Seven of Nine - Christie Golden [35]
One didn't have to broadcast one's thoughts all the time.
So he sat, attempting to be calm and composed, while this holographic doctor ran various instruments over him, drew samples, monitored heart rate, and in general poked, probed, and prodded.
"As you are a species that is unfamiliar to us, I don't have a baseline against which to compare your health. But from what I've been able to determine here, you appear to be fine, Tamaak. The real answers to any questions the captain might have about your people lie in here," and he gestured to an instrument he had used to gather samples. "I'll run every test I can think of on these and we should have the results in a few hours. I'll notify you and the captain if there's anything unusual. In the meantime, you're free to go.
Please send in the next Skedan for examination."
He had done it. The Doctor had picked up no traces of unusual brain activity. Tamaak bowed his head on his long, thin neck and strolled out of sickbay. Once he entered the corridor, he hastened his stride.
This could spell disaster. Not everyone controlled his or her telepathic ability as masterfully as Tamaak Vrs, which was why he had been chosen to lead the Council of Seven. Certainly the little ones who could barely walk on their own couldn't be expected to exercise the subtle control that was required.
Tamaak said a quick prayer to She-Who-Creates to protect them. He hoped that it would be enough.
Annika knew that the black birds who kept her company-she counted quickly; the number had crept up to eleven-could be seen only by her.
The Doctor had told her something about trauma and recovered memories and hallucinations and the activities of the subconscious in an attempt at self-preservation, but all she really knew was that everything, every person and tool and room and decoration, that she encountered was familiar and strange at the same time, and the birds were a welcome constant.
Chakotay was walking with her. He was taking her on an extended tour of a ship that she once, he assured her, knew like the back of her hand. Annika bowed her golden head and glanced at her hand, which was covered with strange metal and tubes. It was hardly something she knew well, as the phrase might have indicated.
"And this is the aeroponics bay," he said as the door hissed open. A rush of warm, humid air laden with a sweet scent hit her nostrils and she breathed deep.
"Oh, it's beautiful!" Annika psped. She stepped forward and touched the silky petals of a red flower in full bloom. It felt exquisite against her fingers. "Don't tell me-this is my favorite place on the ship, right?"
Chakotay smiled a little. "Hardly. Your interest in the aeroponics bay is limited to how efficiently it produces nutritional supplements."
She wrinkled her nose. "Really?"
"You've been known to say that beauty is irrelevant."
She made a face and returned her attention to the flower. "I'm afraid this Seven of Nine of yours sound like she was a stick in the mud."
He laughed out loud at that. "I'm afraid you're right. But we were all fond of her-are fond of you.
Come on. There's a lot more to see."
The birds had lit on some of the plants and as Annika turned to go, one of them started pecking at the red flower. "Hey!" she chastised, waving her arm at the bird. "Leave it alone. Come on."
Chakotay tensed. "Your birds?"
"Yes." Annika sighed. "I know you can't see them, but I sure can.
The Doctor says it means something, but he doesn't know what."
Chakotay's lips curved in a smile. "I have a theory," he said, mysteriously.
"What? I'm dying to know what they mean!"
"Let's give your memory a little time to heal, shall we? You may come up with the answer yourself. In the meantime, the next stop is your old post-Astrometrics."
Kathryn Janeway stared at the stars rushing past on the