Copyright 2001, Susan S. McCrackin  Reprinted with permission of the author.

Motalli stretched his long body, trying to work the kinks out. He had been working on this small shuttle for way too many hours. At least, though, it was almost ready.

He had designed it to be small and fast, not much more than a speed machine with a small transporter device in it. Once they got the go-ahead, they would use this ship to fly in low, transport Kathryn B’Elanna to the ship and make a get-a-way. He knew it would work. He only needed a chance. 

He had not shown it to Seven yet, but he knew he needed to do that soon. There was one more thing the small ship needed, and he needed her to provide it. The ship needed enhanced shielding.

The ship did not have weaponry and the best offense it would have would be an excellent defense. He was hoping that she would be able to fit the ship with Borg shielding. He checked the chronometer, grinning when he saw it was time to meet her for evening meal. He put away his tools and headed for the small lab where he knew she would still be working. It had become their pattern for him to go by each night and accompany her to the evening meal. If he did not, she would never get there on her own. She would work until it was time to regenerate. Without him looking out for her, she probably would only work and regenerate

Chuckling to himself, he started walking toward the lab, realizing he was looking forward to seeing her again. This had started to be the highlight of his day. Sometimes, he would even manage to talk her into enjoying a walk with him after they ate. At first, she agreed because it helped keep her work the stiffness out of her body.

She was healing, but it was a slow process. Her limp was becoming less noticeable, but she had yet to remove the brace. He was starting to get the idea she was more comfortable with it on. She also wore the vest all of the time; however he was glad to see she had started to leave the weaponry off. 

He thought some of her coldness was starting to dissipate, but apparently only with him. She was still cold and distant to the rest of the crew, but she had seemed to start warming up to him. That, he thought, was great news.

Looking up, he noticed he had arrived at the door to the lab, and he asked the computer to announce his presence. He knew she would have the door locked to keep everyone out. He didn’t have to wait long before the door opened, and he could see her working, her back to him.

"It’s time to call it a day, Seven. I’m famished. Let’s go eat."

She turned to him, and he could see the unsettled look in her eyes.

"Seven, what’s wrong?"

She searched his eyes, then answered, "Nothing."

"Are you sure?"

She slowly nodded her head, "Yes."

"Good," he grinned at her, but he was not at all certain she was being completely honest with him. Still, he indicated the open door, "Ready for something to eat?"

She gave him a slight nod, and he reached to take her arm. She looked down at his hand on her elbow, then raised her eyes to his. He took her look as a yes.

"Wonderful. Let’s go. Afterwards, I thought we might go to the holodeck. I managed to grab an hour there tonight. There are some interesting things we might try, including a game called Velocity."

She lifted an eyebrow at him, "Velocity?"

"Yes. Are you familiar with it?"

"Yes, I am."

"Good. Maybe I’ll challenge you to a game. I am actually pretty good." He grinned at her, "I’ll try not to beat you too badly."

She answered, a bit of lightness in her voice, "I will try not to lose too badly."

"Great!" He grabbed her arm a little tighter, "It will give us something to look forward to after we eat."

He walked with her out of the lab, aware of the spring in his step as he walked beside her.

"Gwanpaw!" 

She was running to him with her arms outstretched. He caught her, lifting off the floor and to him in one smooth movement. Holding her tightly in his arms, he realized he had never before felt anything more wonderful.

"Kathryn B’Elanna." His voice choked off, and he could not say anymore. He stood in the middle of the room, holding her and swinging his body slightly back and forth.

Kathryn Janeway stood watching, tears in her eyes, but a smile on her face. It was a relief to have the child back with them. For the first time, she was starting to have hope in her plan. She looked away, wondering if her message had gotten through.

Then, she wondered if B’Elanna and Tom were safe.

"Kahkar," Eloca’s voice was excited as it came over the com, "we have a message!"

"Transfer it here." He looked at his wife and his friend, not certain what to expect. When he saw the PADD blink, he activated it and read the message. He immediately let out a quick breath of air, relieved, "It is from Kathryn." He concentrated on the message, a frown quickly starting to cross his face.

"What is it?" Ketaria’s reached for her husband’s arm.

"It is a complete report of what has happened since they docked." He rose from his chair and moved to the monitor, transferring the data to the monitor so they could all look at it, "And, a proposed plan." He returned to his seat and activated the program so they could watch.

Janeway’s face came on the screen, and they listened in horror as she described Seven’s arrest, watching the visuals she had provided. Ketaria reached out to take the Doctor’s arm, trying to provide him with comfort as he watched. She could feel his pain as he watched the visual of himself dematerializing and his child dropping to the floor, closing his eyes when he saw her scream, and his wife fight to get to her. Then, he focused on the monitor again as Janeway’s face appeared again, talking about what had happened in the aftermath, her voice breaking as she talked over the visuals of his own death. He lowered his head into his hand when she talked about Seven’s death, and Ketaria wrapped her arms around him. Afterward, it took him a moment to be able to focus on what the Captain was saying when she continued.

As he heard her words, his eyes widened, and he leaned forward, concentrating. He looked to Kahkar’s face, seeing that the Eutarian was as surprised at her plan as was he. When she signed off, he waited for Kahkar’s response.

Kahkar stood and moved around the room, thinking. Finally, he looked at the two people sitting in front of him, "I had not thought about that, but it might work." He tightened his face, "We need to find a way to get them a message. They do not know we are close. We need to find a way to open a line of communication with them." His head went up and his eyes cut toward a distant wall. They could tell he was deep in thought. He crossed his arms in front of him, then lifted one hand to cover his mouth. They could see the glint of a smile in his eyes, "And I think I might know how to do that."

Motalli threw his body across the floor, trying to dodge the spinning disk, yelling in frustration when it caught him solidly on the shoulder. He rolled onto his back and looked up at his opponent.

"Game."

He groaned and sat up, resting his arms on his knees. "I thought I was good at this game."

She just looked at him.

He reached a hand up to her, and she reached for it to help him off the floor. When she grabbed it, he pulled down on her grasp. She gave him a questioning look, and he grinned at her, pulling down a little harder. After a moment of hesitation, she sat down beside him, facing him.

He leaned toward her slightly, "You’re pretty good at this game."

"I had a good teacher."

"Oh?"

"Captain Janeway and I used to play."

"You didn’t give me a clue when I challenged you to a game."

"You asked me if I was familiar with the game. I was."

"But you didn’t tell me you were good."

"You did not ask me that."

He threw his head back and laughed. When he looked at her, he was pleased to see the hint of a smile. He reached across her body to rub her left arm, "How is this feeling? Any soreness in those muscles."

"No."

"Great. Your arm certainly seems to have healed without any problems."

"Yes, it has."

He dropped his hand to rest on the floor next to the brace on her left leg, leaning across her as he did. He looked down at the brace on her leg, "Your leg didn’t slow you down during our game. I take it that has healed okay, also?"

"It is adequate."

He looked her in the eyes, "Still hurts a bit, huh?"

Her mouth twitched slightly, but she did not respond.

"Seven," his voice was slightly chiding, "answer my question. Still hurts a bit?"

Reluctantly, she nodded, "Yes, sometimes it does."

He looked down at the place in her leg where the break had been, "You know we do have a few medications to help with the pain."

"I do not need them."

"You would rather suffer?"

She looked away. Yes, her leg did often hurt her, but she did not want to take any type of medication that might dull her ability to control her mind. She could not afford to do anything that might make her vulnerable to him. To keep her mind sharp, she would deal with the pain. She turned back to face him, "It is tolerable."

He frowned, but did not press her. There was something going on with her, but she would not talk about it. He knew better than to try to get her to open up to him. She would, but he knew it would take time, and he would give her all the time she needed. Instead, he said, "Thank you for the game tonight."

"You are welcome." She hesitated, her eyes softening, "It was a pleasurable distraction."

"A pleasurable distraction." He gave her a whimsical look, "Is that what our time together is?"

She raised an eyebrow at him.

He shrugged, "It could be worse." Then, he smiled, "But it could be better."

"Explain."

He leaned a little bit closer, "I don’t know. Maybe we could do something a little different one night." He looked at her, raising his head slightly, inviting her.

She looked at him, but did not move. He saw the uncertainty in her eyes. He reached up with his free hand and scratched the back of his neck, dropping his head down as he did. After a moment, he looked back at her, "Or, maybe we’ll just play another game of Velocity tomorrow night, and I won’t go so easy on you."

She straightened a little, "That would be acceptable."

He pushed himself away from her and stood, offering her his hand and pulling her to her feet. They started walking toward the door. 

Before they left the room, she said, "And I will not go so easy on you, either."

He roared his laughter.

Tayroe Orvis was sitting in his chair, his arms on the arm rests, his head leaning back, resting on the top of the back of the chair. His legs were stretched out, feet crossed on the hassock. His eyes were closed, but he was not asleep. On his lap, was a PADD containing the lengthy report he had been reading.

He had read through this report at least three times. It was like most official reports – very direct, somewhat technical, and dryly written. He was certain it was as complete as possible, and he did not doubt the accuracy of the information. His assistant, who had produced it, had done a good job. Elena always did a good job. He smiled when he thought about her. He had come to rely on her over the years and did not believe he would be as effective without her. She was probably a big reason he had the position he had, and she never missed an opportunity to remind him of that fact.

He was just finishing his fifth year of service as a member of the leadership of the Federation. It was a responsibility he took very seriously. He was proud to be a part of the leadership and proud of the job he had done over the last five years. It wasn’t that he was proud of every decision. No one could be proud of everything the leadership had done, and he would be the first to admit it. But, from his point of view, he was proud of the effort and the process.

Except for Voyager’s homecoming.

He lifted his head from the chair and looked back at the PADD in his lap, activating it to scroll through it one more time. The more he scrolled through the report, her more he was certain that something did not add up. Something was wrong. He could not put his finger on why he felt that so strongly, but he knew he was right.

He heard a movement behind him, but did not react. He knew she would get her drink and sit down to join him. It was a comfortable pattern they had developed over the years. She always gave him the last part of his workday to order his thoughts, then they would spend another hour discussing the days events. He felt it was the most valuable part of the day.

As soon as she sat down, he saw the secret smile on her face, and he started to laugh. "So," he looked at her through squinted eyes, "if you knew, why did you make me read this," he picked up the PADD and waved it at her, "three times?"

She did not reply, but blew on her hot tea before taking a sip. Then, she sat back in the chair and leveled a look at him.

He put the PADD back on his lap and nodded his head, answering his own question, "Because I had to come to the conclusion myself."

She took another sip of her tea and waited.

"So, do you have a theory?"

"Other than the obvious?"

He reached for his own drink, realizing it had cooled considerably. "Maybe I should ask if you have any idea of who is responsible?"

She shook her head, "No, I don’t. That is a mystery to me."

He closed his eyes and sighed, "I am afraid this will have serious repercussions."

"Yes, I think you are right."

"That aside, we still need to get to the bottom of this. Too many innocent lives have been lost because of this."

"I agree."

He activated the PADD, his eyes catching the picture of the child that had been included. He looked at his assistant with a suspicious eye, "Elena, did you include this for any special reason?"

She just looked at him.

He laughed again, "You knew this one would get to me."

She sipped her drink again, "I knew something had to." He waited on her to continue, "Tayroe, serious lies were told to the leadership. Lies that the Doctor and Seven of Nine Hansen their lives. Lies that cost that child her parents. It should never have happened and nothing can be done to bring those lives back. But, something has to be done to find out who told those lies and why. And for a bigger reason than just for punishing the guilty."

"You think our security has been compromised?"

She did not answer, but simply looked at him.

"Let me amend that. Our security has been compromised."

"Yes."

"We must discover who that is."

She took another sip and continued to look at him.

He narrowed his eyes, knowing there was more. She very seldom spoke her mind outright, but she always seemed to communicate with him in ways that made him tell her what she was thinking. He thought back through everything he had read, replaying their conversation, thinking carefully, trying to put together the pieces of this increasingly ugly picture. Finally, he groaned, "Someone on the leadership has been compromised."

She nodded her head, a grim expression on her face, "Yes, I believe someone has been."

"Do you have any idea of who?"

"No." She leaned forward to put her cup on the table in front of her, "I don’t have any idea of who that might be. Or of how or why."

He stayed silent a moment, "Elena, how in the world is it that you always seem to be able to see these things when no one else can?"

She shrugged, "I look. I listen. I think. I always know there is more than just what you see, so I wait for some things to play themselves out. Then, I put the pieces together to see what they tell me. Once I have most of the pieces together, I make up my mind about the situation. And not before."

"Nothing ever happens in isolation?"

She nodded, "Everything is a result of a combination of events. It is important to understand that."

"I have two questions for you?"

She waited.

"First, what would I ever do without you?"

"You would suffer greatly."

He laughed. 

"And your second question?"

He sobered, "Second, what do we do now?"

They were seated around a table in the quietest corner they could find in the crowded room. Despite his best efforts, Harry could not help but look at the people as they moved around the room. The site of them was so distracting, he was having a difficult time concentrating on the conversation taking place at the table. Volik saw the look on his face and grinned.

"They aren’t really implants. They are more like attachments."

"What?" Harry had to work to take his eyes off of a particularly large and complicated Borg-like creation being sported by one person.

"We haven’t learned how to actually implant them. They are simply attached to the body to provide enhanced strength, or visual or auditory acuity. We have a long way to go before we can figure out how to actually implant them."

Harry shook his head, "I have to be honest, it is a bit unnerving to be sitting in a room with people walking around looking like this," he waved his hand at the people in the room, "and not be scared out of my mind."

"Scared?" Volik gave him a strange look, "Why would you be scared?"

"These people look a lot like Borg."

"But that’s the idea."

"You’ve obviously never met the Borg."

"No, but we would like to."

Harry gave him a blank stare, "Do you understand exactly who the Borg are?"

"Sure." Volik sat back in his chair, "We know what we have been told, but we think that most of what we have been told are lies. We think it is possible to forge an alliance with the Borg – for the greater good of both the Borg and humanity."

Harry shook his head, "I’m not certain you would continue to think that if you ever came face to face with real Borg."

Neelix saw the look on Volik’s face and quickly interjected, "Volik, you must understand. Voyager had some very bad and very dangerous encounters with the Borg. We lost crewmembers to the Borg. They were our enemies in the Delta Quadrant."

"But Seven of Nine was a Borg."

"Yes, she was," Neelix was careful to keep his voice calm and soothing, "but the operative word there is ‘was.’ She was separated from the Borg. She worked hard to become human, and it wasn’t easy for her. Being Borg cost her her individuality. That is what is so dangerous about the Borg. I agree, there is much to be learned from them. We certainly learned a lot from Seven. But the cost of individuality is an awfully high price to pay for that knowledge."

"Yes," Volik leaned forward excitedly, "but we think it is possible to learn what they have to teach us without being assimilated. We think it is possible to work with them, not become part of them."

Harry opened his mouth, but closed it when Neelix kicked him under the table, his eyes telling Harry to stay quiet. Neelix knew it was more important to listen right now than argue. He looked at Volik to encourage him to keep talking.

"That’s why it was so important to protect Seven of Nine."

"What?" Harry couldn’t stop himself.

Volik nodded, "We thought if anyone could help us understand how to work with the Borg, it would be her."

"So, your people rescued her?" Harry’s voice was hopeful.

Volik frowned, "Well, to be honest, I’m not certain. Rumor has it, some of our people did get to her, but we have had a hard time finding out if that really did happen. Information about her has been kept really quiet. I guess you can understand why." They nodded. He lowered his voice and continued, "However, if she has been rescued, I might have an idea of where they would take her."

Harry’s eyes widened, "Can you get us there?"

"Maybe," Volik grinned, "but it wouldn’t be easy." He watched the fallen faces of the people at the table, "Hey, I said it wouldn’t be easy. I didn’t say it would be impossible."

Janeway tiptoed over to the small bed and looked down at Dr. Zimmerman holding his granddaughter curled up in his arms. She caught his eyes, and they exchanged smiles.

She whispered to him, "Is she asleep?"

"Yes," he whispered back, "she didn’t even try to hear the end of the Flotter story. She just closed her eyes, and she was gone." He looked down at his granddaughter, "I think she was really exhausted. Being with the wicked witch may have been harder on her than we thought."

Janeway laughed softly at his choice of words. It was obvious he had no love loss for Claudia Hansen. Neither, she thought, did she. At least that part was behind them. Now, they only had to worry about what was in front of them.

Dr. Zimmerman looked at her, his eyes sad, "Being here with her makes me think about the Doctor." He paused, then added, "I wish I had known him better – the person he had become."

She looked down at Kathryn B’Elanna, seeing her parents in her face, "He had become a fine man, a loving husband and a wonderful father. You would have been proud of him."

His eyes stared across the room, then they turned to her, a wistful look in them, "I am, Captain. I am."

She hesitated before she entered the alcove. Slowly, she lowered herself to sit on the edge, thinking about the day. She searched her mind, carefully checking around the edges, listening for that voice that had visited earlier, disappointed when it was silent. Sighing, she glanced down, her eyes catching the gleam of gold on her left hand. She raised her hand, holding it in front of her, looking at the band of gold circling her finger.

It was her symbolic commitment to him.

She raised her head, allowing herself to think about him. She missed him. She missed the sound of his voice and the feel of his arms around her. She missed waking up with him beside her.

She missed the feel of their child in her arms, and the sound of her laughter. She missed being called Mama.

Shaking herself, she quickly guarded her mind, protecting her thoughts of them and working to hide herself from him. She started to stand when she thought she heard a sound, deep inside her mind. She stopped, trying to protect her mind and open it up at the same time. Listening carefully, she concentrated on the small part of her mind where she thought the voice was.

"Seven." It was a whisper.

"I am here."

"It is good to talk to you."

"And you."

"Seven, there is not much time. Know we are coming for you."

"How?"

"I…I do not exactly know. Just know we are coming. We are working on a way of getting to you. We hope to be there soon."

"I will look forward to seeing you."

"And we will look forward to seeing you." The voice went silent for a moment, "Seven?"

"Yes."

"I am sorry about the Doctor."

She concentrated, protecting her mind.

"I will talk to you soon."

She felt the voice leave and with it, the last small vestige of hope she had that somehow, the Doctor had been saved. It had been an impractical hope, an inefficient use of her mental energy, but she had still held on to it. 

She wrapped her right hand around her left hand, squeezing the band of gold tightly. She pulled her hand to hold it close to her chest. The muscles in her jaw clenched, and she closed her eyes tightly. Finally, she stood and stepped up into her alcove and started to regenerate.

Supala lay on the bed, holding her head. This was not getting easier. Quite the opposite. She would have to be careful how and when she tried this communication. She realized she could not do this often. She would do it only when she had to from now. It was all she thought she could take.

Elena sat back in her chair, slipped out of her shoes and lifted her feet to rest on the coffee table in front of her. Slowly, she lifted the cup she was holding in both hands to her mouth, taking a sip of the steaming hot chocolate. She started to glance at the chronometer when the door to her quarters opened, and Counselor Hawkins strolled in.

"You know where everything is."

Don’nae Hawkins moved to the replicator to order herself a cup of hot chocolate and joined her friend, stretching out to slip down in the chair and also place her bare feet on the table.

"How did it go?"

"You know how it went."

She shrugged, smiling, "You did the right thing, Elena. He needed to know." She sipped her drink, "Did he ask you how you knew?"

"He always asks how I know."

"What did you tell him."

"I told him that you told me."

Don’nae laughed, "No you didn’t."

"Of course I didn’t." She laughed with her friend, "I gave him the same old line. ‘I look. I listen. I think.’"

"I talk to my telepathic friend."

"I wish I could tell him that. I really don’t like not being truthful with him."

"I know, but it can’t be helped right now." Don’nae Hawkins sighed deeply, "The times we are in mean some secrets have to be kept." She leaned her head back on the chair, thinking, "That child was one of the most powerful telepaths I have ever encountered. And the most controlled. I cannot even imagine what she will be like when she matures."

Elena Nitrue watched her friend closely. The two women had been friends most of their adult lives. Each had been there for the other through marriages, death and divorce – Elena’s divorce and the loss of Don’nae’s husband. They had watched each other’s children grow and supported each other through professional careers. If there was one thing each knew about the other, it was that each could totally trust and depend on the other to be there. She listened as Don’nae continued talking, almost as if thinking out loud.

"What was so strange is that she guarded herself so carefully. And not only herself," she paused to take a sip of her drink, "but also Counselor Troi." She looked up at her friend, her eyes gleaming with awe, "That is powerful."

"Is she someone to be feared?"

"She could be, but I don’t really think so. She had been trained too well. Also," she looked forward, thoughtfully, "there is so much good about her. She is truly loving." She added, her pain in her voice, "She certainly loved her parents. What happened to her parents was a travesty. That should never had been allowed to happen." Her eyes clouded with anger, and she turned them to her friend, "Whoever is responsible for that has be punished."

"But first we have to figure out who that is."

Don’nae Hawkins nodded, "I have been trying to do just that, but whomever it is is very careful and well protected. I have managed to be around most of the members of the leadership, and I have not been able to get a glimmer of a thought about which one of them might be responsible."

"You need to be very careful."

"Oh, I am careful. I know what the consequences are of being caught trying to explore the minds of an individual – especially one of the leadership. But one of them has been compromised. Maybe knowingly, maybe unknowingly, but it has happened." She paused, and Elena watched her carefully, giving her time to think carefully through her thoughts. "I strongly suspect that whomever it is on the leadership who has been compromised is not aware of the situation. I suspect the person is being manipulated in some way and does not even realize it."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No. It makes me feel worse. It is bothersome that someone in such a position can be used and not even realize it."

Elena studied her drink, "Don’nae, do you have an idea of who is doing the manipulating?"

Don’nae looked at her friend a long time, trying to decide how deeply to involve her. She had been aware of thoughts and feelings coming from someone for a long time, but had not been able to identify the person. But she had been developing a strong suspicion. She was not certain she knew, but all of her instincts were pointing in one direction, and she did not like where she was being directed. Finally, she looked at her friend, "Yes, I think I do."

Elena looked at her carefully, "Do I want to know who it is?"

Don’nae shook her head slowly, "No, you probably don’t."

Elena nodded, "But you are going to tell me?"

Don’nae gave her a long look, "If you want me to."

Elena allowed herself to think fully through Don’nae’s words. Once she crossed this line of innocence, there would be no turning back. She took a deep breath, "Is there any good in my knowing?"

Don’nae gave her a grim smile, "Only if you are willing to join me in doing something about it."

Elena Nitrue stood up and walked over to the replicator, ordering herself another drink, this one full of synthehol. She walked around the room for a few minutes, sipping her drink. She walked over to the table and activated her PADD with a copy of the report in it, scrolling until she came to the picture of the child.

She had included this picture because she knew it, more than anything else, would touch Tayroe. She knew the innocence of her face and the horror of her loss would reach him in a way words never would. She knew that face would push him into action and that he would not rest until her loss had been avenged and the murderer of her parents punished for his crimes.

She knew it would also give her the courage to do the same thing.

She sat down and looked at her friend, "Who is it?"