Chapter XXVIII
Honor, Part II
"Please state your name for the record."
"Chakotay, Captain. Service number four, seven, alpha, six, one, two."
"Remember, Captain, you're still under oath. Yesterday, we discussed your arrival at the location of the Borg sphere, as well as your meeting with the rogue Borg cube upon which Seven of Nine was aboard. Now, please tell us of your first encounter with the sphere itself."
"As I mentioned yesterday, sensors showed that the sphere was, for all intents and purposes, dead. Axum and the others aboard the 'rogue Borg cube' – as you call it – confirmed those readings. Admiral Janeway though, was not convinced. She wanted to take a closer look for herself."
"That's when the sphere was boarded?"
"Not right away. First there was the matter of the interference emanating from the sphere to be considered. It was interfering with transporters and the Admiral wanted to ensure that they were fully functional in the event of an emergency. The away team boarded about three hours later."
"And the away team comprised of?"
"Captain Tuvok, Commander Harry Kim, Lieutenant Commander Ayala, Seven of Nine, and Admiral Janeway."
Nine hours later, Chakotay exited the room where the court martial was being conducted. It was ten days after the destruction of the Borg sphere, one week into the proceedings, and the second day he was testifying.
It was also two weeks since he had last seen Kathryn Janeway alive.
Considering what now lay tethered to a biobed in a quarantined, excessively secure area at Starfleet Medical, she was as good as dead.
Shaking his head to unsuccessfully rid himself of those morbid thoughts, he exited the massive glass structure that housed Starfleet's Command Division, also home to the Judge Advocate General's offices. A cool breeze hit him and he paused; the promise of an evening shower was imminent.
Closing his eyes, he deeply inhaled the fresh air, relishing the difference between the recycled air he had filled his lungs with all day, and the crisp, clean air he now breathed.
His respite was brief however; he had somewhere he needed to be.
Phoebe Janeway met him at the entrance to Starfleet Medical, her resemblance to her older sister so uncanny, his heart skipped a beat every time he saw her.
"There you are…" She grabbed his arm, pulling him inside, just as the first few drops of rain hit the ground. "…Mom is already upstairs. I was about to come find you." She held up a previously unseen cup to him. "Coffee?"
He gave her a grateful smile, his eyes showing her more than just gratitude for the beverage. Phoebe's animosity toward him had all but disappeared; she was now his biggest fan, supporter, and defender.
"They wanted a detailed account of our efforts to disable the interference on the sphere." He revealed as they traversed the long, otherwise silent corridor before coming to a stop before a turbolift. "We haven't even gotten to the part about when the away team left Voyager."
They entered the lift, and Chakotay called for their floor.
"Why do they have to put you through a tedious court martial? Can't they just take the information from your ship's logs?" Phoebe asked. She already knew the answer to that; she just needed something…anything to take her mind off their evening ahead.
Even if that meant asking the same questions every day.
"There is no ship…" Chakotay answered patiently, well aware that he had already disclosed this to her yesterday. And the day before that. "…therefore no ship's logs. At least, not until we find her."
"And you're sure Voyager wasn't destroyed?"
"Your sister will kill me if it was."
They arrived at their floor, and the doors slid open to reveal a heavy security presence. They were immediately scanned, and their identities double checked and triple checked, before being allowed to proceed. In their wake, almost a dozen of the quadrant's top experts in Borg technology worked feverishly. Ahead of them, a massive glass enclosure loomed.
Phoebe gave him a solemn look. "I think in her current state, she'll kill you anyway."
"Please state your name for the record."
"Chakotay, Captain. Service number four, seven, alpha, six, one, two."
"Thank you, Captain. Please be reminded that you're still under oath. We will resume where we left off yesterday regarding the findings of the away team."
"Pardon me if I appear truculent Admiral, but wouldn't the away team be the ones you should be asking of their findings?"
"All of them – with the exception of Admiral Janeway and Seven of Nine – have already testified, Captain. And no, you do not appear truculent, but you do sound impatient. It would please the court to hear what was actually reported to you. Please continue."
"As I stated yesterday, the away team was on the Borg sphere no more than forty minutes. During that time, the reports were the same; there was no life on that sphere. Nothing was functional. It was, essentially, dead. That was…until…they were transported back to Voyager."
"All except Admiral Janeway, of course."
"Captain Chakotay?"
"Captain, do you need a minute?"
"No…I…I'm fine. Yes…yes, of course. All except Admiral Janeway. Captain Tuvok reported that they had split up, but they kept their COMM lines open. They lost communication with her a few minutes before they were transported back. We knew that the transport originated from the sphere, although the sensors didn't show it. There was no way we were going to risk sending another away team without further information, so we scanned every square inch of that sphere. She was nowhere to be found."
"He's here." Phoebe announced ominously as she handed him a cup of coffee.
He nodded his gratitude, and together they headed for the turbolift. It was another long day, and it was going to be an even longer evening. "Who is?"
Phoebe studied his tired face, noting the heavy dark circles under his eyes. "When was the last time you slept?"
He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I haven't slept since I met your sister. Who's here?"
"Marshall."
Chakotay frowned. It was the first time that the man had stepped foot anywhere near Starfleet Medical, despite pleadings from the Janeways that his presence was necessary, if not essential. "Right now?"
Phoebe nodded. "Mom says that Voyager's EMH marched into Federation Headquarters himself and ordered him here. I'm told it was one hell of a confrontation."
Chakotay figured that a very good reason must have existed for Kathryn's future husband to stay away; and an even better reason for the EMH to have left Starfleet Medical at all, since he hadn't ventured beyond the glass structure since…
"Chakotay?"
Phoebe was looking at him curiously. From outside the turbolift. They had arrived at their floor and she was already being scanned by security.
"Are you coming?" What she really wanted to ask him was if he was alright, but she knew that none of them were, so it would be pointless.
Chakotay sighed, stepping off the lift and submitting himself to the scan. Phoebe was looking at him worriedly. He must have been lost in thought again.
To his surprise, Seven of Nine met them as they approached the glass enclosure. "Seven…" He looked around for Phoebe to admonish her for not telling him that Seven was also here and looking somewhat…recovered. But she had already vanished, probably gone in search of her mother. "…are you alright? The Doctor didn't mention…"
"I am…on the mend." She attempted a smile, but she was clearly still shaken by recent events. "I understand that a court martial is underway. I have been asked to give evidence, as soon as I have made a full recovery. The Doctor informed me that you disobeyed orders not to attempt a rescue. I am grateful that you did."
Then in a surprising move, she reached toward him, pulling him into a hug. "Thank you, Captain, for coming back for us." She whispered in his ear, before abruptly pulling away.
He didn't know what to say, and even if he did, she had already put some distance between them. He watched her go, amazed that her humanity seemingly remained intact, despite her harrowing experience.
"Kate did an amazing job with her."
The familiar voice sounded behind him, and he turned around and came face to face with Marshall. "Admiral Stark."
"Hello Chakotay." Stark made his way toward him. "I think it's time you and I talked."
"Please state your name for the record."
"Chakotay, Captain. Service number four, seven, alpha, six, one, two."
"Remember, Captain, you're still under oath. Yesterday you reported that you commenced a search for Admiral Janeway, which you outlined in detail. Please continue from that point."
"The search lasted two days before we found her. Or rather, before the Borg wanted her found."
"How so?"
"That was the day the sphere came to life. Everything became clear then."
"Everything?"
"They were waiting for her all along."
"Excuse me?"
"They wanted her for their Queen."
By the time he arrived at Starfleet Medical, Gretchen and Phoebe Janeway were already on their way out. The day's proceedings seemed to be never-ending; with Chakotay having to outline every intricate detail of Kathryn's transformation into the Borg Queen.
Well, from his perspective anyway.
It was something he never wanted to relive again.
As if sensing that he needed it, Gretchen gave him a silent hug before continuing toward a waiting ground transport. Phoebe paused a few moments longer, her features no less shell shocked than her mother's had been. "It's been a rough day…" She informed him. "…The Doctor thinks she's over the worst of it."
In the domed glass enclosure, The Doctor was attending to her unconscious form, checking her monitors and analyzing her readings. He had performed more than a hundred surgeries on her already, meticulously removing implant after implant, trying to restore her body to its original form. As for her mind, The Doctor insisted that the best way to bring her back was for those closest to her to be around.
He looked up – no doubt having programmed a subroutine to alert him when someone was near – and waved him in.
As he rounded the dome toward the entrance, he could see her still form on the biobed. Her restraints had been removed, and so had a considerable amount of implants. She looked nothing like the Queen that appeared to them two weeks ago, threatening total annihilation, leaving a path of destruction in her wake every time they resisted.
Her skin was still a grayish pallor, and she was still bald, but gone were the snake-like tubing that spiraled out of her skull, gone were the glowing mechanisms scattered throughout her body that controlled her every movement. She looked more like Kathryn than he'd seen her in the last few days, and his hope soared.
"Phoebe said she'd had a difficult day…" He began as the security team resumed their position at the entrance when the doors sealed shut. "…what happened?"
"I tried to remove the spinal clamps…" The Doctor explained, wrapping up his examination of her. "…she went into a series of convulsions; worse than before. I had to abort the surgery when she flatlined and we came too close to losing her."
Chakotay shuddered inwardly. "Do you know the cause?"
He nodded, closing his medical tricorder. "It seems that some of the technology is already fused with her central nervous system. I have the 'dream team' out there trying to find a way around that."
Chakotay couldn't help but smirk at what was obviously a Tom Paris reference to describe the team of experts assigned to bring her back. "I see you have removed the restraints."
"No need for them. She slipped into a deep coma moments ago." He walked Chakotay over to an adjacent desk and gestured for him to sit on one of two chairs, before administering a hypospray to his neck. Immediately, he felt the fog of exhaustion lift.
In hindsight, it would appear to Chakotay that The Doctor wanted him lucid for his next words. "My neural scans are not detecting any brain activity. Captain, I do not believe Admiral Janeway survived the assimilation."
"Please state your name for the record."
"Chakotay, Captain. Service number four, seven, alpha, six, one, two."
"Thank you, Captain. Please be reminded that you're still under oath. Today we will discuss the crux of the charges laid against you; disobeying a direct order to abort the mission, and your unauthorized undertaking to rescue Seven of Nine and Admiral Janeway."
