Seven of Nine - Christie Golden [72]
"I spoke briefly with Tamaak Vrs. Without the Skedans' direct manipulation of Seven's memory centers, the memories will subside back into her subconscious," said the Doctor. "Perhaps one day, Seven will be able to access them on her own."
"Why should I wish to do that?"
Janeway stepped forward and put a gentle hand on Seven's shoulder. "To learn from them, Seven. Those people-Keela, Druana, the others-they are all a part of you. They have things to teach you."
Seven's gaze flickered from Janeway's hand on her shoulder to her captain's eyes. "I know their technological and cultural knowledge. I need to learn nothing more."
Janeway's hand fell away. She glanced quickly at Chakotay, then back at Seven. "Perhaps you're right, Seven. Now that you're back to-well, normal, for you-perhaps you can tell me what you were doing down on the surface without your commbadge."
Crisply and succinctly, Seven related what had transpired both on the ship and on the surface. She edited nothing, apologized for nothing, wrestled for words that were accurate and not full of the sort of emotional charge to which both Janeway and Chakotay seemed to respond so powerfully. They didn't interrupt her, merely watched her face, her body language. For what, Seven didn't know.
"You let Tamaak Vrs proceed?" asked Chakotay.
"That is what I said," replied Seven.
"Clearly, Tamaak was still somehow managing to manipulate her mind," Janeway said. "The detonation of the-mind bomb, I suppose you could call it-must have released the last traces of Skedan influence from Seven's mind."
"Do not speak of me as if I were not present," said Seven, annoyance creeping into her voice. "And do not make such unfounded assumptions."
"But the birds," said Janeway. "They didn't stop manifesting until the bomb exploded."
"The birds had nothing to do with Tamaak's presence in my mind," said Seven. "I called them, somehow. The Doctor says they were manifestations of my subconscious."
"On her own, without mental interference, Seven would have immediately sensed the presence of the Skedans' bomb," interjected the Doctor.
"She needed to be distracted, so Tamaak and friends pulled the memories of those Seven had assimilated to occupy her thoughts. The raven has appeared before, sort of as a herald of knowledge that Seven was unaware she possessed. It performed that function again, fighting to be acknowledged by Seven's conscious mind, except this time it brought along twenty-three pals."
"There were twenty-four birds to evoke the nursery rhyme in my mind," continued Seven. "As the last few lines read, when the pie was opened-when the bomb was detonated-the birds began to sing."
"The Skedan voices of the dead issued forth," said Tuvok, nodding.
"Quite logical."
"You knew what you were doing?" asked Janeway.
Seven nodded.
"You disobeyed a direct order! We didn't know what that weapon was.
It could have killed thousands of-" "I knew what it was," said Seven coldly. "Captain, there have been times when you have found me in Master Leonardo's studio. We have had-discussions.
You have often told me that one day I would understand an elusive concept called compassion. Are you sorry I learned your lessons so well?"
Janeway was speechless. Then, finally, she found her voice. "For the record," she said in an icy voice, "I will continue to believe that you were under the influence of alien mental commands until the moment that mind-bomb was detonated. You were not yourself Is that understood?"
Something flared in Seven's chest, burned brightly, then subsided.
"Completely, Captain."
"Good. I'm giving you the rest of your shift off.
Report to your regular duties at 0600 tomorrow."
Without another word, Janeway turned and strode out. Chakotay gave Seven a last, reassuring smile, and followed.
"What do I do, Chakotay?" said Janeway softly as they entered the turbolift and headed for the bridge.
"What do I say to her? How can I condone what she