Title: View from the Outside
Author: Richard Chu
Series: VOY
Part: 6/?
Rating: PG
Codes: K/7

Disclaimers, etc., in part 0/?

Please email feedback to: amb_ricardo@startrekmail.com

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Dinner had continued much like the appetizer.  Neelix served an Alpha 
Quadrant dish, Tom immediately recognized it and expressed his amazement that 
Neelix would serve such a thing, then the Doctor began a medical dissertation 
on the dish, and Tom immediately went on the offensive to defend his staple 
diet.  First it was pizza, then burritos, nachos, then strawberry cheesecake. 

By the end of it, all of the human officers were stuffed, following the 
human custom of finishing everything on one's plate.  The Doctor, being his 
over-bearing self gloated with an arrogant smile, 'I told you so,' written 
all over his face.  Only Malboran, Seven and Tuvok managed to complete dinner 
satisfactorily.  Janeway apologized to Malboran for deciding to immediately 
go to her quarters to 'digest,' so Seven was given the responsibility of 
escorting him back to his quarters.

They were the first to leave, as some of the crew decided to stay and 'finish 
off the leftovers.'  As they walked towards a turbolift, Malboran noted, "Mr. 
Paris seems to have had an enjoyable evening tonight."

"It is common knowledge among the crew that tonight's menu consisted of 
Ensign Paris' favoured dishes," Seven replied.

"Yes, it appeared that way.  He was quite knowledgeable about each," he 
complimented.  "I think Mr. Neelix did an excellent job tonight."

"His choices seemed appropriate given the circumstances."

"You don't sound too enthusiastic about it," he said as they arrived at a 
turbolift.

"I found tonight's dinner to be appropriate for diplomatic purposes as it 
served to showcase human cuisine."

"But?"

"However, I concur with the Doctor's assessment that the entrees were 
nutritionally unsound.  There were excessive levels of saturated fats, an 
over-abundance of proteins, and insufficient nutritional supplements.  It was 
nothing more than 'junk food.'"

"But it tasted good," Malboran mused as they entered a turbolift.

"As I said, it was appropriate given the circumstances," she replied.

He stared at the turbolift doors as he spoke.  "Well, 'junk food' and all, I 
had an enjoyable evening.  It was interesting to observe the crew's natural 
interactions.  Aside from all the diplomatic protocol, that is."

"One can encounter many human idiosyncratic tendencies by doing so."

"Yes..." he commented weakly.

Seven noticed his change of attitude, and asked, "Are you alright, 
Ambassador?"

He sighed and turned to her, "I'm fine.  I was just thinking, that's all."

"I see."  She was curious to know what he was thinking about, but decided to 
respect his privacy.

The remaining walk to his quarters was without conversation, but it was clear 
to Seven that Malboran was suffering from some form of apprehension.  He 
could not keep his hands still, shifting them from his side, to holding them 
behind his back, to crossing his arms.  His pace noticeably quickened as he 
approached his quarters.  He arrived a few steps before Seven and opened the 
door.  "Would you mind coming in for a moment?"

She nodded and entered.  "Would you like something to drink this time?" he 
asked with slight amusement, although it was more mechanical than usual.

"No, thank you," she answered.

"Well, I could use another drink," he said, approaching the replicator.  "I 
think I'll try a..." he trailed off as he anxiously read the endless list of 
possible beverages.

Trying to be of assistance, she suggested, "Perhaps you would like a glass of 
Saurian brandy."

He shook his head.  "No, it's a bit late for that."  After examining the list 
for a few moments longer, he gave up.  "Maybe, I'm not that interested in a 
drink right now," he sighed.

This was the first time she had seem Malboran act so indecisively, and it 
prompted her to ask again, "Is something wrong, Ambassador?"

He went over to slump on the sofa and rubbed his temples.  "Well, it depends 
on a few things."

"Such as?"

He looked up to gaze at Seven, scrutinizing her.  After a while he broke his 
look, his body relaxing as he turned to stare out the star-filled windows. 
 "Seven, do you know if Captain Janeway is...involved to anyone?"

"Involved?  Elaborate."

"As in seeing someone."

"She sees a great many individuals on a daily basis."

"I mean in a...romantic way."

She raised her eyebrow.  "I am not aware if the Captain has engaged in any 
romantic associations.  Why do you ask?"

"Just...curious."

Seven's own curiosity peaked by Malboran's inquiry.  She recalled the 
instance when he first came on board and simply gazed at the Captain. Behind 
all the diplomatic rituals, his reactions to Janeway showed characteristics 
of courtship initiation: the pupil dilation, the flushed face, the momentary 
pause as he gazed at her.  The fact that now he explicitly asked her about 
Janeway's relationship status proved one thing.  "Are you romantically 
interested in Captain Janeway?"

He shot a look at her, but was not overly surprised at her question.  "It 
would be hard not to be."

"Why do you say that?

"Because she's such a strong woman, yet she doesn't discard her warmth.  She 
is cautious, yet open; authoritative, yet compassionate.  Such a blend of 
qualities in a single individual is incredibly striking."

"Intriguing observation," she said.  "I have come to the same conclusion, 
however, I fail to see how that provokes a romantic interest."

"I guess it's all a matter of one's state of mind," he said, giving her 
statement some thought.  "You may not have the same response as I do because 
of a great many things.  The fact that you're her subordinate on Voyager may 
emphasize her authoritative qualities over her more humane attributes, or you 
simply have no romantic interest in a homosexual relationship.  I suppose it 
helps that I'm more or less an equal with the Captain, in terms of 
professional position, but also, I am interested in heterosexual 
relationships."

"I see," she responded.

Seeing he had answered her question, he asked, "Do you have any romantic 
interests, Seven?"

"To the extent you share, no."

"Really?  I thought--" he cut himself off, unwilling to continue his train of 
thought.  Seven's interest was peaked, however, and he had to admit, "I 
thought you had already been involved with someone."

"How did you come to such a conclusion?"

He cleared his throat.  "Well, by the size of...uh...your breasts."

She looked down at 'them' and looked back at Malboran, confusion on her face. 
 "I do not understand."

He shook his head in regret.  "It was an erroneous cultural assumption, 
Seven.  I apologize.  It's just that Elogians usually do not exhibit 
such...notable physical features unless a significant biological event is 
occurring.  For Elogian females, the swelling of mammary glands usually 
coincide with pregnancy."

She paused in thought.  "That would explain why the Elogians in your office 
were staring at me when we returned from the vegetation production 
facilities."

"Most likely.  Although, added to that is the fact that when Elogian women 
are pregnant, they usually refrain from public exposure."

"Why?"

He sighed.  "It's a cultural convention.  As you may have noticed, most 
Elogians are physically similar on the surface, both the men and the women. 
 The only distinctive features are the spots on mens' heads and the hair on 
womens'.  For a pregnant woman to roam the streets in her obvious condition 
is to give the message that they are different."

"But they are different," Seven replied bluntly.

"Everyone knows that, but the general idea is for society to be constructive, 
it must emphasize not our differences, but our similarities.  True equality 
is thus supposedly achieved."

"Such a philosophy risks social stagnation."

"Interesting statement coming from a liberated Borg drone.  Since when did 
the Borg care about 'society'?"

"The Borg Collective is a distinct society, consisting of a wide range of 
diversity" Seven said matter-of-factly.  "The purpose of assimilation is to 
enhance the Collective by incorporating all the relevant aspects of an alien 
civilization for the purpose of Borg perfection."

"It's exactly that kind of domination the Elogian Reformers tried to avoid. 
 The purpose of emphasizing similarities is to establish a basic level of 
common interest.  From there cooperation can exist.  This ideal is the 
foundation of the Elogian Alliance."

"Yet the risk of social stagnation exists.  It will be inevitable that you 
will be required to rely on your allies as your society begins to lose the 
innovative ability inherent in diverse cultures.  In the end, there will be 
no common interest among partners."

"Perhaps," he said, looking grimly at a resolute Seven of Nine.

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END PART 6  To Be Continued...

Story Copyright 1999, Richard Chu

Please email feedback to: amb_ricardo@startrekmail.com