DISCLAIMER THE FIRST: "It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the grace of coffee that thoughts acquire speed, the back acquires strains, the strains become a warning. The warning is that I make no money from this. It is by JKR's writing alone I set my mind in motion." All Star Trek characters and the like are presumably owned in total by Paramount.

PITHY STATEMENT RELATING TO THIS CHAPTER: "The loneliest moment in someone's life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly."" F. Scott Fitzgerald – American essayist, novelist & screenwriter – 1896-1940

LAST UPDATED ON: 04-22-2020

XxXxX

STORY BUNNY NOTE: This is the type of story bunny you get at 3am when you're on the couch, waiting for you 16yo cat to come in. (He used to stay out after we let Him out. Now, if I wait, He'll come in after 5-10 minutes) I do know I've had an odd Voyager story floating around my head. I think it's another one of those things where some ideas have to just wait till the time is right to write.

This story would start out during Season 3, Episode 26 – Scorpion. Also, I'm amazed how often Lt. Cmdr. Tuvok allows people like Ensign Kim to call say things like, "Tuvok's right!" while on duty on the bridge.

XxXxX

One of One

XxXxX

BORG CUBE 10100110100, SECTOR 26, DELTA QUADRANT – STAR DATE 50980.5

Alerts, distress calls, loss reports and silence where there used to be thousands of voices filled the data stream. Species 8472 had not submitted to assimilation. Unlike few of the races that the Borg had encountered, they had not only fought off assimilation, their resistance was turning the tables upon the previously unstoppable Collective.

One felt it cascade over him…him. Why did One still think of itself as him? One and been One for so long. Still, there was a core to One that had never given in. Never had allowed the Collective to steal that element that had made One unique. For One had been unique before the Borg had tried to assimilate him so long ago.

Yes. One had been a him. One still was a him. No matter how deep he was buried under all the Borg tech, the Chosen One was still there; hidden, passive, waiting. Only when certain factors came within One's range was there action. Slowly, over the years, One had diverted drones to the section of the ship One controlled. Drones who even now slumbered for the day they could be saved from their nanotech slavery.

Yet One never forgot that this control over 'his' domain was an illusion. The Borg simply did not see the efficiency of removing the One's realm. It was a small area of one cube: barely more than a blip in a maintenance report. All it would take was one change in the Collective's priorities and they would fall upon One's sanctum. This had been a concern for centuries. Now, however, One could tell the Collective had far more important things to deal with than a slight imperfection on one of the thousands of Borg Cubes flying throughout the galaxy.

XxXxX

BRIDGE, USS VOYAGER, SECTOR 26, DELTA QUADRANT – STAR DATE 50984.5

CDR Chakotay pointed at the screen, "There! What do you make of that Mohindra? Tuvok?" The Cube that CPT Janeway was on had an odd section at one of the corner points. It was a slightly different color and didn't have many of the exterior light sources the rest of the Cube had.

LT Tridiva Mohindra worked the science section panel. A minute passed and then another. Finally she gave a small shake of her head, "I cannot be certain, Commander. It is certainly an anomaly we have never seen before."

Chakotay turned to the security station, "Tuvok?"

The Vulcan shook his head, "While Borg, Commander, it appears as if that section may have been added later to cover battle damage. Curious. Given how the Borg ships could be said to be almost alive, it is tempting to say that section almost represents a tumor."

LT Tom Paris gave a startled snort of mirth, "The cube has a wart?"

"Could it be a danger to the captain, Tuvok?" Chakotay asked.

LTCR Tuvok shook his head, "Unknown. However, the energy levels and bio-energy readings of that part of the cube are markedly lower than the rest of the ship. I do not believe there is a danger. I also do not believe it is a threat. If it were, I am confident the Borg would have excised that section of the ship. That they have not would imply it has a purpose or it is not worth dealing with."

"Well we all know the Borg will let you walk right by them if they aren't on an assimilation mission," ENS Lyssa Campbell pointed out. "It's not impossible to think that they simply don't care enough right now. With this Species 8472 blowing up entire Borg armadas, I'm betting they have more important things on their Collective mind right now."

Chakotay nodded, "Good point, Lyssa. Like everything else, I want science and security to keep an eye on things. I'm sure it's probably a rare anomaly but it might be common for Borg Cubes in the Delta quadrant to have. That they brought CPT Janeway to that specific Cube is probably a good indicator it has a purpose or it's benign."

"Now that would be a change in our luck," Paris muttered under his breath.

XxXxX

BORG CUBE 10100110100, SECTOR 26, DELTA QUADRANT – STAR DATE 50984.7

The One had to act quickly. Species 8472 had already destroyed the planet and were in pursuit of the Cube trio. It was obvious the only course of action for the Borg was to sacrifice their ships to destroy the bio-ships menacing Voyager. The One initiated protocols it had laid out centuries ago when the Cube had still been in the outer regions of the Alpha Quadrant. The One had been refining these protocols ever since.

The One dipped into the Collective just long enough to see that the previous subtle 'suggestion' that Seven of Nine and selected other drones had indeed been assigned to Voyager regardless of the cost. One had been trying to grab these drones ever since they had been transferred 17 cycles ago. He had to be cautious given One had been subverting the Collective to save various drones only from Alpha Quadrant races.

One was almost certain that the tracks used to steal these drones would be seen as normal deactivations. Still, One had not lived as long hiding from the Collective as he had by not being careful. So many Alpha Quadrant races in one drone transfer had been suspicious. Still, with Species 8472 rampaging through Borg space, One felt confident to be a bit more overt in his manipulations of orders coming in from Unimatrix 01.

Still, these new drones would take time to heal once One had access to them. It would take time to get them to the level as recovered as the drones he had in stasis. Most were completely free of Borg tech. One had kept various things in each body. Most were to help promote general health but mostly to help prevent re-assimilation. Initial tests were promising but One was loathed to do full tests given a failure would increase the risk of the Collective reestablishing the link and uncovering him.

Seven of Nine would be the biggest problem. One had never had a chance to examine any Neo-natal drone or one assimilated at such a young age. Still, One felt that between his capabilities and the startling efficiency of Voyager's EMH, she could be pulled from the Borg. She undoubtedly would resist but One knew it would be for the best.

As expected, two of the Cubes intercepted the approaching bio-ships and detonated. Unfortunately one bio-ship was able to escape. One might not have the full speed of the Collective at his disposal, but One was easily able to calculate the odds. The Borg had only one hope of protecting the nanoprobe weapon technology CPT Janeway offered.

One initiated separation protocols. The "wart" as LT Paris had likened it as, disengaged from where it had been growing for centuries and shot towards Voyager. Right before the link to the Cube was severed, One saw that Seven of Nine and her team of drones along with CPT Janeway had been beamed to Voyager.

As One's realm (it could hardly be called a vessel) attached to Voyager's hull, the Borg Cube that had been One's unwilling home for so long turned and made a suicide run on the remaining bio-ship. In a tremendous explosion, Voyager was alone for the time being along with it's newest passengers.

XxXxX

BRIDGE, USS VOYAGER, SECTOR 26, DELTA QUADRANT – STAR DATE 50985.3

"Report!" CPT Kathryn Janeway asked almost the instant the turbo-lift door opened.

Chakotay turned from the screen which was showing a schematic of the 'tumor' that now was on Voyager. "We had previously noticed an anomaly embedded in the Borg Cube you were beamed to. We could not ascertain its function other than it was a probable battle damage patch. However Tuvok felt it could be the Borg version of a tumor. Lyssa made a good point about it could be something which happens to the Borg but isn't, at this time, worth dealing with."

Janeway walked closer to the monitor, "Well I agree with Ensign Campbell. The Borg certainly have bigger issues to deal with. However, now whatever that is is our problem. What do we know so far?"

LT Mohindra manipulated her science station controls to alter the image on the monitor. "We know the Borg beamed a group of drones along with equipment into Cargo Bay 2. Security teams have stated that drone, Seven of Nine is with them. They appear to be continuing work on the prototype torpedo designs we gave them. They stated Seven of Nine is requesting your presence."

Janeway nodded, "Makes sense. The Collective needs that technology and needs it yesterday. So what's the story with what's on our hull?"

LT Mohindra shook her head with a frown, "I wish I had more to tell you, Captain. Whatever it is, it certainly has attached itself to the hull. It is drawing some power from our engines but LT Torres has already found the object is actually generating energy to help enhance ship-wide hull integrity fields. There seems to be no contact between the object and the drones in Cargo Bay 3."

Janeway turned to Chakotay, "It never rains but it pours in the Delta Quadrant. Thoughts?"

Chakotay gestured towards Tuvok, "I'm wondering if Tuvok might have been closer to the mark than he realized. Maybe this 'tumor' is some mutation or defect in the Collective. Or even a parasite or symbiotes that works with the cybernetic nature of the Borg. We all get viruses, parasites and the like. Maybe Borg perfection isn't as complete as they'd like to portray. Obviously whatever that thing is, it knew enough to jump from one host to another."

Janeway stroked her chin, "Well let us hope that it stays more of a symbiote than a parasite. That it's helping with keeping hull integrity up is promising."

Chakotay sighed, "Plus if it was truly Borg, half of Voyager would have been converted by now."

An alert from Tuvok's security station had all head's turn toward the Vulcan. A brief confirmation before Tuvok looked up, "We've had another unauthorized transporter incident. Source unknown but the target was Sick-Bay."

Almost as if on cue, another alert chimed, "Sick Bay to the Bridge!"

Janeway touched her comm badge, "Go ahead, Doctor. We just registered a beam-in to your position. Status?"

The EMH responded with obvious tension in its simulated voice, "Captain, I am at a loss. One moment everything is fine and then the next moment security force-fields went to standby. Then four sentients were beamed in. Then four Level 10 force-fields went up around them. However, I've already found that I'm in control of those fields."

"These sentients? What can you tell us?" Janeway asked

The Doctor's response was quick, "Right now I can tell you that three are human and the other is an Andorian. I'll know more as my scans are completed."

"Doctor, I'm coming down," Janeway said before cutting off the comm. "Tuvok, you're with me. I want a security team to meet us. We need to go have a chat with Seven of Nine. After that, we can check up on what the hell is going on in Sick Bay."

OoOoO

Janeway shook her head, "It's unbelievable!"

The Doctor made a face that showed he agreed, "So far the readings have been clear. This is ENS Trina Mortley. She was presumed lost along with her ship, the USS Gagarin, sometime around Star Date 2160."

"She seems remarkably well preserved for someone almost two hundred years old," Tuvok commented dryly.

The Doctor nodded, "While I can tell she has been under some form of temporal stasis for a number of years. However, the most likely reason for her lack of age is that she was a Borg drone for an indeterminate number of years."

Janeway looked back to the brunette woman still under sedation, "Are you sure Doctor?"

The EMH nodded again, this time more emphatically, "Positive, Captain. He brought up an image of the woman internal structure. "As you can see, I've highlighted areas where her tissue has been regrown. Whether this as through clone skin grafts or some form of reactivating the body to regrow the lost areas, I am uncertain. I'm sure you can see how those areas mimic known patterns of prosthetic on Borg drones. I also know she, and the other three here, still have traces of Borg technology in them."

The four security officers of Tuvok's all noticeably tensed and grasped their phaser rifles tighter. Janeway, however, kept looking at the data on the screen, "None of this remaining tech seems to amount to much."

"I agree. My initial diagnosis the bulk of it is there to keep the body healthy. The distribution also might imply some form of anti-assimilation screen. I can't be sure and I'm not about to inject live Borg nanoprobes to find out."

Janeway turned to the other three, "So no luck on identifying the rest?"

Tuvok shook his head, "Not yet, captain. However, given ENS Mortley is as old as she is, it may take more time to dig through the older databases. It is possible, however, that without waking them, finding their identity might prove impossible. The USS Gagarin had been on a very long-range survey mission, for that time, when she disappeared. It is likely the rest of these sentients were likewise assimilated far away from the body of the Federation."

Janeway nodded slowly, "That makes sense. Even after Q played around with the Enterprise, it was still a few more years till we made first contact with the Borg in the Alpha Quadrant.

"The appearance of these four begs the question of why? I do not believe it is coincidence that they were beamed to Voyager so shortly after the Borg Anomaly attached itself to the hull. It is also the only unknown area within transporter range to be beamed from," Tuvok pointed out. "Also, we are in the Delta Quadrant yet here are four presumably former drones all from the Alpha Quadrant. That seems unlikely."

"Yes. I did take note that almost all of the team with Seven of Nine, to include her, are from the Alpha Quadrant. I'm wondering if that was by design?" Janeway asked.

"Or maybe whoever is controlling the Anomaly might have been manipulating which drones where selected for the mission. Maybe some rogue drone was able to somehow reconnect with its previous self and has been working to free other drones. It might explain why the Anomaly jumped to Voyager beyond wanting to survive," The Doctor mused.

Janeway made a face, "Doctor, start waking them up. We need answers. Even if they don't know anything, I want to clear this issue away. Our tenuous alliance with the Borg needs our utmost attention.

XxXxX

CARGO BAY 2, USS VOYAGER, SECTOR 26, DELTA QUADRANT – STAR DATE 50986.2

"It is insignificant and should be ignored. We have lost too much time as it is. Species 8472 is continuing its attack throughout the Sector. Every hour we lose here to pointless speculation raises the count of deaths which are on your hands, CPT Janeway," Seven of Nine said in the dispassionate voice that still was filled with emotion one would not expect from a drone.

"It's attached to my ship without invitation, much like your team and gear here. Everyone, to include you and your drones are my responsibility. I am the one who makes the decision on what is ignored or not," Janeway said cuttingly.

"We do not have any more information on the anomaly than we have previously given you. All of these former drones were all logged lost for various reasons. None of which were out of the ordinary," Seven responded haughtily.

Janeway frowned. It was amazing how high and mighty Seven could seem even as she knew the Collective was frantically flailing around for any way to stem their losses. That Voyager had not been assimilated before or an attempt made since showed how flummoxed the Collective was. "Still, we find it odd that all of these former drones are all from the Alpha Quadrant. Twenty different beings ranging from centuries to only a few decades ago. You don't find that odd? Or the fact that you yourself and most of the drones in this bay are all from the Alpha Quadrant? I think this isn't as insignificant as you'd have us believe."

Seven of Nine's face went stony, "What you believe is irrelevant. Only the weapon should be the priority. Without it, Voyager will soon lose the protection of the Borg. We have already lost a significant number of Cubes in defense of this vessel as well as in diversionary attacks to draw the enemy away from this location."

Janeway raised a hand, "Fair enough. Show me what is the next step in our process?"

OoOoO

Janeway entered Sick Bay to find a team working to help the latest group of former drones. Over last few hours, every time the medical beds had been emptied, four new sentients had been beamed over. So far, twenty had been beamed over before transports ended. However the most worrying thing had been that ENS Kim, who was still suffering from the effects of the attack he suffered on the remains of the Borg Cube, had been beamed away.

"Any news Doctor?" Janeway asked

The EMH shook his holographic head, "I'm afraid not. However, Tuvok found that prior to Ensign Kim being transported away, Sick Bay was scanned by a targeted Borg polaron beam. I am hoping that whoever or whatever is on that anomaly took Ensign Kim to treat him."

Janeway blinked at this, "Why do you say that, Doctor? That's a huge leap to make."

"I know, Captain. But we know that the Borg can read out almost everything from our data banks with their scans. Now we were able to put in place defenses to keep the Borg from taking my nanoprobe weapon details but that defense wasn't designed to defend against something attached to our hull and maybe into our computer system as well."

Janeway nodded, "Go on."

The Doctor gestured to the two Klingons who LT Torres was speaking too, "These former drones had to have almost all of their Borg tech taken from them. Obviously it didn't just vanish. The largest roadblock we've had is synthesizing enough nanoprobes to not only create a weapon to defeat Species 8472, but also make a cure for Ensign Kim. I believe that whatever took him, has nanoprobes aplenty and will use them to cure him."

Janeway looked at the displays on the wall which had various internal images of many of the former drones. The Doctor was right. The amount of Borg tech taken from these former Alpha Quadrant natives was considerable.

She touched her comm badge, "Bridge; Janeway. LT Mohindra; I want you to create a request in as many was as you can for nanoprobes like the one needed for the weapon and beam it to the Borg Anamoly. Whoever or whatever is in there, may be inclined to help out."

"Aye captain!" LT Mohindra replied promptly.

Janeway looked at the Doctor, "Parasite or symbiote; whoever or whatever that is, Species 8472 is a threat to it as well. Hopefully self-preservation is a universal concept."

OoOoO

Kes let out a gasp and almost dropped the food tray she was taking to the former Romulan sub-commander. She, like Ensign Mortley, had been assimilated over two centuries ago and was having a hard time adjusting to simple things like eating.

"Kes? Kes! Are you alright?" The Doctor said as he hurried over and took the tray away from the Ocampan. One of the security team took the tray while the Doctor quickly began to use his hand-held medical scanner on Kes.

"Yes…yes, I think so," Kes said in a dazed voice.

"Did you have another premonition, Kes?" Tuvok said as he came over from where he had been talking to the Romulan.

"No…at least not from Species 8472. I was just thinking about all those former drones, in stasis together. Did they dream? Where they linked together or was it years of lonely dreams? Then I felt a presence, a mind which brushed mine. It was filled with such loss, such sadness. So much crushing loneliness. I think this mind is whatever is on the Borg Anomaly.

Tuvok moved closer to Kes and raised his hands toward her face, "May I?"

Kes hesitated then nodded.

Tuvok placed his hand on her face in the manner Vulcans used to read minds. However Tuvok simply held her head as she stood quietly with her eyes closed. Finally Tuvok spoke, "Yes; I can feel it to. I do not believe I could have sensed the same without being in a deep meditative state."

Tuvok released Kes who took a deep, shuddering breath. Even when willing, it was always tense to be linked, even tenuously to another's mind.

"Tuvok?" The Doctor asked.

Tuvok was silent for a moment before looking at the Doctor. "I believe you were correct, Doctor. The being on the Anomaly is, or was, a sentient being. However, I am not certain if that being exists anymore. It may exists only as a mind alone. It is possible that somehow, when its Borg shell was deactivated, it somehow remained in the Borg ship's neural-circuitry."

"A Ghost in the Machine," the Doctor said. "There have been incidents reported like this in history and throughout the Federation."

Kes shook her head, "I don't believe so. There was a sense of self still attached to a body. It was faint, barely a whisper. Hidden from the Borg for so long I believe that this person has almost lost themselves to stay invisible to the Collective."

"Be that as it may, I am certain of one thing. The being, embodied or not, is human," Tuvok said with conviction.

XxXxX

CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS, USS VOYAGER, SECTOR 26, DELTA QUADRANT – STAR DATE 51004.8

Janeway was tired. The stress was immense and it didn't help that she felt she'd been on red alert ever since they had been trapped in the Delta Quadrant. There was so much riding on her shoulders! Would she get a commendation for the results of the last few days or would they clap her in irons for interfering in the war between the Collective and Species 8472?

Then there was Seven of Nine in the brig. Unlike the drones which had been presumably beamed to the Anomaly when they had been shunted into space, Seven was defiantly under detention. Now the question was, would the Borg come after them now that Species 8472 had been sent packing back to Fluidic Space?

As Janeway entered into her quarters, she didn't bother to turn the lights on. The last few years meant she didn't need light to get around. So great was her exhaustion that it took her over five minutes of puttering around with only the starlight coming in from the window did she realize that she was not alone.

However, even in her state, Janeway didn't allow herself to do more than slowly turn to the couch against the window and to the figure sitting there. In the darkness, all she could tell was it was man-sized and had two points of lights where eyes would be.

"I'm sorry. I don't believe we've been introduced. Generally an invitation is needed before entering into a lady's bedroom." Janeway said lightly. Whoever the intruder was, it had not only entered the ship but her quarters without triggering any alarm. Diplomacy seemed the best option rather going for the phaser in the drawer to her right.

"No we have not," came the flat reply. It sounded like an old school voice synthesizer from Old Earth. "We, however, know all about you, Captain Kathryn Janeway. We…apologize for boarding your ship without permission. We had little choice. It did present an opportunity to return the Lost to you. The only other Federation starship in this Quadrant is quite some distance from here."

"What? There is another Federation ship out here?" Janeway exclaimed.

The figure nodded, "That is correct. The USS Equinox. It had been taken by the Caretaker as Voyager was. There had never been an opportunity to make contact with them without the Borg assimilating them."

Janeway shook her head to help clear it, "You said we. Who is we?"

The being paused. Janeway took the opportunity to say, "Lights!"

Janeway had to say what the lights revealed was not what she was expecting. Her first guess was some form of robot given unlike a Borg drone, there was no exposed flesh. Yet even then it was difficult to discern what she was seeing. It was almost as if a piece of bulkhead in a Borg Cube had broken off and decided it wanted to walk like a man.

Finally the being/robot spoke. "There is no we. It is difficult to remember at times when we were singular. To remember when we were One. For so very long we hid from the Borg; crushed under the weight of the Collective. Always hiding like a bug hitching a ride on a Leviathan. For so long there only was One. Then other drones like One were found. We have been collecting them ever since. We hoped to free them and now we have. Yet even now, singularity is difficult to process.

The being raised its arm and waved. "It has been over 200 years since One has been able to do this simple act. So long to remember when One could move, to breathe, to remember the sky on his face, the wind in his hair."

Janeway perked up at that, "Would One have a name? What would he have been called when he breathed the air with the wind in his hair?"

The being was silent again. "It is difficult to access. We were the Chosen One before we became simply One. Many such titles. We only wanted to be normal. To fit in. Never to be the Chosen One. Fate, however, crushed us like the Borg. So long ago it is difficult to remember. So many reasons not to do so."

"Because of the loneliness?" Janeway asked softly. It seemed this being, whoever or whatever it was under all that tech, had been hiding from assimilation for almost as long as humans had ventured far enough to be taken by the Borg. It made sense that in the face of the temptation to give into the Collective and all those shared memories, it would be better to try and suppress one's own sense of self.

"Yes. Loneliness. We became One before the Borg. We did what was necessary to save them all. One had to stay behind. One had to initiate the ritual. One had the Stone, the Cloak and the Wand. It had to be the One. The Chosen One...he...he had to send them all away. Send them to the other realm to save them from Green. Save them from Khan. Save them from the nuclear fire we knew was coming. All had to be saved. All but One. One had to remain behind. Forever One."

Janeway paused before going on. It was obvious this being was dredging up terrible memories. "Well, One. Regardless of who or what you are, I would like to thank you. You saved Harry Kim's life. You returned those lost to the Borg. You helped keep Seven of Nine from contacting the Borg. Your...ship certainly helped us withstand Species 8472. You may have started as a stowaway, but let me say, welcome to Voyager. You have been alone for so long. Maybe you will always be One but there is no reason you have to be One alone."

One was silent, the green glow of its "eyes" pulsed slowly. "Yes. That would be good. It will take time to deal with the drones taken recently. Seven of Nine will also be problematic. We have never dealt with a drone assimilated so young. Seven's recovery will be long. Seven will resist for the Borg is almost all Seven has known."

Janeway smiled, "Then we shall have to help her remember who she once was? Maybe you can help with that. It seems you need time to help remember who you were as well. You are welcome here to work on that. I am sure Tuvok and Kes can help you with that."

"Harry," One said.

"Excuse me? You want Ensign Harry Kim to help you?" Janeway asked.

"Harry Pim...Pom...Pommer...Harry. Harry Pot...pot. Harry Potter," One said.

"Harry Potter? Who is that?" Janeway asked even though she had a feeling of the answer.

"One was...is Harry Potter. Yes I was...am Harry Potter." With that he stood up.

Janeway back away as One, as Harry Potter's form began to shift. It was oddly mesmerizing as it was subtle at first before the form began to accelerate in its change until it finally became a recognizable human form. It was stylized in a way that was familiar somehow. As Janeway watched, suddenly the armored form changed from the muted Borg colors to metallic crimson and gold. Janeway realized she'd seen this armor before. It had been during one of Paris' film festivals. The armor was taken from an early 21st century movie based on late 20th century entertainment magazines. This and his early comment implied he was born on Earth before the Eugenics War. Yet it would have been almost impossible for someone to have been born that long ago and live long enough to get into space to encounter the Borg!

Before Janeway could think on this apparent paradox more, the armor burst open to reveal what appeared to be a pale, man in his 30's with black, messy hair and piercing green eyes. He was naked save for a simple shrift.

Harry blinked at her as if his eyes were working right. Janeway wondered if this was the first time he'd seen with his own eyes in over 200 years.

"I used to wear glasses," Harry Potter said as if he and Janeway were having a regular conversation. Janeway noticed that he spoke with the old English accent.

"Yes….I used to wear glasses. At least those damned nanoprobes were good for fixing that." Harry said with a slight smile. He took a step away from the armor and then promptly fell face first to the deck.

XxXxX

CONFERENCE ROOM, USS VOYAGER, SECTOR 26, DELTA QUADRANT – STAR DATE 51010.2

Janeway listened to Tuvok make his report. It was important but right now she had other things on her mind. "I'm sorry Tuvok," she interrupted. "That all can wait. I just want to focus on the larger picture. We have time for the minutia later."

Tuvok nodded, "Of course, captain." before sitting down.

Janeway took a long pull from her cup of scalding black coffee and then looked at her command staff for a moment. "Right now our top priority is to find somewhere close by to take some time to rest. A class M planet that won't kill us with viruses or even a port with sentients we don't have to worry about trying to kill us to take our ship. We need to rest."

Chakotay frowned, "Captain?"

Janeway shook her head, "I'm tired Commander. I am bone tired and I know you all are probably are just as, if not more so, than I am. We've been on red alert since we arrived. With Kes' gift of being tossed out of Borg space, I think before we proceed, we need to take a bit of time to rest and restock. Besides, safety from the Borg comes at a price. We're a long way from areas Mr. Neelix is familiar with. We need some time to prepare because we have a mission that takes precedence over getting back to Earth."

Janeway held up her hand at the hubbub this generated, "Before Harry Potter passed out, he told me something that sadly I had forgotten till recently. Which is exactly why we need to rest. We've all been making little mistakes and we need to get our edge back before we can move on."

All the senior officers looked at each other before LT Paris spoke up, "So what's the mission, captain?"

"Harry told me that there is another Federation ship that was taken by the Caretaker. The USS Equinox. We're going to find her, link up with her and we're both are going to get back home," Janeway said. "The Equinox is a short-ranged ship. Unless they somehow come across a wormhole or singularity back to the Alpha Quadrant, I can't see them surviving."

"It's a miracle they've lasted this long," ENS Kim muttered softly as he looked at the details of the Equinox on his pad.

Janeway nodded. "First off, Doctor? What is Harry's condition?"

The Doctor sighed, "I wish I had a better answer than 'I'm not sure' but there it is. However, regardless of how difficult it is to get any sort of reading on him, I think he is recovering. I've also noticed that I believe he is somehow still in contact with his ship."

Tuvok nodded, "That his armor moved to Sick Bay supposedly on its own volition would support that theory."

The Doctor sighed again, "Beyond that, I have little to go on. Still, his skin color continues to get better. I can only assume he has some form of control on nanotechnology in his body and he's trying to regain the ability to move again."

Tuvok leaned forward, "While I cannot read his thoughts, I can feel a great deal of mental energy around him. I believe that as Mr. Potter is working on his body, he is also working on his mind and memories as well. It is likely that when this process is complete, he will wake fully capable of thought and action."

Janeway took another drink of coffee before nodding, "Good. I'm hoping he has a better record of Borg data. Even if Seven was inclined to help us, I doubt she knows about the Equinox. So Harry's data is critical."

Janeway turned to Chakotay, "How are our lost lambs doing?"

Chakotay made a face, "As well as one could expect from being assimilated and then waking up to find it's decades to centuries past your last memory before the Borg."

LT Torres chuckled, "Warg and Korath still seem to be having trouble wrapping their heads around the Empire and the Federation being allies. Ventrys is fitting in nicely. I'm not surprised given how science officers are hardly treated with respect in the Klingon Navy. She might never admit it but Voyager is practically Stovokor for the likes of her."

Tuvok spoke up, "Myself along with LT Sohn and ENS Vorik have been working the Romulans. That they make up the bulk of the Lost after humans, gives us a good indicator of where Borg incursions had been."

"The USS Gagarin was close to what would become Romulan space later when she was lost," Janeway mused. "How are they doing?"

Tuvok frowned, "It is difficult to say. Romulans by nature are secretive. However, the communal nature of the Collective seems to have made an imprint upon them. They are much more open than I would have expected. For the present, they and the rest of the Lost are more concerned about doing whatever it takes to return to the Alpha Quadrant."

LT Torres spoke up, "It helps that except for Commander Talh and Crewman Yin, most of the Romulans were taken by the Borg before any hostilities happened between the Romulan and Klingon Empire. They don't have the deep-seated hostility to the Federation either. As Tuvok said, even they are more concerned about getting home than the fact they're on a Federation ship."

"If I may, Captain, I've done a bit of research and I believe the major issue will be with Treana, the Orion," Neelix said carefully.

Janeway sighed, "All the way out in the deep end of the Delta Quadrant and we somehow end up with an Orion slave girl. They're like a bad penny that keeps turning up. Beyond the obvious talents these Orions are known for, does she have any skills?"

Neelix nodded, "Surprisingly, she has a good head with astrometrics as that was her duty as a drone. However, she has expressed an interest in helping me in the kitchens. Again, from my research, Orions are a very social oriented race. While I understand it might be…unwise to provide temptation to the crew, Treana has been cut off from the type of social interaction her species craves."

Janeway thought about it, "Give that a try, Mr. Neelix. However, as much as Seven has been reluctant to help, between her and Mr. Kim, we might yet find a use for her and her astrometric skills."

She turned to her command staff, "As of now, our priority is finding a safe haven for a bit. We need to take stock of our supplies and assess our personnel. We have twenty new potential crewmen to think of. Also, we need to look at our own crew, Marquis and Federation. We've been running on inertia out of necessity. All sections need to come together and start asking hard questions. In a normal cruise, we'd have crew that weren't making the grade and been replaced. Obviously we can't do that. So let's not look at what various crewmembers have been doing and start thinking about what they should be doing."

Chakotay nodded at this, "I agree, Captain. I've been thinking a lot about it. A lot of the ex-Maquis were slotted where we needed them at the time but that hasn't always worked out."

Neelix cleared his throat, "Captain, I don't mean to butt into your Federation business but I also think you and the crew have been ignoring something obvious for far too long."

Both Tuvok and Janeway's lifted an eyebrow in an identical display of surprise. It was rare for Neelix to even appear to be confrontational. "Go on, Mr. Neelix. Now is exactly the time to hear out-of-the-box thinking," Janeway said.

Neelix frowned and shook his head, "You see, captain, that's the problem. I'm not bringing up some out-of-box thing. I'm talking life. I know this ship is at once a ship of exploration that can double as a warship. Such a vessel needs the type of discipline that Mr. Vulcan is so fond of."

Torres, Paris and Kim all couldn't help but chuckle at this. Neelix smiled briefly before continuing. "My point captain is that I believe you will need to shift some of your attitudes away from what you're used to. I've read your human history, it's stories and legends. It is enlightening and also I think it explains what I've been seeing."

"And what might that be, Mr. Neelix?" Tuvok asked.

"You're expecting to pull some amazing solution to your problem out at the last minute. Don't get me wrong! That seems to be the captain's stock and trade. However, no matter how many disasters we've all lived through, you've been in the Delta Quadrant for almost three years now. I know this crew will never give up trying to find a faster way home, but the fact remains that just surviving the long trip home is going to be a huge achievement."

Neelix hesitated.

"It's alright, Mr. Neelix. Say what you have to say," Janeway prompted.

"Captain, there is more to life than duty shifts and hours in the holodeck. As you said, in a normal cruise, crew members would come on as others left. Life would go on. But right now, life isn't going on on Voyager and it needs to. You all need to start thinking about the reality of now and not keep looking forward to the day you return to the Alpha Quadrant. You all know the number but you keep pretending it doesn't exist. 75 years, Captain. That was the original estimate of the time it would take to get back to the Alpha Quadrant.

Neelix paused to take in the grim gaces around him, "I know it's easy to think about your home again given Kes threw you 10 years closer. But the fact still remains that you're still facing a voyage of a little over 60 years. Even with your amazing Federation technology, many won't live long enough to get home and those that do will be very old. So as it stands now, I believe unless serious changes or made, you'll never get home because you won't have enough of a crew to man Voyager as it is run now.

Lt Mohindra let out a small sigh, "Captain, Neelix is right. Right now we have only one child on board. I doubt she, Lt. Commander Tuvok and maybe the Romulans will be able to get this ship home after the rest of us are to old or dead to fly it."

Janeway's face was stony, "Mr. Neelix, Voyager wasn't designed to be a generation ship."

Neelix, however, did not back down, "Nor was it designed to be standed so far from home but here you are. I understand better than you realize, captain, what is going on. I hear the crew talk day in and out. I hear their fears, their dreams and how they need more than a vague promise of getting home. They need a life of their own. Your fraternization rules have been unwieldy, and if I may say, unintentionally cruel."

"Mr. Neelix, a good many of the crew, myself included, have spouses and family waiting for us at home," Tuvok said archly.

"So? Maybe that might work for you, Mr. Vulcan who can live past four human life-times. I am just saying that you all need to face up that you may never leave this ship alive, even it it does indeed make it back like I'm sure it will. Watching this crew under the conditions thrown at it has been one of constant delight and amazement to me. But the truth is you must plan for the long trip even as you never give up working on making it a shorter trip."

The room was silent as they waited on what the captain would say. Those who knew her the best knew that Mr. Neelix's words went against her style of leadership.

Neelix cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable, "I also feel that I must, as you Terrans say, bring up the elephant in the room. By your own Federation rules, this ship has already been declared lost. Your families, the spouses and children have been notified. They may have hope but the reality will be they see you as dead and gone. Even now, many of them are moving on, trying to put their lives back together. They will move on and forge new lives for themselves. I am merely saying that even if Voyager makes it back in a few years, your families may have moved on. Spouses will have remarried, new children born. How will you all react to that? Do you expect them to put their lives on hold for the slim chance of your return? Would you want them to? If not, do you expect them to feel any different if you return with your own new partners and children?"

Again the room was silent. Surprisingly it was Tuvok that broke the silence, "A most logical and succinct appraisal of our situation, Mr. Neelix." He turned to Janeway, "Captain, as much as I'm sure it pains all here, Mr. Neelix is correct. It would be irresponsible for us to deny our younger crew-members the life many of us left behind in the Alpha Quadrant. Also, as the years go by, things will become difficult for many of us. Ensign Vorik's brush with the Pon Farr will happen again. Also, if this voyage stretches on past one Pon Farr cycle, even bonded such as I and Lt Sohn will begin to feel the affects again. As Mr. Neelix said, our families have been appraised of the disappearance of Voyager. It would be illogical for my wife T'Pel to forgo starting a new life after the appropriate time of mourning has passed. And yes, Mr. Neelix is correct, while it would be a difficult situation, both T'Pel and I would see the necessity of it if we are returned to the Alpha Quadrant sooner rather than later."

Janeway gave Tuvok a flat look, "We have enough problems on this ship; you want to add the pitter-patter of little feet, Tuvok?"

Before the Vulcan could reply, Lt Mohindra spoke up, "I certainly do."

Janeway looked at her science officer, "Really Tridiva? You never struck me as the motherly type."

Mohindra's face turned cold, "That is because regardless of how long we've been on Voyager, we mostly still do not know each other, Captain. I think Mr. Neelix has hit the nail on the head. Yes, we need rules and discipline. Yet we've been acting like any day now we could pull into Space Dock and it'll be all over. None of us really reach out past our immediate rank given we don't want to look like we're fraternizing. I understand we needed it to keep it together at first. But Mr. Neelix is right. We can't keep ignoring that the chance of getting back to the Alpha Quadrant quickly is very low. I took an oath to Starfleet but that oath didn't mean I am willing to give up my life. Frankly, it's either change or a lot of us will resign to begin families and we all know we can't afford that either."

Again there was silence as they all waited for Janeway.

Suddenly Torres chuckled, "As Neelix said, let's talk about the elephant in the room. I'm tired of the holodeck or personal time. I want to get laid with a real person. Like Neelix, I've been listening to my team. I've noticed a lot of the scuttlebutt is turning more and more to sex. It's going to take some draconian measures to keep things as they are now, captain."

Janeway face was still blank but suddenly she chuckled. This turned into a small laugh before she got herself back under control. "Thank you, B'Elanna. As ever, you go straight to the point. Yes, I guess we have...I have been holding on to tightly. I can hardly say we need rest and relaxation and not expect the crew to want to do just that."

"You know captain, it might not be so bad," Chakotay pointed out. "We have lost crew and we'll most certainly lose more. I'm betting the USS Equinox is in the same boat. So they'll need crew replacements. Doing that will free up more room here on Voyager. Who knows? We've never really thought about it, but we have ended up in a lot of scraps where we could have taken a ship or at least demanded one. Hell, given this Harry was able to clean up all those former drones, we might have an opportunity there. I wish Harry had been onboard when I encounter all those drones who had been severed from the Collective. Instead of them having to form a new Collective of their own, they could have been flying that Cube with us right now."

"Now there is some out-of-the-box thinking!" Janeway quipped. "Alright, we all have a lot to think about and a lot of plans to make." She turned to Neelix, "Beyond your normal duties, I would like you to start looking at how we might be able to maintain discipline while at the same time loosening things up. I think your status as an outsider will help."

Neelix nodded, "I would be happy and honored to do so, captain. If I may, I feel the 'pitter-patter' of little feet will do more for morale than all the chaos the little ones will create."

Janeway nodded at that before suddenly sighing with her shoulders sagging, "I miss my dog Mollie."

Everyone present all found something else to look at. All knew what such an admission it had been for the captain to say it. In one phrase, she was acknowledging she may have been wrong to stick with things as they had. It also showed that she was just like everyone else; the reminder o what they lost and may never get again was always there.

XxXxX

UNIMATRIX 01, SECTOR 01, BETA QUADRANT – STAR DATE 51012.2

The Borg queen let the data wash over her. The war against Species 8472 had created massive set-backs to many Borg plans and offensives throughout the galaxy. With so many cubes in the Delta Quadrant destroyed, other from around Borg space had to be rerouted to cover.

Even with the nanoprobe weapons being manufactured and hopefully improved on, the Borg Queen was worried. The beings from Fluidic Space had retreated for now but just as the Borg had adapted, the Queen knew it would be folly to think that Species 8472 was not working on a counter. Now the situation all rested on what they would do now that the Borg had dismantled the infrastructure they had created to penetrate into Fluidic Space.

Would Species 8472 be content to remain in their space if the Borg continued to do the same?

The Queen also had found another wrinkle from the latest war. For decades, the Queen had felt a presence in the Collective. One that reeked of Death. To the Borg, death was irrelevant because no drone truly died as they lived on in Borg collective hive-mind. Yet for the Queen herself, this touch of Death stirred an old primal fear long buried in her. Reaching all the way back to when the Queen had not taken the step to become the first Borg.

Over the many decades, the Queen had felt this presence and while she was loathed to admit it, the presence frightened her. Yet it was difficult to define what was causing the presence to manifest. However, she soon realized that one thing which always caused a manifestation was when she initiated system-wide diagnostics and various upgrades to the Borg as a whole.

This unnerved her enough to do such actions in stages even if it was inefficient. This localized the issue to the Delta Quadrant. She had further relaxed certain protocols of these actions which always had caused the presence to appear.. And she had wanted the presence to go away as it had taken only one time where she had ordered a Borg cube group into battle which she had fully expected all the cubes to be destroyed as a diversion.

Almost instantly after her orders had been given, the presence had been all around her. The feeling of death leeching into her digital soul. There was menace as well as fear. It was obvious to the Queen that whatever this presence was, it was linked to the Borg somehow. It feared for its existence.

Before the icy tendrils of fear and death had gotten to much for the Queen to bear, she had called off the attack. She'd even gone so much to rig a sub-routine where all the cubes of that armada were partially screened from her active notice. The Queen felt the less she knew, the better. Investigating was surely going to provoke a response.

She had not been surprised that as Species 8472 had been rampaging through Borg space in the Delta Quadrant, that the presence had returned. Yet it had felt different to the Queen. More like it was immersing itself more into the Collective to monitor what was going on.

In reviewing the massive amounts of data she simply could not handle during the attack, the Queen had found that right before Cube 10100110100 destroyed itself to protect the rogue Federation ship Voyager, that the presence had disappeared. She had not realized it, given the chorus of voices that was the Borg Collective, but for over 200 years, the presence had always been there. Quiet, lurking, like an avatar of Death, watching and waiting for the inevitable.

Now that the presence was no longer attached to the Borg (or at least in a way she could detect) the Queen had reviewed every iota of data from that cube. She was able to pinpoint exactly when the presence became known to the Borg. The presence had came into the Borg when they had first assimilated a sleeper ship on the outer reaches of the Alpha Quadrant. The ship had fallen through a micro-wormhole and had ended up on the far edges of the Quadrant. Coming out of such a wormhole had caught the attention of Cube 10100110100 and the ship was assimilated.

After this, she had designated the Alpha Quadrant to be a low priority given if such a ship could have traveled as far as it had, then the amount of space-faring races were low. While the Borg looked to assimilate biological and technological distinctiveness, the truth was it was rare for something truly unique to assimilate. Therefore the Borg searched for more advanced races to assimilate and it seemed the Alpha Quadrant had little to offer. That turned out to be a flawed assumption and that it had came from the very humans who would later prove so difficult to the Borg's efforts in the Alpha Quadrant was galling.

The Queen saw how over time, drones had gone missing. Nothing overt, nothing easily noticed amid the huge machine-mind that was the Borg. Now, however, as the Queen focused her collective will, such machinations were easily exposed. She watched as Cube 10100110100 began to manifest an aberration on its hull. How, right before destroying itself, this aberration had ejected and latched onto the only vessel in range.

Voyager.

The Queen physical form frowned. Voyager was were one of her pet projects had ended up. Worse, this presence had worked to ensure Seven had been the one interact with Janeway. Given it's previous collection of Alpha Quadrant drones, had Seven just been in the right place at the wrong time or did this presence know of the Queen's plans for Seven and Earth?

The Queen shivered. Even in a memory in the data-stream, the Queen hated how the presence dredged up feelings, long thought lost. She had to be careful. Luckily the Borg Queen was the soul of patience. Voyager's mission to return to the Alpha Quadrant was obvious. There was plenty of time to covertly watch and collect data. Again, this presence might have taken Seven simply because she was on the Cube and from the Alpha Quadrant. Indeed, it might even unwittingly help Seven get to Earth and then her revenge on that pathetic planet would be complete!

XxXxX

DINING HALL, USS VOYAGER, SECTOR 26, DELTA QUADRANT – STAR DATE 51014.2

"Gah! Neelix! Are you trying to kill me? Or did you switch my meal for Warg's?" Paris said as he fought to keep from spitting out the food in his mouth.

Neelix continued to stir the boiling pot in front of him, "I'm sorry, Tom. A lot of our stores were damaged or destroyed with all that Borg nonsense. Until we can pull into a port of call or find a compatible planet, my options are very limited."

Torres sighed as she eyed what Tom was eating, her own meal as yet untouched, "You know Neelix, I'm not sure even Warg would eat this. I know I'm not thrilled and I'm half Klingon."

Before anyone else could speak, one of the doors to the mess hall opened and everyone was startled to see Harry Potter slowly walk in.

Neelix immediately turn the heat down on his pot before bustling up to the mysterious traveler that they all thought was still in a coma in Sick Bay. "Welcome! My name is Neelix and I'm the cook around here. Are you hungry? You did come here for the food, right?"

Harry turned his intense green eyes to the alien. His face was blank for a bit before he smiled, "Yes. Food would be nice. I haven't eaten food in so long. I guess I will have to get used to eating and sleeping again.

"Well you may give it up again if you have to eat this swill," Paris muttered under his breath.

Harry, however, heard the lieutenant as he slowly walked over to stand over the table. Torres, Paris, Kim and ENS Vorik all tensed. "You do not like this food?" Harry asked.

Tom threw up his hands, "Hey I don't mean to complain. We've been through a lot and it's frankly amazing we're not all dead or drones given what has happened in the last week or two."

Harry nodded, "The Collective does seem to squeeze all life out of life. They assimilate and yet ignore all the things which make life interesting. So afraid of death that they refuse to live. Like Voldemort. He wanted to be immortal and for what? He didn't live; he merely existed."

Before any of the crew could speak, Harry thrust out his right hand and a long stick seemed to grow out of his hand. Harry twirled this stick for a bit, as if to see if he still could. Then, with a flourish, Harry made a sweeping gesture over the table's various plates. To everyone in the room's amazement, the bland food, smelling slightly of dead fish, transformed into a meal fit for the best restaurant from Paris on Earth.

"Paris. You should like, French food, yes?" Harry asked. He had merely flicked his hand and the stick had be reabsorbed into his hand.

Tom blinked in amazement, "Yes. I mean, sure!" Tom hesitantly took a bite of the food in front of him. His eyes immediately lit up. Talking through the food he was eagerly chewing, Tom mumbled, "This is incredible!"

Torres tried the food as well and had a similar reaction. Only Ensign Vorik looked on dispassionately. "Harry Potter; are you a Q?"

Harry looked at the Vulcan. "I do not understand."

Vorik gestured to the food in front of him, "You altered the matter in this food from one form to another. Such things have been seen on this ship before with a Q. Although he created food, not altered it."

Harry shook his head, "I am not a Q. I cannot violate Gramp's law and create food."

Tom swallowed his food, 'Then what are you? It's a great trick!"

Harry paused before suddenly smiling; the first honest look of emotion he'd shown since entering, "As the Keeper of the Keys of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry told me on my 11th birthday back in 1981, "Yer a wizard 'arry!"

An awestruck silence fell upon the room.

Harry's smiled faded to a sad look, "Sadly, I'm the last and only wizard left. Free of the Borg after all these years and yet I am, and always will be One of One."

XxXxX

A/N: Like my Star Wars/Dune story Nineteen, I can't do much more with this right now simply because until we can upgrade to fiber-optics, our internet can't do a lot at the same time. Given my wife is involved in a huge amount of Webinars during the day (she's in Marketing) and wants to unwind at night watching 'her stories' as we jokingly say, my time to watch Voyager episodes again (along with SW: Rebels) is low. I've barely been able to squeak in episodes of the Clone Wars when she's out for a walk or something.

Going Forward: How would having the Chosen One, the Last Wizard left on Voyager affect Season Four and beyond? How would Seven react when she's not the only former drone onboard even though she's the only one whose still partially a drone? You can bet the Harogen are in for a lot harder time with Harry onboard. Obviously Voyager is going to link up with the Equinox. How will having two ships affect things, especially since the Equinox would not have yet made the "unforgivable curse drive" and gotten almost whacked. Then there are the shipping wars! Klingons! Romulans! New crew, the Equinox crew! The realization that they all might live their life on Voyager. All this and a wizard too!

Update: Due to the positive response to this, I am considering expanding it. However, for the time being, I'm inclined to post it to my AO3 account which doesn't have as much content.