=/\=

Stardate 52622

When I entered the Mess Hall for breakfast this morning, I saw Seven sitting alone at the same corner table she'd occupied after the "voices" incident. That haunted look was back. Once I'd filled my tray, I approached her and asked her if she would mind if I shared her table. From the way her eyes flicked around the Mess Hall, I gather she might have said she did mind, if there had been any free tables. It was crowded today, however, and she nodded to indicate I could take the other chair. We didn't say anything for a few minutes. I must confess I was quite hungry and had to consciously resist wolfing down the pancakes Dad had made for us today - B'Elanna's favorite, banana pancakes, but with the added twist of a few chocolate chips sprinkled in as he cooked them on his griddle. They were substantial and tasted just wonderful.

After I'd assuaged my hunger enough to slow down and truly savor the rest of my meal, I noticed Seven had chosen a serving of the same pancakes, although she was eating hers at a much slower pace than I was. I asked her if she liked them, and she said they were "satisfactory." Seven took a sip of her nutritional shake, while I reached for my mug of coffee. A suggestion of a smile crossed her lips, and she commented, "The captain asked me if I would like a cup of coffee, just before we left for our trip to the sphere. I turned her down. I've never developed a taste for it."

I was pleased to have an opening to talk to her about what had happened, but my initial response was trite. "Coffee can be an acquired taste, especially since some of Dad's blends are not what most of the crew remembers as a 'taste of home.'" I smiled as warmly as I could while I spoke.

The slight smile faded. "I never had the chance to acquire a taste for coffee. I don't know if my parents liked it. If so, they never mentioned it in their logs."

"Reading them must have been very difficult for you."

"It was . . . painful. I'd forgotten so much. And now . . . I'm angry at what they did. What they put me through. Themselves through. And then to see him like that . . . " Seven's voice trailed off as a momentary memory clouded her perceptions. I couldn't think of anything to say that wasn't inane. I didn't want that look to show on her face again, but she came out of it very quickly.

"Are you all right, Seven?" I finally asked her.

She sighed. "I am, Lieutenant. It's just . . . I haven't told many people about this. The captain. The Doctor. I believe I will share this with you, too. When I was with the Queen, she summoned my father. The drone. Magnus Hansen. She didn't tell me his designation. I might be able to plumb my memories to find out what it is, but I'd rather not. She thought seeing him would make me want to rejoin the Borg. To return to 'the family.' She has no true concept of emotions, or she would have anticipated that seeing him, after what he put my family through, had the opposite effect of what she intended. I felt disgust and anger. He ruined our family because he wouldn't listen to my mother when she told him it was time to stop, to return to the Federation, to let everyone know the Borg were not a myth; they were dangerous; and they'd destroy everyone in their path if they could. He ignored her. And then it was too late."

I couldn't help myself. I put out my hand and touched hers - the one with the exoskeleton - to comfort her. Perhaps it was. She didn't flinch or move her hand away. When I finally found the words to speak, I said, "Seven, if you ever want to speak with me about this, please come to me. I feel a kinship with you, you see. We're both 'hybrids' - technological marvels, perhaps I should say. It isn't easy finding that balance between two very different heritages. I know how difficult that can be, I assure you."

She definitely smiled then. "Ensign Paris, when he was still a lieutenant, said much the same thing to me, shortly after I arrived on Voyager. I wonder if his offer still stands? I've heard he's had a difficult relationship with his own father."

"Yes, he's never been shy about that. Since his experience on Monea, he seems to be trying to examine their relationship more closely. I must say, Tom would also be an excellent person to speak with - about just about anything, really. He'll give you very good advice. He always has whenever I have something troubling me, and I need to talk over the subject with someone."

"Your fathers don't help you?"

"There are some subjects I'm not comfortable discussing with either of my fathers."

"I see. Thank you for your offer, Lieutenant. I may take you up on it. I will see if Ensign Paris' offer still stands first."

I don't know if we would have spoken any further about the subject, because just then, Sam Wildman and Naomi walked into the Mess Hall. Naomi squealed with delight when she saw Seven and ran over to give her a hug. Generally, Seven stiffens up if someone tries to hug her (usually, it's Dad doing the hugging). But, as with the touch of my hand, this morning she seemed to welcome Naomi's embrace. I finished eating my breakfast and moved a free chair to the table, so Naomi and Sam both could visit with Seven and chat for a while. Our Captain's Bridge Assistant promised to lift Seven's spirits more than I could. I left for my duty station, relieved. Seven faced off against her greatest foe, and she survived. She's still here with us. That's good for her, as it is for our entire crew. Our Voyager Collective.

=/\=

Stardate 52624

There's a rumor going around that Seven went to Tom to talk about her experiences with the Borg Queen - and more specifically, about "father issues." Tom has refused to go into detail about it, although, from my conversation with Seven in the Mess Hall, I'm sure she did. While it's not generally known among the crew, Father informed everyone in Security about the Borg Queen's claim she'd placed Seven on Voyager. In a conversation with the captain and Father, Seven confirmed that she'd remained on the sphere because the Queen had threatened to assimilate everyone on Voyager if she didn't.

Once the Queen had Seven in her grasp, she was willing to continue honoring her promise not to interfere with Voyager's return home - if Seven agreed to help the Borg Queen achieve her goals. She ordered Seven to program nanoprobes and introduce them into a weapon that would assimilate everyone on Earth, but only gradually. A biogenic charge detonated in the Earth's atmosphere, would disseminate them throughout the world, in the same way ash from an exploding volcano will drift in the prevailing winds and circle the Earth. Half the population would be assimilated before anyone realized what was happening, and much too late to prevent it from affecting everyone on the planet. While we're certain Seven would never go along with such a plan, Father told us we must be vigilant. The Borg Queen may try to find another way to deliver this weapon to Earth, possibly by using Voyager itself as a carrier.

That's not where Seven's haunted look came from however. She admitted to Tom that the Queen forced her to help assimilate an entire race of 392,000 individuals. The Queen said they were doing those individuals a favor. They were being reborn to a "higher purpose," their petty lives transformed from chaos into order. It was really a test of sorts, since Seven didn't see anything particularly "special" about the technology Species 10026 possessed. While the Queen may have wanted them because she needed additional drones, Seven believes there was another reason she insisted Seven participate. The Queen wanted to bend Seven to her will, to prove her loyalty to the Collective. If that was her aim, it failed. Seven helped four of the species to escape. The Queen accused Seven of exhibiting "petty human emotions," like "mercy," but after Seven pointed out it would be a waste of resources to go after so few, the Queen let them flee.

Seven gave Tom permission to tell me about this. She told him, "Lieutenant Tuvix noticed something was bothering me. He offered to help, if he could. Tell him this was what was bothering me. Those four people aren't a threat to the Borg, and at least I won't have to worry about hearing their voices haunting me in the future."

She's right, of course, but there are approximately 392,000 other members of Species 10026 whose voices may return someday.

=/\=

Author's Note: While Tuvix's logs are an alternate universe story, and Tom Paris' adhere closely to canon, I would imagine the discussion Seven had with Tom would be the same in both universes, other than the reference to Tuvix. If you'd like to read more about Seven and Tom's discussion, you can go to "Log Entries: Chief Helmsman of Voyager," Chapter "6. Year Five" - Stardate 52625.7. The conversation is also depicted in another story, "Out of the Virtual, into the Real," in Chapter 14, "Mommy and Daddy Issues."