The BLTS Archive- Designations by LesaL. (Azlisa001@aol.com) --- Thanks to Thomas Lee who beta read for me. The mistakes that remain are entirely my own. Disclaimer: Paramount owns them. I'm just playing with them. --- The messhall was half full; the crew that was present spoke in low tones. The Captain, Commander Tuvok and Lieutenant Torres were gone, assimilated. It was almost too much to comprehend. The eyes of people present repeatedly flickered back to the one member of the Senior Staff present. Harry Kim sat by himself, his filled dinner tray before him. He appeared to be calmly eating Neelix's nightly special while occasionally making notations in a PADD before him. Samantha Wildman stopped by his table. "Harry. Any news?" The Chief of Operations looked up, shaking his head at her question. His brown eyes were earnest as he answered, "No news yet Sam, but we expected that. Everything is going according to plan. Don't worry they'll be fine." The young mother smiled tremulously. Before she could begin her next sentence a familiar voice spoke up, "Ensign Kim, may I join you?" Harry smiled slightly at her. "Hi Seven. Sure you're welcome to sit down." "Thank you," she replied gravely, sliding into the seat across from him and beginning her meal. Sam also greeted the new arrival before turning her attention back to Harry. "How's Tom holding up?" "He's doing as well as can be expected. I'm going to give him a little space tonight. I'll drag him to breakfast with me in the morning." Harry thought for a moment. "Sam, um, I was going to show Naomi and the other kids how to run that "Clue" holoprogram tomorrow. It looks like I'm going to be busy, Chakotay needs me to take on some extra duties during the Captain's away mission." Seven glanced suspiciously at the young man before her. He glanced at her, then quickly looked back at Sam again before continuing, "I was thinking that before I run the program with the kids I might ask Tom to take a look at it, it's a new program and there might still be a few bugs in it." Naomi's mother nodded with understanding. "And maybe since you can't run it with them, he might as well go along for the ride since he'd already be there." "Hey, that's an idea," he nodded, his eyes crinkling with amusement. Sam smiled, then patted his hand and said in her soft voice, "You're a good friend Harry. I'll leave you two alone to eat in peace. It looks like you have a lot to work on." Seven watched her depart before stating, "According to Mezoti, you were looking forward to sharing the holoprogram with them." "I was," he admitted. "But it'll be good for Tom to do something. Help him take him mind off of B'Elanna and everything." His warm brown eyes were soft as he explained. "Sometimes it's easier to be with kids instead of grownups." She studied his expression before nodding once, "You are correct. Sometimes it is easier." Seven looked squarely into his eyes, "I was not aware that Commander Chakotay gave you more responsibilities during the Captain's absence." "He didn't," Harry said, watching several crewmembers approach Sam. "You lied," Seven stated. "Twice, since you also stated that they would be fine. We are not even sure of their location at this moment." Harry locked his eyes on hers, a slight smile still fixed on his face. "I said what I did to hopefully try to ease the crew's fear about what happened to the Captain, Tuvok and B'Elanna." "The crew have a right to be concerned," his companion stated. "There is a distinct possibility that they may not return." His expression hardened, a flash of obvious anger showed in his eye, but his voice was even as he replied, "What would happen if they knew that? Do you think that the crew could work 'efficiently' if they thought that there was a possibility that we just lost our Captain, Chief of Security and Chief of Engineering, our 'friends' to the Borg? No, there would be panic and confusion. Right now, we need calm. Chakotay asked me to do what I could to allay some of their fears." "I understand. You were not attempting to mislead, but simply trying to keep morale up." Her eyes moved over the crewmembers present. "Your actions appear to have succeeded." "Looks like," he agreed. "A little gossip spread in the right places can do wonders." He looked at the young woman in front of him. "How are you doing? And don't tell me you're functioning along normal parameters." Seven regarded the young man before her, strangely comforted by his obvious understanding of her character. "When I suggested we assist the drones of Unimatrix Zero, I never considered what it would entail." Harry placed his hand on her arm. "Seven, what happened was not your fault. You got the ball rolling. The Captain decided what our assistance would be." "But I-" she began. "Could do nothing," he cut her off. "Remember, the Captain said that it was 'her' decision to help those people. It was 'her' responsibility." Studying his expression, she asked, "Do you believe that we should have implemented her plan?" Harry removed his hand, picking up his fork before putting it down again. "I don't know," he admitted. "I think if we'd had more time, maybe we could have thought of something else to do. But we didn't. We had to move fast, we might never have had a second chance." He cleared his throat. "All we can do now is hope that it works out. That they're okay and that we can get them back. I don't want to think about what Voyager would be like if we don't." He fingered the PADD by his plate. "I'm finished. I ate enough to make it look like I'm okay. Things could get ugly if I try to force down any more." He rose, placing his utensils on the tray. "I am also finished with my meal," Seven announced, copying his actions. As they walked through the Messhall, Harry nodded at and greeted various crewmembers. Seven did not, but then she never did so everyone relaxed thinking it was business as usual aboard Voyager. In the corridor Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, we got through that, I'm going to go back to my quarters and. . ." "Ensign?" "And brood," he admitted. "Everything that can be done has been done. What about you? Do you need to round up the kids?" he asked as he pressed the call button for the turbolift "Round up?" Seven repeated. "No, the children are with Lieutenant Nicoletti and Crewman Larsen. They are instructing them and Naomi Wildman in the playing of parrises squares. I have almost sixty minutes before their lesson is finished." "That sounds like fun for them," Harry commented. "That remains to be seen," Seven countered with a slight smile. "Icheb feels that recreational activities are in inefficient use of time. I pointed out that it was important to keep the body as well as the mind working at optimum levels. The others were easier to convince." Harry smiled also. The doors opened to allow two crewmembers to exit. He glanced curiously at his companion as they entered the lift. "Ensign?" "I was wondering. . .never mind." "Finish your question," Seven stated. He swallowed before explaining, "I was wondering. I'd like to hear more about Unimatrix Zero. Maybe we could learn something else that might be helpful. Unless you don't feel like talking about it." Seven considered his words, "Perhaps it would be helpful to discuss it. We should speak privately. Crewman Celes is currently in Astrometrics. We could meet in Cargo Bay two or your quarters. Which do you prefer?" Harry appeared to consider her choices. "My quarters are closer." --- A few moments later Seven was seated on his couch. Harry handed her a jadeite cup without a handle, a twin to one he held in his hand. "Try this Seven. It's green tea. My mom always told me it was good for digestion and after everything that's happened, I'm going to need it." "I do not require liquids at this time," Seven stated. "Humor me," Harry replied with a grin, sitting down in the armchair across from her. Cupping the vessel in both hands, he sipped slowly at the hot beverage. Seven copied his actions. "It is not as pungent as the Vulcan tea that Commander Tuvok drinks." "No," Harry agreed. "But it can taste a little medicinal unless there's enough sugar in it." "It is acceptable." "Glad to hear it," he grinned. "Now tell me about Unimatrix Zero. What did this place look like?" Seven began to speak, haltingly at first, then with more self- assurance, telling him about the scenery, the view of the ocean, and the people there. She told him about the former drones, touching her brow self- consciously as she explained that they shed all vestiges of their Borg appearance. Harry smiled at the thought, imagining a fully human Seven. No, not Seven, it would be-- "Annika," she said unexpectedly. "Excuse me?" He sat up, startled at her seeming to read his thoughts. "In Unimatrix Zero I was called was Annika. Everyone was addressed by their former designation, name," she corrected herself. "Annika," Harry repeated softly. "It sounds like a lovely place. Tell me more about Axum." "Why?" she asked abruptly. "I'm interested. Unless you don't want to talk about him, I'd understand." Obviously uncomfortable, Seven explained, "When I told the Doctor about Axum earlier, he appeared distressed." Harry grimaced at her statement. "I'm not the Doctor and I am interested. This Axum seems to have spent a lot of time with you. I just wondered what he was like." "He was a member of species 4327," the former Drone replied succinctly. "They usually have well developed musculature. He did not appear to be a particularly superior member of his species." Chuckling slightly, Harry said, "Well, regardless of that, he seems to be a nice guy." Seven conceded that statement, "He did appear to be, as you say, 'a nice guy.' However, I still find the thought of our previous involvement to be unsettling." "Involvement," Harry repeated. With a soft smile he asked, "You mean in the Unimatrix, you and he were um, romantically involved." "Apparently so. He did appear to be familiar to me, however I do not recall our affiliation." A slight flush of embarrassment colored her cheeks. "You don't remember what happened?" Harry questioned her. "I can see how that would be a little unsettling." "According to his statement, we were together for six years while in Unimatrix Zero." Harry leaned back, "Wow," he breathed softly. "It looks like he would have been your, um, Annika's first love." "Love," Seven repeated. "That emotion was not mentioned." He took a sip of his tea before replying, "Maybe not, but I don't think that Annika would spend six years with a person she just liked." He smiled softly, "Your first love is special. It's nothing to be ashamed of." "I am not. . ." Seven began then faltered as she also sipped her beverage. Sitting up squarely she stated, "Ensign, tell me about your first relationship." Harry's eyes widened in surprise, "I. . .why?" She nodded, "I realize that I have never requested personal information from you. However, I believe that it may now assist me in understanding my. . .Annika's affiliation." Seven cocked her head slightly, "Are you are uncomfortable sharing personal information with me?" With a slight shrug of his shoulders he admitted, "I'm a little uncomfortable, but I don't mind." Taking a final drink from his cup he began, "Libby and I met during my first year at the Academy. She was an artist, a painter. We spent a little over three years together. We were barely twenty when we met, I guess you could say that we kind of grew up together." "Axum and I appear to have had a similar relationship," Seven observed. Harry smiled, "Yeah, that's what it sounds like. But even though we were still maturing, we both knew that we belonged together, that eventually we'd get married." "You loved her." With a shy nod, he said, "We loved each other." "You are still in love with her," Seven stated. "What? No!" Harry shook his head. "But you were in love with her," she persisted. "Yes, but... oh," he breathed, as he finally understood. He leaned forward, explaining carefully, "Seven, what Libby and I had was very special. She was the first woman I ever loved. I held onto what we had for several years after Voyager ended up in the Delta Quadrant. But eventually I knew I had to move on. I missed the feeling you have when you're in a relationship with someone." He smiled softly, "I remember Tom saying..." he paused, "Never mind." "Ensign, continue," Seven said with a hint of urgency, "please." Harry took a deep breath. Looking down at his now empty cup he said, "Tom told me once that my first relationship kind of spoiled me. It was so wonderful and it happened so easily that somewhere, deep down inside I just think that other relationships can be that simple too. He said that's why I tend to jump into them without thinking of the consequences." He raised his eyes to hers, "He told me that when he was beginning a relationship with B'Elanna. It was right around the time that you joined Voyager. I had told him that he was moving too slow, that if he cared for B'Elanna and she cared for him that there was nothing stopping him from just going for it." Seven's eyes were soft as she asked, "Do you believe what he said was correct?" "I don't know, maybe," he admitted. "But what I was trying to explain to you was that even though I don't have those feelings for Libby anymore, we still shared something wonderful. It sounds like you and Axum shared something special too. Not everyone is lucky enough to have that." Placing her own now empty cup on the table she looked into his eyes, "What do you believe would happen if you were to meet Libby again?" Harry considered the idea for a moment. "I'd like to think we could be friends. She's moved on. My parent's letter told me that. I wish only the best for her. She deserves to be happy. I hope that our relationship left her with as many good memories as I have." A gentle smile illuminated her features as she appeared to consider his words. Harry felt a pang of envy for Axum and his Annika. Seven's voice was soft. "Your ideas have merit. Thank you for sharing them with me. I had not considered my previous affiliation in that way." She stood up. "I should go. The children's instructions will end momentarily. I must speak with them before they regenerate. They are not yet aware of what has occurred." Harry jumped to his feet. "I didn't realize how late it was." He walked her to the door. "I'm glad you were here Seven. I probably would have just brooded about what was happening if we hadn't talked. I think I might actually be able to get a few hours sleep tonight." Seven paused in the open doorway. "We seem to have benefited each other. Ensign Wildman was correct this evening." Harry shook his head, "Sam? About what?" Her clear blue eyes looked into his. "You are a good friend." A warm smile lit his features. "Thanks Seven, that means a lot to me." "No, thank you," she said softly. "Good night, Harry." --- The End