip.

---

The End