Author: Asparagus I
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or the characters, I just write. No money or profit is gained from this venture.
Borg Together
It has been six months since returning to Earth on Voyager. After being lost to the Borg for such a long time, as Icheb was, I did not feel as if I was coming "home." To the contrary, I felt like I was merely going to have to adapt to a new phase of life. Again, Icheb has had to adapt as well.
The Borg took me away from my parents, who were originally from Earth. The Borg took Icheb also, but when Voyager's crew tried to reunite him with his family, he was used and rejected. Now we live in the Alpha Quadrant, far from where we were found.
Admiral Janeway was promoted for reasons I do not fully comprehend. My interest does not lay with StarFleet and therefore, I have not investigated the reasoning and structure of command further than what I have already deemed necessary. Commander Chakotay was again assigned to ship duty. The relationship with which he and I experimented ended on a friendly manner and I hope to hear from him while he away. Tom and B'Elanna Paris, along with their daughter, took a leave of absence in order to rear their child. I understand that Ensign Kim was assigned to another ship. The Doctor has been getting an upgrade and fine-tuning from his creator.
I was surprised when Icheb opted to live with me. He was interviewed before I was when the ship arrived at Earth. He was told he would require a guardian, and he chose me. When asked if I would accept the duties required of a "parent," I agreed instantly.
He and I are still affected by our Borg implants, which neither of us wants removed. They are too much a part of us and Federation doctors are too inexperienced, in my opinion, to attempt removal. He thinks logically, and is highly intelligent. I can see to his needs, and fulfill the requirement of parent, which the Federation imposed upon him.
Since we have been on our own, here in Massachusetts, Icheb has completed four semesters of schoolwork and is currently preparing for StarFleet's entrance exams. Of late, I have taken up painting, and this has suited me well. I am also attending several classes at a college not too far from our dwelling. Icheb has made friends and regularly brings them to the two-bedroom condominium where we live. Laughing, smiling, and being at ease with emotion do not come easily to me. I am satisfied to see him adapting so well.
We do many things together. Meal times are sometimes missed, but we usually have breakfast and dinner each night, unless Icheb has made other plans. There are also movies we have not seen, despite Tom Paris' best efforts when we were on Voyager, so together, Icheb and I will pick one. We also consume popcorn as we used to do aboard the ship. If he has a question on the schoolwork he is doing, I can often help him solve it and show him where his efforts failed him.
Living the way we do is different from our life in space, but we manage well. We do not have to ration our meals, and we do not have a chef, so I usually prepare the food. There is really no work to it, with the replicators. It is merely a matter of choosing what you desire and asking for it. Icheb is assigned to recycle the dishes and keep his own bedroom area neat, which he does of his own accord, orderliness being a trait of his.
I have heard of a syndrome called Empty Nest. I do not think I'm looking forward to it. I assume Icheb will pass his StarFleet exams and this will leave me alone. I am trying to prepare for this. When I was first taken from the Borg, I had to adapt to not hearing everyone's thoughts, all the time. Still, the ship was peopled enough that it felt similar to a Borg hive. Now with just Icheb and myself, my "hive" has grown smaller. When I am at the college, people surround me. I usually spend several hours a day there whether I need to or not.
Perhaps I could offer my services on Earth, once Icheb no longer needs me as much. I could be a teacher at one of the schools nearby. In Boston.
The End