Unworthy - Kirsten Beyer [76]
“What happened?” she asked, puzzled.
“It will require some explanation,” the Doctor assured her. “Admiral, with your permission, I would like to take her to sickbay for a thorough examination.”
“Of course,” Batiste said with a nod before turning to the others to add, “Return to your posts. Captain Eden, please remain.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Seven found herself automatically directing her steps toward Chakotay’s cabin after the meeting. As soon as the door had shut behind her, Chakotay immediately moved toward the replicator and ordered a pot of hot tea that he then dispensed for both of them.
“Are you all right, Seven?” Chakotay asked as soon as they were both settled.
“In what respect?” she asked.
“I understand you lost consciousness after you somehow managed to open the Indign canister.”
“How could you possibly know that?” Seven demanded.
“The Doctor. He was on his way to check on his medical assistant, who I understand also had quite an interesting afternoon.”
Chakotay paused for a moment but when she remained silent, prodded gently, “The Doctor said there was some confusion before you opened the canister.”
Seven nodded slowly. “An adequate characterization. He had briefly removed my neural inhibitor to adjust it and at first, as usual, I heard the voice.” She faltered a little but continued, “But then I heard something else.”
“What did you hear?” Chakotay asked delicately.
“It called to me.”
“The canister?”
“The consciousness within,” Seven replied. “It called me by name.”
“Just out of curiosity, which name?” Chakotay asked.
“It called me Seven.”
“Did it say anything else?”
“Not that I recall. There was urgency in it, unlike the voice. It demanded my attention, if that makes sense.”
“Did it tell you how to open the canister?”
“One moment I had no idea what was happening, only that I must go to it. And the next, I knew exactly what to do to free it.”
“It wanted freedom?” Chakotay inquired warily.
“Yes,” Seven decided. “It demanded freedom. I don’t think I could have refused, even if I’d wanted to.”
“That’s some communications array the Indign have devised,” he observed.
“Indeed,” Seven agreed.
Chakotay made his next point as gently as possible. “You’ve never been even a little telepathic, apart from your time with the Borg?”
“No.”
“So I guess what we need to figure out is if this was a result of the Caeliar transformation, or something that was forced upon you by the Indign?”
“They didn’t hesitate to force that consciousness on Ensign McDonnell,” Seven replied.
“It’s obvious they don’t share our respect for personal space, and given the way they live, why would they? Maybe they didn’t realize how rude they were being,” Chakotay suggested.
“I think it is far more likely that the consciousness contained within the canister was searching for an appropriate host and must have initially found a way to interface with my catoms.”
“If that’s true, we’re going to need to redouble our efforts to help you control them. We can’t have you taken unawares like this by hostile creatures on a regular basis,” Chakotay insisted.
“They are more than hostile. They are monsters,” Seven replied flatly.
Chakotay’s eyes widened. “That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”
“They revere the Borg, while understanding nothing of the Borg’s nature. They actually desire assimilation, and have sentenced countless thousands to that fate by offering them to the Borg. At the very least, Captain Eden should destroy their ability to continue to do so.”
“How would that make her different from the Borg?” Chakotay asked softly. Before Seven could answer, Chakotay went on, “I’ve never heard you speak about the Borg this way. Why is it so upsetting to find a culture that honors the Borg, when you seem reluctant as well to part with your Borg nature as the voice seems to insist?”
Seven stared at him, defiantly. “I am nothing like the Indign. I was Borg. I see them for what they were. I comprehend the magnitude of their wrongs. I do not honor them. I would never seek to emulate their behavior. What I find it difficult