Part XI.

=/\= Tom. I didn't know you were back. I know the Doctor is tied up, but I have a medical.. problem in Engineering. =/\=

"Say no more, B'Elanna. I'm on my way."

Just then, the doors to Sickbay hissed open...

The Captain entered the room. She shared a quick word with Tom as he left with a med kit. The Doctor glanced in Captain Janeway's direction for a second - enough to realize she was there - then returned focus to his patient.

The Captain proceeded to take a seat in his office, to wait until the Doctor could talk to her. It was not her intention to disrupt him in any way. Eventually, he found a moment to step away - but only a moment.

The EMH left Kes to monitor Seven of Nine's lifesigns as he managed a few moments to step away from the main surgical biobed. With a command, the computer recycled his program, any blood nonexistent on his person. He caught Tom shifting his eyes in his direction as he uttered the words, then considered the moment at hand. Those who may have the means to help save Seven were with the Captain.

The Doctor walked stiffly to his office, an entirely aesthetic effect incorporated into his program to kick in when his mood was gloomy. He wish at times that Lewis Zimmerman hadn't been so meticulous.

He stopped in the doorway of his office. "Captain?"

The Captain was reclined slightly in the Doctor's chair, rubbing her forehead, lost in thought. Hearing the Doctor's voice, she turned the chair to face him, then stood to her feet.

"Doctor. I just have to compliment you on keeping Seven alive this long.." she said proudly, putting a hand on his shoulder and patting it. She continued.

"However, that's not why I'm here. The leader of the people on this planet, is on Voyager. She, along with a colleague, wishes to view Seven of Nine. I know it's a lot to ask; so I won't order you to allow this.. though I do believe it may be in Seven's best interest. What do you think?"

He watched as Captain Janeway stepped slowly past him, her hand still on the area of the shoulder where she had pat him. He was always acutely aware of any deliberate contact by a crew member and the implication it held: that of being accepted as a real person. The gesture beared even greater significance from those the Doctor considered himself relatively close to. It meant family and friendship.

Betraying nothing of his thoughts, he responded: "I would have to agree that their visiting Sickbay and seeing Seven may hold the key in encouraging them to help us with her condition. They would see that whatever defense they've put up are not detrimental exclusively to Borg drones.

"I have to wonder however, what we could offer to compensate for any vulnerability terminating the source of the radiation would bring. Have we come up with a counter offer as yet to further tempt them if altruism isn't in their nature?"

He said the last words low, as if the walls had ears.

"Don't you mean 'if' terminating the source on a planetary, or even regional scale is necessary? You said yourself that a modification to our shields could perhaps isolate Voyager from the radiation. I believe seeking information on that front should be top priority.. and if nothing comes of it; we'll have to try the barter system."

On saying that, the Captain changed her double hand gesture to a simple arm fold. She knew the Doctor had more to contribute.. which she welcomed.

The Doctor watched Captain Janeway take on an expectant stance.

"Captain, we have to consider not only Seven of Nine's condition, but the ship's as well. Shields are all nice and good, but with systems down and others compromised, I doubt as a whole we're capable of instituting any major technological maneuver at this time." He faced to the side and looked up. "Of course, you'd have to check with someone who is skilled in that area to confirm this. I'm a Doctor, not an engineer."

"Somehow, Doctor, it wouldn't surprise me if you did have an engineering trick or two.. up your sleeve. But we'll definitely leave the engineering work to B'Elanna." she mused.

He said nothing, but smiled in the usual way he did when complimented. The Captain continued.

"I have also taken the ship's condition into consideration; but let's hope that any data the aliens do share - if any at all - can be applied to our already Borg-modified shields. If they know how to avoid Borg detection, and how to radiate Borg cybernetics.. they obviously know quite a bit more about Borg technology than we do."

The Doctor understood, and naturally left those details to the Captain. He gave his full attention; but he also needed to get back to his patient. He told the Captain to bring the visitors shortly, at a time he specified.. to which she agreed. He then returned to Seven's bedside. Captain Janeway left Sickbay.

There simply wasn't any more to discuss. He knew the Captain would do whatever was possible on her end, but told her firmly that whatever resolution they came up with, it had to be quickly. Seven's last hour most assuredly had come. Armed with that knowledge, her eyes burned a fierceness behind the calm as she left Sickbay.

The Doctor stopped beside Kes, who had her eye trained on the display along the side of the diagnostic arch. There wasn't much they could do at this point, either.

Except wait.

As she walked down the corridor, the Captain buzzed B'Elanna. She told the Chief Engineer to postpone the removal of Borg technology from the shield systems as long as possible. B'Elanna complied.

Entering the turbolift, a last minute need for advice drew the Captain to seek out the Maestro yet again. She took a detour.. to the holodeck. As she soon arrived, the program was activated, and into DaVinci's studio she went.

"Katarina. Two days in a row I get a visit from a favorite student. How fortunate to be esteemed in one's golden years.. do sit down." he said, moving a palette off of the Captain's usual work stool.

"I'm afraid I can only stay for a minute or so, Maestro. I am in need of advice.. on a matter involving diplomacy."

"Diplomacy. Is it involving the missing footsoldiers you spoke of yesterday eve? A foreign ministry holds them, and you seek their liberty, perhaps." he observed.

"Actually, my footsoldiers are at camp, and both territories agree to a truce in discussion. But I require information from the other leader, without causing offense in the request." the Captain explained.

"I understand. However, you do not. The trust is more important than the means by which to manipulate the objective. Earn the trust first, then the request may be introduced. Trust is the greatest of gambits, Katarina."

"Maybe it was so simple, that I overlooked it. I was offering kindness.. but giving no reason to be trusted. Maestro, your student is humbled by you once again. Thank you. I'd better be going now." she said, shoulder pat redundancy and all.

Leonardo said farewell, and the Captain exited the studio.. and holodeck. She turned off the program and headed to the Conference Room.

The Captain finally arrived, and entered through the door. Lintorhan and Breshak sat at the long table.. refreshments untouched. Captain Janeway released the lone security guard, then took a seat at the head of the table.

"The Doctor has agreed to let you view Seven of Nine - the former Borg drone. It will be a few minutes before we may go, however."

"It is still known by its Borg designation?" asked Breshak.

"Yes. 'Seven of Nine' is a shortened version of her Borg designation. Her human name is actually 'Annika Hansen'. Unfortunately she was assimilated as a young child, so it has been difficult for her to assert her individuality. But, she has tried very hard.. and with our help, even succeeded somewhat over the past few months."

The Captain's combadge interrupted the discussion momentarily. She excused herself as a department head gave her an update on a routine problem. The Captain issued appropriate orders as a fix. As this was taken care of, the discussion continued.

"Justice. Do you or the High-Lieutenant have any questions?"

Neelix entered the Mess Hall. A rather large line of crewmen had formed at the replicators.. as nothing was quite ready in the galley. Neelix changed that situation in no time.

"I'm back, folks. Sorry for the delay." he said loudly.

Heating, then setting out four large bins of food he prepared earlier; and rolling out a beverage cart.. he was soon opened for business. After serving more than a dozen crewman, T'Punn took her turn at the window.

"Ensign. Which would you prefer.. Quantum Casserole, or Class-Y Enchiladas?"

"Whichever is vegetarian will suffice. Choice is irrelevant." T'Punn answered stately.

"That would be the enchiladas. I warn you, they are a little spicy. I went wild with Bajoran chili peppers, but they are so very tasty. I replicated them using a book that.. well.. Seska left in her quarters."

"If that is the case, I must assume that you scanned for toxicity. Considering her evil, volatile, and arrogant personality.."

"I made sure they were safe, Ensign. It was her fresh mushroom soup that she spiked.. with what we later learned to be an aphrodisiac fatal to most men. I still wonder who she prepared it for. Fortunately, she recycled it that same afternoon.. so I guess the guy didn't eat it. Coffee, juice, or iced-tea?"

"Iced-tea, thank you. I cannot consume the entomological appendages used in the blue coffee." the Vulcan replied.

"Who told you that? I bet it was Tom Paris.. why do I ever tell him anything?" wondered Neelix.

"Approximately six people informed me." she said, taking her tray. She sat at a table, and ate.

Neelix sighed, and continued serving.

Chakotay stepped out of the sonic shower and quickly dressed himself in a fresh uniform. He was slipping on his tunic when the call came.

=/\= Bridge to Chakotay. =/\=

The First Officer picked up his combadge and pinned to his breast. "Go ahead, Castillo."

=/\= Commander, Lieutenant Carey is here with me on the Bridge. We've started removing the Borg modifications from the deflector array, but we need... =/\= There was a pause.

Removing the Borg modifications? Chakotay ordered a cup of coffee from the replicator, sipped it, and grimaced. The Captain loved coffee. For the First Officer, it was just a caffeine delivery system.

=/\= Commander? =/\=

"I'm here."

=/\= Sorry, Commander. We need the Borg command code to release the 'magneton pulse transpolar emission plate.' Only you and the Captain have access to those codes. =/\=

"Understood. Castillo, are you the duty officer?"

"Yes, sir, Commander."

"Good. I want a full report on ship's status as soon as possible."

"Uh--yes, sir. Right away, sir."

"Chakotay out." Another sip of coffee. "Chakotay to Carey."

=/\= Carey here. Welcome back, Commander. =/\=

"Thank you. Meet me in Cargo Bay Two in five minutes. Be ready to brief me on the removal of the Borg modifications, and on the status of Engineering generally. Then we'll get you that code."

=/\= Yes, sir. =/\=

"Chakotay out." For a moment, Chakotay stood with one hand on his hip and swallowed more coffee. Then, he put the half-empty mug in the replicator, recycled it, and left his quarters, heading for Cargo Bay Two.

It felt good to be back at work.

Tom exited the turbolift, and proceeded down the corridor toward Engineering. As the doors opened, Nicoletti and two junior engineers were seen in the main area, each using a console.

"Lieutenant Torres said a medic was needed down here. Who's hurt?"

"I don't think anyone is hurt.. unless it's her. But she just called me on her combadge with new orders about the shields, and she sounded okay." Nicoletti replied.

"Where is she?"

"She's in the starboard nacelle Jeffries tube.. the section on this deck."

"Thanks. I'd better go check on her." Tom said.

He walked around to a Jeffries tube hatch behind the warp core on the starboard side. He climbed into the tube, but did not see B'Elanna anywhere.

"Hey B'Elanna! Are you in here?!" he yelled.

Lintorhan carefully hid a sigh of annoyance as Captain Janeway's chest communication device interrupted the discussion and she excused herself briefly.

The time on board the vessel had been frustrating thus far, left in the hands of some minor functionary - under guard at that - while Captain Janeway ventured elsewhere, apparently to consult with their physician.

The functionary had been polite, of course, answering the few questions they asked about the ship and had also provided refreshments - cautiously tasted and found to be rather unpalatable. Different physiologies, different taste receptors... or at least she could hope so, for their sakes. But what weighed most heavily on Lintorhan - on both of them, noting Breshak's increasingly tense posture - was the knowledge that the longer they were on the ship, the more likely the Council of Five would be to overturn the previous decision. Time was of the essence.

Finally Janeway returned.

"Justice. Do you or the High-Lieutenant have any questions?"

"I have several, but they can wait until we see the 'ex-drone'."

"Very well. The Doctor is expecting us about now, anyway. Follow me."

Captain Janeway rose from her seat, and left the room - Lintorhan and Breshak trailing promptly and orderly behind. They entered the turbolift, and said nothing on the short trip down. As they exited, then walked down the corridor.. a displaying opportunity presented itself.

"Ensign Wildman... good afternoon. And hello, Naomi.." the Captain said, bending down to shake Naomi's little hand.

"Naomi. Say hello.. say hello. She's a little shy, Captain. Especially when I least like her to be." Samantha mused.

Naomi held Samantha's hand, and had the index finger of her other small hand in her mouth. As the Captain bent down to greet her, the toddler smiled, but hid halfway behind her mother's leg.

"That's understandable, Samantha. I was somewhat of a shy child myself.. as long as things went my way." responded the Captain. They laughed at that, then introductions took place.

"Ensign Samantha Wildman - this is Justice Lintorhan and High-Lieutenant Breshak. They are from this planet."

"Hello. Very nice to meet you." said Samantha.

Lintorhan and Breshak nodded politely. Captain Janeway then introduced Naomi. She explained proudly that Naomi was born during their journey. The Captain hoped this would make some impact on the two aliens, as to the sense of community and diversity onboard Voyager.

As the socializing soon ended, the Captain's trio continued toward Sickbay.

'I wonder what they are thinking. We have children aboard.. that should reflect good things about how we really are.' thought the Captain.

Lintorhan exchanged a covert look with Breshak as they finally started on their way to Sickbay again, noting the darkening coloration of the soldier's eyes - a clear outward sign of her increasing tension. So far they had moldered in a briefing room and then had been 'introduced' to another female - Lieutenant Samantha Wildman - and her daughter Naomi. The child, though, did not appear to be entirely of the same species - a series of small horn-like protuberances marking an otherwise smooth forehead. Perhaps all their children bore such marks? Possible, but a more likely idea, she supposed, was that the child was a half-breed. But why were they being shown children? While she could sympathize with the low birthrate - due to space and energy restrictions, strict population control measures had been in place for generations - couldn't these matters have waited?

Surely convincing them that this Borg of theirs was no threat was more paramount? Perhaps they had been stalling… Or perhaps they simply did not understand or appreciate the urgency of the situation.

They were guided out of the transportation tube, down a stretch of corridor and then through a doorway and into a medical facility. Finally.

The room was well lit and appointed in the shades of gray and blue Voyager seemed to favor and filled with sophisticated looking machinery, including a number of beds… but their attention was quickly drawn by the occupied bed at the back of the room. Lying there, under a large scanning device and being fussed over by not one, but two attendants was… Borg.

Kes lifted her head from their PADD checklist and stared at the doors, alerting the Doctor to approaching visitors. Her premonitory abilities often came in handy, and gave them the opportunity to finish off their tally at a comfortable spot before the doors parted.

He was inwardly amused at the Captain's subtle expression of perplexity over he and Kes standing at the ready beside the main biobed, facing her calmly and expectantly. Their efficiency was positively disarming, he thought.

Following Captain Janeway were her two guests: short by human standards, and somewhat reminiscent of cute and furry forest creatures. Only they wore wily expressions. Their golden eyes squinted at the sight of his patient as the captain introduced everyone to each other formally.

Chakotay nodded as Carey finished his brief report. "Good," said the First Officer, and turned to the Borg alcove, entering his identification and password. He quickly worked his way through the menus that appeared on the alcove's display, glancing down now and then to check the translations on the PADD in his left hand. Finally, the necessary command code appeared.

"There you are," he said.

Carey entered the code on his own PADD. "Got it," he said. "Thanks, Commander. Anything else?"

"Yes. Listen carefully. This is an order. The inhabitants of this planet have been hiding from the Borg for a long time. I was the first person to speak to them, and I did *not* tell them that we recently made an alliance with the Collective. The Captain should be the one to decide when and how to inform the aliens of this fact. I don't want some junior officer blurting it out and causing a misunderstanding. Am I clear so far?"

"Understood, sir."

"Do not discuss the alliance with the aliens. Do *not* lie. But don't volunteer any information. If they want to know why we have Borg technology onboard, just tell them that Voyager was partly assimilated during a recent encounter with the Collective. If they want to know more, ask the Captain before you tell them anything. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Repeat my orders."

"Orders from the First Officer. Do not discuss the Borg alliance with the aliens. Don't lie, but don't volunteer information. If they ask, tell them that Voyager was partly assimilated in a recent encounter with the Collective. If they want to know more, ask the Captain before you say anything."

"Good. Pass my order on to every officer you meet. Get them to repeat it, and tell them to pass it on. Do not use the Comm system. This is urgent. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Dismissed."

Carey left the Cargo Bay. Chakotay put his hands on his hips and looked around, disgusted at the piles of Borg junk in the Cargo Bay. Finally, he tapped his combadge.

"Chakotay to Torres."

"Yes. I'm further back here in the Jeffries tube. My foot was crushed by a big piece of Borg sh.."

"Watch your language, Lieutenant. What if a young, impressionable junior engineer hears you?" he asked, hiding a chuckle.

"I'm not in the mood for your humor, Tom. Get some more light back here." she said, irritated and in pain.

Tom climbed out of the tube, and grabbed a wrist light from one of the engineers. He returned, and this time crawled much further down the Jeffries tube.

"This is not funny, Tom.. so you may as well quit laughing."

"B'Elanna. This is a smile, not a laugh. Now why did you attempt to remove something so heavy by yourself? Vorik couldn't either without cutting his arm all to hell." he said, shining the light on his face to show he wasn't laughing.

"The part is laying back there, so at least I'm not stuck anymore. I had just gotten it off right before you bellowed. How is Vorik?"

"He's fine, now. But as for you, looks like you have a broken arch, and a fractured heel. I bet that hurts." he replied, waving his tricorder around her foot.

"It's numb right now, but it hurt when it happened." she sighed.

"Well.. let's get you out of here. I'm going to give you Novazine to deaden that foot, so you can crawl out of this tube." he said.

After giving her an hypospray above the ankle, the duo soon crawled to the tube's exit. Tom helped her over to an engineer's work stool, and treated her foot with a portable osteo-fusion device.

"Thank you. I've got to get back to work, now."

"Glad I could help.. and I hope you will start being more careful with heavy objects in the future." said Tom.

"Yes, Doctor." B'Elanna said friendly, smirking with her patented half smile.

She walked away, and returned to her duties. Tom shook his head and smiled as she left. He then cleaned up their 'triage' area, and left Engineering.

Torres watched as the doors closed behind Lieutenant Paris. Then she turned, brushed her hair out of her face, and started to climb back into the Jeffries Tube.

=/\= Chakotay to Torres =/\=

"Va," she said, disgustedly. Would she ever get rid of that tachyon inhibitor? "Go ahead, Commander."

=/\= Where are you, B'Elanna? =/\=

"Main level, Engineering."

=/\= Good. Stay there, I'm coming down. Be ready to give me an Engineering report when I get there. =/\=

B'Elanna rolled her eyes. "Sure," she said. "No problem. Anything else?"

=/\= I'll give it some thought. Chakotay out. =/\=

Outside, in the hall, Lieutenant Paris was waiting for the turbolift. Finally, the doors opened. Tom started to enter, then stopped, surprised.

"Commander?"

"Tom," said Chakotay, stepping out. "Just the man I wanted to see. Come with me."

"Okay," said Paris, a bit bemused. He fell into step behind the First Officer's shoulder. "Where are we going?"

"Engineering."

"I just came from there."

Chakotay glanced back. "Everything all right?"

"B'Elanna hurt her foot. Nothing serious."

"Good," said Chakotay. The doors to Engineering hissed open.

Lieutenant Carey headed down the corridor toward the turbolift.

He looked over his PADD of Chakotay's orders, and studied the complex Borg command code. As he entered the turbolift, he realized that more help was needed on this assignment.

"Computer. Locate Vorik."

=/\= Ensign Vorik is in the Mess Hall. =/\=

"Deck two." Carey said.

Eventually arriving, then entering the Mess Hall, he spotted Vorik and T'Punn sharing a table. They were eating.. but not speaking at all.

"Hey, Vorik.. and Ensign.. T'Pol is it?" he greeted.

"I am T'Punn. It is pleasant to see you again, Lieutenant. I must return to my duties at this time. Goodbye Vorik." she stated.

"Goodbye, T'Punn. Our visit was once again mutually efficient." relayed Vorik

Carey nodded at T'Punn, and watched her leave. He then took her seat.. and gawked on.

"Lieutenant. Are you experiencing physical desire toward the anatomy of Ensign T'Punn, at this time?"

"Dammit, Vorik. I told you never to ask me that again.."

"Negative. You requested that from Ensign Castillo approximately 722.8 days ago. It was the day that the female Ka.." Vorik reported.

"Okay.. enough. That's an order, Ensign. I need you to assist me with this job.. stat."

He handed Vorik a large PADD - which explained the procedure concerning the deflectors. Carey then went over his smaller PADD with Vorik, displaying Commander Chakotay's new orders.

After lengthy discussion, they headed to the doors to leave. Neelix caught them on their way out.

"Would you guys like a thermos of blue velvet while you work?" the happy Talaxian asked.

"No. Thank you, Neelix." they said in tandem.

The engineers looked at each other, then Neelix.. and left. Neelix sighed, and poured himself a second cup.

Vorik waited for Carey by the turbolift. The Lieutenant eventually returned from going again to the Mess Hall, where he had taken care of forgotten business.

"Sorry for that, Vorik... but in trying to escape the blue coffee, I had neglected to tell Neelix about the Commander's orders. The quickest way to spread the word on this ship is definitely through Neelix.."

"You did alert him on the import of discretion, did you not? If the aliens were t.."

"Don't worry. He knows how to keep it cool. Well.. let's get to deflector control." said Carey

As they entered the turbolift, Nicoletti called regarding the deflector demodification process. It would have to be postponed par B'Elanna's new orders on the shield systems.

"That's right. We would need to take the shields offline for several hours, to remove this Borg part. I'm guessing the senior engineer wants me to go on to the next item on my list.. right?"

=/\= You are correct, Lieutenant. =/\=

"I'm on it. Thanks, Ensign. Carey out."

"Do you require my assistance, sir?" Vorik inquired.

"I sure do.. we have a bunch of EPS relays to de-Borg, for the torpedo launchers." sighed Carey.

And setting a turbolift destination, onward they went..

"Justice Lintorhan and High-Lieutenant Breshak - this is our Doctor and his assistant, Kes. If you have any questions about Seven of Nine or her condition.. he's the one to ask."

With the Captain's introduction to their visitors, Kes stood up straighter, the Doctor shifting weight slightly from one leg to the other.

There Captain Janeway had given her blessing to volunteer any medical information on Seven of Nine to these two strangers. As much as he would have liked to tinge any replies on his part with a few barbs, he knew he would have to exercise utmost diplomacy. They might have been party to Seven's dire condition, but the Captain was also under their mercy for Voyager's condition as well. He knew she was counting on the aliens' eliminating what threat to Borg technology they possessed. Hm. Weren't the Voyager crew the aliens in this scenario? His mind digressed at the strangest times...

The EMH nodded in acknowledgement of the Captain's words, and walked a few steps in the direction of the two creatures. With a slight curve of his mouth, he addressed them: "Justice? High Lieutenant? Welcome to Sickbay. This is my assistant Kes..." He turned to gesture back at Kes, who stood with her hands clasped relaxed before her; she nodded with a gentle smile. "...and we will be happy to assist you in any way we can."

There is was… a Borg. Lying prone on some sort of surgical bed, perhaps, but still Borg. Lintorhan felt her hackles rise despite herself. She was aware of Captain Janeway saying something, then the tall one in blue, but it was a distant murmur. It was the first time in decades, perhaps even centuries, that one of her race had encountered a live Borg. Of course, they routinely collected and dissected and used what Borg and Borg technology they found for their own survival, but only ever after their defenses had taken their toll on their arch-enemy. To see one, here, living…

But it didn't look much like a Borg anymore… there was color to its skin, most of its external and, by the looks of it, internal machinery had been removed... Perhaps the was real truth to their claims of severing it from the Collective. Of course, they'd have to…

A beep emanated from the console, summoning the immediate attention of the two medical staff. Lintorhan watched in fascination as they worked. It was over quickly, by her reckoning, and the aliens turned back to her.

Captain Janeway stepped slightly closer to the surgical biobed at the beeps - though staying well out of the Doctor's way - as he attended to the situation. He looked at his medical tricorder, then made several adjustments to the surgical arch, and said something to Kes.

The Captain could not always read the Doctor just by his face; his usual look of concern for a patient in this condition could mean anything from routine to dire. She folded her arms and would wait patiently, though it was her unfortunate nature to want step-by-step information.

As worried as she was about Seven of Nine, she trusted this Doctor unlike many she had known or served with. She sighed in concern, then turned to Lintorhan and Breshak and smiled.. attempting trivial talk with them until the Doctor could return.

As Kes watched the two women from the planet walk toward them she did her best to hide her agitation - it would serve no useful purpose. Within, she was desperate to have them just state that they'd switch off whatever technology it was that was causing Seven's physiological distress and let the Doctor and herself get on with saving the Borg drone. Instead, she smiled her sweet welcoming smile and deliberately relaxed her body. Kes nodded as the Doctor offered assistance to the visitors, but then the surgical arch sounded an alarm and she was instantly ready for orders from the Doctor.

With a look, Kes was on the arch LCARs interface and announced: "She's going into respiratory arrest."

Stepping beside her, the Doctor took over. His hands danced expertly over the display, at times almost a blur. After twenty long seconds, the alarm silenced. Kes' sigh could be heard near his left ear. He turned to her. That was close, he thought.

Maybe, he pondered, the incident elicited some sort of response in their guests. The Doctor turned back to them. The Captain looked as though she had considered filling in the two with information, but his swift progress overtook her into acting upon it. Janeway was beside the one introduced to them as Justice Lintorhan, leaning in slightly. But the captain was still facing him, and with an sharp expression. The two others squinted as they observed, with no discernable expressions on their faces.

"Seven of Nine is stable. For the moment." the EMH reported. "But I don't know for how long. The nanoprobe count in her bloodstream is very low, and compensating for their cohesion protocols has been a precarious method of preservation at best - but the only one available to us."

Kes' heart was still beating slightly faster with the adrenaline surge that she'd experienced during Seven's last crisis. When would these negotiations end and the crises be over? She looked closely at those assembled. Was there a slight edginess to their guests, a possible suggestion of unease? Kes wouldn't be surprised. After all, they were face to face with a Borg drone, one of the kind they'd been trying to destroy and protect themselves against for so long. She took a deep breath.

"Please," she asked, "can't you do something for her quickly? As the Doctor said: we can't save her, just slow down her decline." Her question hung in the air, but the feelings that had prompted it still kept Kes looking imploringly at the two women.

Brought fully back to the here and now, Lintorhan regarded the short one for a time, constructing her reply:

"We are here to decide if we may do something, not only for you, but for i.. her. Be assured that a decision made either way will be carried out with the utmost swiftness. May we approach the drone?"

"Good," said Chakotay. "Pass my order on to every officer you meet. Get them to repeat it, then tell them to pass it on. Do not use the comm system." He paused, and turned to Lieutenant Paris. "Is the Doctor still busy with Seven of Nine?"

"Yes, sir," said Paris.

The First Officer considered. "All right," he said. "Don't bother him for now. I'll tell him myself when he makes his report. That's all."

"Yes, sir." Paris looked at B'Elanna. "See you later," he said, and left Engineering.

Chakotay turned to Lieutenant Torres. She was standing with her arms folded, staring at him.

"What," he said.

"The Captain should be the one to decide when and how to inform the aliens," said B'Elanna.

"That's right," said Chakotay.

"You don't want some junior officer blurting it out and causing a misunderstanding."

"Do you have a problem with my orders, Lieutenant?"

"Your orders? No. But your cover story needs work."

Chakotay looked hard at the Chief Engineer. "Excuse me?"

Torres looked back calmly. "I think we both know why you didn't tell the aliens about the alliance."

"Do we."

"Come on, Chakotay. You can fool Tom, but you can't fool me. I know you. I know how you feel about the alliance. And I know why you didn't tell the aliens about it."

Chakotay said nothing. The two old comrades stared at each other for a long moment. Then, B'Elanna put up her hands. "Okay, fine," she said. "Whatever you say."

Chakotay smiled slightly. "Whatever I say. I like the sound of that. I don't hear it very often."

"Don't get used to it," said B'Elanna.

"I won't," said Chakotay. "You can give me your report, now. Start by telling me how you hurt your foot."

The Doctor glanced at the Captain. Janeway's eyes were wide, obviously having been spooked by the brief crisis. She looked intensely back at the hologram in this manner. After a few seconds, she nodded slowly.

Nodding back in acknowledgement, he looked to Kes, who made her way to the far side of the surgical biobed. The Doctor then stepped back until he stood beyond Seven of Nine's slim shoulder.

Slowly, tentatively, the aliens took a step forward.

"It was nothing," said B'Elanna. "I was in the starboard nacelle jeffries tube, removing the Borg tachyon inhibitor. It slipped, and pinned my foot. I called Tom, and got it free while I was waiting for him. The injury wasn't serious. He was able to treat it right here. You must have run into him on his way back to Sickbay."

Chakotay nodded. "Is it still in there?"

"Yes," said B'Elanna. "I was just about to crawl back in and pull it out when you called."

"Need a hand?"

B'Elanna half-smiled. "Tired of listening to reports already?"

Chakotay shook his head. "Just trying to save time. I can listen to your report while we work."

"Well, follow me, then," said the Chief Engineer. She crouched down and climbed into the jeffries tube. "What do you need to know," she said, over her shoulder.

Chakotay was right behind her. "Carey gave me the big picture. How long until we have all the Borg technology removed?"

B'Elanna considered. "About sixty hours," she said. "Here it is. Grab on there."

"Got it," said Chakotay.

B'Elanna continued to describe the ship's status as the two of them pushed and pulled the tachyon inhibitor out of the tube. Finally, the Borg device was sitting on the deck in Main Engineering. Chakotay looked at it doubtfully.

"Can we recycle this?"

B'Elanna shook her head. "I don't think so. We're storing all the Borg junk in Cargo Bay Two for now. We may have to dump it in deep space."

Chakotay sighed. "What a waste," he said. "Anything else?"

"Just two more things," said B'Elanna. "A number of bioneural gelpacks have been assimilated. Here," she said, leading Chakotay to a nearby workstation. "One of my people took this out of the backup transporter processor. Seven of Nine doesn't know how to repair them. She suggested we show them to the Doctor. In any case, we can't afford to just throw them away."

Chakotay examined the assimilated gelpack. "I'll tell the Doctor when he makes his report. What else?"

"Well," said B'Elanna, leaning against the console. "Did you find any polyferanide? We still need it to repair the warp nacelles."

"We found some," said Chakotay, "but it belongs to the aliens. They may or may not give us access to their mineral resources. I'd find an alternative, if I were you."

B'Elanna nodded. "We've got a plan to replicate some from the surface material. But that'll take a lot of time and energy. I hope the Captain's making a good impression."

"I hope so, too. Anything else?"

B'Elanna shook her head. "No, that's everything."

"All right. Call me if..." The First Officer's combadge chirped.

=/\= Bridge to Chakotay. =/\=

"Go ahead," said Chakotay.

=/\= Commander, the ship's status report is ready. =/\=

"All right. I'll be right there. Chakotay out." Chakotay turned back to B'Elanna. "Keep me informed of developments," he said. "And from now on, try not to hurt yourself. That's an order."

"Yes, sir," said B'Elanna. Chakotay turned to leave. "Chakotay," she said.

The First Officer stopped and looked back.

B'Elanna started to say something, stopped, started again. "I...," she said.

Chakotay nodded. "I was worried about you, too," he said. "Keep me informed."

"Yes, sir," said B'Elanna.

Exiting the turbolift, Tom headed for Sickbay. It was past lunchtime, but he could not leave medical duty during a busy time of ship repairs - a frequent injury period - while the Doctor had a critical patient needing around-the-clock care.

As his ration allowance had today restarted from his debt of wager.. Tom would replicate his lunch in the Doctor's office.

When the doors opened, Tom noticed from behind that the two alien women were slowly approaching Seven of Nine's bedside. The Captain followed nearly along side them, cautiously resting her hand around the area of her phaser - though not touching it. The Doctor stood parentally close to Seven, Kes in back of the biobed. The security officers were intensely focused on the situation as well.

Tom knew to proceed quietly to the Doctor's office and tend to his business, though he couldn't help but be interested. He put his med kit on the desk.. and on the other side of Sickbay from the office, washed his hands, then replicated his food.

Returning to the office to eat, he could hear voices, but couldn't make out anything said. The problem of trying to be nosy on a federation ship.. the acoustics didn't always cooperate.

Lintorhan approached the prone form of the drone cautiously, the wary Breshak a few steps behind her. This close now, despite the height of the bed, she could see tracts of flesh where implants had obviously been removed. They had reclaimed i… her, it seemed. But what of the internal implants? Or her mental state? Obviously they did not consider her to be a threat, or they would not work to save her... She mulled it over while examining the drone. She had hoped to question the drone herself, but that would appear to be a faint hope indeed. What then to ask to get a clear picture? Finally, she turned back to the aliens.

"How much Borg technology currently remains in her body?"

The short creature scrutinized Seven of Nine's body with caution, then looked at the holographic doctor, waiting for an answer.

The Doctor was straightforward, having noted a couple of words had been misrepresented by the Universal Translators. "There is about 18% of Borg technology remaining on and within Seven's body. She required them to maintain assorted functions. Without them, she would die."

"Is her neural transceiver among those left? Her cortical node?"

The Doctor turned to Kes, whose eyes widened. He turned back with a smile. "You seem quite versed in Borg anatomy, Justice." He nodded respectfully. "Yes, she cannot survive without her cortical node. The neural transceiver has been disabled."

"We've made a point of learning everything we can about the Borg safely. As I suspect you have. The transceiver has only been disabled?"

"Effectively," the hologram reiterated. "Our studies indicated that perhaps a variation may enable us to contact our people from across the galaxy. At the very least, hers may be modified to these ends. You'd have to ask Lieutenant Torres in Engineering for the specifics."

"During the time she has been on board, has she made any attempts to rejoin the Collective?"

The Doctor looked at Captain Janeway. She nodded. "She has not. Seven of Nine has made every effort to adjust to her new life on Voyager. She has welcomed the challenge to regain her individuality. I myself have even begun to give her social lessons..." He felt a nudge from Kes and left it there.

"She has 'welcomed the challenge'?" Lintorhan asked with a hint of disbelief. "We have observed drones separated from the Collective as their transceivers have been... rendered inoperable. The primary goal of such drones has always been to find means to contact or return to the Collective."

"Seven of Nine has lived her formative years in the Collective," explained the Doctor as he turned to look into Seven's calm face, "The adjustment, as you can imagine, has been difficult: suddenly only one voice... the instant gratification of information... the comfort of others..." He turned back to Lintorhan. "But she's past that initial stage drones face, where they follow their imperative to rejoin the Collective. Her imperative has changed, and with it the protocols. She *has* become an individual. I do not believe she would want to go back if asked - as difficult as it is to suddenly lead a new life."

Lintorhan's gaze returned to the drone again for several seconds, apparently lost in thought.

Chakotay stepped out of the turbolift and onto the Bridge. Ensign Castillo stood up from the Captain's chair. Looking left, Chakotay saw T'Punn standing to attention at Operations.

"As you were, everyone."

T'Punn went back to work. Castillo picked up a PADD and looked ready to deliver his ship status report. Chakotay held up a hand. "Be with you in a moment, Ensign," he said.

"Yes, sir."

Chakotay moved over to Security/Tactical. Lieutenant Tuvok was studying his console. He glanced up as the First Officer approached.

"Status?" asked Chakotay.

"The aliens are onboard," said Tuvok. "They are in Sickbay with the Captain, the Doctor, Kes, and one of my officers. I am monitoring their progress here," he concluded, pointing to one of his workstation's viewscreens.

Chakotay moved closer and studied the image. The alien leader, the Doctor, and Kes were standing close to Seven of Nine's biobed. The Captain, the alien soldier, and the security officer were hanging back. The alien leader was saying something. Tuvok tapped a button to increase the volume.

"There is about eighteen percent of Borg technology remaining on and within Seven's body," said the Doctor. "She required them to maintain assorted functions. Without them, she would die."

Chakotay watched and listened. Then, finally, he nodded. "All right," he said. "Keep me informed. When can I have a report on ship security?"

"Momentarily," said Tuvok.

Chakotay nodded again. "Good."

He walked across the Bridge to his chair on the Captain's left, sat down, and activated his workstation. Castillo stood there, looking uncertain. Finally, Chakotay glanced up.

"You can give me that report, now, Ensign."

"Uh--yes, sir. Sir..."

"Yes?"

"Don't you want the Captain's chair, sir?"

Chakotay looked at the Ensign steadily. "Are you trying to get off work early, Castillo?"

"What? I mean, no, sir! I just--"

"Relax, Ensign. You're still the Duty Officer. You've got the big chair until the Captain returns. Sit down, and enjoy it while you can."

Castillo smiled, relieved. "Yes, sir." He sat down, and started his report.

At that moment of Lintorhan's pause, Captain Janeway used the opportunity to add something to the 'case' of Seven of Nine... as it were a trial of her reprieve from illness. So it felt to the Captain.

"Justice. Another fact you may consider, which also relates to our arrival on your planet..." she said, walking closer. "...is that less than two days ago, the Borg had our ship locked in the grip of their tractor beam. I must tell you that Seven of Nine resisted the collective with sheer determination. She made adjustments to our shields - that none in my crew were capable of - which freed us from them. It bought us enough time to land here, or we would have undoubtedly been assimilated."

Lintorhan and Breshak politely gave their full attention, then turned back toward Seven of Nine. Captain Janeway was feeling impatient, but managed to not appear or sound that way.

The Captain had a point.

"It's likely," added the Doctor, "that Seven of Nine would assist you with any techniques to better protect you from the Borg. If she could, that is." He turned slowly back to Seven's face for emphasis.

"That's right," added Kes. "Under normal circumstances, any other starship would have succumbed. Seven of Nine saved us from assimilation."

Lintorhan looked back at the unconscious drone again, squinting slightly against the still too-bright lighting.

"Perhaps… Or perhaps not. We have some knowledge of your defensive capabilities, but obviously not all. We are also disadvantaged in that we have such limited experience with space faring vessels." She turned back to face the aliens. "It is possible, even likely, that it is as you say, and I do lean towards your telling of events, but I also must also consider more 'paranoid' possibilities. Can you see that it's possible to construe a situation where your arrival becomes a deliberate attempt by the Borg to establish a foothold here? The Borg using your obvious compassion to make Voyager the unwitting carrier of the first drone of an invasion force? Again, I may not believe such, but I am one among many…" Lintorhan trailed off and sighed. "I had hoped to question her myself, but that is obviously not possible.

"It is true that, alive, she would be an asset to us. More to the point, you alive with your ship intact may be able to help us even more, far more than you could know now…" she trailed off, glancing back at the drone again. Then abruptly she turned and shook her head curtly at Breshak, who straightened.