Authors Note:- Sorry about the LONG wait, I lost this chapter (the original) and i kept trying to re-write it but it just plain sucked. Anyway long story short, recently i was moving some stuff around and noticed some paper at the bottom of a pile that turned out to be my original version of this chapter. so i have typed it up and here it us, unchanged. Hope you enjoy it. Also just to clarify Sevens storyline is behind in time from the rest of the crew, but the timelines all join up in the next chapter :) xsjx
"Take a seat Seven." The lizard gestured to the chair on his right hand side. She assumed from the important looking pins on his uniform he was the Sienn Commander. She obliged silently but in a small act of defiance chose the seat two down from him at the grey table.
"Would you like something to eat? Drink?" He smiled as he asked though it was a poorly masked façade of false emotion.
"No. I require nothing." Even as she said it, the young Borg knew it wasn't true. She did need something, her alcove; she was getting tired and her vision, movement and higher brain function was rapidly deteriorating. Her hand subconsciously moved to rub her brow.
"Nothing? Really? Not even your alcove?" His smile was firmer now, he had seen her tired gesture and knew he had a valuable bargaining chip in his possession. "It's been two days since we pulled you out of that tunnel, long time to go without regenerating…."
The blonde drone remained silent, watching carefully. The Sienn commander laughed and clapped his hands together.
"I like you; you're resilient, like us. I'm going to tell you straight. We have something you need. You have something we need. It makes sense to trade doesn't it?"
"It would appear so." She admitted grudgingly. She needed her strength for any hope of getting back to voyager.
"Your species, The Borg, paid us a visit just under 5 years ago. They nearly destroyed our world, assimilated over half our population. We were a crippled shell of a race and up until now we have only been able to regain a mere shadow of our former strength. Yet the other species nearby that we used to dominate know we are still weak and raid us every so often to take what they want and keep our strength from growing."
"You have failed to explain what this has to do with me" Seven said dryly, a little bored of the commanders' story-telling.
"You will help us enhance our weapons and defence systems with borg technology. There is a wreck of a cube just south of here. The Borg abandoned it when they left. We have the parts, you have the knowledge, and there are alcoves in that cube. You can't escape, in case the thought was crossing your scheming Borg mind. We told your ship you were dead and your crew will orbit this planet for a further five days, some symbol of mourning I don't really understand," he waved his hand disinterestedly before continuing, "You will be allowed to touch the cubes systems after they have gone. For the meantime you will regenerate under armed guard. Any tricks and you will be shot. Do you understand?"
"I will comply." A look of relief crossed the Sienn's face; he had expected more of a fight from her. Perhaps she understood how she had no choice in the matter if she wanted to live.
As she was led from the room by a Sienn guard she allows herself a small wry smile; it didn't matter if the Voyager crew had already departed. Seven knew the moment she laid her hands on a console on that cube she had all she needed to escape and catch up. Resilient wasn't even close.
It was the day after they had set off from the Sienn homeworld and Ensign Green was still recovering in sickbay, albeit reluctantly. If it had been her decision she would have been back in astometrics by now despite the occasional twinges in her ribcage and spine. She was getting increasingly bored and annoyed at her bland view of the ceiling in sickbay but she was even more annoyed that she had missed the funeral ceremony for Seven at the Doctors insistence while he made sure there would be no long lasting spinal damage. Apparently having Seven fall on you was enough to break your back in 2 places. So while everyone else had had a whole week to grieve as a family she had only the doctor for company, the occasional visit from Beth and one rather awkward visit from Sandra. It could have been worse though, she conceded to herself; the Sienn could have begrudged them the time to grieve and forced them from their space. Out of nowhere, another voice popped into her head, why didn't they? For a race that disliked relations with other species they have been awfully accommodating. Almost too accommodating. She found it hard to believe they had even the slightest bit of compassion for others; it just didn't feel right.
With a small grunt of pain she pushed herself up off the biobed. The brunette had almost made it to the door of sickbay before the EMH noticed.
"Ensign where do you think you are going?" He said sternly tricorder at the ready.
"I have to see the captain, I'm fine Doctor."
"Ah yes I forgot that the definition of fine means something different to Starfleet officers than it does to the rest of the universe. Ensign Green you have fractures in your ribs and spine. You are not fine."
"I'm fine enough, I'll come back later so you can check on me." She called, already halfway down the corridor. The trick was to not stop moving; once you stopped the doctor usually got you back on a biobed.
Stepping out onto the bridge, she noticed her ribcage and back was throbbing continuously with a dull ache. Ok so maybe I'm not fine…
"Ensign? Is there a problem?" The Captain had turned round in her command chair upon hearing the doors of the turbo-lift slide open and had immediately taken in the tense nature of the young officers stance. "Shouldn't you be in sickbay?"
"I was Captain, then it occurred to me. We've just spent a week orbiting the Sienn homeworld." She saw the confusion on the Captains face and hurried to explain herself. "It's just they didn't make the best first impression did they? They are obviously an aggressive species yet suddenly they are kind and compassionate. They couldn't get rid of us quickly enough before then they let us stay for seven days!"
"What's your point Ensign?" Chakotay chipped in, also puzzled by the younger officers rambling.
"I…um.." she sighed inwardly knowing the reason of 'It just doesn't feel right' wasn't going to cut it. Then the pieces clicked in to place through the fogginess created by her painkillers and it dawned on her.
"Seven is still alive" she blurted out then immediately wishing she hadn't. The Captains face hardened in an automatic reflex to the pain she felt whenever anyone mentioned the Borg's name.
"Go back to sickbay Ensign, get some rest. I think you are still under the influence of some strong medication." Janeway said this quietly but grimly, dismissing Lara. The young woman turned without a word and left the bridge. The Captain turned back to face the viewscreen ignoring the sideways glances from Chakotay.
"Ensign?" Lara looked up in surprise at her visitor, slightly confused as to what he could want with her. She was once again back on her biobed, admitting defeat where her pain was concerned.
"Hey Harry, what do you want?" she smiled pleasantly.
"I couldn't help overhearing you on the bridge this morning," she cringed inwardly at how she had embarrassed herself, as he paused slightly, "thing is," he continued, "It makes sense. It's like they had a personality transplant."
"Harry it doesn't matter anyway. Even if she was alive, she needs her alcove. She has been without it for at least seven days…" She tailed off letting the unpleasant thought sink in.
"Lara what do you feel?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you were close to her…do you think she is dead?"
"No. I don't. I don't know what it is I just have this feeling she isn't gone."
"I don't think she is either. It's too hard to believe. She's just-"
"Too Borg." The two Ensigns jumped as the Captain finished his sentence having not heard her enter sickbay.
Lara opened her mouth to apologise "Captain I-" Janeway held up her hand cutting off the apology.
"Ensign, there is probably only a small chance she is alive. But I feel it too, and as Captain there are three things I was told to remember: Keep your shirt tucked in, go down with the ship, and never abandon a member of your crew. Now I have to give credit to Seven, she is a survivor. We're going back Ensign, let's just hope our gut instincts are right.
"Yes ma'am." They replied in unison.
"Kathryn do you really think this is wise? Sending the crew on a wild goose chase for Seven just because Ensign Green planted the seed of the ridiculous idea she was still alive in your head while she was pumped full of medication?" Commander Chakotay said harshly, able to voice his opinion in the privacy of her ready room. He didn't agree with this ridiculous rescue attempt. He accepted that it must have been hard for her to lose Seven in the way she did, not able to properly explain herself or say sorry but it didn't stop him thinking that this was a waste of time.
"Chakotay, if there is even a small chance she is alive. I have to look in to it. If it was you down there on that planet, I'm sure you would want us to come back for you." She said pointedly.
"But you are getting your hopes up. We had our time to grieve and now you are undoing all of that. Now when we go back and she isn't alive, which by the way is the only possibility because she isn't immortal; we all have to go through it again when we don't find her."
"IF we don't find her," she corrected petulantly. He made a small exasperated sound, losing patience.
"Kathryn be reasonable. Even if she survived the cave-in and the Sienn lied about cremating her, she doesn't have an alcove anyway! Also why would the Sienn lie, how would it possibly benefit them?"
"She may not be immortal Chakotay but she is Borg and that's as close as it gets. As for the Sienn, I don't trust them, didn't from the start. Ensign Green was right about their sudden change of personality. I abandoned Seven romantically, through my own self-flagellation, then again through my despair at losing her and Ensign Green was the only one to think anything of it. I have a chance now to rectify everything and God damn it I'm going to take it."
"You can't send this crew off on a whim just because you feel guilty about the way you treated her. She's dead! Give up Captain, or you are going to make it worse. We have already said goodbye."
"Maybe you have, but I'm not ready to face life without her yet." Her voice having kept its strength so far, finally began to break as she felt the tears advance. She couldn't continue home without her, she wanted to share Earth with Seven not with memories of her. The Commander felt his manner soften and moved to put his arm around his Captain. The gentle hug was too much and the tears spilled over, running down her face. He kissed the top of her head and whispered what she wanted to hear even if he didn't believe it himself.
"We'll find her."