Chapter Text
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"Watch out, Icheb!"
A body flew across the corridor, mere centimeters away from slamming into Icheb as he dodged a step backward.
The body belonged to Ensign Harry Kim. The warning had come from Neelix. And Mr. Kim's growling attacker was Ch'Rega, the Klingon warrior woman who had been actively pursuing Harry Kim for the past few days. She favored Icheb with an intense glare as he moved backwards another step. Raising both hands, palms outward, to show he bore nothing remotely like a weapon, Icheb nodded formally to her and walked to the other side of the corridor, passing Neelix, who gazed raptly at the tall Klingon woman.
Before Icheb had moved very far down the hallway, Neelix caught up to him. "Isn't she magnificent?" Neelix chortled.
"She is an impressive female," Icheb acknowledged. "However, I don't believe Ensign Kim is as drawn to her as she seems to be towards him."
Neelix shook his head. "I don't understand it. He often talks about wanting a relationship, but here he is, presented with a wonderful opportunity to experience the full flower of Klingon womanhood -- passionate, eager -- and he doesn't seem to care about her at all!"
"Tom and B'Elanna say he seems to pursue women who are unattainable. Ch'Rega has made it very clear she's interested in Ensign Kim. She's attainable. Perhaps that's the problem."
"You might be right, Icheb." They'd arrived at the turbolift and Neelix pushed the call signal. "Are you getting onto the lift, too, Icheb?" he asked.
"No, I'm going to Cargo Bay Two. Perhaps I should call it 'Klingon Central' for the duration of this trip, until we arrive at their new planet." Icheb's smile was brief and, perhaps, a little forced.
"Ah. How are things going there? Only three families, right?"
"That's all we could accommodate. They offered to dismantle more of our regeneration cubicles to make room for another family, but the captain agreed with Seven. Ten extra cots was enough for the space."
"It's a bit crowded, I realize that. I gave up my own quarters to a family, you know. I'm bunking in with Mr. Vulcan."
"Yes, I am aware," Icheb said, forcing himself not to grin while Neelix was still standing in front of him. Fortunately, he didn't have to maintain a serious façade for long. The turbolift arrived and Neelix was off, doing whatever he was doing today. The Talaxian was a very busy man. Icheb's grin appeared when the thought struck him that he might be going to those quarters he was sharing with "Mr. Vulcan." An odder couple Icheb could not imagine.
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Icheb actually was pleased to have a chance to observe the Klingons who were traveling on Voyager. The only Klingons he'd ever met before this were Korok, the former Borg who had helped Voyager's crew rescue their away team during the Unimatrix Zero incident; and, of course, he was quite friendly now with B'Elanna.
Ever since he'd been the first to discover B'Elanna's pregnancy and its aftermath, when he'd evaluated the fetal DNA pattern and helped Tom prevent his wife from changing their baby's genome, he'd become closer to the couple. B'Elanna appreciated that Icheb "knew how to keep his own counsel." In other words, he'd never gossiped about what had happened. Icheb had long understood she hated being the subject of rumors. He'd wondered if this was a Klingon trait or a part of her human personality, since she was only half Klingon. Now that he'd had the chance to observe the full-blooded variety, who seemed to "let it all hang out," as Tom put it, virtually all the time, Icheb realized just how unique B'Elanna was. He also saw how very good Tom Paris was for his wife. Tom accepted her completely. He loved her for her Klingon side as much as her human one.
Icheb was pleased he was also valued by Tom as a close friend. Tom had always been easy for Icheb to converse with. He answered questions about humanity -- and human frailties -- honestly. As much as Icheb loved Seven (even though they still didn't say the "love" word much), some subjects were easier for him to discuss with a man. Becoming an individual was an ongoing process, and Tom was as good a mentor as Seven in many ways, and better in some.
One of these areas was, of course, single-cell reproduction. Icheb had diligently studied the database, as he'd been advised to do by many crew members, but he didn't have any true memories of the process. Seven had once indicated she did from the memories of the assimilated, but from a conversation he'd had with Tom some time ago, Icheb doubted she really understood. While he understood the mechanics of the process from his studies, he didn't have the benefit of a full complement of Borg drone memories. He wondered what it felt like. Tom told him, simply, "I can't explain that part to you, Icheb. When you get into a relationship with someone, then you'll find out."
"It's not something you can describe?"
"Icheb, there's an abundance of literature about the subject, and I can honestly say that while it's fun to read about it, the only way to really know is to experience it. Besides, if you're not in love with the person you're with, you still won't get the whole picture. Be patient, Icheb. You're young. You'll find someone someday, and I promise you, it will be glorious! But do me a favor. Don't start hanging outside our quarters and taking notes about how often or how long we enjoy ourselves. That won't tell you anything."
"Did Seven actually DO that?"
"Oh, yes she did! I had to hold B'Elanna back or she would've been in the brig for assault." Tom was shaking his head when he said this to Icheb, but he was laughing, too. Icheb remembered when Seven once told him Tom and B'Elanna were "sensitive" about talking about their relationship and single-cell reproduction when he'd first came on board Voyager. Tom's comment put it all into context for Icheb.
Icheb guessed that Ensign Kim's reluctance to become involved with Ch'Rega might have something to do with his desire for an ongoing relationship. She was pretty, but she was also very aggressive. Harry wasn't the aggressive type, and he didn't seem to appreciate it in others that much, either. Besides, Ch'Rega and the Klingon sect were only going to be on board a short while. They'd been traveling from the Alpha Quadrant for over a hundred years, searching for a new home where they could uphold their traditional Klingon values -- something they felt other Klingons had failed to do. Their scrolls foretold they would find a savior on their travels, a kuvah-magh, who was "younger than old age, and stronger than sickness." Apparently the Klingons hadn't found their kuvah-magh yet, and they were almost at the planet. Icheb wondered if that part of their prophecy would ever occur.
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Stardate 54528.9 Personal Log Entry, Cadet Icheb
Voyager is in orbit over the new home of the Klingons. A lot of us have already sampled a shore leave of sorts on this planet. The Klingons tried to take over Voyager. They planned to steal our ship and leave our crew here. They transported most of us down to the planet, including me. It's a planet much more suited to Klingons than to humans, or Brunali, for that matter. Fortunately, the bridge crew was able to hold onto the ship and prevent the takeover.
What finally made the Klingons accept settling here was the curing of the nehret, a disease all of the Klingons carried in their DNA. They failed to disclose this problem to Captain Janeway when they sabotaged their own ship and came on board Voyager. I guess I was wrong about Klingons being honest and "letting it all hang out," as Tom called it. When it comes to strategic matters, they are very capable of keeping a secret. Thanks to T'Greth, I learned they could be duplicitous as well. He was the one who planned the takeover of the ship. Kohlar, the leader of the Klingons, did not cooperate with him.
The nehret was cured because of Tom and B'Elanna's baby. She really is their savior, the kuvah-magh they were looking for all along. Some of the Klingons had rejected the possibility she could be their savior. T'Greth called her a "mongrel child" because she is three quarters human. However, I spoke with the Doctor, right after B'Elanna and the baby became carriers of the disease once they'd been exposed to the illness. I suggested the baby's human genome might be utilized to formulate a cure. The Doctor, as usual, has taken all the credit for it, even though I did prompt his "hunch" for a way to proceed. I also worked to develop the treatment with him until I was snatched away from the lab and transported to the planet's surface by T'Greth. I will allow the Doctor to take the credit, however, since he did finish the antivirus by himself. Kohlar came to me to compliment me on my "assistance" with the cure, so I guess the EMH was honest with him regarding our working together on it.
I have read about how important honor is to Klingons, and in Kohlar I see how it works. T'Greth, the Klingon who rejected B'Elanna and the baby's aid until he himself was cured by them, is not a sterling example of the Klingon honor principle, although he did apologize to Tom and B'Elanna before being transported to his new home on the surface. I hope he doesn't cause problems for Kohlar and the rest of the group when they build their new colony. After all the trouble he caused I would not trust him.
Ensign Kim was not sorry to see Ch'Rega go. Neelix was. It's very amusing to think of Neelix, who is very small and un-Klingon-like in personality, sweeping the very tall, imposing Ch'Rega off her feet, but that's what he did. I never realized before how well Neelix can absorb a culture's attitudes and traditions and use them for his own purposes -- in this case, a very . . . vigorous romantic interlude. I understand why he's become so important to everyone on Voyager. He sees a need and then transforms himself to fill it. When he said he was going to miss Ch'Rega, I realized how lonely he must be. He's the only Talaxian on board, and as we travel towards the Alpha Quadrant, his home planet is falling further behind all the time. Everyone on Voyager likes him, but he wants his own people. Perhaps he will find someone in the future who will be willing to stay with him all the way to the Alpha Quadrant. I'd like to see that. He deserves to find happiness, but in the meantime, I'm glad he had fun with Ch'Rega -- even though "Mr. Vulcan" was very glad when Neelix went back to his own quarters. I heard Chell say that the commander had to "fumigate" his quarters after Neelix left. I'm not sure why, exactly. All Seven and I had to do was take out all the cots once our families left us.
Seven and I are glad to have Cargo Bay Two to ourselves again, as our personal "Borg Central." Seven characterized our Klingon experience as "illuminating." She said she never fully appreciated how "human" B'Elanna was before meeting the Klingons. I decided it was an interesting and educational experience -- but I'm glad it's over.
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