The BLTS Archive-A Lesson in Humanity by monkee (wiecek@earthlink.net) --- For Tracy -- because she...insisted. --- I often have difficulty sleeping when I'm on these types of missions -- unfamiliar ships, odd smells, food that doesn't agree with me. Tonight it's even worse, because I can't get the gaharay Captain out of my head. Kathryn Janeway. I can't deny that she's gotten to me in a way that most of them don't. I don't know why, exactly. She's bold, intelligent, fearless and attractive, but I've encountered gaharay before with those qualities and not been drawn to them as I am to her. Maybe it's her intensity -- the way she watches my every move, the way she occasionally touches me, lightly, on the chest. I can see that she is a woman of great passion. Or perhaps there is something about her compassion that appeals to me. It will be her downfall, of course, but her belief in my redemption is touching, in a pathetic sort of way. I shift uncomfortably beneath the sheets - I am still not completely certain that I have her fooled yet. Perhaps I am misreading her. I was so sure that she would be in my bed tonight -- that I would have her even before I completed the mission. I think that she was tempted, but something held her back. Restless, I turn onto my side and prop myself up on my elbow to look out the viewport at the kolyan kolyar. Their beauty, as always, is almost harsh -- the colors, the liquid movement. I remember how she looked in the mess hall tonight, with the ambers and blues and golds reflecting off her hair. It was certainly more than the polarization axis of the windows. She is an exquisite, exciting woman. I reach down to stroke my stiffening member. This is likely the only way I'll be able to sleep tonight -- imagining what it will be like when the mission is completed and I have her brought before me. I will have her then, in my own quarters, on my own ship, beneath the infinite spirals. Out of the corner of my eye I see a flash of pure white, then someone is in the room with me. At first I feel anticipation and satisfaction, thinking that she has used the transporter to come to me. But it is not her. It is a man -- tall, with dark hair and a sturdy, proportionate build. He is not familiar to me, although he wears one of their uniforms. I'm out of bed in an instant, sizing him up, inwardly cursing Janeway for my lack of weapons and my vulnerability. "Good evening, Inspector," he says in a smooth, sarcastic voice. "I hope I'm not...interrupting anything..." He looks pointedly at my rapidly shrinking member. "Who are you?" I demand, hastily fastening my sleep pants. "And what do you want?" Now that I see him more clearly, I can tell that he has the insignia of a Captain on his collar. Odd. "I'm Q," he says, in a condescending tone of voice, as if I shouldn't have to ask. Ah. The 'Q'. I've heard rumors of them, of course. Immortal, omnipotent beings that live in another 'Continuum'. The Devore have never encountered them, although we've read about them in other species data bases, including Voyager's. Although pure telepathy does not seem to be one of their skills, I find the thought of omnipotence disquieting. I like to be in control, and I do not like surprises. I will not play games with this entity for his amusement. "What do you want?" I ask again, derisively, matching his tone. "Oh, you ARE an arrogant bastard, aren't you?" he observes, leaning against the bulkhead. "You know, you have no cause for such arrogance, Inspector. In the grand scheme of the universe, the Devore Imperium is just a speck of flotsam. It never amounts to anything, whereas the humans...let's just say you could learn a lot from them. And from many of the telepathic species that you've been so relentlessly hounding. " He's trying to goad me, but I refuse to rise to the bait. "I thought you were supposed to be all knowing and all-seeing," I say. "I have left the Imperium and I no longer 'hound' telepaths." "Oh please," he says sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Do you think I'd be taken in by that charming little story of yours about the little girl in the containment tank?" This gives me pause. Perhaps they are telepathic after all. And if he knows of my mission, perhaps he has come to expose me. "You seem inordinately fond of the Captain," I observe, trying to stay calm. "Have you come here to share your suspicions with her?" "Oh, they aren't suspicions, Inspector. I can see right through you, so let's just drop the pretense, shall we?" he says dismissively. "But I won't interfere. Kathy is quite capable of taking care of herself." Dropping the pretense seems the only plausible course of action at the moment. "Does she suspect?" I ask, bluntly. "Oh, how should I know?" he says, exasperated. "I don't concern myself with every little thing. Besides, this is not why I came here." "Why ARE you here?" I ask. He's infuriating. I wish he'd just get to the point and get out. "Something that I've been waiting a long time for is happening tonight," he says, cryptically. "I thought perhaps you might like to watch, too. You might actually learn something, Inspector. Consider it a little lesson in humanity." He snaps his fingers and we are off in a blinding flash of light. We materialize somewhere else entirely. --- At first, I'm taken aback by the unconventional mode of transport. It is the first actual evidence that I've seen of Q's power. As the disorientation fades away, however, I begin to look around. We are in someone's quarters. They do not appear to be hers - not that I've seen them. I would imagine that her quarters would be decidedly more feminine -- flowers, perhaps. And some of those antiques that she seems so fond of. But this room is relatively Spartan. There are blankets draped on the couch and chairs, bold patterns in bright colors. There are several pieces of artwork on the walls, which appear to be composed of different colored sands. There is no one here. I look toward Q in confusion and just as I'm about to ask what the hell we're doing here, he puts a finger to his lips and gestures with a tilt of his head toward a doorway. I realize then that I can hear quiet murmurs from an adjoining room. We walk to the door. They are standing just inside the room. It is Janeway, and her first officer, Commander Chakotay. I step back involuntarily, but they don't appear to see us. "What are you doing?" I hiss at Q. Perhaps he intends to expose me after all. But he just laughs. "They can't see us or hear us, of course," he says. "I wouldn't want to interrupt them NOW!" At that, I narrow my eyes and look at them again. That's when I notice that the Commander is gently removing her clothing, piece by piece. The jacket is already off, and he is slowly peeling off her turtleneck. She raises her arms, but makes no other move to assist him. Her eyes are closed. He is speaking to her steadily in a soft, low voice. "Let me show you, Kathryn," he says. "Let me show you how it should be..." He unfastens her bra and slides it off of her, but does not immediately go for her breasts, which is certainly what I would do. Instead he tenderly touches her everywhere else, stroking her arms, her collarbone, her neck...saying her name over and over, reverently. Just when I'm beginning to think that she's being entirely too passive to really be interested, she grasps his shirt and tugs at him, pulling him slowly backwards towards the bed. "Chakotay," she whispers, "I want to be with you..." I can't hide my surprise. I don't want to show any kind of weakness or vulnerability to this Q, but the words are out of my mouth of their own volition. "They're LOVERS? But I was so sure..." "Sure of what?" Q snorts, loudly. "That she wanted you? Be serious!" He looks me up and down, appraisingly. "Oh, I suppose that you have a certain...base appeal." He runs a finger down through the hair on my chest. I grab him by the collar of his uniform and shove him against the bulkhead. He's not an unattractive man, but I don't like anyone touching me without my permission. He eludes me easily, snapping his fingers and disappearing, only to reappear beside me, laughing. I loathe how powerless I am with him. Still smirking, he watches me as I watch them. A myriad of emotions rolls through me as I watch the tender seduction. I'm angry -- she should be mine, and I don't want that man touching her. And I'm surprised, because he didn't strike me as her type. And I'm uneasy, because I was counting on her attraction to me for this mission. I don't know quite where I stand with her now. "Actually," Q says suddenly, startling me, "This is their very first time. Ironically enough, Inspector, YOU, of all people, seem to have been the catalyst here. It was your presence here that inspired him to finally tell her outright...and your presence that allowed her to finally hear him." He sighs. "So romantic, isn't it?" Ah, so that's it. I've frustrated her. "She wants me, but won't risk it," I say, "so she turned to him instead." He looks at me incredulously. "I think you actually believe that! You just don't get it, do you? LOOK at them! The kind of connection that they have right now is so rare. It fascinates me -- we don't have anything like this in the Continuum. And I'll wager you don't have anything like it in your pathetic little Imperium either." I do look at them. I can't stop looking at them. He's lowered her to the bed and slipped off her pants. He keeps talking to her as he removes his own clothes -- his voice soft, low...mesmerizing. She doesn't take her eyes off of him for an instant. Then he's kneeling beside her -- touching her body, her skin, her hair -- touching her like he can't get enough of her. Like he couldn't get enough of her even in a lifetime. They're both so solemn, as if they are engaged in something sacred, or spiritual -- I'm disappointed. Not just because it ought to be me, but because if I have to watch this, I wish I could really see something worth seeing. Is she overwhelmed, or is she always this passive? I'd be trying to release the passionate woman that I know is in there. This is not the way I'd be taking her at all. "I'd already be making her scream," I muse, aloud. Q turns and stares at me, hard, but I pay no attention to him. I will make her scream. She was only acting -- pretending to be attracted to me. I respect that, of course, but I don't have to like it. I feel betrayed. Yes. She will scream out my name in shamed pleasure before I am through with her. "Only in your dreams, Inspector," Q says, contemptuously, startling me out of my reverie. His voice is full of hidden meaning and I don't think he's referring to what I actually said out loud. The Q must be telepathic after all. "All knowing? All seeing? Remember?" he says, snorting derisively at my surprised expression. "I don't have to be telepathic to know what YOU'RE thinking. You're so obvious." "What do you mean by that?" I demand, impatiently. I'm tired of these games, and I'm tired of him. "Does she know what my mission is, or not?" "That would be telling," he says, smirking. My angry retort is cut off by a soft cry from the bed. He's inside her and I missed it. I glare at Q -- I really wanted to see her face when he penetrated her. He moves slowly inside her, but deeply. I see the muscles of his ass contract with each thrust. His hands are on her face and neck and he whispers her name each time he presses into her. She has her elbow locked around his neck. "Look at me, Kathryn," he keeps saying, and she seems to be trying, but her eyes keep closing anyway. "Oh, God...Chakotay," she moans. She has a lovely, low voice. "Do you feel how right this is?" he asks, as he pulls nearly all the way out then presses deep inside her again. "Do you?" "God...Chakotay," she moans again. "I love you...Chakotay, I love you." He buries his face into her neck and soon they're both crying. No, it's not the way I'd be taking her, but watching them has made me fully erect. It seems a shame to waste this opportunity, so I reach into my pants and grasp myself firmly. As I begin stroking, I imagine how it will be when I take Kathryn. I'll make her cry, too, in a different way entirely. I know that she wants me -- I'll hurt her, but she won't be able to deny the pleasure that my body will give her. She'll cry out -- in pain, in humiliation, in pleasure, in release. "You disgust me!" Q says beside me. I'd almost forgotten that he was here. Blinking, I look over at him and am genuinely surprised at what I see in his eyes. I see the first real emotion that he's shown during this encounter -- genuine anger...and a subtle threat. Impatiently, he snaps his fingers and we're back in my quarters. "You don't deserve to be watching them," he snaps. "You're not learning anything at all. You're beyond redemption. Enjoy your sordid little life." With that final retort, he snaps his fingers and is gone. With my hand still holding onto my cock, I shake my head in disbelief. The incident ended as quickly as it began. I'm not even sure it happened. In any case, I'm greatly relieved to be rid of him. He may be omnipotent, but I don't know what he hoped to accomplish with all this. I don't need any redemption. Perhaps he is just a jealous meddler who likes to toy with people. Well, he hasn't gotten to me. I know that my plan is working. Maybe my charms haven't reached the lovely Captain as I'd hoped, but it doesn't matter. The mission will succeed. All of this will soon be over and the telepaths and her ship will be seized. But I think now that I won't have her brought to my quarters, at least not at first. Instead, I will take her in her own ready room. Yes, I'll have Prax hold her down on the desk while I take her and her first officer watches helplessly. Envisioning this reminds me that I yearn for release, myself. I begin stroking again, hard and steady, and soon I am thrusting erratically into my fist, shouting my release as I come all over the floor. I crawl back into bed, certain that I'll be able to sleep. But I can't. I lie awake, unable to get the two of them, Janeway and her first officer, out of my mind. The way they were moving so slowly and gently against each other. The way their eyes were locked. Their hushed whispers. Q's taunts haunt me as well, and as I thrash around, seeking a comfortable position, I just can't shake the feeling that they have something that I'll never understand, even when she is mine for the taking. I feel... Empty. --- The End