Unworthy - Kirsten Beyer [25]
“Do you find that arrangement acceptable, Chakotay?” Eden asked.
“I do,” he said sincerely. “Seven and I have been friends for a very long time. She saved my life and the lives of Voyager’s crew more times than I can count. To assist her now as she works through this difficult issue is the least I can do for her.”
“Captain, a moment?” Batiste interrupted.
With a deferential nod, Seven and Chakotay rose and excused themselves, moving to stand outside the door where a security officer stood at attention.
“I think we should refuse their request,” Batiste said before the air had settled.
“Admiral, did you ever actually read the full text of the report I prepared for Project Full Circle on Voyager’s time in the Delta quadrant?”
“Many times, as you well know.”
“May I point out a few salient facts. Seven is an extraordinary individual. Everything Chakotay has said about her service to Starfleet is true. More important, Starfleet wants to confirm that the Borg and Caeliar are nothing but a memory, and it’s possible that Seven is now the closest we might come to a living, breathing Caeliar detector. We already know that if the Caeliar don’t want to be found, they won’t be. They’ve turned xenophobia into an art. She can help us. And we can help her. It’s a win-win from where I sit.”
“What about Chakotay?”
Eden shrugged. “As long as he limits his activities to advising Seven, I can accept it. I can also think of a couple hundred ways that another person who’s actually been in the Delta quadrant could come in handy.”
Batiste considered her words, or more accurately, if Eden still knew him as well as she thought she did, calculated the force requirements in continuing to argue the point. “You actually think the man who used to command this ship is going to be content as a civilian advisor to one crew member? I couldn’t do it, and I don’t think you could, either.”
“He’s not going to have a choice, Admiral,” Eden replied coldly.
“It’s your ship, Captain,” he finally replied, rising from the table and exiting the room to the bridge.
“Damn straight,” she muttered before signaling the security officer to allow Seven and Chakotay to re-enter.
Eden then graciously accepted Seven’s terms, asking only that she report at once to sickbay for a full medical evaluation. The captain then ordered that until Seven had successfully resolved her issue with the voice, she would also be expected to meet regularly with the ship’s counselor, Lieutenant Hugh Cambridge.
To Eden’s surprise, Chakotay agreed that Counselor Cambridge would be most helpful. But he suggested that Voyager’s former EMH, with his vast knowledge of Seven’s prior medical history, might be better equipped to treat Seven than the new CMO.
Eden agreed and ordered Paris to assign them quarters. The captain then returned to the bridge, where she ordered the Achilles to retrieve the shuttle and stow it aboard the fleet’s engineering transport. Normally she didn’t second-guess her decisions, but Eden found herself wondering how complicated this mission was going to get.
And we’re not even in the Delta quadrant yet, she thought, shaking her head.
Eleven days after B’Elanna arrived at New Talax, her shuttle was once again in working order. Neelix had assigned a team of eager engineers to assist her. B’Elanna discovered that what they lacked in expertise, they more than made up for in curiosity and enthusiasm.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the three doctors and six medical technicians who staffed the asteroid base’s infirmary. Dr. Hestax, a wizened, spindly man who looked as if a strong wind might blow him over, had been the first to tend to Miral once B’Elanna confirmed that her temperature was definitely running high. The fever had soon given way to a general lethargy and inability to keep down solid