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

The room was dark. It had been for a couple of days. He had barely moved in that time. He had been sitting and thinking.

It had taken him most of this time to come to terms with his thoughts. It was strange how one could act in total juxtaposition to one’s beliefs when one became totally committed to carrying out one’s duties. He had given himself fully to his duties and responsibilities and ignored all of his own feelings. It had clouded his judgements and his actions, and he now found himself in the uncomfortable position of realizing that he had been horribly wrong. 

He thought about her.

He had hated her. He had looked at her and had only seen the Borg. He hated the Borg. He had everything they did and everything they stood for. Perfection. The perfect blending of organic and mechanic. He looked at her and thought she wore her cybernetic implants proudly. It had been his job to present her in a positive light and to oversee her arrival on Earth. He had forced himself to do his job and do it well.

But he had been set up to fail. He knew that now. And he finally thought he understood how and why. He had been used.

And so had she.

It had never been intended for her to arrive safely on Earth. Everything that had happened had been an ugly choreographed event. He knew that now, but he did not understand why. There was a piece of the puzzle missing, and he had to find out what that piece was. For his own piece of mind, he had to find out what it was he did not know.

More than anything else, he had to make things right for that little girl. He allowed himself a smile when he thought about her. He should have known, when he met her, that both her mother and father deserved more from him that what they got. 

His options were limited, but there was one place he thought he could turn. There was one man whom he could trust, who would talk to him. After giving himself a few more minutes to work up his courage, he spoke, "Computer, open a line to Admiral Paris."

It only took a moment for the Admiral to respond to his call.

"Admiral, I would like to speak with you."

She walked around the small shuttle, nodding her head in approval. Motalli watched her, a look of pride showing on his face.

"Admit it, it’s a beauty."

She carefully looked it over one more time, "It is adequate."

He walked up to her, moving close and stared at her directly, eye to eye, "Adequate?"

She saw the look in his eyes and tried not to react to the humor she saw there, "Yes."

He allowed the corners of his mouth to turn up and leaned in, "Seven," he lowered his voice, "I think it is a little more than adequate."

Despite herself, the corners of her own mouth twitched. She lifted her chin a bit, "You are correct. It is… ‘more than adequate.’"

His grin broadened, and he tilted his head slightly, "It is a marvelous machine."

"Marvelous?"

He shrugged, "Beautiful."

Her eyebrow raised slightly, but she did not say anything.

He raised his own eyebrow, "Adequate."

She finally smiled, "I admitted to more than adequate."

He laughed, holding her eyes for a moment. Then, he slowly lowered his eyes to her lips, then moved them back to hers with a questioning look.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, allowing her head to move closer to his, still trying to understand what she was feeling. At the last moment, she turned her head to focus on the ship, "What is it that you wish me to do to assist you with this…marvelous machine?"

He closed his eyes, and his lips tightened momentarily, but he forced himself to smile at her, keeping his voice light, "It needs shielding – the best shielding. I was hoping you would be able to give it some Borg shielding."

She frowned.

"Will that be a problem?"

She turned to look at him, "I do not know. I lost most of my memories of the Borg. I am uncertain how much I knowledge and information I retain about Borg shielding."

"I believe you will find a way to give this ship…adequate shielding."

She lowered her eyes, shaking her head as she did. She was surprised to realize she was fighting to hold back laughter. Thinking, she tried to remember when she had last laughed. Suddenly, she realized it had been in the holodeck when she and Kathryn B’Elanna had been hunting for Doodle Bugs and then afterwards, racing the Doctor to the turbolift. Involuntarily, she put her hand to her mouth, fighting the lump that quickly rose in her throat and fought the tears that sprang to her eyes. She stood, fighting for control.

He saw it immediately and reached for her, pulling her into a comforting embrace. He held her, giving her time to regain control over her emotions. After a few moments, she pulled away from him, turning her back to him and looking at the small ship.

"I will find a way to give this ship adequate shielding."

He reached to place his hand on her shoulder, "I know you will."

He sat up quickly, then froze, putting all of his concentration into listening. He screwed up his face, working harder to hear, but it was gone. There wasn’t any more to hear.

But, he had heard her. It had only been for the briefest of moments, but her thoughts had been his thoughts. He had heard her thoughts of the child and the hologram. And, he had heard her pain.

He could still get to her. She was not unreachable. She had not walled herself off from him so tightly that she could not be reached. He sat back and relaxed in his chair, feeling as if he had regained a small amount of control. 

Yes, things were looking better. He had finally come up with a plan to get the child. That part would be easy. The difficult part would be figuring out how to get the message to her that he had the child. He doubted he could send her the message himself. She protected her mind too closely. Still, there were other ways. He was confident of that. People were gullible, and he would use that to his advantage. Andrew was already working to make contacts with the people they had decided were the most likely to have taken her from the transport ship. Once he knew they had a reliable contact, he would get the child. She would come to him once he had the child.

He closed his eyes and rested his head against the back of the chair, thinking about her. He flexed his fingers, thinking about what it would be like to touch her face. He licked his lips, imagining kissing hers. He smiled, knowing that she would be his. As long as he controlled the child, Seven of Nine would be his.

He wondered how he would feel about their children. Would he love them? Could he love them? They would still be Borg. That meant they would be less than human. But then, so was she, and he thought he loved her. Maybe he could learn to love them.

It really would not matter, he decided. Their children would serve a different purpose. It would be better for him not to be emotionally involved with them. Doing so would only complicate things. Their children would be warriors for the cause. Warriors for his cause. He would love her for what she would do for him. She was less than human. If he was honest with himself, he knew he would never be able to get past that.

She was less than human and, if it wasn’t for the good that she would bring to humanity, she really did not deserve to live. She would only live because he would allow it.

He sat back and smiled. Power really was a wonderful thing.

B’Elanna looked at the empty space looming in front of them. She searched carefully, glancing at the scanners, shaking her head as they confirmed the emptiness of the space she could see.

"We are preparing to dock." Otoro’s voice sang out, filling the small cabin.

She looked up at Tom, who was holding To’mas as he slept. They shared a smile, each feeling the other’s excitement. She looked at the sleeping face of her son. He was so content. And so was his father. Her mind drifted, thinking about her daughter.

Her daughter. It still sounded so strange. Her daughter. She never imagined it would come down to that. She could never imagine Seven and the Doctor would not be there to raise their daughter. She looked back at the windows, fighting back the tears. Suddenly, she felt a comfort surround her and knew Ketaria was with her.

As she watched the scene in front of her, she saw a splash of color and distortion, immediately followed by the sight of the open doors of the shuttle bay of Kahkar’s ship. It only took a few minutes for their ship to enter and land lightly on the deck.

"Well, folks, we are home." Otoro turned to give them a huge grin.

B’Elanna glanced at Tom and Miral, then quickly moved to open the shuttle door, waiting impatiently for the small ramp to lower so she could descend. As soon as her feet touched the deck, she looked around and saw Kahkar and Ketaria approaching. She rushed forward, embracing both of them tightly, unable to speak.

The three of them stood, arms wrapped around the other for a long moment. Finally, B’Elanna broke away, wiping at her eyes, "It is so good to see you."

"And you," Ketaria looked at her kindly, tears in her own eyes, "And so good to finally have you here." She looked past B’Elanna at Tom walking toward her. She quickly reached for the child in his arms, "So, this is To’mas!" She pulled the child to her, cuddling him tenderly, "Oh, Tom, he is just beautiful." She looked at the couple focused proudly on their son, "He looks just like the two of you."

Tom grinned at her, "Thank you. I think so, too."

Kahkar looked up at the woman standing quietly behind the new parents. He moved forward, offering his hand, "You must be Miral. I am Kahkar Omarahn. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Miral looked up at the man who approached her, measuring him carefully. She took his offered hand, feeling both the strength and the tenderness in his grip. She decided it summed him up as a person. "It is nice to finally meet you, also. I have heard only good things of you and your wife."

"And I have heard many good things of you. You are most welcome in our home."

She nodded her head, but did not respond. Kahkar turned, waving her forward, "Come, let us go to our private quarters and share a meal. I imagine we have a lot to talk about."

He led the group quickly out of the shuttle bay and to his home. Ketaria carried To’mas who slept quietly in her arms. She kept glancing at B’Elanna who gave her a questioning look, but she just smiled and did not respond. As soon as they entered the living quarters, Ketaria turned to her guests.

"Tom. B’Elanna. There is someone here to see you. You might want to prepare yourself."

They looked at her, slightly confused. Then, they both turned in shock as they heard the voice speak to them.

"Hello."

Neither could move. They stared at him. Tom found his voice first, "Doc?"

He nodded and walked forward, slowly. B’Elanna reached out, carefully taking his arm. After a moment, she asked, "Is it really you?"

"Yes, B’Elanna. It is really me." He gave her a sad smile, "Not the me that actually docked at the space station. Kahkar copied my program before we docked, but it is me."

She turned to Kahkar, amazement on her face, "You copied his program?"

He gave her a solemn nod, "Yes, I did. I know it was probably not right for me to do so, but I did."

She looked back at the Doctor in amazement, then realized he was talking to her, "Is this To’mas?"

She saw he was looking past her at her son in Ketaria’s arms. Looking at him in surprise, she answered, "Yes. But you know that. You delivered him."

"No," he shook his head at her, "my program didn’t do that."

"Oh. Right." She put her head down, trying to sort everything out. She watched as the Doctor reached for her son, looking down at the sleeping child.

"He is a beautiful child. I know both of you are proud of him."

"Yes, we are." Tom grinned at him.

She looked at the pain in the Doctor’s eyes, then went to wrap her arms around him, "I can’t believe this. You are alive."

He held her son in one arm and her in the other. He could not speak. He simply put his head down on her shoulder and accepted her comfort. 

The cargo shuttle was small, stuffy and cramped. Harry did not think he had ever been so stiff in his life. It felt as if it was taking forever for them to get to the planet. This was the second jump they had made in the last few days. The first place they had gone was to the hideout planet, only to learn that Seven had been there, but was now gone. It had taken a while to learn where they had gone and then time to arrange another form of transportation. Volik had taken care of all the arrangements, and Harry had had to sit around and wait. That was the hardest part.

He looked around at his companions. Neelix was curled up, sleeping. He marveled at how comfortable the Talaxian looked. He had gained a new appreciation for Neelix’s negotiating skills. It had been clear that the people on the hideout planet had not trusted the intentions of the group and had been intent on protecting the knowledge that Seven was still alive. He had found that very comforting. Still, it had been frustrating. If it had not been for Neelix, they might still have been trying to get the information they needed. And, despite Volik’s best efforts, they might still be looking for transportation. While this ship was not comfortable, at least it would get them to the place Seven had gone.

He glanced over at Supala. She was finally asleep. He smiled as he looked at her tousled red hair. For the first time, he noticed the faint freckles across the bridge of her nose. Reluctantly, he admitted to himself that Tom was right. She was cute. He had come to appreciate her more and more as they spent time together. She had a disarming personality, and that had helped them as they tried to gain the trust of the people hiding out on the planet. It had not been easy. If Neelix had worked for them in one way, Supala had worked for them in another. She had found a kitchen and cooked them a wonderful meal. She cooked and Neelix charmed. He just tried to stay of the way.

Now, they found themselves hours away from where everyone thought Seven would be. He stretched his legs and tried to find a more comfortable position so he could sleep. Maybe when he woke up, they would be there.

Supala kept her eyes closed and concentrated. She knew they would find Seven when they arrived at the new planet. She could feel that she was getting closer to her. She would not try to contact her again, but she knew she needed to try to get a message to Kahkar. He had to know.

She settled herself, trying to go as deep as she could, concentrating on sending the message. She could feel the headache starting in the base of her neck, but she worked hard to ignore it. She could do this. She knew she could.

She relaxed her body, putting all of her energy into sending the message and ignoring the stabbing pain now starting to shoot through her head. Suddenly, she had a moment when she thought she had cleared the path for the message. Then, a dizziness overcame her. Fighting it, she tried to push the message through, but before she could do so, the darkness descended and over took her. It was almost a relief.

The black eyes moved slowly from left to right, listening. The lips tightened, but the face showed no emotion. The back straightened, then the black eyes blinked slowly as the head lifted slightly. 

The body sighed, almost resigned. She turned her attention away from the sound and back to what she had been doing.

Seven did not even look up from her work as she felt the ship land. If wasn’t until Motalli came for her that she stopped her work.

"I promise this won’t take long." He was hurrying her toward the turbolift that would take them to the planet’s surface, "It’s just that these people are really excited about meeting you."

She did not respond. Instead, she took her headband out of her belt and prepared to put it on.

"Seven," Motalli reached up to stop her hands, "you promised. You can trust these people. They are your friends."

She sighed, reluctantly tucking the headband back into her belt. He grinned at her, reaching to grab her free hand and pulled her forward as the turbolift doors opened.

As soon as they stepped into the open air, she realized the crowd that had assembled had fallen silent. It felt as if hundreds of eyes locked on her as one, but a quick look around told her there could not be more than thirty people on the planet’s surface. Suddenly, she realized many of them were wearing Borg-like implants. Motalli had told her about these people, but it was still difficult not to react to what she was seeing. 

He pulled her forward, gripping tightly to her hand. Stopping her beside him, he raised his voice to the people assembled, "Everyone, this is Seven of Nine. Please introduce yourself to her as you meet her over the next couple of days." He grinned at her, "She will be working on a project and will probably be a little…distracted, but don’t let that stop you. You will find her a wonderful person to get to know."

She saw a few people elbow each other and knew what they were thinking. She lowered her head, uncertain as to what to say and was relieved when Motalli continued to speak.

"Seven, these are your friends. You have nothing to fear from anyone here. Our home is your home." 

She watched as a thick man approached, his hand eagerly extended toward her. Hesitating, she took the offered hand as he enthusiastically introduced himself, "Hello, Seven of Nine. I am Wooton. I’m sort of the unofficial leader here."

Motalli grinned, "That only means he makes certain we start our meetings on time."

Wooton blushed, and Seven found herself smiling at the man. He reminded her a lot of Neelix in his actions and his friendliness. She responded, "It is nice to meet you, also."

He turned to wave the assemblage off and turned his attention back to the couple. "We have some interesting information for you. Perhaps we should return to the ship and talk there."

She glanced at Motalli, who sobered immediately. Without asking any questions, she followed Motalli back into the turbolift. They stayed quiet until they reached Motalli’s small quarters. He indicated Seven should sit in one chair and Wooton in another. He perched on the arm of the Seven’s chair. She glanced at him for only a moment before turning her full attention to Wooton, who was obviously growing more excited. She looked at him expectantly, but noticed that he was waiting on Motalli for permission to start his report. As soon as he caught Motalli’s eyes, he started speaking.

"We have learned that Dr. Zimmerman has been awarded custody of your daughter."

She froze, her eyes locked on Wooton’s face. Motalli slid off the arm of the chair and kneeled on one knee in front of her, "That’s great news!" He reached out, embracing her tightly. She slowly wrapped her arms around him, returning his hug, but she was barely aware of what she was doing. Her mind was racing.

Dr. Zimmerman had Kathryn B’Elanna. That probably meant Counselor Troi would also be with her. She was more protected. Would it be easier or harder to get her back. Should she get her back?

She closed her eyes, trying to think about what this information meant. Suddenly, she heard Motalli talking to her.

"Seven, this means it will be easier to make contact with your daughter. This will make it easier to get her back." His voice was excited. She could feel her own heart start to race.

Wooton leaned forward, "Yes, we think we may be able to make contact soon. We are trying to get someone close to Dr. Zimmerman. Once we do, we should be able to launch a rescue."

"No." She broke her embrace with Motalli.

He pulled back and looked at her in surprise, "What?"

"No." She stood, walking away from the two men, "Not yet. I need to think." She looked at the stunned faces staring at her, "I must think about what this means for Kathryn B’Elanna and decide what should be done. Now, I will return to work on the shuttle." She moved toward the door, but Motalli reached for her arm, stopping her.

"Seven, Kathryn B’Elanna being with Dr. Zimmerman means that she is safer. But it doesn’t mean she is safe. We still have to rescue her."

She leveled a look at him, "I must think." She pulled her arm out of his grip and walked away.

Motalli watched her walk away, his eyes narrowing. Now, more than ever, he knew something else was going on. He sighed. He had to find a way to get her to talk to him. He looked over at Wooton, "Wait here. I’m going to talk to her." He hurried after her.

She was already in the shuttle bay by the time he caught up with her. He stood and watched for a moment before attempting to approach her. She was standing at the console in the bay, but she was not working. She was standing with her hands on the console, feet spaced apart, her eyes staring into space. 

"Seven." He made certain his voice was soft. He walked up to her, "Something is going on, and I want you to tell me what it is."

She turned to look at him, but shook her head.

He moved closer to her, taking her face in both his hands and forced her to look at him, "Talk to me." When she did not respond, he tried again, "Seven, I know something is going on with you, and I need for you to tell me what it is. If we are going to be successful in protecting you and Kathryn B’Elanna, I need for you to be honest with me. I need for you to talk to me."

She reached up and wrapped her hands around his wrists, but did not pull his hands down. Instead, she tightened her grip and sighed, "I think Kahkar Omarahn may have a plan to rescue Kathryn B’Elanna."

"Kahkar?"

She nodded.

"How?"

"I do not know."

"Are you sure?"

She hesitated, then spoke, "I have had…a couple of messages."

"How?"

She shook her head, "I am not certain. But I have heard a voice in my head. It is the voice of a friend. I know they are coming to help."

He frowned, suddenly worried. She saw the look in his face.

"It was a friend."

He heard it in her voice, "You are certain?"

"Yes."

He pulled her to him, once again wrapping his arms around her. He felt how stiff she was in his arms, and he waited. After a few moments, he felt her relax, her arms slide slowly around his waist and her head drop down on his shoulder. "Okay, Seven. We will wait. We’ll watch, and we’ll continue to work to get close to Dr. Zimmerman, but we will wait. We will give Kahkar a chance." He pulled back and gave her a hard look, "But we will not stop planning. We can’t afford to do that. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"Good." He smiled at her, feeling the closeness of her body, "Okay. So, you will keep working on the shuttle?"

"Yes."

He waited to see what she would do, his eyes inviting her. She looked in his eyes, then pulled away, "I should return to my work."

He did not let her see his disappointment, "Can I help?"

She looked down at the console, then up at him, giving him a soft smile, "Your assistance would be appreciated."

"Great." He slapped his hands together, working to change the mood in the room, "Where do I start?"

Kathryn B’Elanna was staying very still. She could feel everyone around her. She reached out, feeling beyond the living quarters. She knew she could not find Mama. She had tried to find Mama. She knew she was not supposed to look for Mama. Ketaria had told her not to look for Mama.

She was trying to find the bad man. Ketaria had told her not to do that either, that she should stay away from the bad man. But she was looking anyway. The bad man had hurt Mama. The bad man had hurt Dada. She would find the bad man.

Kaykay do. Kathryn B’Elanna not do.

She sighed. Kaykay do. Kathryn B’Elanna not do.

She missed Mama and Dada. She missed Bala. She missed Keta and Kaykay. She pulled back from looking for the bad man. She would look for him later. Right now, it was time to go see Keta.