Unworthy - Kirsten Beyer [74]
“Meegan” certainly looked harmless. Slight of frame with an open, heart-shaped face and wide brown eyes, she looked lost. In Batiste’s experience, anything that could possess the body and mind of another sentient creature was both dangerous and unpredictable. The fleet had been at Yellow Alert since the Doctor notified Commander Glenn of the Indign’s arrival.
“Meegan” was offered the seat between him and Eden. She accepted it with a gracious, almost regal nod, and sat with her back ramrod straight and her hands clasped in her lap. The admiral had already instructed Lieutenant Lasren at Ops to monitor the meeting from the bridge and use the internal sensors to gather as much information about “Meegan” as possible. Grateful that the Indign’s long silence was about to be broken, Batiste firmly believed the best course would be trust, but verification.
Setting his misgivings aside, Batiste began as amiably as possible, “Welcome aboard the Federation Starship Voyager . I am Admiral Willem Batiste. I appreciate your willingness to speak with us. However, I am concerned about the officer you have compromised to facilitate this communication.”
“Meegan” replied in a flat, unaffected tone. “The organism currently serving as a conduit for our communication is unharmed. When our communication has ceased, she will be restored to you.”
Batiste said with a hint of warning in his voice, “Our people place great value on the life of each individual, and her loss would pain us greatly.”
“There is no cause for concern in that regard, Admiral Willem Batiste.”
Eden was favoring him with a look he knew all too well. A stranger might have interpreted it as intense curiosity. He understood it as an instruction: Get on with it already .
“We are curious to understand anything you can tell us of your people. Our observations have been limited, but we gather that you live as a cooperative species.”
“The relationship that has developed among the Indign began thousands of years ago, when the Neyser first entered this system. They discovered the healing properties of the Greech and sought their assistance, but this process was complicated by their inability to communicate with one another. The darkness between them ended, however, when two species native to this system, the Imalak and the Neela, became curious about the Neyser and Greech. The Imalak were able to understand the Greech, and the Neyser modified the Neela to translate for them. Eventually, the Irsk and Dulaph sought to join our collective and were also modified to do so. We are now as we have been for a hundred generations. Together we have built a society worthy of the respect of our betters and terrifying to our inferiors. We exist in peace and will resist anything that seeks to disturb that peace.”
“You paint a remarkable picture,” Batiste said sincerely. “The Federation has found that when disparate species encounter one another, the road to peaceful coexistence is filled with conflict as one species seeks to assert dominance over the others. I am glad to hear that you have avoided this, though I am curious about one thing.”
“Ask your question,” Meegan replied.
“When you say that the Neela, the Irsk, and the Dulaph were modified, were they given a choice in the matter?”
“Of course. They submitted themselves to the Neyser, who long ago mastered the science of genetic manipulation. It was their desire to join with us. As you value the life of the individual, we value the spirit of cooperation. It has served us well, and allowed us to evolve. We have learned that this is the only path to greatness, as shown by those who have become the essence of cooperation and the dominant species of our galaxy.”
Batiste felt his cheeks growing hot.
“You are referring to the Borg.”
“The Borg Collective,” Meegan replied, adding emphasis.
“Have you had significant contact with the Borg?”
“They are our betters in every way. We hope one day