Roundtable story (open for submissions, please)

[Buster's Uncle]

[I'm posting a first sentence, whomever fancies doing so adds a line or more.  Eventually, something posing as a story results.  It's fun - and there's a way to get a real story out of it if everyone plays ball.]

[These things are usually wacky and end up making no sense - which is fine.  However, as originator, I reserve the right to later edit heavily -trying to eliminate no one's contribution if possible, but punching it up to work as a story, as well as the standard line edit for increased fluency and untangling/working out formatting- to make something substantial out of it.  We can talk about a title later, if we get to needing one.  Worry not; we'll probably have to start over a time or two first.  So have fun, and try to keep the vulgarity down to a dull roar.]

[I like to put non-story comments -why not?- in brackets, for clarity of which is which...]


Seven of Nine was sitting on the floor in her quarters playing dolls with her best friend Naomi when her internal systems detected the dimensional rift.

[thedarkestcolors]

Naomi, oblivious to the remarkable event, looked amused at Seven, who, still holding the dinner table of the doll house, suddenly had a brooding expression on her face.

[disclaimer: I'm lacking all but the most superficial glimpse of the personalities of any Star Trek character]

[Buster's Uncle]

[ Houston, we have a collaborator! ]

"Naomi Wildman, come with me," Seven said, rising.

"Oh." Naomi said, extending her hand, "Grownup Seven, now."

[Valka]

"There is a dimensional rift three light-years off the starboard bow," Seven announced. "It is different from the others we've encountered."

Naomi forgot about pouring her doll a cup of Tarkalian tea. "How different?" she asked. "We've run into some pretty weird stuff out here."

Seven frowned, trying to think of a way to explain it to the girl who, while intelligent for her age, was still a child.

[Buster's Uncle]

"It's moving this way, Naomi Wildman, quickly," she said, "We don't have much time to get to the Astrometrics lab."

[Valka]

Naomi had to run to keep up with Seven's long strides. "I haven't heard any alerts," she protested. "Shouldn't we call the Captain?"

[Buster's Uncle]

"I already did," Seven said, "Hurry."

[Valka]

Naomi ran faster. "But how?" I didn't hear you call her."

Seven sighed. "Internal communications," she said. "I will explain this later."

They reached Astrometrics and slipped inside. Seven hurried to the console and began calling up more information. Naomi glanced around uncertainly; she still didn't know what most of the controls were for.

Suddenly the rift appeared on-screen. The two stared at it, dumbfounded.

Naomi spoke first. "That's... what is that, Seven?"

Seven frowned. "We may be in what Lieutenant Paris refers to as 'big trouble'."

[Buster's Uncle]

"It looks like it's coming right for us!" Naomi said, almost screaming.

[I always thought 7 and her little friend had chemistry - and thought it would have been fun if it was established that alone with Naomi off-duty, 7 turned back into the little girl she was when she got assimilated...)

[Valka]

[Except that's not what the show established. Seven's "little girl" persona wasn't really her; she had the Borg equivalent of multiple personality disorder and the little girl was someone Seven assimilated. Other than the one episode, Seven has always been shown as an adult in her scenes with Naomi.]

Seven swallowed, trying to quell her nervousness. She must be strong. Naomi must be strong. "Try to remain calm," she ordered. She activited her com-badge. "Seven of Nine to the Captain."

[Buster's Uncle]

[Except that was bad writing -and a missed characterization opportunity- she'd been lost in the Collective since she was eight, and never had her own mind to deal with maturing.  The flat pseudo-Vulcan affect of her manner followed naturally enough, but the absence of severe emotional control issues after suddenly finding herself an individual for the first time since she was a prepubescent child -now with the body and hormones of a grown woman- was ridiculous.  Her knowledge of being an adult human, and coping with same, that had filtered through the Collective -mostly aliens- and would be something like only reading about it, if even that much irrelevant-to-the-Borg information filtered through.  She woke up from being violated beyond imagination.  At first, she could have made John-Luke in First Contact look like Buddha meditating, by comparison.  None of that was dealt with.]

[Also, reverting in private, off duty, with Naomi is a cute little bit of character business that they set up - but didn't think to play with, leaving aside that it made sense.  It's fun.]

They both screamed as the dimensional warp enveloped them.

[Valka]

[Okay, I won't argue with your story posts here and your reasoning that the show missed on the psychology angle, but that's not how I'd write Seven myself.]

Meanwhile, on the Bridge, Janeway glowered at the viewscreen. "What the hell IS that thing, Harry?" she demanded.

Harry couldn't believe his eyes. "Captain, I can't explain it. It looks like a giant... a giant..."

"It's a giant sock," Paris finished. He turned in his chair and faced the stunned Captain. "We've found the Lost Single Sock Dimension."

Just then Seven's frantic comm call from Astrometrics came through. Janeway tapped her combadge. "Janeway here. Report."

The only sound the Bridge crew heard was the bloodcurdling screams of Seven of Nine and Naomi Wildman. Then all was silence.

[Buster's Uncle]

---

After a second's disorientation, Naomi looked around.

"Socks?" she said.

"And ponies!" Seven squealed.  "PINK ponies!"

[ ]

[Eadee]

"Why are the socks so BIG?" Naomi said.

[and just to haunt  BU: This story socks!]

[Buster's Uncle]

[Booo!]