Unworthy - Kirsten Beyer [122]
“The Neyser had never seen the Borg until they reached this system; however, the first steps toward their cooperative existence had already been taken by then. Initially, it was the Neela and Imalak who saw the Borg’s structure as an example of perfect cooperation. They transmitted to the other Indign species the necessity of pleasing the Borg in hopes that they might work together for their mutual benefit. The Borg had no interest in the Indign. Eventually, the offerings began in hope that this might change the Borg’s mind.”
“Unbelievable,” Cambridge said, shaking his head.
“While I could not make the Indign understand the true nature of the Borg, I did explain as much as I could to the Old One. She has assured me that she will pass the information along to the Indign and will do all she can to bring an end to the offerings.”
“That’s good to hear,” Eden said sincerely.
“The Old One was surprised to learn that the Borg were conquered by the Caeliar, and asked if there was any way to contact them. I assured her that there is not, and she seemed to accept that for now. I further assured her that we will continue to pursue Meegan and the rest of The Eight. I advised her that we accept responsibility for her actions, which included the destruction of the Old One’s colony with our weapons, and that should we find them, we will see that they are returned to Neyser custody.”
“If Lieutenant Barclay is right, that’s going to be a pretty tall order,” Paris observed.
“But still, a task worth completing,” Eden added.
“The Old One did ask if there was anything the Indign could offer us to compensate us for any losses we sustained. I suggested that a small supply of benamite would be greatly appreciated. The benamite extruded as a waste product by the Irsk-Dulaph is of no intrinsic value to the Indign, and in its present form is not compatible with our systems. However, I believe that the recrystallization technology developed by Commander Torres might be adapted to convert it to crystalline form. They have provided me with transport coordinates and I would suggest we retrieve it as soon as possible.”
Eden said, “I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say, thank you, Seven. I know this mission was difficult for you and you’ve done more toward normalizing our relations with the Indign throughout the last few days than I would have thought possible. Job very well done.”
“You’re welcome, Captain.”
As she rose to return to her quarters for a period of required rest—ordered by the Doctor—Seven was halted by a soft, “A moment, Seven.”
She turned to see Captain Eden crossing to speak with her. Counselor Cambridge moved quietly to the door to wait for her.
“I noticed that you are no longer wearing your neural inhibitor,” Eden said.
“I no longer require it.”
The captain perched herself on the edge of the conference table as she said, “Then I take it the voice no longer troubles you?”
Seven had not yet had enough time to confirm her suspicion that the voice would actually never trouble her again, but she had not used her inhibitor for days.
“Before I was able to assume the control of my catoms required to facilitate communication with the Indign, I was forced to confront the voice.”
Eden’s dark brow furrowed. “Do you mind telling me exactly how you managed that?”
Seven considered her words carefully before answering. “The Doctor, Chakotay, and the counselor have been working to assist me in controlling the voice. One of the tactics I employed was visualization. I found that in a relaxed, almost meditative state, I was able to interact with the voice and to diminish its power over me.”
“So you’ve essentially learned to ignore it?” Eden asked.
“Not exactly,” Seven replied. “At one point while I was reaching out to the Indign, a manifestation of the voice appeared in my mind: a little girl I have seen before.”
Eden nodded solemnly for her to continue.
“I instructed the girl to allow me to complete my task and, as always, she attempted to persuade me that my actions were unnecessary. Rather than argue