"I don't suppose you wish to explain how this happened?" the Doctor asked as he ran the dermal regenerator over Seven's cheek.
"Lt. Torres perspires excessively," the Borg said calmly. "Especially when she is losing at Velocity. I ... slipped." She did not add that perhaps she was a little more fatigued than she should have been, not having had the proper time to recover from her previous 'workout' with her partner. However, her nanoprobes tended to encourage a fast recovery once she was actually at rest, so she did not think it relevant at the moment.
"Ah, that would explain how you managed to introduce your face to the beam," he said sarcastically. "Next time tell her to wear a headband."
"Next time, we shall go body surfing," Seven countered firmly.
"I don't know if she would appreciate your trying to drown her again," he said, remembering the tirade the Klingon went on after the last time Seven tried to teach her to body surf. The Klingon/Human hybrid boasted a denser body mass than most women, causing her to sink rather than float at the best of times. In the enthusiastic wave action that Seven had come to enjoy, Torres had as much hope of controlling herself on a board as she did of sprouting wings and flying out of trouble.
"Nonetheless it will be my turn to choose the holodeck program, and we will go body surfing," Seven insisted, hopping off the biobed and standing with her hands linked behind her back. "I spoke with Naomi Wildman prior to arriving at the holodeck. Why did you tell Neelix not to let her have anything to eat before participating in the recreational pursuits available at the celebration tonight?"
"Because children, fast food and rides that shake you all over the place are never a good combination," he said. "Perhaps I should add that to the general log and alert some of our more adventurous crewmembers as to the consequences of overindulging."
"I do not understand," she said, her head tilted slightly. "You issue these warnings before every shore leave and yet no one adheres to them. What is the purpose of such futile efforts?"
The Doctor sighed, a habit created out of frustration rather than due to any need to breathe. "Because it makes me feel better to know that at least I warned our resident daredevils and thrill seekers." He moved closer and lowered his voice though they were the only two in sickbay. Sek, his holographic medical assistant and fledgling ship's counselor, was making rounds to all the crewmembers to administer antitoxins and anti-venoms to protect them from anything the planet might have to offer in terms of viruses and bacteria. "This way I'm perfectly justified in giving them a lecture when they come whining into the sickbay demanding that I fix whatever damage they've willingly caused themselves in their pursuit to prove they're invincible. Captain Janeway, in particular, loves to show just how little she believes in following Doctor's recommendations."
"Captain Janeway is very stubborn," Seven agreed, a fond expression in her eyes. "But I will keep her from overindulging." The barest corner of her lip turned up. "She does not like it, however, when I remind her to maintain her health."
"I'm sure," he said. "But better you than me. In fact, perhaps I should be sending you the reminders of her appointment times instead of her." He put the dermal regenerator down and made a few notes into the padd. "So are you and Naomi going down tonight?"
"Yes," Seven said with Borg subdued excitement, her eyes sparkling brightly. "Tonight is the high moon, when the Carons celebrate the Child. Naomi is the only child on Voyager old enough to partake in the festivities, and they wish to have her say hello to everyone via antique microphones, wires and speakers. Captain Janeway will be there as well." Her eyes saddened a bit. "It is unfortunate that Ensign Wildman could not."
"Yes it is," he agreed. "But she will be able to attend with Naomi in three days."
"But Naomi won't be part of the celebration in three days," Seven pointed out. "Just tonight. It bothers her that her mother cannot be in attendance during her moment of attention."
"Exobiology is Samantha's specialty, Seven," the Doctor reminded her. "The roots and fauna they've discovered could be of great use to Voyager, especially in terms of medical uses. I understand some of the fauna produce a higher yield of oxygen, something which could be of great use in cargo bay two. The vegetation and plants in the park benefit the whole crew, including Naomi, not just the newborns. Ensign Wildman is the best we have at identifying the possible uses for the plant life, which is why it was necessary for her to be there instead of at the celebration." The Doctor gentled his tone, knowing Seven's thinking on the matter was based on what the six year old felt, which was the disappointment at not having her mother on what seemed to be such a special night. "No doubt Ensign Wildman is also upset by the situation, but she knows that you and the captain will take care of everything," he added, with a more compassionate expression.
"I understand," Seven said, filing the information away to explain to Naomi, who had been practically crying earlier in the morning when her mother broke the news to her.
 
With the Ordeal of the Dress finally completed, though not without a few choice expressions tossed between B'Elanna and Sek, Seven returned to her quarters and settled down at her workstation, a stack of padds piled neatly beside her. That was how Captain Janeway found her when she entered their quarters later that afternoon.
"Kathryn."
"Hello, love," Janeway returned, crossing over to receive her hug and kiss. "Where's Jake and what are you working on?"
Seven tilted the large padd so her wife could see the screen. "Jake is with Ensign Liam. I am attempting to create safety equipment which will protect the infant crewmembers until their motor skills have developed sufficiently. Little Harry came into sickbay while I was there and I discovered that he has been treated twice for falling and hitting his head because his balance and muscles are insufficient to keep him in an upright position."
"But babies learn from experience, which includes falling from time to time," Janeway said gently, taking Seven's hand and guiding the tall blonde from the workstation to the couch.
"I do not understand," Seven said honestly as she followed willingly. "You would not let a member of the crew perform a function they were not capable of."
"Babies learning to walk is not the same as putting a scientist in charge of a rescue mission," Janeway pointed out. "A baby's learning process is different. They don't understand language nor do they have the cognitive functions that adults do. They learn by trial and error, and that is going to include a few bumps and bruises along the way." She lifted Seven's arm and snuggled under it against the Borg's chest. "Darling, no matter what you do, you cannot protect children all the time. Our children are going to fall more than once before they learn to walk and if they're anything like their mothers, they will be even more adventurous than most, which means more injuries."
"Our children will not take the chances that their mother does," Seven promised, looking pointedly at Janeway.
"Children have to have some adventure," Kathryn pointed out, ignoring the implication in her wife's words. "But perhaps they won't burn down the shed."
"What?" Seven's eyes were wide with alarm. "Explain," she said firmly.
Janeway cringed, not really wanting to reveal that particular incident. "When I was ten, I accidentally started a fire which burned down a small shed." She decided not to add that it was her failure to properly extinguish a cigarillo she had managed to acquire from a neighbor boy, which was the true cause of the fire.
"It is no wonder you are not allowed in your mother's kitchen," Seven said. "I do not believe I want you to reveal this information to our children. I do not want them picking up your bad habits." 
"My bad habits? Darling, I don't go around burning down sheds. It was just the once."
"But you do insist on smoking those foul sticks. You had one today," she accused. "Yet you were not on the surface. I can only conclude you have smuggled some onto the ship and are hiding them." She paused, her eyes icy. "I have already destroyed the ones I found hidden in the bedroom," she revealed. "Do not bring any more into our quarters."
Janeway was silent for a moment. "How did you know?" she asked, wondering if the mouth fresheners had failed somehow.
"Unlike the planet's surface, where the flow of air currents blow the smell away from your uniform, you were obviously smoking within an enclosed room. It is in your clothes, in your hair and clinging to your skin," Seven explained. "You will now shower and change while I prepare dinner."
She stood up and headed for the kitchenette, leaving her partner to fume in silence which the Borg pointedly ignored. Obviously, this was one issue that Seven was absolutely not going to bend or compromise on with her partner. Janeway knew that the young woman had researched the health risks of the long-term smoking of similar leaves in Earth's past and while the element which had caused most of the long-term effects ... an addictive drug known as nicotine ... wasn't present in these particular smokesticks, Seven was still convinced that such a habit would not do her partner the slightest bit of good. Not to mention the Borg's own personal revulsion to the byproducts of stale smoke. With a frustrated sigh, the captain disappeared into the ensuite.
When she came out, dressed in a fresh uniform, Seven had finished assembling the items she needed for the meal and had combined them in careful proportions. While Seven was quite accomplished when it came to recreating Gretchen Janeway's recipes, a suggestion by Kathryn had resulted in the Borg trying to create her own recipes, blending ingredients and cooking methods while using the captain as her taster. It was a job the auburn haired woman never minded doing, except when Seven was going through her spicy and hot phase. This late lunch was one of those pleasurable efforts, a chicken and steak stirfry combination with an appropriately light wine. Every friendly system they passed through, as few as there were recently, had provided Seven with an opportunity to replenish their wine collection.
"It smells wonderful," Janeway said, after a somewhat terse silence, trying to put their minor disagreement aside as she began to set the dining table. "But won't we be too full to enjoy the food offered at the festival tonight?"
"I have found Ginse food to be extremely bland and pasty. You will not like it," Seven said with authority, bringing over the meal to set it on the table before taking her seat and beginning her meal.
Janeway's fork stopped halfway to her mouth. "When did you try Ginse cuisine?" she asked in astonishment, not to mention being a bit put out by Seven's rather presumptuous tone over what she would and would not like. She had the distinct impression that perhaps she was losing a battle without even knowing one had started. "I thought you and Lt. Torres were reviewing the engineering requirements."
"We were," Seven said, her dinner plate suddenly requiring her unwavering interest.
Janeway took the bite which had been interrupted and chewed her food slowly, eyeing her partner with dawning suspicion. She swallowed and quirked an eyebrow. "I'm waiting," she said in what was clearly a captain's tone of voice.
"The Carons were most agreeable in providing us nutritional supplements while we were waiting for our transport," Seven said carefully.
"Do I dare ask if you two managed to also ingest any liquids while you there?"
"We did not go to a tavern," Seven said quickly, then added in a low voice, "There were several samples of local fermentation offered by the Ginse engineers, however. They apparently carry 'coolers' in the back of their land vehicles."
"Hmm..." Janeway took several bites before she continued. "Still, Lt. Torres must be slipping. I was sure she would have found a tavern as soon as the two of you were out of my sight."
"She did," Seven admitted. "However I was able to convince B'Elanna that we should not go in."
"And just how did you do that?"
"I started by telling her that you would not be pleased." Seven's eyes took on a mischievous twinkle. "But it was Lt. Ro's displeasure that was my 'ace in the hole'. When I mentioned that Laren would not be happy with her, B'Elanna agreed not to enter the tavern."
Janeway smiled. "Well that's one way to do it." She scraped the last bit of dinner from her plate. "You really don't play fair at times, Annika."
"Indeed," Seven agreed. "Sometimes 'playing fair' does not work. Manipulation is a handy skill to have. For example, I should not have argued with you about bringing smokesticks into our home." The Borg made a distasteful face at the mention of the foul cigarillos. "I merely have to point out that there is a couch, as well as the bed, on which you may sleep. That would have worked equally as well and I would not have had to become ... unpleasant to you."
Janeway gave a faint smile and sat back, dabbing her lips with her napkin. "Point taken. I won't bring any more smokesticks into our home." Privately she mourned the loss of the half dozen she had hidden in various parts of their quarters with the hopes of enjoying them when Seven was away, but fortunately there were more hidden in the desk in her ready room. "Naomi seems excited," she said, trying to change the subject.
"Naomi is very excited," Seven corrected. "This will be a new experience for her."
"Being a spokesperson for children, you mean." Janeway said. "Yes, I suppose it is. Not to mention her opportunity to play with youngsters her own age. That's an advantage I had growing up in the agricultural community. I always had friends in my peer group to play with, and if they weren't around, I always had Phoebe."
"Naomi does not have any friends her own age." Seven noted, somewhat sadly. "That is a shame."
Janeway rose and took her dirty dishes to the replicator. "I have to agree with you there, Annika. If I had known we were going to be out here so long..."
She left the thought unsaid, having beat herself up many times over the years about her decisions while in the Delta Quadrant, and she wondered, not for the first time, if their decision to delay children until they returned to the Federation was the correct one. So lost was she in her thoughts, she was startled when she felt gentle arms wrap around her, not having heard her partner come up behind her.
"If wishes were horses," Seven said gently, putting the lightest of kisses on Janeway's neck. "I love you, my Kathryn."
"And I love you too, darling," Janeway said, turning and burying her face in the crook of Seven's neck.
Seven allowed the indulgence for several moments before disengaging and stepping back. "We need to change and meet Tuvok, Naomi and Sek at the hanger bay."
"Hmm, I know," the captain said regretfully, "but holding you forever is far more preferable." Janeway moved in for another quick kiss, then another, which lengthened in duration.
"We shall hold each other tonight, after we return from the surface," Seven promised, stealing a kiss of her own before reluctantly moving away. It would be a full evening and there was no time for her to indulge in this sort of playfulness any longer ... as much as she might like to.
 
It was after nightfall before the festivities got underway. The large park was thronged with people, colorful lights, and rows of booths filled with games of chance and a variety of confections, beverages and foods. Identified by uniform, the Voyager crew were treated as guests of state, not allowed to pay for any of their drinks or meals. Games of chance and merchandise, however, were expected to be paid for in full, but they were allowed to negotiate on the price of course. Janeway loved negotiating, especially when it went her way.
Although padds were allowed to be used by the Voyager crew in front of the Carons, the people understanding them to be an advanced form of their own computers, phasers and tricorders were kept hidden away on the Delta Flyer. Energy weapons and scanners were not something even remotely envisioned in the Ginsians' future by the most speculative of their fiction, and thus care was given to keep them out of sight.
B'Elanna's suggestion of a design change in the city's main power supply was of such apparent worth to the government that they immediately sent Voyager enough payment for each crew member to have 100 colira, small flattened shiny discs made of  ore taken from the mountains and used as currency. When they were shipped aboard the Delta Flyer, a quick check with the tricorder confirmed dilithium existed within each disc which for once, made them quite precious to Voyager as well. With the crystals as the main source of power for their warp engines, a supply of dilithium was never ignored, and since the element was considered to be the 'impurity' in the currency, Janeway was able to negotiate successfully with the Caron government for access to the deposits, promising more design changes which B'Elanna guaranteed would help in 'removing this impurity' very inexpensively while not introducing them to any new technology.
Tom had been manning the Delta Flyer all day, making trips from Voyager to the surface and back, not at all thrilled that the transporters were to be kept a secret. Lt. Ro was scheduled to take over halfway through the beta shift, allowing Tom a chance to go to the festival, though he would have to return to Voyager to sleep before repeating the process tomorrow. Sometimes it didn't pay to be the best pilot on the ship. At the moment he was waiting in the cockpit, the Flyer parked in the landing area while his latest set of passengers disembarked. First was Tuvok, the legs of his trousers bulging slightly, no doubt hiding whatever he felt was too important to leave behind but didn't want seen. Tom remembered old movies showing men hiding pistols in special harnesses on their legs, and he supposed that Tuvok had a phaser stuffed into his boot. 
Behind the Vulcan, Seven, dressed in her away mission clothing, exited the craft. Tom noted that she had added one enhancement to her outfit, a hook and loop system in the front which allowed her to close the black vest, making it fit her better rather than just flopping open in the event the six foot gazelle had to run somewhere while wearing it.
Clasping Seven's hand, Naomi looked around with wide eyes. The child was dressed in a simple peach colored top and long pants, a small gold pip worn proudly on her collar, as well as a fully functional comm badge upon her chest. It was smaller than the standard version, B'Elanna having altered it after Seven pointed out the futility in putting something so big on a small child's thin shirt. As an afterthought, B'Elanna also added an extra clasp to the badge, remembering how easily she lost things as a child and not wanting to have the comm badge fall off in the middle of a festival with hundreds of thousands of people in attendance. B'Elanna did not want to have to answer to the captain for it, but more importantly, she did not want to have to answer to Samantha Wildman.
Sek was also in attendance. With so many people waiting to meet the Voyager crew, the hologram's eyes were keener than Tom had ever remembered them. Even before becoming the ship's counselor, Sek had an intense interest in cultures and peoples, and was looking forward to learning more about the Carons. The Delaney sisters, Jennifer and Megan, and Megan's husband, Harry Kim were also on this trip, their son Harry Jr. left in the care of the ship's daycare provider who volunteered to watch the infants should the parents wish to go to the surface. Megan and Harry had little time to themselves since Harry Jr.'s birth, and they were both looking forward to a few hours of just being a couple. Janeway had offered only once to babysit for them, but Seven had offered on several occasions since. According to what Tom had heard from his best friend, Janeway always looked totally frazzled whenever the young parents arrived to pick little Harry up. The normally cool and collected captain was usually found sitting on the couch, just staring at the devastation in the room with a lost look in her eyes as if she couldn't figure out what had happened in the previous few hours. Tom had heard the rumors about Janeway and Seven wanting children, and wondered if the Borg was trying to get some practice in, as well as checking to see if the captain could survive it.
Tom watched the rest of the crew disembark and closed the hatch door with relief. Only three more runs to go. "Computer, play music, Earth, North America, late twentieth century, rock, Beatles." At least the rides back were enjoyable, he thought, as he went through the pre-launch sequence.
 
"No." Janeway took a deep breath, wondering why she hadn't insisted on Ensign Wildman or Neelix escorting Naomi. Priorities, she reminded herself, that was why. Neelix was visiting with an ambassador from one of the smaller countries who purported to have recipes and herbs that made even the most vile foods taste wonderful. As morale officer and once more, full-time cook, Neelix made it a point to trade for those things that didn't normally fall into diplomatic negotiations. Unbeknownst to the captain, Seven had given Neelix most of her allotment of coliras in case he was able to secure some wines for her and the captain. Unbeknownst to Seven, Janeway had given most of her coliras to Neelix to buy the softest material he could find. Searching through a seldom used database, Janeway had come across an outfit that she thought would look absolutely exquisite on her tall wife. The captain was even more pleased when it turned out that programming instructions were included. All she had to do was provide the correct measurements and material. At the moment however, Seven was eyeing the game booth again. Flashing an exasperated look at her beloved wife, Janeway nudged her past the game booth.
"But Naomi likes--" Seven began.
"No," the captain said firmly. "I can appreciate that Naomi likes many of the prizes but you are not going to spend all your coliras trying to win them for her."
"Naomi?" The proprietor of the booth they were standing in front of jumped over the short wall, intercepted by the Caron security force escorting the aliens. "I would be most honored if I could give the precious Naomi whatever gift she would like," he said, smiling endearingly at the child.
"Really?" Naomi asked, her eyes full of awe.
Janeway inhaled deeply and counted to ten as several expectant glances centered on her. This had happened from the moment they entered the festival, Naomi's name having made the news as the only child of Voyager able to attend. The child adored the fawning, smiling prettily and waving at everyone who waved at her. Sek carried in her arms two odd looking toys made of cloth and stuffed with a soft batting, the shapes resembled the four legged creatures Janeway had seen people walking about the city. They looked similar to dogs but sported a much longer neck and had teeth which were flat instead of pointed. Despite the fact they were obviously domesticated, Janeway repeatedly refused Seven's suggestion of bringing Jake down to 'play' with the other animals. Jake's 'playing' with the B'Rethna had cost her hundreds of replicator rations when Jake broke into Harry Kim's quarters and destroyed anything that wasn't secured to the deck. She didn't want to be required to give over the secret of the warp core in order to cover whatever damage her free-spirited Irish Setter might wish to create on the surface.
"We simply don't have room on Voyager for every gift they want to give you," the captain said, trying to make the child, as well as Seven and Sek ... obviously believing that Naomi should get every present ... understand. Tuvok stood quietly by her side, his face showing what Janeway swore was the Vulcan equivalent of tolerant amusement. When three pairs of disappointed eyes looked back at her, Kathryn wondered grouchily if Seven's next move would be to cry, a tactic Janeway was completely defenseless against.
"You're going to have to carry it this time," she said evenly to her partner. "Sek's hands are full."
"Ah!" the man from the booth exclaimed, smiling and reaching over the short wall in search of something. With glee he pulled out a bright blue backpack with alien lettering etched across it. He tossed it over the heads of the security force, his aim perfect as Sek only had to reach out to snag it with her hand. Janeway rolled her eyes and nodded in defeat. Instantly Tuvok took up residence at the captain's right side, protecting her as their small group moved over to the game booth to accept the proprietor's gift to Naomi. To the young child's credit, she was gracious and pleasant to everyone who presented her with a gift or wanted to touch her forearm, the equivalent to a handshake on this planet. Looking at the large stage in the distance, Janeway wondered if they would ever reach it.
"What are they doing?" Sek asked, looking at the variety of rides before them. "The centrifugal force alone would cause headaches, not to mention," the hologram pointed at a rail car system flying rapidly over tracks arranged in a series of curves, turns, and waves, "the neck aches, back aches and stomach irregularities that is certain to cause."
"It's called a roller coaster, Sek," Janeway explained. "And no, we're not going on it," she said sternly, cutting off the look she saw forming in Seven's eyes. To her right, Tuvok was relieved, certain that Starfleet never meant for their chief of security to ride in such a contraption. It was completely illogical.
Still it took over an hour for the group to make their way to the stage, Sek's new backpack now stuffed to the brim with toys and trinkets courtesy of the Caron people. When the counselor realized people were just throwing them over the heads of the security force, she deliberately stayed a few steps behind Janeway, allowing her to catch the gifts and stick them into the backpack. After all, her subroutines included diplomacy and wasn't it impolite to the extreme to refuse a gift?
Premier Garrock was waiting for them at the platform, along with several dignitaries Janeway recognized from their initial landing. The primarily male group all took the time to kneel down to Naomi's level and greet her, the universal translator built into the comm badge allowing the young girl to accept and answer them all politely, thanking them for the invitation to visit their beautiful planet and wishing them well on this most special of holidays. Janeway wondered who had been coaching Naomi, then decided that it most likely had been Samantha Wildman and Neelix. Whoever did it, Naomi Wildman was charming the pants off of the Ginsians and smiles were on every face.
"She is a very personable young girl," Premier Garrock said as he took up residence on Janeway's left.
"That she is, Premier," the captain answered, noting that Seven was keeping her eyes on the child at all times. Like a cheetah protecting her cubs, Janeway thought.
"We are most honored that you have allowed her to visit on this most special of all nights," he said. "Our children are our future, and they are the ones celebrated the most during the holiday of family," he explained.
"So each day honors a different role?" Sek asked, stepping closer and joining the conversation. "I understand you honor the dead on the fifth day."
"Yes," he said, obviously pleased at the hologram's knowledge. "Mothers are honored tomorrow and fathers are graced after that. Has anyone explained to you about the sky lights?"
"No, they haven't," Sek replied, clearly interested.
"We use explosive charges to light the sky with brilliant colors. Oh, you will enjoy this, I am sure. I authorized extra funds to the sky lights this time to honor the people of Voyager. Allow me to show you." He took Sek's hand and led her away, chatting animatedly the entire time. Janeway's uneasiness was lessened somewhat when she saw that the Premier did not remove Sek from the stage, but merely took her over to a side table where he showed her charts of some sort. Janeway noted that her holographic medical assistant/counselor was developing into quite the ambassador for 
Voyager. Unlike the Doctor's acerbic wit, Sek carried a far more compassionate attitude and tone, picking up on moods with just a moment's observation, and causing anyone she met to feel comfortable around her.
Sek had not let Janeway know about her sensitivity to an individual's mood, but the captain was aware from the way the hologram looked at her at times. It was the same look Janeway used to get from Starfleet Betazed counselors and the defenses she had learned long ago always kicked into play, slamming the command mask down hard and blocking any insight into her soul. Blocking it to anyone, that is, but her wife who seemed to be able to pinpoint Kathryn's inner thoughts just by checking out the color of her eyes. Janeway remembered reading about plastic lenses that people wore before corrective vision surgery was commonplace. The lenses had been offered in a variety of colors and she wondered if such a thing could be replicated. Certainly there were many times when she did not want her emotions to be so easily picked up, not even by Seven.
Janeway was pulled from her musings by the sight of the premier moving to the large group of microphones sitting on a podium in the center of the stage. Immediately the crowd grew quiet and Janeway made her way over to the chair reserved for her, noting that the other members of the team were taking their seats except for Tuvok, who maintained his constant presence at her side.
"Families of Caron and the rest of Ginse," he began, his voice booming seconds later over the multitude of speakers set up throughout the festival area.
Janeway knew someone from Voyager was carrying a tricorder and discreetly recording the ceremony for Ensign Wildman, although Voyager was promised magnetic tape copies of the ceremony from different angles by all the communication stations that were recording it for the news and posterity. Still, Kathryn mused, noting how prim and proper Naomi was behaving as the Premier went on with his speech, if it were her own child being honored in such a way, Janeway would be the first one there with a tricorder, saving every precious second of it. Of course, she also had to admit to herself that she was also notorious for putting duty before personal preference, and she supposed that she couldn't blame Samantha for carrying out her duty to the ship to the best of her ability. Sometimes, a person wasn't always able to strike the right balance, as hard as he or she tried. The captain noted the discrete conversation going on between Sek, Seven, and Naomi. The Ocampa sat on the child's left while the Borg sat on the right. Apparently the two women were still coaching Naomi on what to say as the child's head bobbed up and down.
Finally the Premier stepped back and Naomi hopped off her chair, pausing when she saw the height of the podium in relation to her own size. One of the Ginse made a sound in his throat that sounded much like laughter and said something to the man next to him, who in turn, nodded and relayed the message to the next ambassador in line. Janeway watched the humorous exchange until the ambassador seated at the far end of the stage motioned to someone just behind the edge of the stage, and a stool was quickly scuttled out to the podium. The Premier made the laughing sound as well and scooped Naomi up, placing her feet on the top of the stool.
"We forgot the stepper," he said bashfully into the microphones. Seconds later the crowd broke into a sea of laughter, and it took several minutes to get them to quiet down again. The Premier motioned at Naomi and stepped back. Janeway saw for the first time what looked like nervousness, or downright fright, on Naomi's face as the young child stared out into a sea of recording equipment and hundreds of thousands of Ginsians. Seven made a sound and gave Naomi a reassuring smile.
"Good evening people of Ginse," the child said in her high voice, pausing to let the speakers relay her words after the universal translator deciphered them into something the Ginsians could understand. "The family of Voyager is honored to be your guests on this special holiday." Naomi linked her hands behind her back, her breathing returning to something close to normal and the look of terror leaving her young face. Apparently Naomi was losing her 'stage fright'. Or at least, had decided that 'being Borg' would get her through her ordeal.
Janeway listened as the youngest member of Voyager who wasn't in diapers charmed the people of Caron and all of Ginse with words of thanks for the hospitality and wishes for the people of this 'most friendly planet'. Naomi's rhythm of speech was interrupted by the constant need to stop while the speakers relayed her words and the crowd reacted to them, but the rehearsed speech and winning smile did more for Voyager's diplomacy efforts than anything Janeway or the rest of the crew could ever have done. On the night of celebrating the Child, Naomi was the child of honor, a gift from the stars to bless their special day.
After her short speech, Naomi smiled and waved to the crowd enthusiastically, a scene that would be replayed on the front of every news story on the communications monitors and printed on every news board throughout the country the next day. The Premier led Naomi off the stage to a large circle cordoned off by heavy rope. Seven immediately followed, refusing to let Naomi out of arm's reach for even a second. The children of Caron began to file in, introducing themselves and touching Naomi's forearm in a gesture of greeting. Naomi returned every greeting with one of her own, mimicking the gesture they were familiar with. Janeway noted the proud faces of parents surrounding the ring, no doubt impressed by their own children's good behavior.
Truth be told, Janeway had to admit that she and Phoebe were never this well behaved when Gretchen took them to the local fairs and carnivals growing up. She directed a smile toward her young 'captain's assistant' and busied herself in conversation with the dignitaries surrounding her.
Finally the formalities were complete and the Premier announced the start of the sky light show. Janeway leaned back in her seat and watched as a series of fireworks began to light up the sky. A quick glance showed the captain that Seven and Naomi were lying on the ground in the middle of the children's circle, the Borg smiling when Naomi smiled, both making childlike ooh and ahh sounds along with the other children. Janeway's smile crept up slowly until it was full blown, a woman watching her wife affectionately and wishing, not for the first time, that they had a child of their own with whom to share special moments like this.
 
One of the very few side benefits to being separated from Seven, as far as the captain was concerned, Tuvok noted, was the opportunity to accept and smoke the smokesticks being offered to her by representatives of various governments. After accepting the first one, the captain was inundated by more, hastily retrieved from somewhere else by the various ambassadorial lackeys. Sniffing the leaf wrapped cigarillos, Janeway found each to have a slightly different fragrance and smiled appreciatively at each one offered. Soon her tunic pockets were full, and Janeway resorted to pulling rank to make Tuvok place a dozen in his inside tunic pocket, much to the Vulcan's obvious distaste even if all he did was merely nod and take the offensive sticks from her. The security chief clearly did not know why the captain insisted on taking them since Seven would never let Janeway smoke them in their quarters. As the limit on his pocket was being tested by yet another smokestick, the Vulcan resigned himself to the fact that his captain, a close friend for many years, a person he trusted with his life and would gladly lay his life down for, would receive her just desserts when Seven found out. Sometimes Kathryn Janeway just had to learn the hard way.
A polite tap on her shoulder alerted Janeway that Tuvok required her attention.
"Captain, if I may point out," he began.
"I'll keep them hidden in my ready room," she answered, aware of what his concerns were about. "If we can lower the fire suppression sensitivity for incense and candles burning, surely adjusting it for these little sticks won't be too difficult."
"It is of course, your decision, Captain," he said evenly, letting Janeway know without words what he thought of the idea. "However, we have far more of these ... items," he allowed, certain Janeway would not have approved his initial thought, "than you could possibly conceal in your ready room." He held up a backpack much like the one Sek had, stuffed with smokesticks and fancy lighters, along with an invoice for several cases which someone, no doubt a distributor of some sort, had pressed into his hand.
"I see," she said slowly, eyeing the sticks as a child would a tray of sweets. This was not good at all. Janeway had no intention of giving up her precious booty, but it was certain to cause more dissension with Seven, who had clearly put her foot down about allowing Janeway to bring any into their quarters. And there was no way she was going to be able to hide cases of them in any of the cargo bays.
Tuvok supposed the captain was lucky that the fight she and Lt. Ro had gotten involved in at the space station's tavern caused her to lose the box of smokesticks Twimm had given her. He had been informed by Seven herself that even the taste of it in the captain's kiss several hours later had caused the Borg to issue her a lecture about the dangers of smokesticks, including the very intimidating threat of not getting a kiss from those finely shaped lips.
"Please politely decline any future offers," Janeway said with honest regret. "Just show them the bag and explain we have too many now. And cancel that shipping invoice."
"We could always offer to return half of what we have, as well," Tuvok offered.
Janeway gave a short laugh and shook her head. "Not a chance, Mr. Tuvok. I'm holding you personally responsible, as head of security, to make sure that bag is put into a stasis pouch and secured within my ready room." 
She took another look at the children's circle, noticing both Seven and Naomi pointing at the latest pyrotechnic display, a series of timed explosions that spelled out Voyager in both Federation symbols and that of the Caron people. Kathryn leaned over until she was within whispering distance of her Vulcan friend, not wanting her spouse's Borg enhanced ears to pick up on the conversation, despite the impracticality of it due to the noise the fireworks and crowd were making.
"I'm trusting you as a friend not to tell Seven about them."
Tuvok stiffened, ready to point out that Janeway would probably no more than light the first one in her ready room and Seven would appear to stop her, but decided against it. Sometimes the captain really did have to learn the hard way. "Understood."
"Thank you," she said, sitting up in her seat, undoubtedly knowing that somewhere along the line she would pay dearly for this, but quite unable to help herself.
After the fireworks, the group was broken up to mingle and explore the crowd. Among the sea of Carons and other assorted Ginsians here for the celebration, several bands of red, blue and gold appeared in the crowd, off duty Voyager personnel cleared to participate in the night's festivities. Since the festival lasted for ten days, it was easy enough to schedule rotations with assurances that if everything stayed on the up and up, the shore leave would be extended to allow the crew to enjoy as much of the celebration as possible.
Sek, Seven and Naomi had been swallowed up by the crowd, but were still within communicator range. Tuvok took advantage of the separation to send an ensign back to the Delta Flyer with Janeway's goodies. He had given precise instructions to seal the pack in a stasis pouch and hide it in the aft compartment behind the head, hoping that would be enough to keep Seven, or anyone else for that matter, from smelling the foul weed. As it were, even an hour after the last one had been removed from his tunic, Tuvok swore he could still smell the sweet but pungent odor clinging to him.
To his dismay, he noticed that Janeway had not packed away all the smokesticks she had received, a half dozen sticking proudly out of her pocket, a rainbow of colored bands identifying which country each came from. One such stick, bearing a bright gold paper band, was stuck neatly between her teeth while an ambassador happily held a flame out for her. Janeway puffed twice and removed the stick from her mouth long enough to smile and thank the ambassador before resuming her obvious enjoyment of the foul smelling present. The captain walked over to him, happily puffing away. "Are you having fun, Mr. Tuvok?"
He politely took a step to the side, noting the direction of the wind and thus, the smoke. "I am not here to 'have fun', Captain. I am here to keep you from ending up in jail. It tends to have a negative effect on Seven which in turn makes Lt. Torres rather unbearable to deal with which makes Lt. Ro--"
"I get the point, Mr. Tuvok," she said, holding her hand up to stop him from going on. "I guess I'm lucky I have you here to keep an eye on me then, hmm?"
"It seems you are one of the harder assignments for me to get volunteers for," he said evenly. "Even from Beta Squad," he said, referring to the most elite of the security team, a group of crack shots and skilled officers who usually jumped at danger.
Janeway laughed and rested her free hand on his shoulder. "I don't doubt that for a minute, Mr. Tuvok. I'm not entirely sure Lt. Ro has forgiven me for not telling her that I had already canceled the self-destruct on the shuttlecraft."
"Yes," he said slowly, remembering the incident. "Lt. Ro was quite displeased at passing out while on duty." In fact, for days the Bajoran had ranted and raved about the captain's sense of humor ... or lack thereof ... to anyone who dared come near her.
"I'm sure it was more than just displeased. The rumor mill said she offered to trade a week's worth of replicator rations to anyone who was willing to take her place the next time I needed an escort to the surface."
"I heard it was three weeks," he replied, causing Janeway to laugh once more.
"When was the last time Seven checked in?" she asked, the thought occurring to her that it had been too long since hearing her beloved's voice.
"One point six hours ... and three smokesticks ago," Tuvok said, shifting out of the path of the smoke again.
"I'd better check on our wayward crew members," she said, facing him to conceal her actions from the majority of the passing celebrants, a futile effort, since like specimens under glass, anyone sporting a band of color across their shoulders was stared at and given all the attention of a fine piece of artwork. "Janeway to Seven." There was a pause. "Seven, respond."
"Seven here," came the reply. "We are getting ready to go on a ride. The Carons are most accommodating, allowing Naomi to go to the front of a very long line. Based on a maximum of two persons per Floop and fifteen point six minutes per ride with only ten Floops, it seems illogical to wait hours in line to partake on such a ride. Explain."
Janeway smiled. "Sometimes the reward is worth the wait." Like waiting for Seven, she thought idly, remembering the time she had lost her memories of the beautiful and patient Borg, and had to prove her love by wooing her lover. "Is Sek with you?"
"Negative," came the reply, surprising Janeway. "Sek and the Premier were engaged in a conversation about irrelevant things, and Naomi and I wished to participate in fun events, as Floop is reported to be according to the children and adults that have just come back from their rides."
"Well you two have fun. Make sure you find Sek before you go on any more rides," she instructed, taking a puff of her smokestick and savoring the taste. "And Seven?"
"Yes Captain?"
"Be careful. Don't let Naomi out of your sight."
"Naomi Wildman will not leave my sight," Seven vowed gravely. "Captain, it is our 'turn'. We must board our Floop now."
"All right. Janeway out."
"Excuse me, Captain," Tuvok said, moving yet again and wondering to himself if there was any place he could stand and not get a face full of smoke. "Would it not have behooved us to ask what exactly a Floop is?"
Janeway pulled the smokestick out of her mouth as a vaguely stricken look came over her face. If Naomi wished to go on a ride, neither officer had any doubts that Seven would take her. Was it a safe ride?
"The Caron people let their children on the ride," she tried.
"The Caron children are not half-Human and half-Katarian, nor have they been raised within a starship environment," the Vulcan pointed out.
"I'll ask someone," Janeway said, turning and looking for an ambassador. Of course, being the captain of the infamous starship, she was surrounded by all sorts of dignitaries from one country or another who were more than happy to press even more smokesticks on her and explain that the Floop was a simple ride. Two people sat in a boat, shaped like a donut ... from what Tuvok could derive from the drawings in the dirt and the description ...  with the bottom of the hole filled in to allow the occupants to sit safely inside. Shock absorbing sides protected them from the artificial walls which made up the chutes that the water flowed down. The ride ran parallel to the faster moving river, in spots, but both Federation members were assured that all precautions were in place, and that there was no way the Floop boats could leave their narrow chutes. The worst the crewmembers could expect was to get wet when the water running along the bottom splashed from the impact of the Floop boat with the side of the channel. A totally harmless ride which was a source of great enjoyment for young and old, and one of the festival's most popular attractions.
"Satisfied, Mr. Tuvok?"
"Not entirely," he said, raising his eyebrow at the picture in the dirt. "There is a certain amount of danger inherent in a ride of this nature. Danger seems somewhat easily found by the various crewmembers of Voyager."
"You worry too much," Janeway said, happily putting the smokestick between her teeth. "Besides, we're not talking about an away team mission, we're talking about a ride designed for children. It's only Naomi and Seven; how much trouble could they possibly get into?"
"Precisely," he said simply, frowning as the wind changed ... again.
"Hello Captain, Mr. Tuvok," B'Elanna said as she approached, Ro Laren by her side.
"Lieutenants," Janeway responded, as the Vulcan nodded politely.
The large series of artificial lamps gave plenty of illumination in the middle of the festival grounds, allowing Tuvok to see the couple clearly. Both were dressed in their standard uniforms, gold band for B'Elanna and red for Laren but the Bajoran had forgone her usual red headband for a white one with silver designs that the security chief was certain had a Klingon origin. As with the captain and Seven, Tuvok knew Ro and Torres had gone through some very rough patches in their relationship but at the moment it seemed to be on the upswing.
"I trust you are having a pleasant evening?" Janeway asked.
"That would depend on what you call pleasant," Ro said evenly. "Lt. Torres insists on trying to kill herself on these horror rides."
"You have got to try the Widow Maker, Captain," B'Elanna said excitedly. "You go at least a hundred meters in the air and then it just drops."
"It sounds rather suicidal," Tuvok pointed out.
"Well, it stops just before you hit the ground, but what a rush," Torres said. "I have got to program this place into the holodeck."
"I hope the Ferengi never visit this place," Ro said. "These people have never heard of any of the Rules of Acquisition. They ask us how much we want to pay for something rather than telling us the price."
"I trust you are being fair in your dealings with the Caron?" Tuvok said evenly.
"Absolutely," B'Elanna chimed in. She got a look in her eye and turned to Laren. "Would you get us something to drink, please?" 
Tuvok was in shock at the person before him, though of course, he did not show it. Voyager's chief engineer would never dream of saying please, let alone get that adorably devoted look on her face, not even after several anger management lessons with him. But now, even the Klingon ridges on B'Elanna's forehead seemed to soften when in the presence of Ro Laren.
Once the Bajoran was gone, B'Elanna opened her tunic, untucked her shirt, and pulled a small box out from its hiding place within her bra. Janeway kept an impassive face although it clearly required biting the inside of her cheek while Tuvok was appropriately disconcerted. B'Elanna was oblivious to both reactions as she opened the hinged box and held it out before her. "What do you think?"
"It's ... very nice," Kathryn said, looking at the finely crafted bracelet studded with ... the captain blinked. "Are those dilithium crystals?"
"As best I can tell without a tricorder," the Klingon said. "It's a present for Laren. I got it for a song, of course. They think these crystals are just pretty rocks."
Janeway smiled at the bashfulness in B'Elanna's voice as Tuvok raised an eyebrow. Even though the Klingon had proclaimed love at one point for Tom and later for Chakotay, it was nothing compared to the feelings so clearly evident for Ro Laren. "I'm sure she'll appreciate it."
"Her birthday is coming up," B'Elanna said. "She doesn't know about the bracelet so don't say anything, okay?"
"I promise," Janeway replied, politely averting her eyes as the Klingon put the present away and straightened out her uniform. The timing was good as Ro appeared seconds later with two tall glasses of ale. Now with a closer look, Tuvok was certain the designs on Laren's headband were Klingon. He privately wondered what gifts were to be bestowed on B'Elanna, noticing a slight bulge in the back of Ro's tunic.
Beside him, Janeway puffed on her smokestick and looked out over the crowd. The Vulcan followed her gaze, noticing the significant number of children running about. Soon Voyager would have to adapt to children who required more space than Safe Haven and the park for their recreational enjoyment. Perhaps Torres' idea of incorporating this scenario into the holodeck was a good idea after all.
"So what's next, oh adventurous one?" Ro asked B'Elanna.
The Klingon dared a wink at the captain as she took Laren's hand and led her away. "I was thinking of you, me, a hollowed out log and a slow ride through a nice dark, private tunnel. Think I can talk you into it?" she asked sweetly.
"Lead the way," Ro replied.