Day 31 - Free Space - Star Trek: Voyager

“I was unable to get a response from the captain, what is the alert level?”

“Alert level yellow.”

“One moment please…” Again a few seconds of silence, then the door slid open, “I have granted you emergency access, the Captain should be in the library.”

“Library?” Seven of Nine walked through the holodeck door and out into a garden.

It took her a moment to realize what it had meant. The holodeck was simulating a massive, seemingly eighteenth or nineteenth century mansion complete with grounds, gardens, and expanses of fountains and decorations. The whole thing was such a complete demonstration of excess that it was really only the kind of thing that could have existed in fantasies pre-atomic horror. If Seven had been asked to guess, she wouldn’t have thought that the Captain would be into this kind of thing. Usually growing up on a farm didn’t engender sympathies for the opulently rich, but perhaps that was another layer of the personal fantasy.

Inside the manor, Seven heard the captain before she saw her. In the empty wooden halls, most of the doors and windows were open to the summer air and occasionally a soft slapping could be heard, growing louder as Seven poked her way around and found her way to the library in question. Even when she stepped inside, she had to move back among the shelves before she actually caught sight of them. A tall man with a thin, pale face and a scruffy mop of hair and the permanent expression of a slightly wounded animal had one hand pressed over the captain’s mouth, holding her to himself. The other was reaching underneath her backside and between her legs where it was producing a series of wet sounds while the captain’s legs shivered, her eyes fluttering. Then a second later his hand emerged for long enough to firmly slap the captain’s ass before he lifted his other hand from her mouth for long enough to whisper.

“Perhaps you’ll behave now.”

“Oh I’m not going to behave just yet, but you’re welcome to keep trying.” The captain’s voice was hoarse and cracking.

Seven decided to tear the bandage off and clear her throat, both of them whipped a turn toward her, pushing each other away. Janeway sighed and scowled.

“Fucking hell, computer, end simulation.” Janeway adjusted her uniform, “Have him think I ran off in embarrassment or something.”

“Yes, captain.”

“You,” Janeway stepped close enough Seven that she could smell the tea on the captain’s breath, “You could have hailed me instead of barging in.”

“I tried hailing you both from Astrometrics and outside the Holodeck, you seem to have the privacy set high enough to ignore emergencies.”

“What alert level was it?”

“Yellow, Astrometrics found-”

“I see,” Janeway corrected her hair embarrassedly, “I didn’t have it set to ignore emergencies, just non-urgent ones. This thing, this problem, how urgent is it?”

“One of the stars in our path is experiencing a sudden and rapid destabilization, if we keep our course uncorrected, it would destroy the ship.”

“And you needed my approval for a simple course correction?”

“Not exactly, however, Ensign Kim suggested a correction which would use the collapse as a gravity slingshot. It would propel us a great distance if done correctly, but the danger of it means he needs your approval before he locks anything in.”

“Alright,” The captain sighed but was clearly still fairly annoyed, “Tell him I’ll be down shortly. Better yet, let him wait. I need a shower and a change of uniform.”

“I’ll let him know you’re headed down,” Seven said to the back of the Captain’s head as she stormed out.

For whatever reason, she didn’t immediately leave the holodeck. It wasn’t something she often used or participated in, even if Paris’s creations and the officers’ own personal distractions made up for the majority of the recreational hours in everybody’s schedule. For one, it was simply too much of a distraction, but more realistically, she just didn’t have the imagination to use it right. Similar to the parable of a genie granting a human three wishes. She expected her first would be something simple, something boring like a sandwich just to make sure it actually works. Then the second would be to have the powers of a god. Then the third would be to no longer have the powers of a god. What was more interesting, at least to her, was what other people were using it for.

“Computer,” Seven asked when she was sure Janeway was gone, “What was the last simulation?”

“The captain was simulating the Pemberley estate in Derbyshire, an early nineteenth-century fictional location.”

“And the… man?”

“The estate’s owner, a modified version of Mr. Darcy.”

“Modif-” Seven started, then caught herself, “Shouldn’t all of this be confidential to the user?”

“Negative, records are kept of all simulations for Starfleet security and the safety of the crew. Behaviors including simulating colleagues in violent contexts are frowned upon and may call for remedial action.”

“Very well, you said he’d been modified, how so?”

“Modification One: Mr. Darcy now has knowledge of the location of the clitoris. Modification Two: Mr. Darcy now has knowledge and expertise in what was colloquially referred to as “brat taming.” Modification Three: Mr. Darcy now more closely resembles the twenty-first century adaptation played by-”

“I never saw the Captain as using the holodeck for… gratification.”

“Over ninety percent of holodeck usage constitutes some manner of sexual stimulation. Our isolated status in the Delta Quadrant means that the holodeck and fraternization between officers are often the only possible sources of sexual release.”

“Have the crew tried practicing… abstinence? Who handles cleaning up the mess?”

“Periods of decreased holodeck usage correlate directly to both worsened interpersonal relations and increased illicit fraternization. Barring any prohibitive aspects of biology, such as Vulcan Pon farr or existence as a photonic, you are the only biologically compatible user who does not register holodeck time for sexual gratification.”

“What, even Neelix?”

“Morale Officer Neelix is not affected by regulations against fraternization and as a result logs one of the lowest holodeck hour totals.”

“Huh,” Seven let that one sit, she didn’t like it, “I guess that explains what he’s doing instead of improving his recipes.”

“Starfleet allots all active officers holodeck time as part of their recreation, and Captain Janeway has increased that time considering the current situation.”

“I can understand permitting it, but why actively encourage it? Is fraternization really that much of an issue?”

“Sexually frustrated officers are worse for both morale and production, as well as their fraternization potentially being more of a risk of being unhealthy or ending on bad terms.”

“Better for production?” Seven could feel herself making a face but couldn’t fully stop it, “I doubt my productivity is anything less than ideal.”

“User’s productivity is top in department, but it is impossible to know if it could be higher with more active holodeck use.”

Seven’s face scrunched up more. If The Doctor had dared to make a similar suggestion, she might have stormed out, really if anybody with a face had done it she might have taken it worse. Even if she disagreed, the cold impartiality of the computer was easier to deal with. It felt more like a directive, a whole-hive command. Not something personal and sweaty, something libidinal.

Just choosing to seek out new experiences post-assimilation wasn’t as simple as that. Certain things couldn’t be put back in the box, certain things came with hangovers. Once you knew how good chocolate was, you couldn’t help but want it. Once you knew what it was like to be drunk, you were going to wish you’d never learned. When you kissed another person, they usually expected it to mean something, they weren’t just an experience for you to have. But the holodeck, allegedly, offered these things without the hangover. Though it remained to be seen.

“Okay, let’s say I wanted to see if I could increase my productivity.” Seven folded her hands, “What would be a good place to start?”

“You’ll have to be more specific.”

“If I were going to use the holodeck for… sexual gratification.” She was surprised that she was embarrassed trying to propose it, she wasn’t used to that, even when speaking to an actual person, “What would be a good place to start?”

“You could explore one of the popular romantic fantasies within the Starfleet database. Some of the fantasies popular with women your age include the workplace rival, the longtime friend, the supernatural terror-”

“Nothing involving other people for now, let’s not overcomplicate things.”

“The selection of fantasies which do not involve other people are very limited.”

“Let’s keep it simple, how about a chair?”

A comfortable, plush reclining chair appeared in the middle of the holodeck and Seven sat down on it, pulling the lever to kick her feet up and recline back.

“Now, simulate somewhere that it would be good to participate in this relief behavior.”

“Be more specific.”

“Well, let’s see. What would be a good place to get sexual gratification? You’d want somewhere private, unless that was your…” She thought about it for a moment, “No, I’d want somewhere private. Somewhere I can feel at ease as well, somewhere relaxing to me.”

The scenery of the holodeck changed into a private beachside, the waves lapping the shore in the sun. Seven squinted against the glare as the seagulls squawked overhead.

“No, even if I know I’m alone, I don’t want to be out in the open.”

A moment later it changed again, now she was in the kind of luxurious penthouse suite that only the absolute richest of pre-federation society could have afforded for a single night. Gold leaf decorated the walls and furniture, great billowing plants with colorful blossoms filled most of the negative space left by the opulent furniture, and a bathroom bigger than most personal quarters sat just off of the main room, a giant tub and walk-in shower only small hints of the totality of it.

“Hmm, not this one either. It’s too strange, I feel like an intruder.”

Before the computer could make another suggestion, Seven clapped her hands.

“I’ve got it. Simulate my quarters.”

The computer seemed to hesitate for just a moment but slowly the holodeck shifted to resemble her room about the Voyager, complete with utilitarian cot, nearly-unused table and chair, and personal terminal.

“Good, this is perfect,” Seven settled back into the comfy chair which would have made moving around her real room nearly impossible. “Now, what’s the quickest way to… do this whole process?”

“Statistics show that a personal massager, while some will need additional stimuli, is the most broadly pleasing-”

“One of those.”

In her lap, there appeared a forearm-length white device shaped a bit like a phaser with a ball at the end. Seven took it and held it out at arm’s length like it actually was a phaser, and that there was a button she might accidentally press which made it attack. After a moment of looking she found the center, most important button and pressed it, causing the sphere at the end to start vibrating slowly but steadily. She brought the device up toward her neck and pressed it into her neck and shoulders.

“Yes, excellent.” She tilted her head forward and ground the ball into a particularly tense muscle, “I can feel my productivity improving.”

“You are not currently using the device on an erogenous zone.”

“I’m not?” She held it back out at arm’s length, “But it feels excellent, where should I be using it?”

“The device would be most effectively applied between the legs.”

The computer clearly couldn’t tell what level of intelligence she was operating on when it came to sexual subjects. Though she personally wasn’t sure how she would have ranked herself if she was asked. She knew, roughly, that the male and female human interlocked their genitals and exchanged fluids. The borg knew that much. What the borg hadn’t known was the more specific process of exchange, and many drones had wasted hours trying to figure out just the procedure. Her life post-severance had not been intensely more illuminating, though not at times for lack of effort.

Seven brought the ball between her legs, yelped and jerked it away, then turned it down to the lowest speed and brought it back.

“It’s… intense,” She breathed, “Are you sure this is helping? I think I’m less relaxed than I was before.”

“Humans experience a period of stimulating buildup before achieving release,” The computer responded flatly, “If you need help relaxing, I can create a visual aid for you.”

“That may help,” Seven gritted her teeth. There was a sensitive spot right at the top of her sex that seemed to feel the vibrations more intensely than the rest of her. She kept the massager there, even when it felt like it was bordering on too much. It wasn’t unpleasant, just a kind of sharp and intense that she wasn’t used to.

In front of her, the computer generated a scene of two humans lying in bed together. Both were undressed and coated in sweat, but they weren’t in the middle of actual intercourse. Instead both lay on a side and stroked and touched the other with their free hand. They smiled and kissed, they whispered, giggled.

“This is… too much,” Seven shook her head, “I don’t feel like I should be watching this.”

“Be more specific.”

“Something this intimate, this private,” Seven moved the massager out to catch her breath, “It seems wrong to watch other people doing.”

“Would you prefer to be in one of their places?”

“No, absolutely not. Start with something less sexual. Perhaps they’re holding hands, embracing each other while fully clothed and standing.”

The image shifted to the two of them standing and facing each other up close. The man in a dress uniform and the woman in scientific duty attire. The woman had her arms up around the man’s shoulders and the man had his arms down around her waist. They were close, though not fully pressed together, and both looked into each other’s eyes with affection. Occasionally, the man would lean down and kiss the woman softly and quickly. The woman would blush and look up and him and blink a few times, then lean in and kiss him back the same way.

“Excellent, much less uncomfortable.” Seven brought the massager back between her legs and took a sharp breath.

She could feel something starting to bubble up as she kept the wand in place, a weird sort of tightness in her stomach which grew in the background of the pleasant feelings the vibration caused but which seemed to be getting louder until it started to be all she could think about. She could feel the moisture-wicking fabric of her jumpsuit growing starchier with both sweat and a new kind of wetness between her legs, one she’d read about but wasn’t sure she’d ever actually feel for herself. The feeling that was approaching was coming on slowly, but some part of her seemed to whisper that if she pushed a little harder, if she added something extra, she might get there faster and feel better. She wasn’t going to turn the massager up a notch, any higher than what she’d settled on near the bottom made it feel like she was going to lose control of her bladder. Instead, she felt a somewhat intriguing and embarrassing idea pop forward.

“Computer…” She was more out of breath than she’d realized, “Perhaps occasionally he… strikes her bottom with his hand?”

It wasn’t something she could have explained when she saw Janeway and her partner doing it, but the image of it had stuck in her head for some reason. As she watched the simulated man turn his body slightly to reach behind the woman and slap her butt with his open hand, the simulated woman jumped a little and blushed even deeper. It was strange and exciting in a way she couldn’t describe. She wasn’t sure how she would have reacted if somebody had tried that with her, though the thought was also… interesting.

Seven hunched forward suddenly, the tightness popping like a balloon after so much buildup and making her whole body shake as her eyes rolled back and suddenly all she could see was white and red. She heard herself groaning and making embarrassing noises but seemed helpless to stop them. Her legs were shaking, her sex throbbing, clenching and unclenching at nothing without any ability to stop itself.

When she had the sense of mind and control of her body enough to do so, she thrust the massager out away from her and clamped her hands over her crotch like she’d been injured, feeling a spread of warm, exhausted comfort blooming out from her sex. The afterglow of the orgasm making her suddenly feel very tired, but also very interested in trying to make it happen again.

As she reached for the vibrator, which she had tossed completely off of the chair in the heat of the moment, the comms chimed. Seven panickedly gestured for the simulation to end, then made sure that her appearance was in order. Her suit hadn’t leaked through, she didn’t reek of the smells that had been building up in the holodeck, sweat and a metallic sort of fleshy smell. Her face was still flushed, but she could explain that away.

“Enter.”

Ensign Kim stepped onto the holodeck and nodded.

“The captain called for you down in Astrometrics.”

“Did she?”

“Yeah, apparently my suggestions were so dangerous that even with the math checking out, she’s decided that all of Astrometrics needs to be present for a meeting about what she called acceptable levels of risk.”

“I see,” Seven cleared her throat and brushed a stray hair back from her face.

Harry stood there wordlessly, she could feel her face was still hot, and probably as red as a cherry.

“It’s quite hot in here, isn’t it?”

Harry narrowed his eyes a bit, opened his collar a little, then shrugged.

“Right, well, I’ll get on my way.”

As she passed Harry on the way out, Seven couldn’t help but smile to herself. A new smile for her, one that came from the sense of having a secret and nobody else knowing it. She wondered if Harry could even imagine what she’d just been using the holodeck for. It would probably shock him.

Harry closed the door behind him, “Computer, simulate an orc encampment like something out of twenty-first century human fantasy literature. Make the war chieftess seven… no, eight feet tall. Make her a former tomboy who shows affection by picking on and teasing her crush. Then make her think I’m a waifish elf prince who has information she needs, but that elves are immune to conventional pain and the only way she’s going to get it from me is torturing me with pleasure, during which she develops romantic feelings for me that she can never speak aloud. Disengage safety protocols. Begin simulation.”

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