Strange New Worlds 2016 (41 page)

“And that will stop the nightmares I am having about this woman?” Seven asked the
Doctor, almost plaintively. She looked like a vulnerable child, for once surrounded
by people and objects that were frightening and incomprehensible.
Perhaps there was an element of the child in her after all
, Janeway thought to herself. Seven had been assimilated at such a young age, after
all; it was just possible that the child still needed to be reassured every now and
then. What better time than when facing nightmares and frightening medical diagnoses?

“Yes,” the Doctor said softly. “It will, Seven.”

“What I’m wondering is why the vision quest has had this effect on her?” Chakotay
asked. “My people have used the
akoonah
for years with no detrimental effects at all. And the vision quest has been a part
of my culture for centuries. Nothing like this has ever been recorded.”

“I blame the Borg implants,” the Doctor began.

“No, it is not the Borg technology,” Seven interrupted. “Species 3836 had highly advanced
medical and technological knowledge; the nebula was all that prevented them from creating
a static warp field that would have allowed them to leave the planet to explore the
galaxy. Those medical and warp field advancements are why the Borg wanted to assimilate
them. They held off complete assimilation for a time, partly because of the nebula.
They employed a program in which each of their citizens, upon birth, was implanted
with a DNA-based chip that recorded their entire life. If assimilated, they hypothesized
it would create a bioelectric feedback loop in the Borg that could allow warp-capable
societies to find a genetic vulnerability to defeat them.”

Before she had finished speaking, the Doctor moved back to the computer and had begun
an analysis on her scans. He was thoroughly irritated with himself that he hadn’t
considered such a possibility, and determined to make up the lost time now. Janeway
looked thoughtfully at Seven.

“Seven, this is a bad time to ask, but can you tell us more about the Lynnrali warp
mechanics? You said they were highly advanced. Would we be able to integrate their
technology into
Voyager
’s systems?” Seven shook her head.

“Possibly. But I am unable to recall anything useful about their warp mechanics, or
their medical technology, or anything besides Eilara’s memories while I am awake,
and only nightmares when I regenerate,” Seven replied with frustration. “Yet I can
remember the tune of her child’s favorite song.” Quietly, Seven began humming a lilting
melody. Janeway motioned Chakotay aside.

“Commander, did Seven’s vision quest have any unusual effects on you at all?”

“None, Captain. The visions I saw with her were intense, but I experienced nothing
that was unexpected in a vision quest. Nor,” he added, “did Seven. Her experiences
were typical for one’s first vision quest. She had the same confusion and disorientation
that everyone has, but she was fine otherwise.”

Janeway placed a comforting hand on her first officer’s arm. “This isn’t your fault,
Chakotay. Don’t blame yourself.” He tried to smile in return and failed, too concerned
about Seven to heed her words. Janeway’s scientific background reared its head, and
with it, her captain’s logic and training. An idea began to form in her mind, along
with a cautious hope. “I have a mission for you, Commander. If Seven is able and willing,
I think I know how we can find out about those advanced warp mechanics after all.”

I was going to be late if I didn’t hurry. I hated when I wasn’t already waiting outside
her classroom, ready to pick her up. It made her worry that I wasn’t going to be there.
It was because one time, her father was supposed to pick her up from school. He never
came. He died in an accident on his way to get her that day, and she has been traumatized
by it ever since, has never forgotten how scared she felt that no one would come for
her ever again. I can’t blame her for that. Not when I feel the same way. Maybe that’s
selfish or immature of me. It isn’t his fault he died. But I still feel like he abandoned
me too.

“Mama!” Eryet runs toward me, a smile lighting her face like the sun. “Can we walk
to the bakery?” she asks, though she knows perfectly well what my answer will be.

“Of course we can. I’ve been looking forward to it all day.”

And so we went on our way, our ritual done, thoughts of loss and fear pushed to the
back of my mind for now as I walked with my child into the beautiful day together.
As we walked, we sang, our voices lilting together, sometimes uneven as the crowds
jostled us, or when I tripped on a crack in the sidewalk. One old grandmother stopped
to listen to us, a smile on her otherwise sad face. I waved at her as we passed, glad
that something had brought her some joy that day, even if it was just a mother singing
with her child. I didn’t notice at first when the sky darkened above us.

Seven panted, harsh and fast, panic threatening to overwhelm her. She had scrambled
off of the exam table and was backed into a corner of sickbay, lucid one moment and
terror stricken the next. Chakotay and the Doctor both stood before her with worried
expressions. The three had been working steadily on the captain’s hypothesis to retrieve
information about the Lynnrali warp mechanics from Seven’s collective Borg memories
for hours by guiding her through her visions. However, her declining neural functions
were limiting their success and both Starfleet officers were unwilling to continue
the risk for much longer. The Doctor reached for a medical tricorder but was unable
to get close enough to Seven to properly scan her. The first officer took a step forward,
his hands open in a calming gesture of comfort.

“Seven, it’s me. It’s Chakotay. You’re safe, on
Voyager
. What are you seeing?”

“It’s okay, Eryet,” Seven said, her voice shaking. She held her arms out as though
keeping something behind her. “I won’t let them hurt you.”

Chakotay stepped forward, quick as a snake, and gently but firmly grabbed Seven’s
wrists. “Seven! Listen to my voice. You are having a vision but you are safe. I need
you to tell me what you’re seeing.”

Seven blinked as though waking from a dream and exhaled slowly. Chakotay could feel
her hands trembling in his and he gave them a reassuring squeeze before releasing
them. She raised them before her, examining them as though uncertain they belonged
to her. She drew another breath and looked about her, suddenly realizing she was crouched
in a corner of sickbay. She stood upright and stepped toward the two men, flinching
only slightly when the Doctor raised a medical scanner to her face.

“I . . . the sky is dark. Eryet and I were walking home, singing. We passed an old
woman, and I waved to her. The sky became dark.” She spoke in a flat monotone that
did nothing to hide the dread she felt. Chakotay wondered who was feeling the dread
the most–Eilara or Seven. “It was the Borg; they had arrived in low geosynchronous
orbit directly above the city. Multiple cubes, preparing for a massive assimilation
operation.”

Seven sat heavily on the edge of the exam table, seemingly drained of energy. That
in itself told Chakotay how rattled she really was. Usually, Seven seemed like a spring
tightly wound, on the verge of erupting from an excess of energy. Even her clothes,
normally with crisp and clean lines clinging to her slim body, somehow seemed slightly
wilted.

“A planetary assault?”

Seven nodded. “The Lynnrali had the ability to regenerate organs in a way that the
Borg considered superior.” The young woman shuddered, her eyes haunted and unfocused.
“It would make assimilation more efficient.”

Seven blinked and gasped suddenly, jerking back from him.

“What?”

“I said the progress on the new program is going efficiently, love,” Andrest told
me with almost childlike excitement. “So efficiently that it’s being presented before
the Planetary Science Council next month.”

“Next month? But surely that won’t be enough time to prepare everything?” I cried
in surprise. I knew my husband and his colleagues were brilliant, but that seemed
like an impossible deadline. He laughed his delightful, wild laugh and kissed me.
“Where do you think I’ve been all these long days? We’ve been holed up in the lab,
getting ready for even the chance of this! Now we have it, and the hard work is past
us. Small refinements to the presentation are all that remain. After that, I truly
think that the Council will approve this for the general population.”

“Andrest, that’s amazing! I am so proud of you,” I said. I genuinely meant it. He
was one of a handful of scientists in the world with the skill and knowledge to create
and carry out the audacious plan the government and Science Council had dreamt up
together. A plan that could, with luck and bravery, allow us to hold out against the
Borg.

“Seven, I’m not Andrest. I need you to try to focus,” came Chakotay’s voice. “I know
we’ve been working at this for hours and it’s difficult to block out Eilara’s voice.
But try to think beyond her memories. Remember? The captain needs you to tell me about
the Lynnrali’s warp mechanics so we can upgrade
Voyager
’s warp drive.” He seemed very far away to her. The Doctor moved swiftly to Seven’s
side, an alarmed look on his face as he waved his med scanner over her. She blinked
in disorientation.

“Her neural functions are deteriorating rapidly, Commander.” The hologram waved his
hand toward the display above Seven, which held a view of her continuing brain scans.
“I’m working as fast as I can to isolate the specific pathways that are being triggered,
but if I can’t find them quickly, her systems are going to start shutting down.” Seven
gasped again and shook her head as through trying to clear it.

“They approved it!” Andrest told me. “The Council looked at the data we presented,
along with the evidence from you and the other control group participants. We will
begin work with the Center of Citizens and the Council of Medical Practitioners to
manufacture the implants. The Center of Citizens will handle existing citizens; the
Medical Practitioners will fit newborn citizens with their implants. We will liaise
with both and provide the technical expertise they need.”

This was the biggest day of his career. He could do anything from here on out, make
his way in any council or government agency he wanted. He could become the First Elected
Official, if he thought to run for the office. But he only wanted to continue his
research, to help people, especially children. I was flooded with warmth and turned
to him. He must have seen something in my expression because he stopped his excited
pacing and focused on my face.

I said, “I am glad you’ll be working so closely with the Medical Practitioners. You
should have the process perfected by the time we add our child to the citizen registry.
I trust that seven months will give you ample time to get it right?”

He had to have suspected, but still his mouth dropped open. Then he threw his head
back and shouted a laugh to the sky, grabbing me and spinning us around in a giddy
dance.

“Eilara! A child, truly?” He held me at arm’s length, looking at me as though he was
seeing me for the first time, then pulled me close to him. “A child. Thank you, beloved.”

“You are crying,” I said, reaching up to his face.

Chakotay took Seven’s hand gently from his face. “She’s obviously rapidly getting
worse.”

“Excellent diagnosis,” the Doctor muttered sarcastically from his work station. Chakotay
ignored him.

“Can we connect the computer directly to Seven’s cortical node and see what she is
seeing? Maybe it will help us find the data the captain is looking for on their warp
mechanics.”

The Doctor paused, considering. “Yes, I believe so, Commander.”

“It’s worth a shot. B’Elanna and Harry can help sort it out if Seven isn’t able to.
Is she stable enough to try it?”