DISCLAIMER: It's Paramount's galaxy.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: C/7. Set in AU#3 established in fanfiction stories "Alternatives" and "The River of Time." Picks up at the end of "Alternatives" and follows Kathryn Janeway, Chakotay, Seven of Nine, and the rest of the Borg refugees in their escape from New Earth and their startling discoveries thereafter.

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OUT OF NEW EARTH

Stardate 57833.5 (AU#3)

# Chapter 1 – Leaving the Surface

…

"You are Chakotay?" she asked suddenly. Chakotay suspected she must have heard him and Kathryn introducing themselves when they had approached the camp earlier. He nodded.

"And you are from Earth, of Cholti ancestry?" Not quite, but close enough. Chakotay nodded again. Her knowledge of Earth cultures must be extensive, he supposed, the result of Borg assimilation.

She seemed to contemplate this for a time, but never took her intense gaze from Chakotay's face. He was unable to look away himself. There was something about her that seemed familiar.

"We are far from the sacred places of our grandfathers," she finally said. "We are far from the bones of our ancestors."

"I dreamt of you," Chakotay replied, for now he knew exactly who she was.

She had little memory of Annika, and when Chakotay suggested he simply call her Seven, she seemed satisfied.

Kathryn and Saychek, the nominal leader of the Borg group, were confident the surviving Borg data nodes contained the cure for the virus that inflicted them. After all, the Borg had assimilated Vidiians. With their working shuttle, they were hopeful they might leave New Earth within a few months.

Chakotay didn't feel as desperate, however, to leave now...

#

Captain Kathryn Janeway glanced across the Borg compound at her First Officer and the Borg drone who had become his shadow. They appeared to be examining what Chakotay had just written on a flat piece of earth with a stick. He seemed animated as he explained something, and Seven of Nine hung on his every word, her hands clasped behind her back. With a tinge of regret, Kathryn realized Chakotay was becoming more and more comfortable with his new companion. She hadn't seen him this happy in years. The two of them, Chakotay and Seven of Nine, had indeed become inseparable. Even Saychek was perplexed by the transformation in Seven of Nine. He had said so to Kathryn the day before. For five years, she had been an outsider in the group of Borg survivors. Sure, she had worked with them, but as the others regained their individuality, Seven of Nine had still remained more isolated and aloof. Now, with her First Officer, the drone who had been assimilated as a young child was finally opening up and interacting. Not only with Chakotay, but with everyone else as well.

"Shall we tour the sphere Captain?" Saychek asked.

Kathryn returned her attention to the Borg leader. It had been a busy few weeks. Almost from the start, the thought of finally escaping from New Earth had animated their actions. The Borg survivors were nearing the completion of a small ship that could carry them all, and with the shuttle's warp drive, they would have access to neighboring systems and could even contemplate continuing their voyage to the alpha quadrant. "Of course, but please Saychek, call me Kathryn."

"As you wish," Saychek replied, but that seemed unlikely as he nodded his head slightly and remained at attention. In fact, all the Borg survivors seemed to defer to her and Chakotay's authority. As drones, they simply carried out the wishes of the Hive Mind, and now that they were individuals, they seemed reluctant to enforce their will over others. None of them had been in any sort of command or authority position before being assimilated. Saychek speculated that perhaps this was the reason each of them had chosen not to fight or deactivate. In the days after the crash, many of the original surviving drones had attempted to establish order and take command of sorts. Battles ensued, and many drones were killed. Most of the remaining drones had eventually self terminated when it was clear they had been abandoned by the Collective. The end had happened suddenly, as if when the first decided to deactivate, it made it easier for others to make the same decision. By the close of that terrible day, only the six of them remained. It had taken them over a week to dispose of the bodies.

Saychek had been a farmer on a world in the delta quadrant, but his planet was many light years away. He had only been assimilated three months before the crash of the cube on New Earth, during a chaotic time when the Borg was attempting to find a weapon to combat a new species that threatened to destroy them completely. His world supported a pre-warp society, but at that time the Borg was desperate for new drones and any new knowledge or technology, and so the Hive Mind was assimilating indiscriminately. Four of the others had similar stories, assimilated within the past year from worlds scattered about the delta quadrant. Two were from Norcadia, Kizati and Lemore. They hadn't known of the other before their world was assimilated, but now, like Chakotay and Seven of Nine, they too were inseparable. Ak was a Brumalin, a non-humanoid species from another pre-warp civilization. He stood a good half meter taller than the rest of them, and walked on four spider-like appendages. His body not covered by Borg armor looked soft, but in fact was an exoskeleton as hard as the armor itself. He was strong, not adverse to work, and spoke very little. Janeway hadn't interacted with him much, but he always seemed to be in the right place when needed. Minnik, on the other hand, shared her opinion often. She was Kazon, from the Nistrim sect. She had memories of the Nistrim's encounter with Voyager, but no desire to return to the Nistrim or the Kazon. She was quite content to remain with the group. In fact, all the ex-Borg drones weren't eager to return to their homeworlds, unsure and frightened at what they might find if they did. Some had even expressed an interest in escaping to the alpha quadrant.

And then there was Seven of Nine.

"I could speak with her," Saychek offered, noticing the Captain had returned her gaze to the two across the compound.

"What do you suppose they talk about?" Kathryn mused.

"You should go and ask if you think it important," Saychek replied diplomatically.

Kathryn waved her hand and started moving in the direction of the Borg sphere being repaired nearby. Perhaps it was the novelty of meeting someone new that energized the relationship. Regardless, she and Chakotay had decided long ago that any romantic liaison between the two of them was doomed to failure, and instead had nurtured their strong friendship. Chakotay's relationship with Seven or anyone else did not put that into jeopardy. "No," she finally said, "it's none of my business. Come, show me what's new in the sphere."

The debris field of the cube's crash extended for miles in the directions both backwards along the final orbit trajectory and forward. Hundreds of pieces littered the forest floor. The largest intact portion of the cube, however, came to rest in this spot adjacent to the compound the Borg survivors had established and occupied for the past five years. During their stay, the six remaining drones had busied themselves by reassembling and repairing a small sphere that had also survived the crash, essentially intact. It was approximately a hundred meters in diameter and rested in a depression such that only two-thirds of its diameter showed.

"We had no working warp drive," Saychek remarked, "but Seven of Nine was confident we could construct one from the debris, so we continued to repair the sphere."

Kathryn noted the pride in his voice as they both examined the Borg craft before them. The stark grey-black metal of the spherical outline seemed out of place, being surrounded by the encroaching jungle, the top rising above the forest canopy.

"As it turned out, the task was more difficult than anticipated and we have yet to build our warp dirve," Saychek continued, "but with your shuttlecraft's warp dirve now installed, we should be capable of warp speed once we obtain orbit."

"And there is room inside for our shuttlecraft?"

Saychek smiled a wide toothy grin. "We've done a lot in the past week. Let me give you the tour, Captain," he said, and motioned to an opening in the sphere about five meters above the ground level that could be accessed from a ramp. Kathryn nodded, and the two of them strode up into the sphere.

"This access port enters directly into the new cargo bay of the sphere," Saychek remarked once inside. He pointed above them, and indeed there was room for perhaps three shuttlecraft in the cavernous space. "There is a single bay door, just above us. When in space, this area will lack artificial gravity, and our shuttlecraft can be brought in and connected to one of those docking rings above us."

Kathryn nodded satisfactorily, and also noted Saychek's use of the pronoun 'our.' In the few short weeks they had been together, the Borg survivors and she and Chakotay had already formed a cohesive group. It was a promising sign. "So, when we do use the sphere's thrusters and impulse drive to obtain orbit, we'll need someone to pilot the shuttlecraft into orbit as well to rendezvous."

"Precisely."

They moved to the far end of the cargo bay and climbed up a ladder that was now more like a staircase in the planet's gravity. The corridor beyond was illuminated in the dull green light typical of all Borg craft. Saychek quickly turned to the Captain and said, "Don't worry, Kizati is working on supplementing the lighting throughout the sphere to more duplicate the ambient lighting of a G2 class star. This corridor is at the lower priority in that transition, and so the conversion has not yet been made. I believe she said it will be completed by tonight."

Sure enough, up ahead, the lighting of the corridor brightened to a warmer color. The corridor was along the outer perimeter of the sphere, and stretched ahead curving around for three quarters of the circumference back to the cargo bay.

"This level has additional crew quarters," Saychek announced. "But will be unoccupied for now. We can use them as lab space or however we see fit." After three doors, another door led to an elevator. Saychek motioned Kathryn inside. "As you might remember, there are five levels in all and we entered on the second level from the bottom. Each of these three mid levels now have nine quarters each, but the ones we've outfitted for our immediate occupancy are on the next two levels up. The lowest level allows access to the core of the sphere and the engines. The highest level will serve as a command center."

"Is this how a normal Borg sphere is laid out?" Kathryn asked as the doors slid shut.

"In form yes, but not in function," Saychek replied. "A sphere such as this does not have a centralized control center or a cargo bay and might hold a hundred or more drones, so much of the space that held regeneration alcoves was converted to other uses. Kizati and Lemore are responsible for the general layout, it being now similar to Norcadian vessels."

"To Federation vessels as well," Kathryn remarked. "A bridge on top, crew quarters and working space in the middle, and engineering below."

They exited the lift on the next level. Across from them was a doorway to the outer perimeter of the sphere. The crew quarters were towards the interior. Saychek noticed Kathryn's gaze to the opposite wall and remarked, "access to weapons, tractor beams, transporters. They are distributed around the circumference of the sphere, at what you might think of as the equator." He turned to the quarters beside the lift, "Captain, these are your quarters. Commander Chakotay's are on the opposite side of this lift."

They entered the room. It was spacious, but sparsely furnished. A small desk and chair, and a bed and mattress salvaged from the shuttlecraft close to the floor. Towards the back of the room was another door that appeared to lead to a lavatory. On one wall there was a pillar that could be used to access ship's systems and two Borg regeneration alcoves. Kathryn raised her eyebrows. "In case I entertain guests?"

"We kept alcoves in each of the quarters. We could remove them if you wish, but in the last few weeks we've concentrated our renovations on supplying for your other basic needs."

"It's fine," Kathryn remarked. A bit stark, but a place of her own none the less. At least it was well lit, and perhaps with her personal items it would feel more like home. Chakotay and Seven had returned to their original landing site to retrieve items that he or Janeway had wanted, and she noticed a few containers stacked at one end of the room that undoubtedly held these things. She would unpack later. "Let's see the bridge."

Kathryn strode out of the room followed closely by Saychek. They returned to the same lift and Kathryn instinctively said "bridge." Nothing happened.

"We could add a voice activation system if you'd like, Captain. For now, you can select the level by pressing one of these five buttons on the rear facing wall."

Janeway nodded, and pressed the button Saychek indicated. It was the rightmost button, so apparently top to bottom was indicated by right to left. The lift swiftly moved up the remaining two levels and deposited them in a large circular room. Around the perimeter of the room stood a dozen pillars; the Borg workstations. A final pillar stood in the center of the room, and next to this a crude chair that could swivel the full three hundred and sixty degrees had been placed. The chair appeared to be an afterthought, perhaps installed just recently.

"We hadn't originally allowed for comfort in this space," Saychek remarked. "Drones usually don't sit. Ak is going to install chairs at all the stations to enable either sitting or standing, depending on the preference of the user."

"Can Ak even sit?" Kathryn asked. His physiology was such that sitting might not be an option.

"I don't know," Saychek responded. "Regardless, he is fabricating the chairs now and should be completed by tonight. All ships functions can be accessed and controlled from this room, although command could be transferred to any pillar in the ship if desired." He pointed to the pillar and chair in the center of the room. "This will be your post, Captain. I believe it desirable for you to take command of our vessel with Commander Chakotay remaining as our First Officer."

"The rest of your group has agreed to this?" Kathryn asked.

"Of course," Saychek confirmed. He stood at attention, still near the entrance to the lift.

Kathryn nodded and looked about the bridge. "So eight of us," she remarked. "What will be the function for the rest of the crew?"

Saychek placed his hands behind his back and stepped up beside Janeway. "Chakotay would serve as tactical officer and navigator in addition to First Officer. Seven of Nine has retained the most knowledge of power and propulsion systems. It was she who oversaw the installation of the shuttlecraft's warp drive. I suggest she be in charge of engineering. Minnik could also be assigned to engineering and be trained by Seven of Nine. It will be important to have some redundancy and they would also operate ship's sensors. Either Kizati or Lemore was once a pilot on a Norcadian vessel, I do not recall which one. I suggest both be assigned piloting duties."

Janeway nodded. "That leaves you and Ak. I would like you to be my Second Officer, and shadow Chakotay as my tactical officer and navigator."

"As you wish," Saychek replied, bowing as he did so.

"Ak will be security." Janeway shook her head. "He's big enough, and imposing enough, to be the entire security team, but I suppose we'll all be security if we're ever boarded by a hostile force." She scanned the bridge once more. "I'm impressed. You've made many improvements since our last tour. You say we're ready?"

"By tomorrow morning Captain, the ship will be ready."

"Then let's assemble in the compound tomorrow morning for our debriefing and final farewell to New Earth. It's time we get started."

#

Captain Janeway scanned each of the faces of the small group before her. "Once in orbit, we'll spend some time getting used to our new ship," she continued. "Eventually, however, I intend to resume our voyage back to the alpha quadrant. My hope is we'll possibly discover other abandoned Borg vessels where we can salvage a trans-warp drive to help us speed things up a bit."

Chakotay nodded, but the rest of the crew, the former Borg drones, stood impassively. Janeway had wondered if any of them would object to her plan to go to the alpha quadrant since only Seven of Nine could claim it as her home. Saychek, sensing the Captain desired a response, said, "we will do as you command Captain."

Janeway turned to Chakotay. "For our departure to orbit, I would like you to pilot the shuttlecraft. We'll rendezvous in space and dock the shuttle into the sphere's cargo bay before leaving orbit."

"I will accompany the Commander," Seven of Nine interjected.

Inseparable indeed, Janeway thought. "I'd like you to be with the sphere Seven," she replied. "You have the most knowledge of the propulsion systems, and we might need you during the ascent and orbital injection."

Seven nodded stiffly, obviously not pleased with that decision, but willing to comply.

"I could pilot the shuttle," Lemore suggested. "Commander Chakotay could then be on the sphere with Seven."

Interesting. Even Lemore recognized the bond that had formed between the two of them, and was perhaps sympathetic because of his relationship with the other Norcadian. Janeway nodded. "That would be fine. OK with you Commander?"

Chakotay nodded as well.

"What is the designation of the sphere?" Minnik suddenly inquired.

"Sphere two-two-seven-six," Seven replied automatically.

"No, that's not what I mean" Minnik persisted. "Isn't it customary for a ship to have a name? A proper name I mean. In the Nistrim, the ships would often be named after former Kazon majes who died with honor."

"How about Voyager?" Kizati suggested.

Captain Janeway shook her head. "Not Voyager. I'm hoping the original Voyager is out there somewhere, and we might even be able to catch up to them if we get a trans-warp drive for our ship. Let's think of another name."

"How about, Phoenix," Seven suggested. She turned to Kizati and Lemore. "Phonetically, it is similar to the word 'hope' in the Norcadian central valley language, but it also refers to a long-lived bird in Earth mythology that obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor."

Janeway had to hand it to Seven, the name seemed appropriate. Of course, it was also the name of Zefram Cochrane's first warp ship, but many Star Fleet vessels had been named after a predecessor. Janeway looked about the group. They all seemed satisfied with that choice. "If there are no objections then, our ship is thus named." She then looked beyond the group to the compound around them. It had been her home for the past few weeks, and of course the former Borg drones home for the past five years. The time had now come for them to leave New Earth. "Gather your remaining personal items and assemble on the Phoenix. We leave in ten minutes. Dismissed."

Everyone but Chakotay and Seven of Nine moved off towards the wreckage of the cube. Seven appeared to hesitate, looking back and forth between Chakotay and Janeway. Finally she faced Chakotay. "Chakotay, I do have one item I would like to retrieve. It is called a geode, a hollow stone I collected soon after the crash. The outside is rough and blacked by its volcanic origins, but inside is an intriguing violet crystalline structure. I will rejoin you aboard the sphere."

"Of course Seven," Chakotay replied. "I will see you shortly."

Seven appeared reluctant to leave, but then turned on her heel and move swiftly away, following the others towards the cube wreckage. Both Chakotay and Janeway watched her go. When she was out of earshot, Janeway turned to Chakotay and said, "are you certain this relationship between you and Seven of Nine is a good thing?"

"Relationship?" Chakotay asked, a bit taken aback.

Janeway grinned. "I'm not blind, Chakotay. The two of you have been attached these past few weeks, as if with an invisible tether. I have hardly seen one of you without the other close by."

Chakotay ran his fingers through his hair and turned away. Eventually he nodded and returned his gaze towards the retreating figure of Seven, who was now just entering the cube wreckage. "I feel, drawn to her," he confessed. "If you recall, I dreamed of her. It was that dream that initiated this whole quest of ours to find the Borg crash site. I believe we have a shared destiny. She's caught between the little girl who was assimilated all those years ago, and the Borg drone she was forced to become. She needs a friend. Someone to help her discover that little girl inside her, and the woman she's become."

Janeway raised her eyebrows. "And you are that someone?"

Chakotay didn't hold back. "Yes, I believe so."

"Are you sure this is a healthy relationship Chakotay? Saychek tells me that for the past five years she isolated herself and rarely joined them in a group. Now, she's reluctant to let you out of her sight."

Chakotay nodded, obviously thinking through these same things. "We have developed a strong bond between us in a short time. Perhaps its me that doesn't want to let her out of my sight."

Janeway was not convinced.

"Every fiber of my being, however, tells me it is right," Chakotay continued. "I intend to help her discover her humanity."

"She is still basically a Borg drone with technology regulating many of her internal functions. Even her brain has Borg implants and is influenced by the machinery. In the five years they have been here, not once have any of them taken steps to remove their Borg armor or components."

"None of them have the knowledge on how to do that."

"Chakotay," Janeway persisted. "The same Borg data nodes that contained the cure for this virus we contracted all those years ago could have guided them in removing some of the Borg technology. For whatever reason, they have all chosen to remain Borg."

"Do you not trust them Captain?"

Janeway shook her head. "None of them have given even the slightest hint of deception or ulterior motives, but in truth, we hardly know them. All I'm saying is to be careful. We are dealing with the Borg, and the individuals we know in them now could just as easily be reassimilated and bent on our destruction. Seven of Nine might wish to become human, but that might end up being impossible."

"I think you're wrong Kathryn. You might only see the Borg technology on the outside, but inside she is struggling and needs me. I believe she's like that geode she's gone to retrieve. Seven is highly intelligent and curious about humanity. We've talked at length these past few weeks, and I do believe she wishes to become more human, and I intend to help her do it."

Kathryn decided to let it go at that. She worried for her First Officer, and perhaps there was still a tinge of jealousy that she couldn't quite shake. The two saw Kizati and Lemore exiting the cube and moving towards the Phoenix, so she and Chakotay moved off in that direction as well. At the entrance to the sphere, Lemore turned to Kizati and each touched the other's shoulder, a simple, yet tender gesture, made all the more significant given their Borg appearance. Lemore then continued past to the shuttlecraft and Kizati climbed the ramp into the sphere. Ak was already waiting at the top of the ramp, as if checking everyone's identification as they boarded. His two forelegs tapped against the deck plating, perhaps in nervous anticipation, Kathryn mused. Kathryn started up the ramp as well, but Chakotay stopped at the base. She sighed. He was obviously going to wait for Seven of Nine.

In a short time, the seven of them riding in the sphere were assembled on the bridge. Lemore was already in orbit on the shuttle awaiting the rendezvous. "Are the thrusters and impulse drive on-line?" Captain Janeway queried.

"Ready," Seven replied from her station.

"Are we all sealed up?"

"We're all set Captain," Saychek replied. "Artificial gravity and inertial dampers are online and set to take over after initial thrust. Environmental control has already been activated. Power systems are engaged and fully autonomous."

Janeway frowned. Saychek had answered all her remaining questions, as if anticipating her checklist. Inexplicitly, now that the moment had arrived, she felt reluctant to go. New Earth had been their home now for over seven years, and although at times it had felt like a prison, she did have fond memories of her time here. She glanced at Chakotay who gave her an encouraging nod. It was time. "Disengage mooring clamps and full thrusters and impulse drive to orbit," she ordered.

The clamps disengaged and thrusters lifted the Phoenix off the ground. A few moments later, when the ship had cleared the treetops of the surrounding forest, the inertial dampers and artificial gravity were activated and impulse drive engaged. Immediately, the sphere accelerated rapidly away from the surface, the occupants inside protected from the severe acceleration by the inertial dampers. The shock waves from the impulse drive tossed the nearby trees about, and they swayed wildly sending a flock of birds on a panicked flight away from the compound. Soon after, the sound of a double sonic boom echoed about the surrounding forest, the Phoenix now a streaking fireball of light high in the eastern sky.

A short time after that, the sphere was above the atmosphere and on its way to rendezvous with the shuttlecraft. The Phoenix had achieved orbit about New Earth

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Author's note: So, "The Third Path" didn't seem to generate as much interest as "Healing Wounds," but I'm forging ahead anyway and do intend to eventually complete all the "Alternatives" stories. I'm actually a little more excited about the prospects for this current story, so hopefully that will translate into more reviews (always appreciated, and again thank you to everyone who has left reviews, favorited, and/or followed any of my C/7 stories in the past – it is a great encouragement). I'm envisioning about eight chapters with some twists and turns along the way. I'm particularly looking forward to writing and revealing something planned in the fourth and fifth chapters… 8-) I hope you enjoy (and are inspired to write a review, join the C/7 community (I know there are more than 13 of us out there!), or perhaps even write a fan fiction story of your own if you haven't yet tried).