Opening his eyes he was awestruck by what he beheld. He stood at the base of a tree with a thick trunk and large, drooping boughs on a small land mass at one end of a long, rectangular pool. Massive buildings rose up from the white marble paved ground of the courtyard. Apart from himself and Chakotay, who he now realized stood beside him, the area appeared to be deserted.
Where are we? he asked Chakotay, who was taking in the scene with wide-eyed wonder.
I believe it’s called Erigol, he replied without moving his lips. It was/is a Caeliar city. Icheb was struck by the reality that wherever they were, they had access to each other’s thoughts. There was something familiar and comforting in the sensation.
Have you been here before? Icheb asked.
No. But Seven described it to me. She saw it during the transformation.
Above them, Icheb heard a faint rustling, followed by a childish giggle. He and Chakotay exchanged a brief, knowing glance.
Seven? Icheb called out in his mind.
Another giggle answered him.
Icheb looked up into the canopy of wide leaves and dark limbs and saw a small shape.
Hello? Who’s up there?
Go away, a petulant girl’s voice commanded.
We can’t do that, Chakotay replied.
I don’t want you here, the girl said more forcefully.
I don’t doubt that, but we’re not leaving, so you may as well come down, Chakotay insisted.
Icheb was struck by the thought that good as Chakotay’s intentions might be, he clearly hadn’t spent as much time around difficult children as Icheb had.
We don’t need her to play with us, he advised Chakotay. We can have plenty of fun here on our own. Sensing Chakotay’s approval, he searched the ground and quickly found a few loose rocks. He picked them up and began to toss them one at a time high into the air until they fell into the pool at a great distance with a satisfying splash.
I can do better than that, Chakotay said and began to search for his own rocks.
Bet you can’t, Icheb challenged, more for the child’s benefit than any desire for real competition.
Sure enough, though, Chakotay sent his first rock even higher than Icheb’s previous efforts, and both watched as it fell almost to the middle of the pool.
How did you do that? Icheb asked.
Certain rules are easier to break here, Chakotay said, smiling.
Let me try, a small voice insisted.
Icheb turned toward the girl, who somewhat resembled images he had seen of Seven when she was a child, except for certain alien characteristics.
Go ahead, he said, offering her one of his rocks.
Her tosses made Icheb’s and Chakotay’s look pitiful by comparison.
What’s your name? Chakotay asked, as the girl tossed another rock.
Annika, she replied.
Icheb felt irrational fear rising within him. He worried that this strange child might be all that was left of Seven.
Are you all by yourself here, Annika? Chakotay asked.
Most of the time, she replied. But I like it that way.
It must get lonely, Icheb suggested.
It’s still better, Annika insisted.
Icheb knelt so he could bring his eyes level with hers and said, Better than what?
Annika shrugged and began to search the ground for more rocks.
Icheb, Chakotay said, commanding him with his thoughts to look around him more closely. Standing at the far side of the pool was a single statue with a more humanoid shape than the others which he now realized graced the plaza. Icheb moved quickly to study it and confirmed that it was a form of a Borg drone. Beneath the armor and implants he saw a face which was strikingly familiar: the face of Seven of Nine.
This sent a cold chill down Icheb’s spine he watched Annika approach the drone fearlessly and clamber up onto its shoulders.
Don’t worry, she can’t hurt anyone anymore, Annika informed them both.
Do you know who she is? Icheb asked.
One of billions, Annika replied.
Turning, Icheb watched as the other statues in the plaza began to morph and coalesce into drones. Soon they were surrounded by these cold figures. Annika sat atop the shoulders of the Seven drone, caressing her head with her long, powerful arms. Then in a swift movement, Annika pulled hard on the statue’s head and with a crack ripped it from its place and sent it rolling onto the ground.
They break too easily, Annika assured him.
You are Annika, a new voice boomed.
I know! Annika shouted back, moving on to another drone and tearing off its arms.
As she destroyed the other Borg statues, Icheb moved to pick up Seven’s head and studied it. Suddenly its lips began to twitch. Its single eye opened abruptly, filled with terror as it said, Assistance is futile.
Icheb almost dropped the head as the sky darkened all around him. Looking up, he saw the amber glow dimmed by the arrival of dozens of Borg cubes which quickly blotted out the sky, pulsing with angry green light.
Annika paused to stare in horror at the sky.
Now see what you’ve done? she snarled angrily at Icheb and Chakotay.
You are Annika, the new voice insisted again, shaking the buildings.
Turning to Chakotay, Icheb demanded, What do we do now?
We have to reach Seven, Chakotay replied. Taking the head from Icheb’s hands, Chakotay placed it back atop the statue where it miraculously sealed itself back in place.
Help me, Chakotay commanded, as he began to tear at the implants and armor which shrouded the drone.
Icheb began to pry loose all that was Borg.
Stop it! Annika shouted, rushing toward them. You can’t do that.
Yes we can, Chakotay replied.
Piece by piece they began to discover the human figure of Seven buried beneath the stone façade of technology. As Chakotay continued his work, Icheb grasped one of Annika’s hands and pulled her toward the statue.
What did you do to her? Icheb demanded fiercely.
I didn’t do anything! She’s just like the rest of them, Annika shouted. I hate her! Everybody here does!
I don’t hate her, Chakotay said gently to Annika. Icheb and I miss her terribly and want to help her. You have to let us do that.
No! Annika cried out, pulling free from Icheb and retreating to the safety of the tree.
You are Annika! the voice commanded, only this time it was the voice of a billion drones joined as one, causing the ground to shudder.
Seven, Icheb cried out. Seven, can you hear me?
We are here, Seven, Chakotay added. You are not alone in this.
I’m not giving you up, Seven, Icheb shouted, amazed at the desperation he heard in his voice. Say something, please.
You are Annika, the Borg collective insisted again.
Shut up! Icheb shouted defiantly. She was Annika. She was also Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One. But she is stronger than both of them. She is Seven, my teacher and my friend. She is the only family I have left and I won’t let you have her. Do you hear me?
Chakotay placed his hand on the still shoulders of Seven of Nine. Seven, listen to me. I know you are frightened, but you can’t give in to your fear. It has paralyzed you. It doesn’t matter what the Caeliar want or what Annika wants. All that matters is you and what you want.
The Borg destroy everything they touch, Seven’s voice cried out. They won’t even leave me this.
The Borg are gone, Seven, Icheb shouted in frustration. They no longer exist.
I am Borg and I exist, Seven replied.
You are a unique individual, Seven, Chakotay insisted. You are a human with memory of the Borg who was once touched by the Caeliar. But none of these things can define you. They are only parts of the whole.
The Caeliar didn’t want me. They only wanted Annika.
You don’t know what they wanted, Chakotay argued. And the only way you’re going to find out is if you come with us
.
Suddenly, angry green fire began raining down on the city, pulverizing the buildings. Annika screamed shrilly in the distance.
Chakotay turned to see the little girl cowering at the base of the tree, her long arms wrapped around her knees and her head ducked low.
Turning back to Seven’s still form, Chakotay said, We’re leaving … now!
Seven stared past them at the child. With a wary nod she placed one hand in Icheb’s and the other in Chakotay’s.
Icheb felt the ground falling away from him too soon but quickly found himself seated on the bed in a pitch-black room. After a moment someone turned on a small lamp that rested on the table by Seven’s bed. Once his eyes had adjusted, Icheb saw Seven sitting up, her face a mask of confusion. Rising on stiff legs, he moved to join Chakotay in helping her to her feet.
“Seven?” he said, searching her face.
She nodded, pulling him into a fierce hug.
“Thank you,” she said softly. Turning to include Chakotay and Sveta, she added, “Thank you for coming after me.”
“So I guess this time it went a little better?” Sveta asked.
CHAPTER FOUR
B’Elanna and Neelix had lost track of time. In the hours that had passed since Dexa’s truly delicious dinner had been cleared, Brax hurried out to meet with friends. Dexa had pulled Miral into her lap to read her a selection of Talaxian folk stories, and the two old friends filled each other in on the few high and many low points of the years that had separated them.
They spent considerable time sharing their favorite memories of Kathryn Janeway. B’Elanna wondered if Neelix found this as comforting as she did. She had been forced by her circumstances to grieve for the captain alone. The daily remembrance of her, along with the many other honored dead, had been a healing balm to B’Elanna’s troubled heart. She was amazed that Neelix’s favorite recollections, when added to her own, lightened the burden she carried.
Neelix also filled her in on the vast progress made by the community of New Talax, including establishing trade and normalizing diplomatic relations with a number of nearby civilizations, as well as strengthening their offensive and defensive capabilities. Neelix had spent a great deal of his first year in New Talax creating training regimens for the colony’s security personnel and outlining the priorities for the engineering staff. He had recently been asked to lead an exploratory group tasked with searching for additional asteroids within the belt that might, in time, be converted to similar life-sustaining areas to minimize the impact of their growing population.
“It’s amazing how people thrive when they are at peace,” Neelix mused.
“That it is,” B’Elanna agreed.
He had then listened with the gentle patience she well remembered as she told him of her encounter with the qawHaq’hoch, their kidnapping of Miral to keep her safe from the Warriors of Gre’thor, and the decision she and Tom had reached to eliminate the threat the Warriors posed by faking their deaths. Finally, B’Elanna admitted that she was scheduled to meet up with Tom and Voyager in a matter of days, at which point Tom would resign his commission and the three of them would set off to build a life in the Delta quadrant.
Neelix had murmured affirmatives and nodded as her story progressed, but once she was done his eyes seemed to betray misgivings.
After a brief pause B’Elanna filled by draining the dregs of the “coffee” Dexa had served after dinner, she demanded, “What?”
“What? Nothing,” Neelix replied too quickly.
With an abrupt sigh, B’Elanna got up, and said, “I should really go check on Miral. I’m sure Dexa’s worn out by now.”
“Of course,” Neelix agreed. “There’s just one thing, though.”
B’Elanna froze for a moment before resigning herself and sitting back down.
“What?”
“I just don’t remember B’Elanna Torres ever accepting defeat like this. She was always so determined to make the universe do as she wished no matter what. And she certainly never used to run away from a fight,” Neelix said in the seemingly innocent manner that left little room for offense or argument.
B’Elanna felt her ire beginning to rise and replied, “The B’Elanna Torres you used to know didn’t have a child’s welfare to put ahead of her own.”
“Of course,” Neelix said, nodding. “But still …”
“Out with it, Neelix,” B’Elanna said more harshly.
Thankfully, Neelix rarely paid attention to tone.
“You and Tom have obviously gone to great lengths in the interests of protecting Miral; but at some point, there are other valuable lessons you are going to have to teach her, especially if there’s any chance that her purpose as the Kuvah’magh is to be fulfilled.”
“Neelix, she’s three and a half. We’re still working on colors, letters, and numbers.”
“Children absorb everything, B’Elanna,” Neelix said with more conviction. In this at least, both of them knew he was standing on solid ground. “The only things that have ever really hurt the children in my life, little Naomi and now Brax, were the things I tried to hide from them. Ultimately it didn’t serve any of us well. And while I don’t doubt that you and Tom might be all Miral could possibly need for now, what happens in a few more years? The day is going to come when her universe will have to get a little bigger. And I’m sorry, but the idea of the three of you constantly on the run in your shuttle or settled on some deserted planet eking out an existence doesn’t really sound like something that’s going to serve Miral very well. You and Tom found a path together on Voyager— a road that led both of you to the best you had to offer. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want to share that with Miral. When I think of how Naomi grew and thrived aboard Voyager, and how the challenges we face here on New Talax are turning Brax into such a responsible and intellectually curious young man, I couldn’t be more proud. Can you honestly tell me that the thought of spending the rest of your lives alone on some uninhabited planet could compare with the other options you should be considering?”
“We’ve made our decision,” B’Elanna said, surprised by the uncertainty she heard in her own voice.
“Well, that’s the nice thing about decisions.” Neelix smiled. “Every day you have the chance to make a better one.”
“I can’t ask Voyager’s crew to take responsibility for Miral’s life. Apart from Tom and Harry, most of those people are strangers to me.”
“A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet,” Neelix said, and shrugged.
“I’d be putting them in harm’s way.”
“Isn’t that what they signed up for when they joined Starfleet?”
“This is different. This is my personal problem.”
“Since when? For the people who love you, and I count myself among them, your problems are theirs. You are one of the strongest people I’ve ever known, B’Elanna. But going it alone led you to some pretty dark places in the past. Your family on Voyager never let that go on for long. And honestly, I think if you could step outside yourself for a minute and look at this from where I’m sitting, you’d agree with me. At the very least, I’d like you and Tom to consider making your new home here with us.”
B’Elanna was incredibly moved by his offer.
“Neelix, if the Warriors of Gre’thor ever found us here …” she began.
“I’d make them wish they hadn’t,” Neelix assured her as his eyes flashed icily, “and so would a certain Klingon warrior I used to know.”
Soft footfalls broke the tension between them. They turned in unison to see Dexa hovering over them, worry furrowing her brow.
“I’m sorry, but I think you should check on Miral,” she said.
“What is it?” B’Elanna asked, jumping to her feet.
“It’s probably nothing, but she seems to be running a slight fever,” Dexa replied.
Seven was unaccustomed to the silence in her mind. Nonetheless, she accepted the reprieve her recent encounter with Chakotay
and Icheb seemed to have granted her and fervently hoped it would become permanent.
Icheb had repeatedly offered to remain with her until she departed with Chakotay the following afternoon. Her heart wished to reward the courage and deep affection he had shown by entering into the Pacrathar with Chakotay, but Seven worried that these feelings were evidence of weakness and not strength. After several moments spent assuring each other of their mutual regard and her promise to keep him apprised of her emotional well-being, Seven had insisted Icheb return to the Academy. In addition to instructing him to maintain his progress in her absence, she also requested that he keep a watchful eye on Naomi Wildman, who was due to enter the Academy in the fall.
“Watchful?” he had asked, needing clarification.
“Do not smother her,” Seven suggested. “But make sure she is aware that you are available to counsel her should the need arise.”
Once Icheb had departed, Seven had made excellent use of her newfound sense of strength, replying to several urgent communications she had been neglecting, and advising the Academy that she required an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons.
With her affairs in order, only one task remained, and though she hesitated to complete it, Seven was also aware that to leave it undone was unthinkable.
Chakotay insisted on accompanying her to the hospice. Though Seven’s stomach writhed as she approached the entrance, she reminded herself that no one present would have any reason to suspect that she was in less than perfect health.
In a clear effort to deflect any unwarranted attention, Chakotay took the lead in cheerfully greeting the nurses who had attended Irene in her final days and who had subsequently arranged for the disposal of her remains. Seven was presented with an urn containing Irene’s ashes, and together, they left the hospice and utilized a nearby public station to transport to a small, secluded beach at the north end of San Francisco Bay.
Seven was struck by the lightness of the urn she held gingerly in her arms. She tried to call up a mental picture of Irene as she had been when Seven first returned to Earth. Instead, Seven could remember only the pale husk of what had once been such a vibrant woman, lying in her hospice bed, surrounded by low, humming machines. Still, Seven found unexpected consolation in the thought that she had been granted this moment, at least, to bid her farewell.
Star Trek Voyager: Unworthy Page 5
