Chapters 12 to 14 added on 13 April 2001
Disclaimers are in part 1.
Rating: PG13
Chapter 12
It would have been fair to say that Doctor Zimmerman for all his growth as an individual was still best known in Star Fleet for his acerbic manner. If anything the years had made him worse. So it was no surprise to Seven when she found him grumbling about the extent people go to injure themselves on ships called Voyager.
"Ahh... Captain, I just finished patching up our guests. They will survive the destruction of their vessel. Unfortunately I had to sedate them both. The injuries of the First Officer were by far the worse of the two. However a good night's rest and he should be good as new." Doctor Zimmerman said as he came around the bio-bed to greet his Captain.
"Their doctor escaped with a few minor lacerations and bruises. Apart from the shock of almost asphyxiating she seems to be in perfect health. From what I could gather from her before I sedated her, it seems the Romulan ship was pulled through a wormhole. Unfortunately for them it was in middle of a battle. The enemy took out their defenses and weapons in the first attack. Most of the crew died from exposure to a techno-pathogen which attacked the crew and another pathogen that attacked the ships systems. For all practical purposes the Romulans were eaten alive from the inside"
"I know the effect of the V'ok weapons, Doctor. How about our guests? Are they infected? " Seven knew that once infection began it was almost impossible to stop unless the host was terminated. Among the Borg terminating a malfunctioning drone was of no consequence but on her ship she would never allow killing even one individual to save the rest. All her years severed from the Collective had taught her that individuality and freedom were the most prized possessions in the Universe.
"Both our guest show no signs of infection. I ran a micro-cellular scan and made an interesting discovery. Centurion Barek and Shin are not pure Romulan. They are both born of a Vulcan mother. Furthermore they are siblings. The pathogen attacks the DNA of the victim breaking down the genetic structure and causing death. Something like what happens to any biodegradable matter. Death normally occurs in 30 minutes. The Victim can be put in stasis but it will only be a temporary reprieve. Shin and Barek survived because they are not pure Romulan. Each of these viruses is programmed to attack a particular group of species and only those species. It cannot adapt to mixed heritage. When faced with that kind of situation it goes in to the dormant state. I have extracted a few of the viruses to study."
The only sign that the news had an impact on Seven was the slight tightening of her lips. She knew more than anyone else on the ship just how dangerous the V'ok were. It did bother her that the V'ok were able to recognize and program their weapons to attack the Romulan ship almost immediately. Either they had sensors that recognized the Romulan gene or else the Borg were not the ultimate objective of the V'ok. The Alpha Quadrant was.
"Captain...."
Seven was brought out of her musings by the voice of the Doctor. As she looked up at the concerned Doctor, she realized that she had lost track of time. To make matters she was the object of intense interest from the ship's counselor.
"Sorry about that. I was just wondering how they were able to develop a pathogen specifically for the Romulans. The last time I was face to face with them it took them a while to penetrate our defenses which is when they lost their ships but once they analyzed us they were able to wipe out the cubes in mere minutes. It was as if they were willing to die to test our defenses knowing the others would be learning and would extract a terrible revenge. They have never seen the Federation or the Romulans or have they?"
"Captain, I think our guests might have answers . I will let you know as soon as they are awake."
"Thank you, Doctor. Counselor, I would like you to be there when I speak to them. Doctor, I will be in Engineering for the rest of this shift most probably so you can contact me there. Counselor I need you on the bridge. "
Knowing that there was nothing further to be gained until Barek and Shin awoke, Seven knew that her ship was in immediate danger and had to disappear for a while. Luckily Starfleet had prepared for that eventuality. The drawback of the cloaking device was they could not use the slipstream drive and were restricted to using the regular warp drive and the Borg Transwarp coils.
"Seven To Commander Scott"
"Scott here, Captain"
"Commander, you are in charge on the bridge. I need you to find a place we can hide nearby for about 15 minutes. That should give B'Elanna time to bring the cloaking device online. The Counselor will fill you in on the details when she gets there. Seven out"
"Devora, stress that for no reason are we to engage any ships in this sector unless I personally give the order. James, for all his admirable qualities is still a 'hot-head' and you can tell him I said that. I suspect that we might be the main target of the V'ok. The Federation and the Alpha Quadrant have no defense against the V'ok. " Seven `s voice acquired a steely resolve as she added " At least not yet."
"Understood, Captain."
"Thomas, I need that eps relay fixed. All right people take the slipstream drive offline. bring the Transwarp drive and the warp drive online. Ruanek, I need the power relays to adjust to the cloaking device since we need to find power for it without sacrificing our weapons and shields. "
There was a controlled chaos in Engineering and B'Elanna was at the center of it. The funny thing was she had not realized how much she had missed it until she was back on board this Voyager. Her staff had adapted to her style of working rather easily even though she had heard that the previous Chief engineer was the most meticulous and by the book kind of guy you could find. Guess when you could return to the Alpha Quadrant shipyards for major repairs you could be anything you wanted. However she was never one to shy away from bending some rules if it helped her ship and it truly was her ship here where it counted in Engineering.
"She may be your ship in here but please remember I am her Captain." whispered a soft voice near her ear.
Startled, she looked up into eyes the color of a storm tossed sea. "How did you.........?"
"I have seen that look too many times to forget. You had the same look every time Kathryn gave an order that damaged Voyager even slightly. The ship always was yours as far as you were concerned and Kathryn was just running it for you. That is why you hated having me in Engineering. I was encroaching on your territory." Seven was finding it hard to hold back her mirth. So in a normal voice she continued " Now Commander Torres-Paris, shall we bring the cloaking device online so I can hide your ship for you."
B'Elanna looked around and found that almost everybody were paying close attention to the Captain and Chief Engineer's conversation. To add to her embarrassment there was a blonde blue eyed beauty raising that darned eyebrow at her and who seemed to be enjoying every minute of it.
Turning to face the ensign at the console to her left, B'Elanna said " O'Dell, transfer power to the cloaking device. Shut down all auxiliary systems on decks 18 through 20. Transfer the power to the cloaking shield reserve and isolate the power supply to the system. Torres to Wildman. Transferring control of the cloaking device to your station. Torres out."
Turning to Seven she said ," Time to hide MY ship, Captain."
With a look of genuine amusement in her eyes Seven tapped her comm. badge "Seven to Scott. Activate the cloak, James and set a course for the Ocampan home world. Maximum warp. Seven out."
As the cloak came online, B'Elanna released a sigh of happiness and said in a soft voice " Qapla'!" As she stepped into her office she turned to see seven following her in.
"Yes Success . Well done, Commander. I plan on holding a staff meeting tomorrow at 0800. I think you should inform the senior staff on the features of this particular cloak." Seven turned as if to leave only to turn back and look at B'Elanna," Will you and Katie join me for dinner in my quarters, tonight?"
"Isn't that a bit sudden? I thought you were only offering friendship."
"I just realized that life can be very short and I would not like to have gone through it without ever experiencing love. Besides who knows what tomorrow might bring? I....."
Before she could say another word B'Elanna put her hand on Seven's mouth. "Yes."
Chapter 13
In all the time she had known Mizati and Seven, there had never been a situation where Naomi had seen fear on Mizati's or Seven's face. To see them both react similarly to a situation was disturbing to say the least. To anyone else it would seem perfectly natural given the information they had learnt about the V'ok but Naomi knew that Seven and Mizati were unique in how they dealt with situations. To aggravate her feeling of foreboding, after her shift, she found the quarters she shared with Mizati empty.
Torn between respecting her friend's privacy and a desire to comfort her, Naomi hesitated only for a minute before she asked the computer to locate the missing security officer.
"Ensign Janeway is in the aft observation deck on Deck 20."
"Is she alone in the observation deck?"
"There are no other life signs in the observation deck"
Trust Mizati to run true to form. As long as Naomi had known her, she always reacted to things that disturbed the same way. Find a place where no one would find her to hide. She still remembered when she had made the discovery of Mizati's fondness for dark quiet places. She still shuddered at the memory.
It had been when Starfleet had informed Mizati that they had lost contact with Seven's ship in the Mutara sector. They were the worst days of Mizati's life. It was a week and half later when Mizati and Naomi were informed Seven was on her way back to Earth. It changed the way Naomi looked at her friend forever because during those days she found not a logical cold ex-Borg instead a scared, hopeful teenager who was desperately hoping her mother would come home safely. It reminded her of the time her own mother had been lost for a while in a shuttle accident. After that time Naomi kept much closer tabs on her friend and became very protective of her. A fact that her instructors and friends found funny at the academy because physically they were few people in Starfleet who could stand up to Mizati.
Stepping into the observation deck on Deck 20 she found that it was pitch black and there seemed to be no sign of her friend, that is until a soft voice hailed her, " Over here, Ni. Near the observation screen."
"You okay, Zati?"
"Don't know what I feel right now! I never thought I would have to face them again. I have only feared them in all my life. The Federation always assumed the Collective was emotionless but in actuality emotions do exist among the Borg. That is an incorrect assumption. "
"How come?"
"We are ruled by a queen who for all her technological parts is still a living brain with all the emotions that arise from being a living biological entity. So if the queen feels fear all the drones get a part of the sensation only reinforced billions of times. I..", Mizati was shaking as she was explaining this to Naomi.
In an instant Naomi was holding her in her arms, " Hey, we are together here on the ship run by the best Captain in Starfleet, who just happens to be your mother. We will get through this."
As safe as she was feeling in her best friend's arms Mizati was still worried, "Ni, I never told anyone this but Mom, Icheb and I are linked to one another. So we can sense one another even though many light-years may separate us. Mom insisted that she wanted us to know she was okay in case we ever were told she was missing. The side effect of the link is that I can feel her strongest emotions and she was scared today not so much for herself but for her crew and more specifically her family. That is what is worrying me."
"Is that why you were worried that time when Starfleet said they couldn't get in touch with your mom's ship? Because you couldn't sense her?"
"Yes. All the other times I could feel her but that one time I couldn't feel her in my mind and that shook me up. I need her in a way I never realized till that moment. Even though I am not her child by birth she is my mother and to her I am her daughter."
"I know what you mean. But still we will get through this because if there is one thing I know about Seven, she never backs down and she will fight harder to protect the people she loves."
"I know. But she will risk herself to do so and that is what ultimately worries me."
Naomi had no reply for that, partly because it worried her too and partly because she had no answer to give so she held on to her friend in silence while they drew strength and comfort from one another. She was glad of one thing though. She was glad that Mizati had chosen a part of the ship where they would not be disturbed.
~~~
Ensign Mueller was bored. Stuck in Astrometrics during the Beta shift, he was conducting routine scans of the space they were passing through. As it often happened on his shift it was a very quiet region of space with very few systems and absolutely no interesting phenomenon which is why he was close to dozing off when the console suddenly came to life and was spitting out a steady stream of information at him. Rushing to the console he took one look at the information before he tapped his commbadge and asked for the Bridge.
~~~
The call came just as Seven stepped out of the shower.
"Captain to the Bridge"
"On my way. Seven out."
"Seven to Torres."
"I am sorry, B'Elanna. I am needed on the Bridge."
"I know. I just got a call from Engineering. The ship comes first. I'll see you later. I need to break the news to Katie and I need to get down to Engineering. Guess we just have to give each other a rain-check."
"I guess. Seven out."
Seven was on her bridge in exactly 3 minutes, just enough time to change back into her uniform and rush to the turbo-lift.
"Report."
"Captain, long range scans have indicated a strange phenomenon. Ensign Mueller was conducting routine scans when he found a region of space to contain nothing. No space dust, no particles, no light, it is as if something is absorbing matter & energy there but the only known phenomenon that can cause that is a black hole and they are always associated with an intense gravitational force. As far as we can determine there is no gravitational force associated with this region." Lieutenant Ayala was the officer in charge of Beta shift.
"Bring me the readings and ask Ensign Janeway to report to my ready room."
Taking the report from Ensign Mueller and asking him to inform her of any other changes that he noticed in his scans, Seven sat to read through his analysis. He was thorough and logical in his analysis, which is why his conclusion was even more troubling. She needed this verified because if Mueller was right they were about to have visitors. Seven was glad that they were running cloaked and silent. The door chime interrupted her thoughts.
"Enter."
"Ensign Janeway reporting as ordered, Captain."
"Have a seat. I need your thoughts on a report I have just received from Astrometrics. You were part of the Collective when the Borg met the V'ok the second time. Take a look at these readings. Did the Borg come across similar readings at Grid 2500? I know that the first time we scanned the sector extensively but did not find anything similar."
"The readings are consistent with the readings the Borg received at Grid 2500. Do you think there were more ships there than we counted? Ships that were cloaked and could fire cloaked? It might answer many of the troubling questions of that battle. Most of the Borg ships seemed to disintegrate from the inside. We always assumed that the V'ok penetrated the shields. It may explain why the Borg were able to destroy so few ships at Grid 2500."
"Yes. In the first battle, half the V'ok fleet was destroyed and some of the Borg ships were able to survive. According to what you told me before the second battle was a slaughter. I just assumed they were prepared for the Borg but what if they drew the Borg into a trap set up especially for them. I need to know everything you know of the second encounter."
An hour later, mother and daughter exited the ready room. With one last look of reassurance, Seven sent Mizati to the secondary tactical console. Stepping down to the lower deck of the Bridge she made here way to the Captain's chair.
" Red Alert. All ahead stop."
"Skipper, care to fill me in?" asked her first officer as he sat down in his chair.
"It's time to test a theory. All hands this is the Captain. We are about to come in first contact with a new species. In all probability this will be a hostile contact. I believe we are being hunted by something and I plan to hunt the hunter."
"Lt. Celes, I need a scan of the region around the 'dead' zone. Find me a planet big enough for Voyager-A to hide in orbit on the far side of the planet."
"Scan completed, Captain. I thought you might want more information about the region. Ensign Mueller is just transmitting the readings to the Bridge."
"There are 2 systems around the region, Captain. The M'Jehendan system consists of a 4 gas giants and 17 orbiting moons. The Antelles System is made of smaller class M and class Y planets. It has just 3 orbiting moons." Mizati was reading through the details as she gave her report. She had an inkling of what Seven had in mind and so was looking for the exact planet that would suit her purposes. " The fourth planet of the M'Jehendan system is large enough to hide Voyager -A in it's rings. Transferring the coordinates to helm."
"Lt. Bates, you know what to do."
"Just my luck. Hiding behind rings again" A small chuckle escaped the lips of the Bridge crew. Lt. Nancy Bates was married and so a solid gold band on her ring finger met most suitors who approached her.
"Seven to Torres. I need 2 Class-A probes readied for launch. Calculate the time we need to drop the cloak to launch the probes and how far we need to be for the launch to be undetected. I don't want them to even know we are here much less where we are."
"The cloak need to be dropped for 0.45secs. We can safely launch from the far side of the planet, Captain."
15 minutes later Voyager -A was in perfect position to launch the probe. Hiding in the rings of the planet the crew had christened 'Shield'; they waited for the order from their Captain. Seven seemed to be gazing at the dead region as if looking for something. The tension on the bridge was palpable.
Seven turned and looked at Lt. Ayala
"Launch."
Chapter 14
"We are receiving preliminary telemetry from the probe, Captain."
"On screen."
There on the screen was a vast region of space, which seemed to be pitch black, beautiful as it was intimidating.
" Eternal Night." murmured Commander Scott. It did remind Seven of the region they had first encountered the Meilon dumping their waste. As she turned to face her first officer, she could hear the murmurs passing around her bridge crew.
"Don't tell me you are afraid of the dark, James? I seem to remember one of the female crewmembers at Starbase 131 mentioning how you do your best work at night.", asked Seven with a sardonic grin on her face. She made sure they would not be overheard for which James was grateful. On hearing the comment he just rolled his eyes at her and smiled back. Still he was wishing he had not said anything at all. It seemed that his Captain was forever teasing him.
Turning to her ship's Counselor, Seven observed a very pensive look on her face. She had always wondered if a Betazoid could sense an unknown species. She guessed that she was about to find out.
"Getting anything at all, Counselor?"
"There seems to be something out there, Captain. All I get are glimpses of emotions, nothing I can hold on to or describe."
"What do you mean?" James asked as he too turned to look at Devora.
"All I can tell you is that this species feels intensely but I do not think they feel the same as we do. It is almost as if they are closer to animals in their emotional response. I can sense a predator's cunning and understanding of stealth. I also can feel their patience but I can't tell you if they reason like us. We may only be prey to them. Also I can feel the ship and let me tell you it scares me more than its occupants. Maybe if we move closer it may help me get more from them."
"Let's shed some light on it, shall we? Lt. Ayala, move the probe as close as you can. Astrometrics, Lt. Celes I need readings sent to the bridge the minute you get them. Engineering, Commander Torres, divert all available power to the shields and the cloak. Helm, bring us around the planet. Time to see if the hunter takes the bait. Ensign Wildman increase the energy output of the probe."
The tension on the bridge was palpable but the only person seemingly unaffected was the Captain who always seemed to be impassive. Little did the crew know that the Captain lived for moments such as these, when she was charting the unknown. "Captain, I am getting an energy reading from the probe's sensors. Sending the readings to the bridge." Celes said in a calm voice.
Seven was pleased to hear the Lieutenant's calm voice. The Bajoran had certainly improved as an officer and Astrometrics was one of the most efficiently run departments on the ship. Looking at her console as the readings came through she at once realized why the ship was giving off energy readings now. The V'ok were preparing to run, which meant her suspicions of their nature was at least partly confirmed.
"Lt. Ayala, retrieve the probe immediately. Celes keep taking readings as long as you can. I suspect our guests are not staying for the party." Even as Seven was issuing her orders the viewscreen showed a folding of space as a ship that was easily twice the size of Voyager came into view a millisecond before it disappeared in a flash of starlines. Seven breathed a sigh of relief as she realized they would not have to fight this battle as least not today.
"They were uncertain, Captain. That was the most distinct feeling I got, especially at the end. It was very unsettling to them." Devora was still looking at the viewscreen staring off into the space where the alien ship had been a few seconds ago.
"Yes. I thought it might be the case. This was a good encounter. I have a small understanding of them and that can be an advantage when we meet again. As soon as the probe is retrieved resume course to the Ocampan homeworld, Warp 6. Lt. Ayala, you have the bridge. Commander I'd like to see you in my ready room. You too, Councilor. "
"Aye, Captain."
Seven led the way to her ready room, trailed closely by James and Devora. As soon as they had settled down with some tea she looked at her officers and asked," So, first impressions?" "Not what we expected from them. To just turn tail and run but it does suggest they like to hunt in a pack and they like the element of surprise." James replied as he continued to ponder over their mysterious foes.
The Councilor was thinking the same thing however there were a few other points that struck her. "They also don't like tables turned on them. From your descriptions of their battles with the Borg I expected them to be relentless but I guess that is only if the quarry is known and the odds are in their favor."
"Perhaps" James conceded.
"Which is why a question has been bothering me. How and when did they meet Romulans? According to what was reported to the Doctor their ship was taken out of the battle as soon as they arrived. Perhaps our guests have not been totally honest with the good doctor." Seven asked the question that had been bothering her ever since the V'ok had departed.
"Only they can tell us that, Captain and even then how much do we trust their reply."
"Devora, I'd like you to talk to our guests first. Don't ask them about the battle and do not reveal that you are Betazoid. I would like to take every advantage that I can. Now if you will excuse me I plan on getting some sleep for what's left of the night and I would suggest you do the same."
Seven was lying in bed thinking over the day's events. It had been a long and trying day and she knew she should be feeling exhausted. Truth be told, she was indeed exhausted but somehow despite that she didn't think she was going to get much sleep tonight. Seven wanted to be held tonight, she wanted to know someone cared enough about her to want to just hold her while she slept but she also knew that the one person she wanted would probably be shocked. So here she was tossing and turning in her bed when all she wanted to do was to transport to where ever B'Elanna was and..
Sighing Seven got out of bed. This really was not helping her and she needed to rest. Perhaps she could spend an hour in the holodeck. A round of Aikido would probably tire her enough so that she could grab a few hours of sleep. As she was about to get ready to leave her quarters she heard the door chime and wondered who was at the door. As the door slid open she was surprised to see a little girl hugging her blanket standing in the hallway.
"Katie, what's wrong? I thought you were asleep."
"I was sleeping but I..I was scared and didn't know where mama is? So I came here since she told me that you would not mind. Is that okay?"
"Of course sweetie, come here." Seven said as she picked up the little girl. She could see that the little girl had been crying.
"What scared you, sweetie?"
"I think I had a bad dream. I was running towards Mama when she suddenly disappeared. I searched and I searched but. I couldn't find her." Seven could feel the child trembling as she recounted her dream.
"Shh.. It's okay sweetie it was just a dream. Mama is right here on the ship and I am on this ship. I'll not let anything happen to you and Mama, okay. Promise." Seven placed a gentle kiss on Katie's forehead.
Seven was glad to see Katie shake her head in acceptance and settle down with her head on Seven's shoulder. She could feel the little girl once more falling asleep. Carrying the child with her to her bedroom she settled her down on the bed and covered her with blankets.
Lying down next to her Seven reached for her commbadge. " Seven to Torres. B'Elanna meet me in my quarters when you get done in Engineering."
"I am done, Captain but I need to check on Katie. Can I meet you tomorrow?"
" That's why you need to come by, B'Elanna. She is here with me."
"What? How.."
Seven sighed as she heard the questions "Just get here, Commander."
"On my way, Captain"
Less than 5 minutes later, a very flustered B'Elanna Torres was standing before her Captain's quarters. Pressing the door chime she heard the "Enter" and literally ran into the quarters to be met by a very strong ex-Borg who placed her finger on her lips indicating that she should be as silent as possible. Guiding her very worried Chief Engineer to her couch she sat her down before going to the replicator for a glass of water. Giving the glass to B'Elanna she waited till her engineer had drained the glass.
Only then did she speak.
"Katie had a nightmare. She didn't know where you were so came across the hall to me. It's okay, B'Elanna. She is fine. I just put her to bed. Why don't you go and take a look at her and reassure yourself."
"But how did you know what I was.?"
"You have to remember, I have been a mother too." Seven replied before her question was complete
And a very good one from the look of things, B'Elanna thought as she made her way to Seven's bedroom where a very tired little girl of four was fast asleep. Returning to the living room she looked at the woman standing beside the viewport looking at the stars as they streaked by.
"It would be a shame to wake Katie up now that she has fallen asleep. Would you mind letting her sleep here? You too can spend the night here. I'll sleep on the couch." Seven said as she turned and faced B'Elanna. She couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of her.
"I don't want to force you out of your own bed. I'll take the couch. Besides even if my daughter wakes up in the night I will just be in the next room."
" No, I think you should be with her especially tonight. She dreamed she lost you and couldn't find you. Has she been having nightmares regularly? I don't mean to pry but it seemed to me she was terrified of something."
"Ever since Tom died she has the same nightmare on and off. She hasn't had one in 3 weeks so I thought she had gotten over it. I don't know what brought it back tonight."
"I see. I think you need to get into bed with your daughter and let her know everything is going to be fine. The subconscious is a powerful part of the human mind and I believe she will hear you."
"Is that what you used to do for Icheb and Mizati?"
"They can sense me at all times even over great distances. Being part Borg, I decided to link the three of us. I never wanted my children to feel they were alone."
B'Elanna looked stunned as she realized the lengths the woman in front of her would go to for the ones she loved.
Seven was making her way to her linen closet to get a pillow and another blanket for herself only to be stopped by a gentle hand on her arm. Turning she looked quizzically at B'Elanna.
"That is a big enough bed that we can share it don't you think? After all, Katie did come to you and I am sure she would like having you with her in that bed" B'Elanna said with a smile. So would she but she dared not tell her beautiful captain that, well at least not right now.
Seven considered refusing but her heart knew she wanted to be there in the same bed as B'Elanna even if it was just to sleep. After all she could spend the night looking at the woman she loved even if she never slept a wink.
"All right. Let's get some sleep. It is going to be a long day tomorrow. You can use the replicator for whatever you need. Please feel free to use the shower if you need to."
Half an hour later, B'Elanna was stepping out of Seven's shower and stepping into shorts and a T-shirt. She was feeling the exhaustion of the day and was looking forward to some well-deserved sleep. The sight that met her when she entered the bedroom made her stop in her tracks.
Katie was asleep with her arms tight around Seven and her face buried in Seven's chest. Some people have all the luck. Laughing at herself for that thought, she made her way to the other side of the bed and crawled under the bedcovers before falling asleep with a smile on her face at the sight beside her.
Continued in next part ....