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Summary: After a year of being home, Voyager's scattered crew gathers together for one last battle~ but it's not the jolly reunion one might expect… Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, Tom, B'Elanna, Harry, Seven…and some new characters. Enjoy!
Past Re-Visited
By Erin and Rebecca
Chapter 3:
My Name is Annika
Annika Hansen ran as fast as she could from the station Astrometrics lab to the complex's transporter. The words kept ringing in her head, over and over again.
"Cadet Icheb has been seriously injured. We request your assistance because of his unique physiology."
She couldn't believe it. How could he have been so inefficient. So flawed. So-
Annika stopped herself. She was thinking like a Borg again. She knew perfectly well that whatever accident had happened couldn't have been Icheb's fault. She didn't know a single cadet more qualified for Starfleet. She was just…worried. Scared that her student, her friend was in serious danger.
"Activate the cortical stimulator," Doctor Solga ordered just as she walked into the station's sickbay.
"What happened?" she asked one of the ensigns who was assisting in the procedure.
"He was hit by a cloaked Cardassian ship on a training mission. It was a combat training mission, so they thought he was preparing some sort of secret attack."
Annika huffed as she rolled her eyes. How could they have made such a careless mistake?
"Annika Hansen?" the doctor called from across the room.
"Yes sir."
"Thank you for coming so quickly. The EMH that gave us this special cortical stimulator is inaccessible at the moment. We were hoping you could guide us through the specifics."
"What is his status?" she asked approaching the boy. She almost froze at the sight of him. Burns and cuts had nearly mutilated his youthful face. His right arm was twisted in a way that shouldn't have been physiologically possible. And his whole body was convulsing in involuntary spasms.
"We can't seem to stabilize his neural pathways. There's still too much technology in his brain that prevents us from operating as we normally do in this situation."
"Adjust the cortical stimulator to a temperature of 100 degrees Kelvin."
"100 degrees Kelvin!?" he exclaimed, "The information in the database states that normal body temperature for Brunalis is only 78 degrees Kelvin. The overload could kill him!"
"Trust me doctor. You must overload the circuits in his neural net and flush out the mechanical damage or the hazardous machinery will kill him first. Then immediately bring the temperature down to 70 degrees to compensate for the dangerous temperature."
The staff looked at each other in astonishment. But Icheb's condition was worsening. They had to try anything. The procedure took surprisingly little time. Annika had obviously known what she was talking about because almost as soon as the temperature was raised, the circuits burned out and his body barely realized the increase. His Brunali physiology was designed to shut down the synapses from his brain to the rest of his system in the event that such an increase would occur. When the temperature returned to normal, the synapses were revived and Icheb was stable.
"Well done Ms. Hansen," Solga exclaimed, still in mild shock.
"Thank you doctor, but the danger has still not passed. I merely enabled you to cease the convulsions so that you may begin to repair the biological damage. I trust though, that Icheb will recover?" Her confident tone disappeared in that last question as she looked hopefully at her young friend.
"I can never make guarantees Ms. Hansen. But I believe that the rest of the surgery should go smoothly. You're welcome to watch if you would like."
Annika looked at the unconscious cadet and shook her head. The sight was just too much for her and she respectfully requested that she wait like other "family members" did, in the waiting room.
She sat for a long time, silently praying for his safety. Her eyes closed as she began breathing deeply, fading into a deep meditation. An irony occurred to her as she did so. The person from whom she has learned this peaceful worship, was the one person she had not seen nor talked to in over a year.
"Seven!" he shouted after her, but Seven didn't stop. Eventually Chakotay caught up to her. But he had to strain to walk at her pace.
"Seven please. We need to talk about this."
"There is nothing to discuss, Commander."
At that he stopped her, grabbing her arm. "It's Chakotay," he said abruptly, "and there is something to talk about."
"Such as?" she asked. She didn't quite understand what was happening to her. But her blood pressure was way up, she was breathing heavily and was fighting this enormous urge she had to shed tears.
Chakotay sighed, "Seven this doesn't mean it has to be over."
"I don't see how," she stated plainly, "You've made your intentions very clear. I'm sure you'll have a satisfying experience on Mars with your friends."
"Will you just listen for a minute?" he shouted, "I want you to come with me. I don't want to be away from you. We can go together."
"And leave the only family I have here? My aunt, who hasn't even seen me since I was a child? You want me to go live on a Mars colony and leave everything behind that we just gained?"
"You don't even know your aunt, Seven. You yourself have expressed your discomfort when you're around her. Starfleet will make a lab experiment out of you. You'll never have any peace."
Seven didn't answer, but instead looked away, trying to take in everything she was hearing.
"These are my people Seven. My friends. My tribe. They want me to come study with them and learn all the things I've missed the past seven years."
"What about the rest of your family? You said you wanted to be close to me when we returned to the Alpha Quadrant."
"I still do," he answered a little quieter, "That's why I want you to come with me, Seven."
Seven thought for a long while. Was it fair? Was it right to have worked with the crew so hard to get home, meet her only relative left and then leave right away? She was supposed to be exploring her humanity. Experiencing the love of a real family. On the one hand, wasn't romantic interest and indulgence part of that experience? On the other, her new home was here. Her aunt was here, more than eager to get to know her. She had already agreed to let Icheb stay with them when he wasn't at the Academy. Naomi Wildman and her family also lived close by. These were the people who had really helped her through their Delta Quadrant journey. Could she leave them all to go gallivanting with a man she had really just begun to know?
Shakily she looked into Chakotay's eyes and answered, "My name…is Annika, Chakotay. And this is my home."
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