Part II.

"Harry..." she began, but choked up mid-sentence. She tried again. "Harry... was a wonderful young man and a talented Starfleet officer. His contributions to this ship and crew can never be realized enough. I'll miss him greatly, as I'm sure you all will."

She looked around the room, and saw that all eyes were affixed upon her. She opened her mouth to continue, but found that she couldn't. She lowered her eyes and stepped back.

B'Elanna stood quietly at the back of the room, slowly absorbing all that was going on around her. The Captain had said some words about Harry, and after she had finished, the crew seemed to be caught up in silence. It seemed like years before a few of them began to talk quietly among themselves.

Out of the corner of her eye, B'Elanna saw Freddy Bristow checking her out. She denied her impulse to glare at him when she saw Tom observing the other man from across the room. She decided to play along. B'Elanna looked over at Freddy and he instantly lit up. He seemed to take her look as an invitation because he sauntered over to where she was standing.

"H..Hello, B'Elanna. You're looking very pretty tonight," stuttered Freddy.

"Why thank you Freddy!" smiled B'Elanna, a little too widely.

Captain Janeway had finished her speech and Tom Paris was uncertain of what to do next.

He scanned the room for BīElanna and spotted her at the back of the room. Tom thought for a moment. His last encounter with the half-Klingon had been rather unpleasant and he still didnīt know the reason for her recent behaviour.

"Time to find out" he thought to himself.

Suddenly he noticed old Freddy Bristow from Engineering sauntering over to where BīElanna was standing. Tom frowned. Freddy Bristow? "Freddy the child" was here? If he wasnīt completely mistaken, BīElanna had mentioned that she wasnīt interested in this guy at all. But apparently Freddy still was...

Tom finally approached Freddy and BīElanna Torres.

"Hello Freddy, long time, no see" he said to the young officer who glanced back nervously. "How is it going down in Engineering?"

"Fine Sir, thanks" Freddy replied.

"Ohh, by the way, if you need some tips or tricks concerning Parises squares, ask me. BīElanna told me that you are just a beginner, so donīt hesitate. Ok?"

Tom grinned.

"Time to say goodbye, Freddy" he thought.

It was many minutes before the reception started showing signs of life once again. Some crewman inched toward the grill for seconds, causing a cascade effect of activity. The white noise of whispers began, and gradually metamorphosed into the low rumble of vocal conversation throughout the resort setting. Eventually, the music started up again, this time provided by the resident steel drum band instead of recordings predominantly from Mister Paris' Rock'n'Roll collection.

The Doctor looked over at Seven of Nine to see how she was faring. Following her gaze, he noticed activity by the pool. Torres had begun to engage Bristow in conversation. Paris joined them, his posture distinctly imposing as viewed from this distance. The dominant male defending his territory. The Doctor smirked and looked back again at Seven. She couldn't have chosen a more obvious scenario to study; no doubt she'd have questions for him in time.

He turned back to the grill area and was pleased to find that the Captain had finally begun her burger. So far so good, he thought.

"Ohh, by the way, if you need some tips or tricks concerning Parises squares, ask me. BīElanna told me that you are just a beginner, so donīt hesitate. Ok?"

Tom grinned.

Freddy Bristow looked very uncomfortable.

"Actually Tom, Freddy plays Parises Squares very well. We were just about to set up a date for our next match, weren't we Freddy," B'Elanna grinned.

"Uh.. uhh. I'm gonna have to get back to you on that one B'Elanna... I mean Lieutenant," gulped Freddy, glancing nervously at Tom Paris who looked as if the smile on his face were plastered there permanently.

"I think I'm going to go get another one of those great cheeseburgers. I'll see you two later..." Freddy stuttered before rushing off to the grill.

B'Elanna looked on smugly as Freddy left.

Tom looked at BīElanna.

"So you and Freddy were about to set up a date for a match? Is that the same Freddy Bristow you "whipped" the last time playing Parises Squares or his new twin brother?"

Both observed Freddy walking to the grill, fetching a hot cheeseburger. He glanced at Tom and BīElanna.

"Come on, BīElanna. Letīs try this sailing program instead, ok? Freddy is happy with his cheeseburger and I need a crew on lake Como. Deal?"

B'Elanna gave Tom a devilish grin. "Right now?! The Captain is going to kill us if we leave."

=/\= Bridge to Captain Janeway. =/\=

Janeway put down her burger and swallowed. "Janeway here. Go ahead," she replied.

=/\= "Captain, we have picked up an inhabited planet on long range sensors." =/\=

"Well" said the Captain, "that's not so unusual. We are in Borg space and the Borg do have planets here."

=/\= "Aye Captain, but we are not detecting any Borg signatures." =/\=

Tuvok couldn't help but overhear the Captain's exchange with the bridge. It was his keen Vulcan hearing. He put down his vegetable burger and walked over to offer his assistance.

"Captain, forgive the interruption, but an unassimilated planet in the thick of Borg space is not only illogical, it is improbable." he stated flatly, one eyebrow arched gracefully.

As often, Chakotay mused, Tuvok stated the obvious. "Yes, Tuvok. But with no discernable civilization worthy of their attention, it's anyone's guess what's down there." He then turned to Kathryn. "Captain? We're running low on resources. It may be worth investigating."

"I agree," she stated. "Tuvok, let's get to the bridge. Chakotay, bring Tom and Seven of Nine and meet us there. She might be able to give us some insight."

Chakotay nodded and turned away. Tuvok and Janeway left the holodeck.

"Right now?! The Captain is going to kill us if we leave," BīElanna replied with a devilish grin.

Tom grinned too.

"Exactly my thinking. But the Captain seems to be busy right now. She wonīt notice. And you and I want to get out of here, right? So itīs worth a try."

He observed Captain Janeway for a moment. Something was going on over there...

"Wait a second. Something is going on. Chakotay and Tuvok are talking to the Captain. Iīm not sure, but this party might be over soon anyway.

Tom broke off from his chat with B'Elanna and ran to the holodeck doors to join the Captain and Tuvok.

Chakotay approached Seven of Nine. "We're coming to a planet untouched by the Borg. The Captain believes you may be able to help us determine why, and requests your presence on the Bridge."

Seven of Nine looked at the commander coolly and nodded her compliance. They followed the Bridge crew to the turbolift.

When the Captain called Yellow Alert, the holodeck revelers dwindled considerably in the space of a minute. Those on duty went to their posts. This left a sparse handful including Neelix, Kes, and the Doctor.

Although their need was not as immediate as engineering and command crew, the medical staff was required to be ready at a moment's notice. Kes broke off from helping Neelix clear off the checkered table and joined the EMH.

"I'll see you in Sickbay," the Doctor said. Kes nodded as he smiled and with a small good-bye wave to Neelix, she left to take her place with the EMH.

B'Elanna put down her soda and strode purposefully towards the holodeck door. She headed down the hall towards the turbolift.

When she finally reached Engineering, she found it just the way she liked it; alive with the buzz of busy voices.

=/\=Replication complete=/\=

As a program, the Doctor had very little need in the way of creature comforts. But as Voyager's journey progressed, so had the Doctor's sentience - and with it his interests and hobbies. It started when he was first transferred to the holodeck for a nonmedically related away mission. From then on, Sickbay was no longer a prison to him, and medicine wasn't the sole thing on his mind. He was recognized as being more than just a medical automaton, and was granted holodeck privileges just as any flesh and blood member of the crew.

When the Doctor acquired the mobile emitter and acheived free reign away from the ship's holoprojection systems, he was able to attend social events. For the first time, the Doctor interacted with the crew on a casual basis, and learned of even more worthwhile pursuits to follow. With this hunger for learning and discovery came the desire for privacy and personal space for STUFF, but his request for quarters fell on deaf ears. And so Sickbay remained his place of residence, his office, his personal territory...

...and the location for his only prized possessions: the mobile emitter, and something which he'd saved up enough token commendation rations to replicate.

He cradled the gadget in his hands carefully, examining the buttons and switches, then held it up to his face and squinted through the eyepiece at the readout. A sigh of rapture left his lips. He walked around Sickbay: gauging distances, depth of field, heat sensitivity, infrared and ultraviolet emissions...

...the door slid open, and the Doctor took his first holophotograph.

Captain Janeway entered the bridge, with Tuvok close behind her. "Report," she ordered, taking her seat.

"There seem to be life signs on the planet, but I cannot determine how many," the lieutenant at the OPs station answered.

At that point, Chakotay entered the bridge with Tom and Seven of Nine in tow.

Tuvok checked the readings, noting with some irony that this would have been a job for the now absent Harry Kim.

"Ensign Castillo is correct. I am reading a Class M planet, rich in natural resources."

He looked up at the Captain pointedly.

"A veritable treasure trove."

Janeway nodded thoughtfully. "It almost seems too good to be true." She looked over at Tom. "Mr. Paris, set a course for the planet. Ensign Castillo and Tuvok, continue your scans. I want to know just what to expect. There's a reason the Borg left this planet untouched." She glanced over at Seven of Nine.

The door to Sickbay opened and the first thing that greeted Kes was the Doctor, holding a strange device which was pointed at her. After a moment he stepped back and examined the back of it with a proud smile. "Doctor?" she asked with a furrow of her brows.

"Ah Kes! You're my first subject!" Beamed the hologram proudly.

Kes broke into a smile as she examined the device more closely. "What is that?"

"It's my new holoimager," he said, "I saved up my replicator rations so that I could have one of these. It's quite an ingenious invention!"

The Doctor gestured for Kes to join him at a nearby biobed, where he set the holoimager down and proceeded to show her what all the buttons did.

Kes smiled as she listened to the Doctor's excitement over his holoimager. While she wasn't thrilled with the shot he took of her surprise when she entered Sickbay, she could easily see that this would be a good diversion for the hologram to enjoy off duty. "Doctor, this is an interesting hobby you've chosen. Why holophotography?"

The Doctor pondered her question seriously. "I suppose because of its ability to capture a moment in time, to preserve life in some way, shape, or form. When I suffered from a cascade failure a year ago, we were able to retrieve only part of my memories from backup files. My program is so large... and some events were retrieved as straight data, with none of the essence of those experiences." he sighed. "So I thought: why not record moments and keep them for posterity?" He grinned.

She nodded as she looked from the imager back to the EMH. "That's a very good idea," she said enthusiastically. "Now you'll always be sure to have a keepsake from the important memories in your life."

He nodded, looking over the fine finish of his new toy. "At some point I'll have to test its full potential. There are a myriad of filters and exposure enhancements at my disposal." He took it back to his office, where he carefully set it beside his mobile emitter.

Kes watched the Doctor for a moment, as he set the imager down and came back into the main portion of Sickbay. With a little grin she slipped into his office as he turned his attention to a terminal. Picking up the holoimager, she searched for the button he said would turn it on and quietly walked back into where he was. "Doctor," she called with a smile and when he turned she snapped an image of him. "Just thought I'd capture a moment for you," she said innocently.

He stood momentarily stunned, caught off-guard. Then, he smiled again. Kes had a subtle way about getting messages across. He realized that it was best to let someone know in advance of the shot that their visage was being recorded. Also, he now had a record of himself from this day.

Chakotay monitored the OPs reading at his console. "There's no evidence of technology. The Borg might not have found any civilization there - if there ever was one - worthy of assimilation." Still, he pondered silently, it's unusual for a planet so perfect for supporting life would go untouched.

Suddenly, a perimeter alarm went off at the OPs station. The persistent beeps echoed where Tuvok stood.

Tom Paris had just assumed his station and set a course for the unknown planet when suddenly the perimeter alarm went off.

He looked over his shoulder at Captain Janeway...

Ensign Castillo checked his readings. "Sensors are picking up a transwarp conduit forming approximately twenty thousand kilometers off our starboard bow."

Chakotay turned in Tuvok's direction for confirmation of what they all feared was the cause, and when those two words were uttered, it still didn't prepare him for the ice water trickling down his spinal column:

"It's Borg."

As soon as the words came from Tuvok's mouth, Janeway ordered, "Red alert! On screen."

Immediately the bridge dimmed and the red emergency panels began to pulse. The image of a green tunnel opening in space flooded the viewscreen. Janeway stared at it.

The panels of Sickbay began flashing red. Something was happening, but what? Kes and the Doctor went over to the communication console. He keyed in an authorization code and the small viewscreen revealed the formation of a Borg transwarp conduit. They looked at each other for a moment, then the Doctor deactivated the screen.

Kes went to check their supply of pharmaceuticals and replenished the hypospray stations, while the Doctor pitched in and prepared multiple trays of instruments. This was the calm before the storm, and everything had to be ready; there'd be no time while in the thick of it.

Tom Paris stared at the viewscreen. A huge green tunnel opening in space was directly in front of Voyager and he knew it was only a matter of time until the Borg would show up.

Tom looked over his shoulder again hoping for some orders. But the bridge crew including the Captain just stared at the menacing green opening in space. He focused his attention back on the viewscreen and his station.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are" Tom thought to himself.

Then he saw it. A Borg cubes on an intercept course. It was fast, very fast.

"Captain, weīve got company..."

Seven clutched the rail with suddenly icy hands. She'd heard them even before Castillo had announced the conduit. It was a snatch of sound - not physical sound, but a brief whisper of noise, a hum or buzz that echoed in her head briefly and then vanished as quickly as it started. The Borg. Her head whipped up to face the viewscreen where not one but two cubes burst into normal space on a direct intercept course. She knew in that instant that unless they for some reason ignored such a tempting and vulnerable target, Voyager was doomed - there was no way they could stand up two the sheer power of the Borg. Unless it was totally destroyed, the ship and its crew would be assimilated. She should welcome the prospect, not great it with fear- she recognized the physical signs she was displaying - not visible externally, she knew - but her elevated pulse rate and slight increase in respiration were classic signs of what the humans called the 'fight or flight' reflex. Part of her, she realised, still did welcome assimilation gladly. Billions of voices united as one, the security of knowing you'd never be alone... it was a powerful lure - and it was almost all she'd ever known. But that being so, why wasn't the rest of her preparing to hand Voyager over to the Borg without a fight. It would be so easy... But she wouldn't. She couldn't. She didn't know why, or even why the prospect of rejoining the collective gave her fear rather than comfort, but she couldn't turn Voyager over.

She mentally steadied herself, forcing herself to relax her grip on the rail. What happened now was up to the Captain and the Borg, not her. It was odd, however, that the Borg were in this area. There was a good reason why that planet had been left alone by the Borg - any sort of attempt to establish a presence there resulted in the death or mental deterioration of the involved drones. No cause had been found and, since this particular system held both no intelligent life and no strategic value, the Collective had seen no need to waste resources in more attempts. That may change in the future - the Collective did not respond well to failure, but they also knew when it was prudent to cut their losses.

"Captain, we're being hailed..." Ensign Castillo trailed off as a new voice cut in, a familiar voice, one that sent ripples and shivers through most of the bridge crew. The voice of death, the death of personality.

Seven knew the words. She'd spoken them countless times before. =/\=We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile =/\=

"Captain, weīve got company..." Tom intoned from the front of the bridge.

Janeway snapped out of her trance. "Battle stations!" she ordered. "Maintain course for the planet, Mr. Paris."

"Yes, Maīam" Tom replied and checked the sensors.

The two Borg cubes were still approaching Voyager and there was no place to hide. The confrontation was inevitable.

"Captain, they are closing in, weīll never outrun them!"

The Doctor sat in his office. He investigated the intricacies of his holoimager, familiarizing himself with every detail, every feature. He took exposures of his computer console several times in several ways. He took time lapse exposures of himself in assorted light frequencies. he took tubes of blood and ran tests to see whether the holoimaging process had any affect on the composition of organic matter...

"Captain, they are closing in, weīll never outrun them!" Tom's voice called out.

Before Janeway had the chance to answer, Ensign Castillo informed her that the Borg were hailing.

=/\=We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.=/\= The chant caused a chill up the captain's spine.

"Evasive maneuvers! Do your best, Mr. Paris!"

Tom nodded and worked his console.

Suddenly the ship shook violently. Janeway lurched forward in her seat. Chakotay tumbled to the floor on her left.

"They've activated a tractor beam!" Castillo called out.

"Try to break free!" the captain yelled.

Tuvok announced in his usual flat manner: "Remodulating the shields."

For a moment, they appeared to be pulling away from the cube, when suddenly they jerked back into its tractor pull.

"They have adapted," informed the Vulcan.

Chakotay met Kathryn's intense eyes. What next? What could we do next that they wouldn't expect? Something that would buy us time and break free?

There was silver from the side of Chakotay's eye, and he looked up at Seven of Nine. She was leaning on the rail, staring at the viewscreen. When he turned back to his Captain, Chakotay noticed that she had followed his gaze to the former drone. He didn't trust Seven of Nine, but if she was as sincere in her allegiance to the crew as Kathryn believed, then they had a chance.

Tom was doing his best, but it was pointless; he couldnīt get Voyager out of the tractor pull.

It seemed Seven of Nine was their only hope.

Neelix pounded down the corridor hallway, his mind screaming. The Borg were attacking Voyager - again! They'd barely been able to scrape their way out of that last tangle with the Borg...

Well, one thing was for sure; he was NOT going to sit around in an empty mess hall, with the lights dimmed and the klaxon blaring and that awful, huge bay window that usually was such a comfort. Watching a Borg cube barreling towards Voyager and wreaking potential havoc on the ship was not something he wanted to personally see. Thank goodness he wasn't on the bridge!

His eyes blurry from the flashing red lights that lined the halls, Neelix collided with a crewman rushing to his post and fell headfirst through a set of doors that swiftly opened up to allow him entrance.

Ah, but he'd arrived at his destination - there was the Doctor, and looking rather surprised, too.

"Doc!" he yelped, stumbling. "The Borg! The Borg are here!" Plowing through before the Doctor got a chance to speak, he continued his ramble. "I was in the Mess Hall when Red Alert was called...but, well, I didn't really want to be there during the Borg attack. Couldn't you use an extra hand in Sickbay? Besides, you can't send me back; I'm not supposed to be in the corridors during Red Alert."

Neelix looked up at the Doctor imploringly, wheezing to get his breath back.

"I donīt wanna be a prophet of gloom but time is running out, Captain! I canīt get Voyager out of here!"

Tom felt his heart pounding in his chest. Would it all end here? Would they all become drones?
He turned round and looked at Seven of Nine...

Seven of Nine was staring at the Borg cube which was dominating the viewscreen. Captain Janeway looked over at her. She believed that the young woman would attempt to help Voyager and her crew if given the chance. So Janeway told her, "Seven of Nine, see if you can adjust the shield harmonics so we can get free of the tractor beam."

The ship lurched, which almost knocked the Doctor's new holoimager out of his hands. He was taking a snapshot of his mobile emitter, and almost deleted the botched exposure, when he decided to view it. He never realized how beautiful it could look: almost ethereal with the blur of speed lines and the emitter itself transparent on the table. Like a kindred spirit. He had to take a picture like that of his console somehow...

Neelix stumbled into the back entrance of Sickbay and was in hysterics: "Doc! The Borg! The Borg are here!"

The Doctor, well aware of who and what were the cause of their plight, merely observed Neelix' yammering with a raised eyebrow and a hint of irritation. He decided to take a picture of Neelix, which caused the Talaxian to suddenly stop and stare. "Now I can fully appreciate the ancient Terran term, 'doe in the headlights'" he thought.

The Doctor put his holoimager down. "Calm down, Mister Neelix. There's nothing we can do about the Borg, and panicking CERTAINLY won't do anybody any good. Why not keep Kes company while she's running tests out there? Then, if anyone comes in who requires your patented charm, you'll be ready to serve." The Doctor picked up his holoimager again and looked through the lens at this carpet. "Just don't touch anything in my Sickbay."

"Seven of Nine, see if you can adjust the shield harmonics so we can get free of the tractor beam," Janeway ordered, snapping the drone to attentiveness. Seven glanced around the bridge, becoming aware as she did so that every single crewmember, from the Captain to the lowliest non-com was watching her, waiting to see what her next move was. She looked back up at the screen again, and hesitated. Then she steeled herself and let her fingers fly over the console, ignoring the rising tension on the bridge.

It was a simple enough thing to do - it was surprising that the Voyager crew could not. But it would only be a temporary fix - unless they could somehow escape or even, though the odds were billions to one, succeed in destroying the cube, they would be caught again - or destroyed. She turned her mind to that problem, even as she pushed the button that would activate the modifications she'd made to Voyager's shields.

Tuvok's hands skimmed across the weapons consoles efficiently, modifying weapon frequencies and readying photon torpedoes. He had already identified several points on the Borg cube to fire at, but he only awaited the Captain's fire order.

Kes furrowed her brow as she watched the terminal, absently listening to the Doctor and Neelix. "Just don't touch anything in my Sickbay," she heard the EMH warn. She grinned and looked up as Neelix approached.

"Hello, Neelix," she greeted, her eyes returning back to the terminal. "I heard you say that the Borg were here?" Crossing her arms, she looked back up and caught sight of the Doctor not far, zooming in on a hypospray with his holoimager. She shook her head a little and smiled at Neelix. "New toy."

Janeway watched as the former drone snapped to attention and followed her order to adjust the shield harmonics. But the captain knew even if it worked, it would help them only temporarily. They still had to get away, if possible without a severe battle.

Unfortunately, as soon as they broke free of the tractor beam, the Borg cube fired at Voyager. The entire ship shook with the impact. "Hull breach on Deck Eight," Ensign Castillo announced.

"Seal it!" Janeway shouted. "Tuvok: when ready, fire! Tom, see if you can get us out of here!"

"Aye Captain," responded Tuvok calmly but firm. "Firing photon torpedo." After a pause. "The torpedo had little effect."

Chakotay monitored the sensor readings. "Wait. I see a compromise in their shields." He keyed in coordinates to send to Tuvok. "a narrow phaser beam with rotating frequency may get through."

Tuvok entered "Acknowledged." The Vulcan entered Chakotay's data and fired phasers with a random modulating frequency.

Everyone watched on the viewscreen as a small eruption blazed on the corner of the cube. Then, it rotated to face Voyager with an undamaged (and no doubt protected) wall.

Tom Paris watched on the big viewscreen as the cube rotated to face Voyager with an undamaged wall.

"I hate these cubes" he murmured and entered another evasive maneuver. The Borg cube fired again. Some EPS conduits exploded on the bridge, hitting an Ensign who was standing nearby.

Tom tried to focus on his console. They were still approaching this unknown planet and maybe this dust ball would be their only hope. They all knew that they couldnīt fight this huge Borg cube forever.

"Captain, this cube is clinging to us like a leech. I trying to keep them at a distance, but they are adapting and closing in!"

The Borg fired again. And again. Time was running out...

That last shudder didn't feel good. The Doctor switched channels on his console and monitored Voyager's status. "Mister Neelix!" he called as he rose from his chair in the office. In seconds, Neelix broke off his smalltalk with Kes and was in the doorway. "There's a hull breech on deck eight. See if you can help any crewmen to safety and find the best route for the injured to take to get up here."

The Talaxian stood straight and nodded, then ran out the rear doors.

"Kes- " but before the hologram could continue, the main doors to Sickbay slid open, and a crewman in science blue entered. One side of his face was bleeding. Kes and the Doctor led him to one of the biobeds. "Get me .4cc's of Trianoline," he asked Kes as he scanned the injured crewman with a tricorder. Good. No shrapnel. In seconds, the hypospray was passed into his hand. He administered it to the lateral artery, then called on Kes to treat the patient's wounds...

...An engineer arrived with plasma burns. He was helped to another biobed. The Doctor grabbed a dermal regenerator and went to work as quickly as possible. He knew that this was only the beginning...

As the Doctor rushed off to meet another injured crewmember. Kes stepped in to finish treating Crewman Jansen's injuries. With a breath, she picked up a dermal regenerator and gently held his chin still as she started to repair the damaged tissue.

She smiled reassuringly and soon said, "All finished." The young crewman nodded his thanks and slid off the biobed as Kes rushed to the Doctor's side to continue helping. He looked at her grimly as the ship lurched again.

"Captain, this cube is clinging to us like a leech. I trying to keep them at a distance, but they are adapting and closing in!" Tom sounded worried.

The ship shook violently again from the impact of Borg weapons. "Keep firing!" Janeway ordered. "Seven of Nine, see what else you can do!" She stared at the viewscreen, where green light emanated from the seemingly indestructible cube. The captain watched as the Borg fired weapons again.

Kes and the Doctor held onto a biobed as the ship shuddered. "That wasn't good," muttered The EMH, then to the crewman: "You've been treated. But we need this biobed. I'm ordering you to your quarters to recuperate." The crewman nodded and stiffly got up.

And just in time. A group of five engineers came through the door, each with varying degrees of plasma burns. Two medics arrived right behind them to assist. The team split up, with the medics treating the three who had superficial burns, and the Doctor with Kes handling the others.

One of the two sustained a broken arm, which the Doctor immediately set about mending. Kes worked to remove embedded console fragments from the cheek of the other. The Doctor audibly sighed as the sound of Sickbay's doors parted once again. It was triage time...

Chakotay monitored ship's systems from his console and frowned.

Seven of Nine's shield modulations had successfully prevented the Borg from boarding, but Voyager was taking a beating from feedback pulses. Despite rotating frequencies, the Borg cube had barely sustained damage to slow them down. This was it, he thought as he saw the green glow of the cube's tractor beam reach out to them one more time.

Suddenly...

"Captain," Ensign Castillo announced, "The Borg cube is breaking off its attack."

"I see it too," said Chakotay, "They're pulling away... retreating!"

Everybody stared at the viewscreen, bewildered

Engineering was taking a beating. Sparks flew from several different consoles.

B'Elanna's hands furiously fingered the buttons of her workstation. The Borg were sending feedback pulses back along Voyager's own weapon's fire. B'Elanna tried to block the Borg's attack but she wasn't quick enough. Smoke erupted from the warp core as the blue glow flickered intermittently.

"Engineering to the Bridge. Captain, the warp core's sustained heavy damage."

B'Elanna shuddered. Images of the Borg boarding the ship flickered through her mind.

The entire bridge crew stared at the viewscreen. It was true. The menacing cube had altered its course, the chase was over.

Tuvok watched the retreating Borg cube on his displays with an outward minimum of curiosity and concern. He studied all his readouts carefully, looking for evidence of ambush or a sudden influx of surprise maneuvers from the Borg cube. Their actions, so far, had proven to be out of character, as well as tactically illogical, unless the Borg had suddenly decided to use less-than-direct combat tactics.

"Captain," he spoke, his voice flat and unemotional, "Needless to say, the Borg are behaving uncharacteristically. Either they have begun developing new battle strategies or there is a specific reason they have broken off their attack. Whatever the reason, we must not relax our guard."

Tom exhaled audibly. This had been a near shave.

"Captain, we are still approaching the planet."

Kes paused for a moment after administering pain medicine to a moaning engineer. The ship was no longer lurching and rocking. She sighed with relief. "I think the worst is over," she said hopefully.

"Thank the Prophets," the dark-haired Bajoran woman said. "I thought for sure we were done for."

Kes smiled calmly. "Captain Janeway has a remarkable talent for getting us out of danger," she commented.

The young engineer only rolled her eyes. "Well who knows with that Borg on board." She closed her eyes. "I hate Borg."

Kes opened her mouth, about to say something, but decided against it. Many of the crew still feared Seven of Nine and it was going to take time for them to learn to trust her. "Try to get some rest," she instead said, moving on to the next patient. She sighed. Kes wished they could see... give Seven a chance. But there would be time to deal with Seven and those who hated and feared her later. Right now she had to focus on what she was doing. At least the worst was over. Now it was time to deal with the aftermath.

Seven of Nine stood in momentary bewilderment as the cube retreated. Voyager was on the verge of defeat - it was unlike the Collective to disengage when the prize had been won. She frowned down at her console, noting with irritation the slight doubling of vision due to the poor alignment of her implant. She would still have to visit Sickbay - but later. Judging by the damage reports she was calling up, the facilities in Sickbay would be put to better use serving those who had been injured during the short, one-sided firefight. But they had retreated? Why? The only answer that presented itself was that the cube and its resources were needed more urgently elsewhere. And that would most likely only happen if there was a threat to the collective as a whole - the Borg had countless ships. To call back one on the verge of assimilating a new vessel or planet was almost incomprehensible. Unless... Species 8472. That was the only logical reason she could currently think of. She found that the thought of Species 8472 actually defeating the Borg even more unnerving than minutes before finding herself in the position of choosing whether or not to re-join the Collective - and take the rest of the crew with her. And she had chosen to stay.

She glanced up at the viewscreen again, succumbing to an irrational urge to again make sure the cube was still retreating. There was no need to do so - if it changed course again, one of the crew would have spoken up. She examined her console again, checking that the shield modifications she made were functioning correctly. They were. But Voyager itself was badly damaged in the assault, and, to her eye, would need extensive repairs. Soon.

"Captain, we are still approaching the planet," Lieutenant Paris called out from the helm controls.

The planet. The planet that killed *Borg* or drove them insane beyond salvaging. But in the circumstances it might be their only option. And Janeway didn't know. Now she looked up and over at the diminutive captain to see what she'd do next.

Along with everyone else on the bridge, Janeway stared at the viewscreen, bewildered.

"Captain, we are still approaching the planet," Tom announced.

The captain nodded absently and continued staring at the retreating cube.

"Captain," Tuvok spoke from behind, "Needless to say, the Borg are behaving uncharacteristically. Either they have begun developing new battle strategies or there is a specific reason they have broken off their attack. Whatever the reason, we must not relax our guard."

"I agree," she answered the Vulcan. She opened her mouth to continue, but was interrupted by B'Elanna's disembodied voice.

=/\=Engineering to the Bridge. Captain, the warp core's sustained heavy damage.=/\=

"Acknowledged," the captain answered. "For some reason the Borg have broken off their attack. We'll switch to impulse engines and land on the planet for repairs." She looked over at Tom. "Mr. Paris, maintain course. We're on blue alert until we land. Ensign Castillo, scan the planet for any clearings."

The OPs officer nodded and began his scans.

To the computer, Janeway directed, The red panels of light changed to blue on the bridge, and immediately the captain felt herself relax. Their close call with the Borg had been just that; close. Too close. She couldn't believe they had gotten off as well as they did.

Chakotay checked the display to check the ship's status. Then, he stood and walked over to Janeway and whispered under his breath: "I don't like this Kathryn. But then, dealing with the Borg always bothers me! Why would they just break and run in the middle of a fight they could have won?"

Janeway watched as Chakotay stood and walked toward her. "I'm not certain," she answered her first officer, "but we're going to find out. Perhaps it has something to do with this planet. Once we land we can find out more about why it's been left untouched."

Chakotay ran the last few minutes back through his mind to make sure he hadn't missed something, some small detail that might explain what the Borg were up to.

Just then Ensign Castillo's voice rang out. "Captain, I've found a suitable place to land Voyager."

Janeway nodded at him and then turned to the front of the bridge. Tom, let's get this ship on the ground."

Inwardly, Tuvok was not convinced that the danger was over.

"Captain," he spoke, "The Borg simply do not break off an attack, especially for what appears to be no reason. Thus, logic dictates that there is indeed a reason. The only factor that seems to be catalytic to their actions is our approach to a planet that defies Borg assimilation.

"Simply put, the Borg are avoiding this planet. We must be fully on our guard, no matter how innocuous or innocent this planet may seem. To quote a Vulcan aphorism, if something appears too good to be true, it most likely is."

Seven curtly nodded her agreement with the Vulcan. At least one other member of the bridge crew was not caught up in their emotions after their reprieve and letting it override their caution.

"Lt. Commander Tuvok is correct. Landing on the planet would be an ill-advised and potentially fatal course of action. There is a reason why the Borg 'avoid' it, as he put it."

From the Surgical Bay, the Doctor caught a former Maquis' rather ruthless remark about Seven of Nine being to blame for their current plight. It went beyond the fact that he personally disabled Seven's Borg transponder. And since no one to his knowledge had yet to be assimilated, it was more likely that Seven was using her Borg knowledge to protect the crew. It was such an unfortunate regard for a fellow crewman trying to fit in...

As two treated engineers left, Neelix arrived with a Medic, carrying a stretcher between them. Several Science personnel followed with varying degrees of wounds sustained from console and comm panel eruptions. The Doctor quickly grabbed his tricorder and knelt down beside the stretcher. He scanned the dazed form. Internal hemorrhaging and broken bones. He gave precise instructions to the computer, which transported his patient to Biobed #1.

"Kes?"

Kes immediately passed the dermal regenerator over to a medic and went over to assist the Doctor, who had already placed their patient into cryostasis. "Anesthezine," he said. She passed him a hypospray.

The Doctor worked to stop the bleeding. His subject's intestines were riddled with lesions from some external trauma. What happened to him? The hologram moved with lightning speed precision; if anyone could repair the damage, he could. This was what he was created for. If HE couldn't do it-

The biobed arch whined an alarm. "He's going into respiratory arrest! Blood-gas infuser...!" he exclaimed.

Kes watched as the Doctor moved quickly to stop the young man's bleeding, and within moments the procedure turned into near tragedy as he went into respiratory arrest. Kes quickly turned when the Doctor urgently called for the blood-gas infuser and grabbing the instrument, she rushed it into his waiting hands. No matter how many emergencies she worked through she could never get used to the pain on the crew's faces. It would be something that would stay with her for the rest of her life, the countless images. But saving these people was well worth whatever unpleasant memories she'd carry. "It'll be all right," she said to the man as he faded in and out of consciousness.

Tom Paris was preparing Voyager for the landing procedures when he heard Tuvokīs and Sevenīs objections to Captain Janewayīs plan.

He couldnīt believe it. They had barely escaped the Borg and needed a rest. He turned round.

"With all due respect, I say we land. The Borg are still out there and waiting for us. The ship is damaged, so we need time for repairs. This planet is a safe haven and whatever we will find there, itīs probably better than a hostile Borg cube. Letīs give it a try!"

He looked at Seven and Tuvok, then at the Captain.

Captain Janeway listened as Tuvok stated his opinion not to land, and Seven of Nine agreed with him. She was about to reply when Tom stated his viewpoint.

"With all due respect, I say we land. The Borg are still out there and waiting for us. The ship is damaged, so we need time for repairs. This planet is a safe haven and whatever we will find there, itīs probably better than a hostile Borg cube. Letīs give it a try!"

Janeway looked back at Tuvok and then rested her gaze on Seven of Nine. "I agree that this planet has been avoided for a reason, but I'm curious as to why, and perhaps we can find out. Also, landing will give us time to repair Voyager before heading out into Borg space again. Commence landing procedures, Mr. Paris."

She glanced over at Chakotay to see if he was in agreement.

After watching the Captain exchange with 7 of 9 she then had turned to him to see what was on his mind, all Chakotay could do was nod his approval. Then he walked over and took his seat and waited.

=/\=Acknowledged. For some reason the Borg have broken off their attack. We'll switch to impulse engines and land on the planet for repairs=/\=

'Good' - B'Elanna thought as she ran a hypospanner over a leaking conduit - 'That'll give me time to repair the engines.'

"Carey," she called over to a young man standing nearby. "Hand me that..."

Suddenly, a giant explosion rumbled through Engineering. Several crewmen fell to the floor. B'Elanna herself was knocked down, but she got up quickly, gingerly holding her wrist.

"I haven't got time for this," she grumbled. "Engineering to Sickbay. Doctor, I've got injured here. Stand by for a site to site transport."

"Commence landing procedures, Mr. Paris" Captain Janeway ordered.

"Aye, Captain" Tom replied and turned to his station again.

He was glad the Captain had taken this decision. Time to find out what was really down there...

"Initiating landing procedures!"

Voyager's landing struts extended and there was a soft jolt as the ship made touchdown. "Secure thruster exhaust," Janeway demanded.

The Doctor and Kes managed to get their patient breathing again. It was a close call, and both heaved a sigh. The Doctor continued his work, repairing the intestinal damage. The tissue was responding to treatment, so it was only a matter of time...

=/\= Engineering to Sickbay. Doctor, I've got injured here. Stand by for a site to site transport.=/\=

When it rains, it pours, he thought.

=/\= Acknowledged! =/\= came the Doctor's voice over the comm.

"Nicoletti, accompany these crewmen to Sickbay and explain to the Doctor how this occurred. Then get back here as soon as you can. We need every man and woman on this problem and that includes you," B'Elanna ordered.

Nicoletti nodded and within minutes, the injured shimmered away.

B'Elanna grasped her wrist, which was becoming more painful. She would have to ignore it if she wanted to get the ship running soon.

Moving to a blackened console, she set to work.

The injured crewmen from Engineering materialized in Sickbay, and Neelix hastily wheeled over a cart with the loaded hyposprays. He made a quick count of all the hyposprays to see if there would be enough... fortunately, Sickbay was well stocked.

The extent of some of these people's injuries - people he knew very well - made Neelix feel sick to his stomach. He was definitely not physician material. But he was certain the Doctor and Kes would do everything they could to help them.

Now he just had to help them...and not be a distraction, Neelix added to himself, scurrying out of the Doctor's way as the EMH headed towards the patients.

While completing his current subject's pulmonary and abdominal procedures, the Doctor became vaguely aware that the status lights flashing throughout the room had changed from red to blue. They were landing.

Assigning the job of repairing their patient's remaining breaks and fractures to Kes, the hologram went over to the group which arrived via site to site from Engineering. Nicoletti filled him in, he made snap evaluations of each victim, and delegated rescue procedures to the medics on hand. He took the Engineer most worse off for himself: a poor ensign with a face disfigured from an blown EPS conduit.

All the while, he was distinctly aware of the change in ship's power to impulse, then their descent. It was a mixed blessing: while others were oblivious due to inertial dampers, the EMH possessed a superficial sensitivity to the ship's systems. It was enough to prove mildly annoying during times like these.

He sighed and set to work.

"Thruster exhaust secure" Tom confirmed and smiled. Another successful landing.

Entering some more commands he suddenly recalled his first landing on a planet. How many years had passed since then? He wasnīt sure himself.

Tom still couldnīt work up enthusiasm for landing starships on planets, but he had gotten used to it more or less. He and the crew of Voyager had had to make virtue out of necessity many times and they had survived. And they all wanted to keep it this way.

"Captain, Voyager has landed!" he proudly announced.

As the ship landed, Tuvok put all security staff on full alert. "Security Teams, stand by for away team assignments."

Janeway spoke. "I'm calling a senior officers' meeting. Chakotay, Tuvok, Tom..." She motioned toward the back of the bridge. They nodded and stood up.

=/\=Janeway to Torres. B'Elanna, I'm calling a meeting. Is everything under control there=/\=

B'Elanna raised herself from underneath a charred conduit she was working on and tapped her combadge.

"Captain, the repairs are going well. I can't give you an estimate on when we'll be done yet. I'll be there as soon as I can. Torres out."

B'Elanna dusted herself off with her good hand and motioned for a nearby officer to take over.

"I'm leaving you in charge. I'll be back."

B'Elanna walked out of Engineering and made her way down the corridor to the turbolift.

Tuvok motioned to the duty officer to take his position at Tactical and moved to join the others.

"I have arranged for periodic tactical systems checks. If OPs would assist with constant sensor locks on any away team members, as well as continuous scans of surrounding space, I believe it will suffice for the safety of the crew." He handed her a PADD with all his tactical recommendations on it and took his seat at the conference table.

Not a bad bit of cosmetic surgery, he thought. The burns had been treated, jaw repaired, and her face set to heal almost exactly as it looked before her injury.

"Doctor," the young engineer moaned, "will I be all right?"

He bent over her and smiled. "You'll be fine, crewman. Ensign Uchida will assist you to your quarters. Get plenty of rest, preferably on your back. Follow a liquid diet until further notice. If your discomfort increases, contact Sickbay." She nodded and thanked him as the medic helped her off the biobed...

...The Doctor surveyed Sickbay. Kes was done and cleaning up their patient in the Surgical Bay. Neelix was telling jokes to an engineer notorious for panic attacks; it seemed to be working. Three medics were treating plasma burns. He recycled his program (OOC: Deactivate and reactivate) to remove any biocontaminants from his person and entered the latest patient reports on a PADD.

=/\= Captain to The Doctor. Get Neelix and meet me in the briefing room. I'm holding a senior officers' meeting. Janeway out. =/\=

Neelix looked up and met the EMH's gaze. The Doctor then turned to Kes, who smiled as if to indicate that she could handle what they had. He nodded back, then tapped his combadge: "Aye, Captain. We're on our way." He made a stop in his office to retrieve his mobile emitter. Once the transfer was complete, the Doctor and Neelix left for the Turbolift.

Kes watched as the Doctor and Neelix departed, leaving her to tend the last few wounds in the aftermath of the battle. "How are things coming?" she asked Ensign Marita Leone, a fairly new addition to Sickbay's compliment of medics. She could tell Leone was nervous, but capable.

"Um, everything is going well, Kes." She pointed to the crewman's burns as she treated them. "Do you think I'm doing okay?"

Kes smiled reassuringly. "You're doing exactly what you should be. You're a good medic and your services are a great help to Sickbay." She patted the raven haired woman's shoulder. "If you have any questions, I'll be here." She moved off to treat another patient, keeping an eye on Leone.

Leone gratefully smiled, her confidence boosted and said in a calmer voice, "All done," to the crewman before her. "Um, if you have any further irritation, please don't hesitate to return."

He grinned and slid from the biobed. "Thanks. Maybe if you're still around later, I could arrange for a little irritation to bring me back," he flirted, leaving the blushing medic in surprised silence.